How to interpret the scripture?

[arunangelo]

Jesus is the word of God become flesh (John 1:14). In other words, in Jesus the scriptures became a reality. Therefore, to find the true meanings of the scriptures and have eternal life we must do what Jesus did (John 5:39).

Jesus preached the good news to the poor, healed the sick and brokenhearted and sacrificed his life so that those who betrayed him and were unfaithful to him may have eternal life (Luke 4:18 & Isaiah 61:1). He bore our affliction and oppression silently (Isaiah 53: 5 &7); healed and forgave sinners; and befriended Judas, although he knew that Juda would betray him. Furthermore, during his suffering and death he forgave his persecutors (Luke 23:34); was concerned about the suffering they would bring upon themselves by their sins rather than his own suffering (Luke 23:28). Through his chastisement he freed us from sin and put his spirit into our heart. We must, therefore, love one another as he has loved us (John 13:34-35); quietly bear each other’s burdens, forgive without any limit (Matt. 18:22); stay faithful to our marriage vows, even when there is betrayal and unfaithfulness; bind each other’s wounds; be a servant to others (John 13:14); and never condemn or give up on another human being.

 

[daninthelionsden]

Jesus is the word of God become flesh (John 1:14). In other words, in Jesus the scriptures became a reality. Therefore, to find the true meanings of the scriptures and have eternal life we must do what Jesus did (John 5:39).

Jesus preached the good news to the poor, healed the sick and brokenhearted and sacrificed his life so that those who betrayed him and were unfaithful to him may have eternal life (Luke 4:18 & Isaiah 61:1). He bore our affliction and oppression silently (Isaiah 53: 5 &7); healed and forgave sinners; and befriended Judas, although he knew that Juda would betray him. Furthermore, during his suffering and death he forgave his persecutors (Luke 23:34); was concerned about the suffering they would bring upon themselves by their sins rather than his own suffering (Luke 23:28). Through his chastisement he freed us from sin and put his spirit into our heart. We must, therefore, love one another as he has loved us (John 13:34-35); quietly bear each other’s burdens, forgive without any limit (Matt. 18:22); stay faithful to our marriage vows, even when there is betrayal and unfaithfulness; bind each other’s wounds; be a servant to others (John 13:14); and never condemn or give up on another human being.

As long as you understand forgiveness does not mean you have to continue in an abusive relationship, then I agree with you.

 

[WIP]

stay faithful to our marriage vows, even when there is betrayal and unfaithfulness;

Matthew 5:31-32 NKJV
31 “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

 

[GodsGrace]

Jesus is the word of God become flesh (John 1:14). In other words, in Jesus the scriptures became a reality. Therefore, to find the true meanings of the scriptures and have eternal life we must do what Jesus did (John 5:39).

Jesus preached the good news to the poor, healed the sick and brokenhearted and sacrificed his life so that those who betrayed him and were unfaithful to him may have eternal life (Luke 4:18 & Isaiah 61:1). He bore our affliction and oppression silently (Isaiah 53: 5 &7); healed and forgave sinners; and befriended Judas, although he knew that Juda would betray him. Furthermore, during his suffering and death he forgave his persecutors (Luke 23:34); was concerned about the suffering they would bring upon themselves by their sins rather than his own suffering (Luke 23:28). Through his chastisement he freed us from sin and put his spirit into our heart. We must, therefore, love one another as he has loved us (John 13:34-35); quietly bear each other’s burdens, forgive without any limit (Matt. 18:22); stay faithful to our marriage vows, even when there is betrayal and unfaithfulness; bind each other’s wounds; be a servant to others (John 13:14); and never condemn or give up on another human being.

OK.
But how does the above help us to interpret scripture?

 

[LovethroughDove]

Jesus is the word of God become flesh (John 1:14). In other words, in Jesus the scriptures became a reality. Therefore, to find the true meanings of the scriptures and have eternal life we must do what Jesus did (John 5:39).

Jesus preached the good news to the poor, healed the sick and brokenhearted and sacrificed his life so that those who betrayed him and were unfaithful to him may have eternal life (Luke 4:18 & Isaiah 61:1). He bore our affliction and oppression silently (Isaiah 53: 5 &7); healed and forgave sinners; and befriended Judas, although he knew that Juda would betray him. Furthermore, during his suffering and death he forgave his persecutors (Luke 23:34); was concerned about the suffering they would bring upon themselves by their sins rather than his own suffering (Luke 23:28). Through his chastisement he freed us from sin and put his spirit into our heart. We must, therefore, love one another as he has loved us (John 13:34-35); quietly bear each other’s burdens, forgive without any limit (Matt. 18:22); stay faithful to our marriage vows, even when there is betrayal and unfaithfulness; bind each other’s wounds; be a servant to others (John 13:14); and never condemn or give up on another human being.

I agree.

