How to Study the Bible

[Joseph Gill]

Reproduced from the online synopsis of "How to Study the Bible" bible study series, distributed by Way of Life Literature.

[Joseph Gill]

1. THE LITERAL SENSE of Scripture must rule. Dr. David Cooper wisely observes: "When the plain sense of scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense, but take every word at its primary literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context clearly indicate otherwise." If the literal sense of the Bible is not correct, no one can be certain what meaning is correct. God gave the Scriptures to REVEAL truth to man, not to hide it. It is given for light, not confusion. "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Deut. 29:29). In the Scriptures God uses the normal rules of human language.

[Archbishop Trevor 'Elihu' Greene]

Allowing the literal sense of Scripture to rule is acting purely like a Sadducee. This cancels out the possibility of revelation from GOD. You are literally closing the gateway of GOD's revelation and manipulation of His own word. Take Paul for example: when you read the why he used scripture, he spoke from the standpoint of a Pharisee, and that standpoint allows the Scripture to be used beyond the literal sense. Revelation from GOD defies the literal context that we so stubbornly hold to.

This is yet another example of the flaws of "Sola Scriptura". There must be a balance, and such a concept denies that ability.

[Joseph Gill]

Sadducees were not literalists... otherwise they would not have rejected (would not have spiritualized) the biblical teachings about resurrection and angels. Sadducees ascribed to an esoteric reading of some scripture in order to denude it of supernatural aspects... that is not taking a literal approach to scripture.

You are conflating a distrust of oral tradition and a distrust of esotericism. The two concepts are sometimes related but not identical.

[Archbishop Trevor 'Elihu' Greene]

Oh, you are mistaken. You have to do a study on the Sadducee standpoint, for Sadducees are famous for taking the literal approach as well as rejecting the resurrection of the dead.

[Joseph Gill]

My research says no Sadducee writings have been discovered and, therefore, what is known of them is mostly based on Pharisee writings. So it is the surviving strain of the Pharisitic tradition--as reflected in rabbinic Judaism--that characterized the Sadducean position as a rejection of all oral tradition. Later scholars simply parroted this view when they described the Sadducees as strict literalists. But modern scholarship is advancing upon a more nuanced perspective. Consider how the Encyclopedia of Religion now describes the Sadducees:

"The Sadducees rejected the "tradition of the fathers" that the Pharisees considered as law. For this reason the later rabbinic sources picture them as rejecting the oral law. The notion of some Church Fathers that the Sadducees accepted only the Torah as authoritative, rejecting the prophets and the emerging corpus of writings, is unsubstantiated by any earlier sources. The New Testament maintains that Sadducees did not believe in resurrection. Josephus writes that they rejected personal immortality, reward and punishment after death, and determinism, but that they believed strongly in absolute free will."

[Joseph Gill]

2. The Bible student must allow the Bible to define its own FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE. The Bible contains symbolism, figures of speech, poetry; but, as in normal language, these are identifiable and can be interpreted (1) in context and (2) by comparing Scripture with Scripture. The book of Revelation is an example. Chapter one uses some figurative language, but it is clearly identified. In Rev. 1:12 and 16, we see "seven golden candlesticks" and "seven stars," but those are explained in verse 20. In verses 12-16 we have a description of Christ, and some of it is symbolic, as we see by the use of such terms "like wool" (v. 14), "white as snow" (v. 14), "as a flame of fire" (v. 14), "like unto fine brass" (v. 15), "as the sound of many waters" (v. 15), "as the sun shineth in his strength" (v. 16). When we come to Revelation 4, the future prophecies begin, and figurative language is still clearly identified. In verse 3 we read that the one on the throne was "to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone" and that around the throne was a rainbow "like unto an emerald." In verse 7 we find that the beasts were like things that are known on earth. The rest of the things described in that chapter are not figurative.

