A Word of Caution About Biblical Interpretations

 

The Bible itself warns us, neither add to, nor subtract from, the Holy Scripture.  It is the word of God.  He is perfect.  He tells us everything that He decides to say, and withholds from us all that He chooses to withhold.  There are good reasons for this. 

While I am by no means an authority, I have some rules of thumb to protect me from my own ignorance.  Whenever I read the Bible, I take it at its word.  It says what it means, and means what it says.  The only time I will stray from that, is when the Bible itself indicates for me to do so.  For example, if a passage in the Bible is a parable, it says that it is a parable.   The lesson of a parable is what is important.  (You can believe that the parable really happened, but the lesson is much more profound than that.)  If a passage indicates that it is a vision, then we are cautioned to understand that it is a spiritual truth, not just a physical event.  In short, be careful never to over-interpret. 

I have noticed online and on TV, a large number of popular stories about the End Times.  They are entertaining and thought-provoking, but are they true?  We know that in the end of times, the world will be cast into turmoil, and that great events, and great destruction, will occur.  There are Biblical passages that clearly specify that—but we must take great care not to go beyond the facts.  It is easy to speculate—easy, but not Biblical.  Many of the most attractive interpretations are unjustified by scripture. 

Even some respected TV preachers seem to tailor their sermons, as much to sell their books, as to reveal Biblical truth.  My brother (John) and I were mortified to see a TV preacher promise to reveal the Book of the Revelation, line-by-line, but then, he SKIPPED what was perhaps the most important line in the passage.  He skipped right over it, because that line undermined and contradicted his  interpretation. 

We must be very careful to read the Word for ourselves.  We can seek the wise counsel of our elders in faith, but in the end, if we cannot prove from the Bible itself, what they say, then we must set aside their interpretations, and go no farther than what the actual words of scripture command us to believe. 

If the Bible is silent on a matter, then we, too, must be silent about it.  If it is unclear, then we may savor the mystery, but not solve it.  Divine mysteries have a beauty all their own. 

Be skeptical of any human interpretation.  The most persuasive interpretations fall apart when you read the actual words of the Bible.  Be satisfied with those words; they are the words of eternal life.

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