What does the Bible say about interpreting it on our own?
Is it wrong to debate about our own interpretations of the Bible?
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Asked December 02 2013
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Ma. Bernadette Lavin
For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Ma. Bernadette Lavin
But isn't it dangerous to interpret specially verses that are cryptic in nature as God has given us warning?
Revelation 22:18
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,
Thomas K M
The Bible is spirit inspired.But certain revelations may come to you in the form of visions like author of Bible
Colin Wong
Hi Bernadette. Interpretation is different from "adding to the book". When we read the Bible, we all have to interpret - that is - we have to convert the written words into meaning in order to understand them in our mind. That is interpretation. Whether you see a road sign, or you look at the traffic light, there is interpretation.
Adding to the word is to add additional verses to the Book of Revelation (the context of your question). The Apostle John is warning others from adding anything extra to the prophecies that he wrote down. Hope this helps.
Mike Reynolds
what brings me peace is knowing that we (everyone) will never fully understand the mind/wisdom of God this side of heaven and not much tells us that this will change upon our resurrection at His second coming....
Ma. Bernadette Lavin
Yes, when we read or hear, we "try" to understand or "try" to interpret. Colin, what you say about road signs or traffic lights is application of knowledge. We have the knowledge of what these signs mean which is why when we see them, our brain interprets it from the info stored in our brain. But to interpret something that is full of symbolism and have no prior knowledge of, doesn't mean our interpretation is going to be correct. Only the Narrator/Author would know the real message of each word that is written. If we interpret based on our own understanding, there is always the risk of adding meaning which isn't really there, or which isn't what it really means.
If Revelation 22:18 is meant as a warning for only the prophecies in the Book of Revelations, does that point to the conclusion that of the other Books it would be right to "add" to the meaning of all chapters and verses? I believe this warning is for everything written in the Holy Bible. As with any book, all preceding chapters lead to the climax of the story up to its end. Picking verses here and there to explain something we seek answers to, is the easy way of justifying our own interpretations, but it doesn't prove that we are right. It's like making them fit into empty spots of a jigsaw puzzle not knowing if it's the missing piece. It's a story that only the Almighty God can complete after the final chapter of the Book has come to pass.
An example of an assumption, is that the antiChrist is an individual. In m
Ma. Bernadette Lavin
An example of an assumption, is that the antiChrist is an individual. In my opinion it is not. Anyone who does not believe in Jesus as God and does not accept Him as the Saviour, is antiChrist. So the Moslems, Buddhists, Athiests, Scientologists, all other religions who have their own beliefs are antiChrist. In short each individual will have his own perspective of what is written, but to say "this is what it means" I think I'd rather hear from experts on translation and interpretation since some translation can change the whole meaning of what was originally written. In conclusion, I strongly feel it is wrong to debate. In my opinion, it is best to express how we feel about it, rather than expressing what we think we know about it. We can think wrong, but what we feel, affects our hearts and provides us the openness to learning more from others.
Colin Wong
Hi Bernadette. You are correct. If we are to interpret the Book of Revelations without taking into account culture, language, context and how God's word in both the OT and the NT relate to one another, we risk misinterpretation. In addition, we also depend on the Holy Spirit to reveal truth and understanding. Without the Holy Spirit, it will be worse.
The Book of Revelations foretells the future. By studying the whole Bible, many scholars offer their interpretation of Revelations. Are these interpretations correct? Only time will tell. You'll see plenty of debates here on eBible with regards to Eschatology. But there is nothing wrong with debate. It's a discussion and folks are offering their best guess of events that God will reveal in time. Debates and discussion are not "adding to the word" in the context of Revelation 22:18. Adding to the word is literally, adding more to the Book than what is written by John.
I totally understand your apprehension to taking other folks' interpretation of the Bible. You're correct. Not everyone is correct. Some folks are more learned than others. Some do offer their bias and opinion and it is not backed by proper scriptural understanding. Nobody will disagree with you on this. Having said all that, that is still not the context of Revelation 22:18.
