Basic Rules in
Bible Interpretation...
There are several ground rules in
Bible interpretation that must be followed before anyone even attempts to study
Holy Scripture. I will show but a few important ones.
The first rule is:
'In what sense am I interpreting a particular
verse'?
Is it to be taken literally, or
figuratively, or is it a parable? For more on this please read 'The Senses of
Scripture', elsewhere on this website.
The next rule I will mention
is:
'The Law of First
Mention'.
When something is mentioned in
Scripture the first time, the same meaning for that verse holds true for
subsequent verses. An example of this law is in Genesis 17:5, where GOD gave
authority to Abram by changing his name to Abraham, and making him 'The Father
of a Multitude of Nations'.
Next is in Genesis 17:15-16, where GOD gave
authority to Sarai, by changing her name to Sarah, and making her 'The Mother of
all Nations'.
Then there is Matthew 16:18. GOD changed the name of Simon to
Peter, and gave to him the authority of the Church, and supremacy over all of
the other Apostles.
The 'Law of First Mention' functions here, to show that
authority is given when the persons names are changed by GOD.
Another rule is:
'How many times something
is mentioned'.
If it is mentioned three times
or more, it is certainly to be taken literally.
In John chapter 6, Jesus
emphasized nine times, "This IS My Body".
He also said it in
Matthew 26:26, Mark 14:22, and Luke 22:19. And if that isn't enough, St. Paul
said it again in 1Corinthians 11:24.
'THIS IS MY BODY' falls not only
under this rule, but also under the 'Rule of First Mention', doesn't it,
starting with Matthew 26:26?
'THIS IS MY BODY' also must follow the
'Senses of the Bible'. These verses are literal. There is nothing said in these
chapters to indicate any other sense.
How can anyone deny that Jesus
meant what He said, when He said it so many times?
How can anyone break
three basic rules of Bible interpretation, by saying 'It is only a Symbol, or a
representation of His Body'?
Of course everyone is aware of this
next rule:
'You must take into account the
meaning of the words, in the languages written by the authors at the time, and
not neccessarily the English translation of them
today'.
For example, the word 'brethren' had
many meanings, only one of which is 'brother'. It meant cousins and other kin,
as well as friend, comrade, fellow believer, etc.
Another rule that should be
mentioned here:
'The New Testament lies hidden
in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New'.
It takes a little bit of Bible study to realize this, but it is
true. There are hundreds of prophecies about Jesus Christ in the Old Testament,
and a lot of parallels. For more on this, see '100 Prophecies Fulfilled',
elsewhere on this website.
If you break any of the rules, you
are NOT interpreting Scripture properly...
Written by Bob Stanley, December 12,
1997
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