Sometimes the reader of the Bible has to go to another passage to explain figurative language. For example, Revelation 4:5 says, "And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD." This is explained by comparing other scripture. The same description is used in Rev. 5:6 and Isaiah 11:2. These passages teach us that this figurative description of the Holy Spirit refers to the following things. (1) The omniscience of the Holy Spirit. This is what we see both in Rev. 4:5 and in 5:6. In Rev. 4:5 the seven Spirits are likened to lamps of fire, which speaks of enlightenment, describing the Holy Spirit's work of giving wisdom and understanding to all of the creation. In Rev. 5:6 the seven Spirits are "sent forth into all the earth," referring to the Holy Spirit being everywhere present on the earth. (2) The seven Spirits also refers to the seven offices of the Holy Spirit, as described in Isaiah 11:2.

This literal approach to Bible interpretation is contrasted with the spiritualizing or ALLEGORICAL METHOD OF INTERPRETATION. By this method, the mind of the interpreter becomes the authority and one can never be certain what the Bible means.

For example, the Geneva Bible note at Revelation 9:11 identifies "the Angel of the bottomless pit" as "Antichrist the Pope, king of hypocrites and Satan's ambassador." There is no reason, though, to see the angel of the bottomless pit as anything other than a literal fallen angel in a literal bottomless pit.

Harold Camping, founder of Family Christian Radio, recently came up with the following allegorical interpretation of Revelation 11:7. He says the two witnesses represent the church. The church has been in the great tribulation but has now been killed. Therefore, the church is dead; God is through with churches and pastors and they have no more Scriptural authority.

[Joseph Gill]

3. The Bible student must understand that CONTEXT IS ALL-IMPORTANT in defining words and interpreting passages. Absolutely nothing is more important in Bible interpretation than a careful consideration of the context. This is why it is so important to (1) read and re-read passages, (2) to study them very carefully, (3) to know what the immediate book and chapter is about, and (4) to have a knowledge of the whole Bible so you can compare scripture with scripture.

Consider the phrase "profane and vain babblings" in 2 Tim. 2:16. What does this mean? The very first thing to do is to look at the context. There we learn that "profane and vain babblings" are (1) those things that are contrary to sound doctrine (v. 15, 18), (2) those things that produce confusion and bad fruit (v. 16), and (3) those things that are harmful to the Christian life (v. 17).

Consider the phrase "foolish questions" in Titus 3:9. What is this? Again, the context defines the phrase. Foolish questions are questions (1) that claim good works are not important (v. 8), (2) that produce strife (v. 9), (3) that misuse the law (v. 9), (4) that are unprofitable (v. 9), (5) that are used by false teachers (v. 10).

Consider the alleged contradiction between James 2:24 and Romans 3:24 and 4:5. The apparent contradiction between James and Paul disappears when we consider the context. Paul was addressing the subject of salvation, of how a lost man can be made right with God, and he tells us that the sinner must trust exclusively in the grace of Jesus Christ for salvation. James, on the other hand, is addressing the subject of Christian service, of how a saved man can please God in this life. He tells us that true faith is evident by works. There is no contradiction if one considers the context of each statement. Paul is addressing the unsaved sinner's perspective. The sinner must trust Jesus Christ exclusively for salvation; he must reject his own filthy works (Isaiah 64:6) and all self-righteousness (Romans 9:30-33) and lean totally upon the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting wholly in His perfect and complete redemption. James, on the other hand, is addressing the Christian's perspective. The Christian claims to have faith in Jesus Christ. He is therefore to diligently serve God and to walk in His commandments. Those who live in rebellion and who ignore the Word of God demonstrate that they do not possess true saving faith, that they are deceiving themselves.

[Joseph Gill]

4. The Bible student must understand that CLEAR PASSAGES interpret the less clear. The overall teaching of the Bible cannot be overthrown by single passages. For example, some use Acts 2:38 to teach that baptism is necessary for salvation, in spite of the fact that hundreds of verses teach that salvation is by faith alone through God's grace alone, and that works do not save us. Many other verses also teach that baptism is merely a symbolic act that follows salvation. Acts 2:38 must not be interpreted privately, by itself, but in light of the teaching of the entire Bible. When we do this, we see that the baptism for remission of sins means baptism because one's sins have been remitted by faith in Jesus Christ, not in order for one's sins to be remitted. The false teacher turns this rule upside down and allows the one or two less clear passages to overthrow the teaching of many clear ones.