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Mike Reynolds
I agree Ma Bernadette, when studying the bible in small groups we should follow a methodical approach to understanding scripture. many small group studies follow a life application outline which lead new believers to think in ways of "what does this verse mean to me today?" when in reality the study guide provides commentary and understanding then asks about life application. I am a new believer. and I hear folks all the time telling me "what scripture means to them" but in reality what they are seeking the wrong result. the question should always start with;
1) the history and context of the writing.
2) grammar and genre of writing (verb, nouns, parable, story, poem, proverb, etc)
3) seeking to understand the authors purpose for writing the book, what was God's plan for illuminating the authors mind to solve the current day problem...?
4) how does this meaning apply to the entire Bible and does this apply to us today.
5) if this solution can be applied to us today, what would it look like in your life?
good resources are almost a must have when not having a brother and sister farther along in knowledge. resources such as commentaries, strong concordance, lexicon, even paraprased Bible such as The Message or JB Phillips New Testament translation.
Colin Wong
The Book of Revelation is the last book written in all of the 66 books of the Bible. But the Bible itself, the canonization of all 66 books into one single volume did not happen for another few hundred years. During that period, if you read Revelations, you read it as unto itself. The Bible as we know today, the compilation of the New Testament did not happen yet. This does not mean that the Books in the New Testament are not valid. The early church already accepted the validity of the synoptic gospel, Paul's letters etc.
But the church had not yet compiled them into a single volume. Therefor to take Revelation 22:18 and apply it to the entire 66 books seemed rather far fetched. There are others who claim this is the case. I personally do not believe it can be so.
Does this mean we are allowed to add more content to any of the other books? Of course not. That would change the book, period. Regardless of Revelation 22:18, translators of the Bible today, use a strict methodology of translation. And if you read the foreword of most Bible translations, you will get an idea into their methodology, which ancient manuscripts they use, what was the philosophy of their translation i.e. word-for-word vs. thought-for-thought.
For each Bible translation i.e. KJV, NIV, ESV, there is specific methodology in their translation process. Understanding how it is translated from the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek manuscripts will aid you greatly in your understanding.
Ma. Bernadette Lavin
It is not easy for the ordinary person (like me), to understand fully what the chapters and verses in the Bible mean. It would take someone truly gifted with the Holy Spirit to explain it to me. I do however know, that God is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent. Therefore, I believe, that He knew all these books would be compiled for us to know what was, what is, and what will be. So I disagree Colin with what you say that it is far-fetched to apply Revelation 22:18 to all 66 books of the Holy Bible. Revelation is the final book and it seals and ends the entire story. So sorry if I can't agree with you on this, but here is my point. Why would you or anyone interpret Revelation 22:18 literally when everything else written in Revelation is cryptic? Everything is a representation of something that only someone gifted with the Holy Spirit would understand. Are you sure it's meant just for the Book of Revelations? This is why I say it's not a good thing to debate. People get offended when they can't accept each other's interpretation. I certainly hope you are not offended with mine. And I do not wish to offend God either if I got it all wrong. Which is why going back to my question, is it wrong to debate? Because debate carries with it argumentation which is negative. Likewise, where there is debate, there should be arbiters. How do we agree on any interpretation if there are none?
Colin Wong
It looks like you're living in "analysis paralysis"! When lacking discernment, every opinion is valid and no opinion is valid. The only thing I can recommend for you is to continue in your Bible study. Be diligent. Don't take anything for granted - not even what I wrote, not even what "scholars" write. Follow up. Test the arguments against scripture. Be like the Bereans.
Recommendations:
1. Read the whole Bible. Much in OT relates to NT and vice versa. The Bible is like a legal contract. There's definitions, agreements, and amendments. The Bible is the same. There are definitions. There are agreements (covenants), there are amendments (new covenants). Understand how each relate to the other will help you understand the big picture and why there is no conflict in the Bible.
2. Get a good Study Bible with commentary and Strong's concordance. Understanding the Greek/Hebrew words help. Understand the language and cultural context, in how certain words carry different meaning from today.
