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Are There Rules for Interpreting the Bible? |
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Written by eric francke
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Tuesday, 17 March 2009 |
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Some people say that you can use the Bible to support any position you want, simply by taking things out of context. To a degree, this is true. If someone is unfamiliar with the overall teaching of the Bible as a whole, they can be misled by an unscrupulous person seeking to support their "niche" doctrine or teaching. Are there rules for interpreting the Bible actually in the Bible? Actually, 'Yes!"
Following are some basic axioms for interpretation that are found in the Bible. I utilize these principles as a general rule. I have found that by abiding by them, we can discern fairly easily what is truly biblical doctrine and what is not.
A) Let every matter be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses (Deut 19:15, Matthew 18:16, 2 Cor.13:1)
Multiple explicit uses in scripture, as well as historic validation, is a safe guarantor that we are professing something that is part of the apostolic message. If there is doctrine that only implicit, at the very least, we should expect substantial validation from the very earliest church fathers. The Trinity is probably the best example of implicit doctrine with such historic validation.
If any teaching can not be definitively found in scripture, and it is not part of the apostolic rule of faith, then we are not obligated to accept it as genuine.
B) There are no things that we write to you, even that you read and understand (II Cor 1:13).
In this statement, Paul refutes the belief that was frequently held by Gnostics that there were secret hidden meanings in the apostolic writings and letters. The Gnostics would try to draw out new or "novel" doctrine by claiming that it is the secret meaning behind the "letter of the law". The scriptures, however, do not contain secret cryptic messages that can only be understood by such "decoding". Even today, many preachers will expound upon a type or significance of a name or number to bring forth a doctrine that is otherwise insupportable. It is safe to stick with the obvious and plain reading of the text.
C) Do not go beyond what is written (I Cor. 4:6).
Don't adhere to extra-biblical doctrine. Paul says that people going beyond what was written was the cause of people becoming puffed up and sectarian. Today, many people separate fellowship from other Christians based on extra-biblical doctrine. For example, there are numerous churches which do not recognize the other purely on the basis of a late credal statement or "fundamental truth" that cannot be justified by scripture. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 17 March 2009 )
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