The Importance of Interpretation

In my last post, I stressed that interpretation is a necessary part of understanding what the Bible has to say. I listed three things that lead sincere Bible readers to different interpretations of the Scripture. The three sources of interpretive difficulty I mentioned were failing to properly discern between figurative and literal language; failure to consider how the original audience would have understood the passage; difficulties in translation from the original language.

Expanding on the last of these, I might add that translators always adopt a style of translation which significantly affects their word choices in the target language. I covered this in some depth in “The Best Version of the Bible.” To summarize, all English translations exist on a scale from strictly literal, word-for-word translation through what is often called thought-for-thought or dynamic translation to the extreme of what is essentially a paraphrase of the original.

Needless to say, Bible versions that range farthest from a literal translation of the original language are most susceptible to interpretive error. While I love the easy reading of The Message, its author, Eugene H. Petersen, took huge liberties with the inspired text and presented what he thought the author would have said if he were writing modern English. This makes it easy to follow the flow of the redemptive story without the impediments of linguistic difficulties inherent in word-for-word translation. However, I don’t recommend using The Message to support doctrinal positions.

Even on the mid-point of the scale of Bible versions, interpretive difficulties arise. The New International Version (NIV), a popular dynamic translation, often translates a word from the original text differently throughout a passage where the word is repeated. I believe this disguises the author’s intent to carry a thought through an entire discourse. While the synonyms chosen by the NIV translators may carry a meaning similar to the original, the varying connotations of each different word may or may not represent what the author intended.

(If a student is interested in seeing the different words translators might have chosen in a particular passage, The Amplified Version parenthetically inserts optional words the NASV translation committee considered. This gives readers an opportunity to form their own interpretation of the original author’s intention.)

Another source of misinterpretation comes from relying on uninspired writers to provide an interpretation of the Scripture. An extreme example of this is found in the interpretation of Joseph Smith which gave rise to the Mormon religion in the nineteenth century. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints give first place to Smith’s version of their religion rather than resorting to the Bible to explain itself. To Mormons, the Bible is just one of several “inspired” texts, and if there are contradictions, the Mormon Bible takes precedence. Roman Catholics have a similar situation, though not as radically heretical, with their elevation of the Magisterium. Catholics place the teachings of the pope and their bishops on the same level as the Bible. This has led to numerous misinterpretations and outright denials of biblical teachings that are accepted outside of Catholicism.

Even in protestant circles, uninspired men have been given prominence in doctrinal issues that rightly belongs to Scripture alone. The cry sola scriptura was foundational to the Protestant Reformation, but on some issues, they play follow the leader rather than follow the Bible. One argument often ascribed to John Calvin and Jacob Arminius concerning the free will of man in the matter of salvation actually goes back one thousand years before them to Augustine and Pelagius. The church today still has proponents who are called Calvinists and others called Arminians. I believe that if they interpreted Scripture correctly, they would find their answer in the teachings of the Apostle Paul. But, as I said earlier, that’s just my interpretation.

I believe some Christians today are led into misinterpretation through laziness. In the book of Acts, the Berean believers are praised for their commitment to search the Scriptures to see if what Paul preached was biblical. Blindly following leaders like Jim Jones or David Koresh led people to some seriously unbiblical beliefs and tragic consequences. Even with well-respected interpreters like R. C. Sproul or Dr. David Jeremiah or one of my favorites, A. W. Tozer, it is essential that each believer finds the source of their doctrine in the text of the Bible. It is not wrong to consider what godly interpreters have said in the past, but we must remember that they were not inspired and are subject to errors like any other believer.

Paul gave Timothy a stern warning about teachers who would pervert the truth: “Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the last times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.” The enemy of our souls is a master of deceit, purveying perversions of the truth which lead people to unbiblical conclusions. Evangelists who are more interested in making money than saving souls will make false promises to those who donate to their ministry. An unhappy husband who is convinced God wants him happy may justify an adulterous relationship. People who are led to believe their souls can be saved by a single declaration of faith without repentance or obedience are going to be surprised to hear Jesus say, “Depart from me; I never knew you.”

According to recent polls, there are millions of people calling themselves Christians who apparently believe that having a Bible on the coffee table or visiting a church occasionally secures their salvation in Christ. There are millions more who believe that their good deeds or kindly personalities will earn God’s favor; some of those people even call themselves Christians. There is no interpretation of the Bible that supports that kind of thinking. I will repeat what I have said many times: it is not sufficient for salvation to casually read the Bible or listen to someone preach. Those who are sincerely committed to Christ must read the Bible regularly and do their best to interpret it for themselves with the help of the Holy Spirit. It is fine to seek godly fellow believers to help one’s understanding, but ultimately, it is your interpretation that will save you or leave you lost. It is not wise to leave that determination in the hands of someone else.

Related Posts: Think, People!; What Do You Know?; What Were You Given?; Where Do You Find Truth?