[Joseph Gill]

5. The Bible student must COMPARE SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE. One of the most important ways to interpret the Bible is to compare Scripture with Scripture. That is why it is good to have a Bible with cross-references and to use the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, which has hundreds of thousands of cross-references. Not only does the meaning of a verse or passage open up by comparing it with other Scriptures, but also Bible difficulties often melt away through this means. Consider, for example, Numbers 13:1-3 and Deuteronomy 1:22-23. The account in Numbers says that God ordered the spies to be sent; whereas the account in Deuteronomy says that the people requested this. Both are true, as the Bible says. In Deuteronomy Moses gives the details behind the command given in Number 13. The people were hesitant to enter immediately into the land and desired that spies be sent to reconnoiter the situation. God allowed the people to follow their desire and commanded Moses to send the spies. Of course, God knew that the spies would return with an evil report and that their unbelief and the unbelief of the nation would result in judgment. The fact that God often allows men to pursue their sin and unbelief is a fearful thing.

[Joseph Gill]

6. The Bible student must understand that PARABLES DO NOT DEFINE DOCTRINE, but illustrate doctrine. It is a mistake to build doctrine upon a parable. Parables illustrate doctrine and usually have one central teaching. This is illustrated in the parable in Luke 18:1-8. The parable has one main point: "men ought always to pray, and not to faint" (verse 1). It teaches the importance of perseverance in prayer. If one tried to look deeply into the parable to find other teachings, he could go into error, because the parable contains more contrasts with reality than similarities. The judge depicts God, and the woman depicts the believer coming to God in prayer. Consider the contrasts between the woman and the judge and the believer and God: (1) She came to an unjust judge; we come to the righteous Father (Jn. 17:25). (2) She was kept at a distance; we come boldly (Heb. 4:16). (3) She had no friend to plead her case; we have an Advocate (1 John 2:1). (4) She seldom had access; we always have access. (5) She had nothing to encourage her; we have many promises (1 Pet. 1:4). (6) She was no relation to the judge; God is our Father (Rom. 8:15). (7) The judge only complied because he was wearied by the woman's persistence; God answers our prayers because He loves us (Rom. 8:32). The parable was not given to teach doctrine about God or salvation or the Christian life in general; it was given to illustrate one main truth about prayer. This is true for all of the parables, and failure to understand this can lead to all sorts of error.

[Hezekiah Ben Israel]

2Timothy 3:16-17All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Isaiah 28:9-13 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

2Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

2Timothy 1-5 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

1Timothy 4:12-14 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

[Joseph Gill]

7. The Bible student must understand that REVELATION IS PROGRESSIVE. This means that God revealed His truth gradually as the Scriptures unfolded. Charles Hodge observes: "The progressive character of divine revelation is recognized in relation to all the great doctrines of the Bible." One example of the progressive nature of revelation is the doctrine of the Trinity. We are given a hint of it in Genesis, in chapter one where God says "let us" (Gen. 1:26) and the plural Hebrew word "Elohim" is used for God. In Gen. 11:6-7, God is revealed as one and as a plural. In Ps. 45:6, God the Father is addressing God the Son, but this is not clear until Hebrews 1:8 was written. Thus, the doctrine of the Trinity does not shine in its fullest brightness until we get to the New Testament. The same is true for the doctrine of life after death. The Old Testament teaches many important things about life after death, but it was left for the New Testament to bring this doctrine out more clearly (2 Tim. 1:10). The false teacher often ignores this rule, deriving his doctrine from the Old Testament and then forcing that definition upon the New Testament. An example is the Seventh-day Adventist doctrine of soul sleep, which is derived largely from a few Old Testament proof texts.