"That's your Interpretation?"

Right Now I'm am currently in a study series called A Workman Approved. This is a video series that is actually very educational. Mark Kiehler is the main speaker in the video. This video is one that focuses on rightly interpreting scripture and being a workman approved. It's theme comes straight from the scriptures.
2Ti 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
Currently, I am hearing a lot of proclaiming believers that say people can interpret the Bible the way they want to. When I attend Bible studies I sometimes get the asked, Brittany what do you Feel the scripture is saying in this passage. I also hear many people say that everyone has their own private interpretation of God's word and if it works for them they should follow their heart. This is not how we should approach the scriptures. As I have spoken earlier in my article on Discernment, the Scriptures point out to us that there is only 1 truth in all scripture verse by verse.

Charles Spurgeon once called these proclaiming believers spiritual weathercocks. One day they believe scripture means one thing and then the next day claim it means something else. He says this is where truth and error kiss each other. If we let one lie in, such as, believing that scripture can be interpreted in many different ways, then this sin will lead to others. He goes on to say, If you let a little lie in its like Satan is driving a wedge in and he is saying "It is only a little thing" and then he begins to say "a little more, a little more, just a little more and thus this creates a wide gap from them and truth, and so those who stray from the truth stray slowly but it eventually becomes, over time, a wide gap from them and the truth.
So now I ask, how do I make sure what I believe is the truth? Is it possible to distinguish truth from lies? Look at scripture: 2 TIMOTHY 2:15
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
So the answer is yes. We can rightly interpret scritpure. We need to remove ourselves from the modern opinion today that is proclaiming that there are good men on both sides of the fence of many interpretations. We should seek to know the truth of each scripture. Because as Spurgeon also said, not being sure on doctrine and discerning it rightly Is sin. Many people today believe that there are many interpretations in the Bible. Some say to others "well that’s your interpretation." When they say these words a bell should go off in your head as a warning, and you should tell them that there is only 1 true interpretation of the Bible. Why? Because this belief of theirs could cause many problems with them and God.

Interpret means to make the original meaning clear.
*Nehemieh 8:8 states, "They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading."
This is what it means to interpret. Sense means Understanding; soundness of faculties. There is only one true interpretation for scripture. There are two ways of interpretation readers use when reading Exegesis or Eisegesis. Exegesis is the application of hermeneutics to a particular text of Scripture to discern the intent and mind of the author. It is the opposite of eisegesis which is the reading into a text your own ideas with little or no concern for what the author was saying. Obviously when reading scripture we are to use exegesis.

There are three things we must do when reading scripture.
1. Observation- reading the scripture slowly and intently
2. Interpretation- what does the text mean (use hermeneutics)
3. Application- Apply the principle of truth to our life

It is our duty to tell brothers and sisters in Christ if they are wrongly interpreting scripture because if we do not we are allowing the wedge that Satan can drive in between them and truth. If I wrongly proclaim truth I also need to be corrected, because If I wrongly interpret scripture then I will apply it wrongly to my life and it wouldn't be of God. It would be of my own interpretation. I have seen cases where two christians disagreed on a scriptures meaning. One was correcting the other and they both were stating that the Holy Spirit was telling them their interpretation was correct. Aren't they both filled with the same Holy Spirit? Then obviously someone is wrong because The Holy Spirit is God and knows all truth. God does not lie. So even though God gave us The Holy Spirit to help us rightly make judgments, rightly interpret scripture, and to guide us. It does not mean we will always be right when interpreting scripture 100 percent of the time. Becuase well... if it isn't made clear to us already we are depraved humans who continually sin and sometimes sin gets in the way of our study time and our walk with Christ. The only way to rightly interpret the scripture is by studying. It is hard work. Christ did put things in the Bible with simple meanings, but he also put many truths that are hard to understand. I know this because first, I have been confused myself on many of the truths of scripture before. Second, there are many christians today who disagree on many of the same passages. So... We must consider these next points...

There are 7 criterias it takes to correctly and accuretly interpret God's Word.
1. You must be Born Again
The man without the spirit can not accept the things of God.
an unregenerate person may have their own interpretation of the Bible but they may not be able to understand the Bible.
1Co 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Remember To be born again is a total change of ones desire and nature to sin. Not just a mere belief of Jesus Christ.