 

[LovethroughDove]

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

 

[OzSpen]

OK.
But how does the above help us to interpret scripture?

Excellent question, wondering. May I suggest a few points to get us thinking about interpreting any document.

When I read my local paper online or Norman Geisler's Systematic Theology, vol 2, which I have on my desk, there are some fundamental principles we need to follow to arrive at sensible conclusions. A few of these principles are:

What does the passage mean in context? I had lunch yesterday with a Christian friend who asked for the meaning of Jesus' statement:

17 Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[d] loosed in heaven (Matt 16:17-19 NIV).​

What is the context? He asked the disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?' (v. 13). It was Peter who opened his mouth to proclaim the truth: 'You are the Christ, "the Son of the living God"' and this was revealed to him, not by flesh and blood but it was revealed by the Father.

Then we have to deal with these issues in the text:

1. Peter was a human being, but on this rock (Peter is from petros) Jesus builds his church. What could that possibly mean? Does it support RCC theology?
2. What is Hades?
3. How could the gates of Hades prevail against/overcome the church? Is this talking about the devil doing this?
4. Verse 19 needs a lot of unpacking to arrive at its meaning.

No document, including the Bible, can be interpreted without understanding the meaning of words, grammar and syntax. I observe that many problems enter the church because we don't take these factors into consideration.

Take the example of Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV), '"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'.

I have heard this preached from the pulpits of evangelical churches so many times it sends me into a hermeneutics free-fall. How should it be interpreted?

Oz

 

[OzSpen]

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

LovethroughDove,

How does quoting that verse from the Bible help us to interpret other portions of Scripture?

Oz

 

[LovethroughDove]

LovethroughDove,

How does quoting that verse from the Bible help us to interpret other portions of Scripture?

Oz

It a calling of God to know what love is and God is Love.

1John 4:7-21

So, in the OP it's speaking about Jesus. If we can see that Jesus (the Word) is what love looks like, scripture will open up to us. I was responding in agreement with how Jesus acts towards others.......with a supernatural love.

 

[OzSpen]

It a calling of God to know what love is and God is Love.

1John 4:7-21

So, in the OP it's speaking about Jesus. If we can see that Jesus (the Word) is what love looks like, scripture will open up to us. I was responding in agreement with how Jesus acts towards others.......with a supernatural love.

LTD,

The OP asks the question: How to interpret the scripture?

Your response in no way attempts to address the OP. The OP is not speaking about Jesus but asks how we are to interpret the Bible.

Please tell me how your answer helps to interpret this verse: 'and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control' (1 Tim 2:14-15 ESV).

Oz

 

[for_his_glory]

How I interpret the scriptures is to first pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal all truth to me. By doing this first when I am reading the Holy Spirit will give me the full context of the chapter and verse by taking me from cross referencing the OT with the NT, searching the history and culture of the era in order to understand what I am studying. Another way that helps me is by others that the Holy Spirit works through to help teach me. How do I know if they are speaking truth is by Spiritually discerning the spirit of truth or error as we are taught to do in 1 John 4:1-6.

1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

What this verse means is that apart from the Holy Spirit working through others to help teach us, man can not teach us anything as we need to abide in Christ and what He has already taught.

 

[GodsGrace]

Excellent question, wondering. May I suggest a few points to get us thinking about interpreting any document.

When I read my local paper online or Norman Geisler's Systematic Theology, vol 2, which I have on my desk, there are some fundamental principles we need to follow to arrive at sensible conclusions. A few of these principles are:

What does the passage mean in context? I had lunch yesterday with a Christian friend who asked for the meaning of Jesus' statement:

17 Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[d] loosed in heaven (Matt 16:17-19 NIV).​

What is the context? He asked the disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?' (v. 13). It was Peter who opened his mouth to proclaim the truth: 'You are the Christ, "the Son of the living God"' and this was revealed to him, not by flesh and blood but it was revealed by the Father.

Then we have to deal with these issues in the text:

1. Peter was a human being, but on this rock (Peter is from petros) Jesus builds his church. What could that possibly mean? Does it support RCC theology?
2. What is Hades?
3. How could the gates of Hades prevail against/overcome the church? Is this talking about the devil doing this?
4. Verse 19 needs a lot of unpacking to arrive at its meaning.

RE:
1. It probably means what Catholics believe. Why? Because why would Jesus say "You are Peter" if not to mean that Jesus would build His church on Peter. He could have just said: On THE ROCK, (Jesus Himself) I will build my church. BUT...was Jesus known as the rock before He died?

Yes. There's a lot that needs to be known in order to exegete scripture properly. This would include history, IMO.

The manner of the language, the customs, etc.

No document, including the Bible, can be interpreted without understanding the meaning of words, grammar and syntax. I observe that many problems enter the church because we don't take these factors into consideration.

Agreed !
How about the Sealing of the Holy Spirit....
The Holy Spirit being given as a PLEDGE....