3. Read a few translations in unison. This helped me greatly. Read one translation that offers closer to word-for-word i.e. ESV, NASB and perhaps another translation that's closer to thought-for-thought i.e. NLT. Great for new beginners.
With regards to Rev 22:18, feel free to disagree. You'll notice on eBible, there's lots of disagreements everywhere and that's fine. It's not wrong to disagree. It's part of learning. If you're always afraid of being wrong, you'll never learn anything!
Mike Reynolds
Ma Bernadette, we often get lost in semantics of the English language. we shouldn't look at our discussion on scripture as a right or wrong unless we are talking about means of salvation and who God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is... debate carries a meaning of right and wrong, we should openly listen to others and always seek wise counsel. your discussion with Colin is something that I would see as important but not blasphemy on either side. I believe God smiles down on us when we seek to understand Him and His word with sincere hearts. we should always be cautious stating facts when they are merely our opinions. this website is a great example of this, before click in this box to respond it suggests things like, "this is an interesting question" and "I see what you mean" and "in my opinion."
Ma. Bernadette Lavin
Just because I have a different view and disagree with yours, does not mean I'm paralyzed in my analysis. I'm not afraid of being wrong. If I were, I wouldn't be exchanging my views with you. I'm afraid of offending God by misinterpreting His Words. Which is why I'd rather ask questions than answer them. That way, I learn without offending anyone including God. Doesn't the Bible say that we should not lean on our own understanding? So I don't. I merely want you to know my point why I think Revelation 22:18 is meant for all the books in the Bible.
Thank you for your insight and recommendations though. I'm sure it will benefit me to follow what you recommend.
Colin Wong
Hi Bernadette. I'm sorry if I offended you. "Analysis paralysis" is a term used to mean that given too much information (noise) it is difficult to decipher and make any decision. Hence the "quotes". In any case, you're doing good to ask all these question so keep it up. God bless!
Ma. Bernadette Lavin
God bless you and the whole eBible team! This forum is very helpful to many of us. More power!
Ma. Bernadette Lavin
Thank you Mike for your understanding and very inspiring words of how to view debate on the Bible. Very uplifting to know God will always understand our desire to know the meaning of His words and teachings. I appreciate it much.
Ma. Bernadette Lavin
Thank you also to Thomas for starting the discussion with his view on debate. God bless!
Thomas K M
I am happy to read the interesting debate on the subject. I may add in this context that no one can add anything to or delete from the Bible. One can interpret according to the situations and that should not come against the Bible truth. For certain persons, some inspiring verses would lead new revelations as the time passes.
Thomas K M
I am happy to read the interesting debate on the subject. I may add in this context that no one can add anything to or delete from the Bible. One can interpret according to the situations and that should not come against the Bible truth. For certain persons, some inspiring verses would lead new revelations as the time passes
Gene Coleman
Interesting exchanges of dialogue!
Debate: if debater's purpose is only or primarily to put other party down and elevate oneself, it should be avoided as bad, but to me debates which are true discussions, where participates really listen and endeavor to understand and appreciate (value) the others viewpoints can be either a learning experience such as a "aha moments" or may have resulted from some else's bad experience you may want to avoid.
Why always travel, unnecessarily, the "road of hard knocks" that a good discussion (debate) might help you avoid or detour around?
My daddy had a saying about some people down in a valley and what they saw (perceived or understood) relative to their viewpoint from down in the flat plains of the valley. Then as they ascended up the hills or mountains on the sides, their view and perspective of valley changed somewhat continually as they climbed higher and higher.
Obviously the valley didn't necessarily change, but because their view changed as they climbed higher, their perception or understanding might be expected to became broadened.
That is not to say that what they believed or understood in the valley or the beginning was to be discarded, forgotten or was all wrong. Continue to test, reevaluate, and add to your Truth and knowledge with the prayerful guidance of the Holy Spirit as you soar upwards towards a greater understanding of God and His Word!