2. You must work at it. 2 Tim 2:15 (remember A Workman Approved)
It takes time and effort to rightly interpret the Bible.
No time and effort =No proper understanding
Minimal time and effort = minimal understanding of the truth
Maximum time and effort=maximum understanding of the truth
I'm not saying that Time is what will help you accuretly interpret scripture, because you could read for days and not rightly interpret it or even apply it to your life. So you must truly want to seek the truth.
John MacArthur once said "Many ask me how I teach the Bible so well. I tell them, the secret to good Bible teaching is keeping your rear end in the chair long enough until you understand it. And they (those asking) say where's the mysticism in that? He says "it isn’t mystical its hard work."


3. You must want it.
*1Pe 2:2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation--
This is a command. We should crave God's Word.
Food for thought**If you think about it slaves even if they are not emotionally ready to do something for their master they still must do it to obey their master. This is just the same with us because even if we are not “emotionally” ready to do God’s work we still must obey him and do it.

4. You must be Holy
1 Peter 2:1; therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, hypocrisy, and evil act and be Holy. (Read)

5 you must have no idols
Exe 14:4There are dangers of having idols in your heart, not all sin is visible but all sin has the ability to blind a man. Even Great Bible teachers could have preconcieved ideas about scripture and therefore creating these as idols in their hearts, this is because they are holding on to their ideas before God's truth. So you must rid yourselves of those preconcieved ideas and seek out God's truth. In Acts the Jews in Berea took everything that was taught to them and tested against God's Holy Word. Even when Paul (A Great teacher) taught them. Acts 17:11 Paul called the Jews in Berea noble because of this and even more noble than the Thessalonians. So be on your guard and never be so comfortable to just trust the preacher or Bible teacher on TV always and not match it up with scripture. We must also check ourselves and make sure we are seeking what God wants us to know and not just accepting teachings because they sound good.

6 You must be Spirit-Controlled
*1Jo 2:26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
*1Jo 2:27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything--and is true and is no lie, just as it has taught you--abide in him.
Its one thing to be born again and another being totally controlled by the spirit. Some people point out in 1 John and say that we can’t make errors because we have the Holy Spirit; but if that were true how come they can still make false interpretations? Then some say this scripture is why we don’t need teachers, or commentators. But, Why are there teachers then?
*Eph 4:11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,
*Eph 4:12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
1 John is referring to the problem to false teachers who were trying to lead these Christians into false beliefs on scripture beliefs and trying to get them to believe it.
This passage was talking to Christians telling them that the Holy Spirit will guide them away from false teachers. He wasn’t saying that they don’t need to study with commentaries or listen to teachers or anything like that. Otherwise he himself shouldn’t have been teaching them. They themselves could discern truth if that were how to interpret that scripture. He was resetting them to the truth and to God instead of false teachers.

7. You must be a person of fervent prayer.
Eph 1:15-16 Paul was praying that the eyes of their hearts would be opened. So they could see and understand God’s word.
RA Torey: “what will prayer do? It will promote our individual holiness as nothing else but the study of the word of God. Prayer and studying go hand in hand. You must have one to do the other. “ (shortened)
Prayer is vital to Bible Study- Bible Study is vital to Prayer
*Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known."
Prayer:
RA Torey- there was a time when he wondered far from God, he said that he didn’t believe in God but he prayed every night. This is how he came back to Christ. Prayer for him was just a matter of Form.(a ritual) He didn’t have any meaning of his prayers but just tradition from growing up. It had just been a mere duty, but then it became to him as a privilege because pray is an audience of God. He later said, “I used to wonder how much time I should spend in prayer and now I ask to God how much time MAY I have to pray.”

So as you can see scriptually these things we do need to rightly interpret and learn to LOVE scripture. So please take to heart all that I just wrote. May God Bless you.

Psa 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

To learn more about how to rightly interpret scriptures click Hermenuetics Class under my links. SERIOUSLY IT HELPS OUT.