{"id":10291,"date":"2015-10-11T01:42:01","date_gmt":"2015-10-11T05:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dougbittinger.com\/thoughts\/?p=10291"},"modified":"2025-04-21T01:56:38","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T05:56:38","slug":"interpretations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/interpretations\/","title":{"rendered":"Interpretations"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"interpretations\"<\/a>People like to say that there are many interpretations of the Bible. \u00a0They say this in order to justify their viewpoint when it differs from that of established thought. \u00a0This is why we have SO many denominations of the Christian church. \u00a0The problem is that if we allow people to interpret the Bible any way they want, in order to validate their precepts, we end up with the mess we have where denominations are constantly squabbling over points of scripture.\u00a0 Sniping at one another creates disunity in a body that should be perfectly united in the love of God.\u00a0 Some are trying to rewrite the Bible because they can’t force existing scriptures into the mold they want to follow.\u00a0 God does not allow us to “interpret” His word.\u00a0 If we change His word, it is no longer His word, but our word and we are no longer believing in God, but in a god of our own design.\u00a0 That is idolatry, even if we use the traditional names and images.<\/p>\n

But, it may not be possible to get all Christians to agree on one, single, all-encompassing definition of everything the Bible says. \u00a0Even in the days just after Jesus ascended and the Apostles were\u00a0teaching in Jerusalem, there were some — former disciples — who were teaching some twisted interpretations of the Gospel.\u00a0 One wanted to require followers of Jesus to obey the old covenant as well as the commandments of Jesus. \u00a0These Legalists wanted to keep circumcision, the festivals, and many of the requirements of The Law.\u00a0 This was wrong, and misled anyone who followed them.<\/p>\n

The old covenant was an agreement between God and the Hebrews. \u00a0No one attained salvation under The Law, because no one could keep it perfectly. \u00a0The purpose of The Law was to show them how far they were from being Godly. \u00a0When the Hebrews followed God’s Law as well as they could, sacrificing when they messed up, God blessed them with abundance on this Earth. \u00a0When they strayed, God took from them what they had. \u00a0The Israelites had no clear concept of an after-life until they were enslaved in Egypt (Egyptians were consumed with the idea of an after-life).<\/p>\n

Proofs:<\/strong><\/div>\n
Jewish Concepts: Afterlife<\/a><\/div>\n
What is the Philosophy of the Jewish Afterlife?<\/a><\/div>\n

Israelites were promised blessing in this life for their obedience: which is why so many devout Jews were (and are) leaders in the financial world.<\/p>\n

Jesus offers us just the opposite. \u00a0If we believe and obey, we may or may not be blessed with riches in this life (He promises us life in abundance<\/em>, not necessarily a life of abundance) but we have the assurance of an eternity with Him. \u00a0Before Jesus ascended, he told His disciples “I go to prepare a place…” (John 14:2<\/a>).\u00a0 PREPARE: that means it did not yet exist. \u00a0Once Jesus got (back) to Heaven, he began preparing a place to receive us.<\/p>\n

To claim His promise, we must understand and obey His commandments.\u00a0 To understand God’s Word, we need to dig in deep and study it diligently — for ourselves. \u00a0We must avoid inserting things we want it to say.\u00a0 We must pray for wisdom and be receptive to God’s word as we study.\u00a0 It’s too easy for people to apply contemporary meanings to ancient words and phrases then state as fact, “this obviously means…” when in fact they are offering an opinion that may not be Biblical.\u00a0 The Bible tells us, “study diligently to show yourself approved.” (2 Timothy 2:15<\/a>)\u00a0 Learning from an educated and dedicated teacher is a fine thing, but don’t rely on him or her alone for scriptural truth: study it for yourself.<\/p>\n

There will be many (billions, probably) who will stand before the judgment seat of God and cry out, “But my pastor told me…”<\/p>\n

What Do I Need For Bible Study?<\/h3>\n

\"study<\/a>A good start on studying God’s word is a good study bible.\u00a0 A study bible contains the full text of the bible but also offers notations on each passage that will bring insight and clarity.\u00a0 It will also offer cross-references to related passages and additional material that helps explain biblical concepts.\u00a0 In the back is a concordance of important terms and concepts and maybe a dictionary of terms.\u00a0 These are available in most translations and from various commentary sources and with a wide variety of features.\u00a0 Visit a Christian book store and look at their selection.<\/p>\n

Digging Deeper<\/strong><\/p>\n

To ferret out the original meanings of words, get a copy of Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible<\/em>. This is an invaluable aid in finding instances of words in the bible and <\/em>it cross-indexes these words with a Hebrew\/Aramaic dictionary that explains the meanings and uses of each word.\u00a0 This tool brings great clarity to your studies!\u00a0 If money is tight, look for a copy in a used book store or on-line.\u00a0 The latest edition is an expanded, exhaustive version that offers some added tools, but new ones can be pricey.<\/p>\n

The Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words<\/em> is an excellent resource for Bible word studies in Greek or Hebrew.\u00a0 It includes Strong’s Concordance numbers for each word making it easy to differentiate between various meanings.\u00a0 I use it in conjunction with Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.<\/p>\n

An Amplified Bible<\/em> is also handy when trying to understand tricky passages.\u00a0 The amplified re-states the bible in detailed, plain English terminology.<\/p>\n

For your convenience:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n