The word is not PLEDGE....
it's EARNEST and brings about a totally different understanding of what the Holy Spirit does.

The word pledge did not come about till the 1600's and does not properly convey the original word. Would you agree?

Take the example of Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV), '"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'.

I have heard this preached from the pulpits of evangelical churches so many times it sends me into a hermeneutics free-fall. How should it be interpreted?

Oz

Right.
God must be a calvinist!
He plans my whole life.
I'm going to be rich and successful.
Nothing bad will ever happen to me...including sickness.
I'll have a great future and will always be hopeful.


We BETTER use hermeneutics!

 

[LovethroughDove]

LTD,

The OP asks the question: How to interpret the scripture?

Your response in no way attempts to address the OP. The OP is not speaking about Jesus but asks how we are to interpret the Bible.

Please tell me how your answer helps to interpret this verse: 'and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control' (1 Tim 2:14-15 ESV).

Oz

I was responding the Original Post. Is that the Original question? Idk It was where Angelo is speaking about how Jesus is and how he acts.

We obviously interpret scripture with help from the Holy Spirit.

 

[GodsGrace]

I was responding the Original Post. Is that the Original question? Idk It was where Angelo is speaking about how Jesus is and how he acts.

We obviously interpret scripture with help from the Holy Spirit.

Hi LTD,
I'll be saying good night after this...
but I just want to say that so many times I've heard that the Holy Spirit helps us to interpret scripture.

My question would then be:
How come He tells each one of us something different?
Why don't we all believe the same doctrine?
Why don't we all interpret verses with the same understanding?

Just something to think about.....

 

[LovethroughDove]

Hi LTD,
I'll be saying good night after this...
but I just want to say that so many times I've heard that the Holy Spirit helps us to interpret scripture.

My question would then be:
How come He tells each one of us something different?
Why don't we all believe the same doctrine?
Why don't we all interpret verses with the same understanding?

Just something to think about.....

We're different body parts, hopefully with Christ as the head. My brain tells my different parts different things, but hopefully they are working together.

 

[GodsGrace]

We're different body parts, hopefully with Christ as the head. My brain tells my different parts different things, but hopefully they are working together.

Good answer.
I also hope we are all working together,
and certainly I'll just say that sometimes I wish the N.T. writers had been more precise in their wording...but alas, we have what we have and God will judge us by the intent of our heart.

 

[JohnDB]

OzSpen
Oh boy you poked your finger right into the middle of it.

Of this I see the analogy of the three blind men trying to describe an elephant by what they feel.

This is the very Crux of blending art and science together to form Hermeneutics.
Where you apparently have theological Father's shoulders you stand upon(Norman Geisler)...it's still acceptable to reach farther than they did.
Knowing this...
No one individual can hold an all encompassing hermeneutics of the whole Bible and hold it accurately. There's simply too much information there to try to disseminate.

But that doesn't mean that trying isn't fun... until your head gets stuck in the clouds and talking to people becomes difficult.
(Solomon said as much in Ecclesiastes)

Surely you have a good grasp beyond the elementary aspects of theologies at this time. (How many PHDs should a man earn?)

What is the purpose of going so far in theological studies? Why does God see fit for some of us to study and know so much? He must...He gave us the desire. Others first need to find their Bible and blow the collected dust off and ensure the binding hasn't aged to the point of breaking. And yet they are busy going about God's tasks as well.

All have value to their Creator, all driven by a divine purpose...why?

 

[JLB]

Then we have to deal with these issues in the text:

1. Peter was a human being, but on this rock (Peter is from petros) Jesus builds his church. What could that possibly mean? Does it support RCC theology?

The solid rock, or unshakable foundation is that the true church is taught directly from God.


This is how the Lord desired to teach Adam
This is how Abraham lived; by faith.
This is the promise of the New Covenant.


But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Jeremiah 31:33-34

• No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord

John says it this way -



But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. 1 John 2:27

• you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you

JLB

 

[OzSpen]

RE:
1. It probably means what Catholics believe. Why? Because why would Jesus say "You are Peter" if not to mean that Jesus would build His church on Peter. He could have just said: On THE ROCK, (Jesus Himself) I will build my church. BUT...was Jesus known as the rock before He died?

wondering,

Would you please help me to understand how you reach this conclusion when Peter (Cephas) is petros = a Peter and 'on this rock (petra) I will build my church?

Do you consider that Peter was the first Pope?

Oz

 

[OzSpen]

I was responding the Original Post. Is that the Original question? Idk It was where Angelo is speaking about how Jesus is and how he acts.

We obviously interpret scripture with help from the Holy Spirit.

LTD,

I agree we need the Holy Spirit to help us interpret Scripture. Do we need anything else?

Does Matt 16:18 confirm that Peter was the first Pope: 'And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell[b] shall not prevail against it'?

If not, why not?

Oz