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GOD'S USE OF THE WORD *IF*
I posted this comment on a particular ongoing topic and decided to see what information I could get from you regarding it.
If I find a contradiction in the Bible, it means that I haven't studied the Bible properly to find all the parts of the statement. The contradiction is in me, not in what the Bible says. We often don't read an entire statement that the Bible makes and are misled by the portion that we have read.
The Bible is alive and being alive, it requires us to act. There are many occasions when God says I will (promise) IF(required action by us). Most every blessing in the Bible is conditioned with an action by us. Christ was given to us but certain things had to happen first. John Baptist had to be here to introduce Him. That required prayer on the part of his parents. There had to be people living on earth who would accept Him (Christ). Judas had to betray Christ. Or, at least, someone had to in order to bring His sacrifice into being. Peter spoke through Christ, healing on the man sitting at the gate but the man had to accept the healing. The disciples accepted Christ's invitation to follow Him and they did it immediately. However, there was one invitation extended that wasn't accepted until the man had buried his parents. That was more or less withdrawn by Christ. (at least for that moment.)
The man plowing who looks back isn't fit for the Kingdom of Heaven. This isn't saying the man will never be fit...it means that he isn't ready at that moment. On the other hand, Lot's wife was told not to look back on the destruction of Sodom...but she did. The consequences were immediate.
The Bible holds so many instructions that will bring us joy and peace IF we will read and study them in the context of which they were written.
My main question is: are we reading past the word *if*? Are we understanding that action is required to obtain the results that we are striving for?
Blessings.....
Rita
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Amanda on
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1 Chronicles 4:9-10
New International Version (NIV)
9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez,[a] saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” 10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.
What stands out to me is Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.
Being more honorable is a long, long ways from just knowing how to say the right words and pray the right way. Again IMO ... i.e, Scribes and Pharisees.
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Permalink Reply by Tammy on
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Just an extension of what you said LT is God also looks at the heart more then the words.
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I totally agree about your Jabez comments. I was a bit wary when that book became so popular overnight.
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It's a great example of the mis-application of the meaning of a passage of Scripture IMO.
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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on
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Speaking to several comments at once,
It is important to know that there is only one correct interpretation to a verse and that interpretation is always what God meant (Exegesis). There can be numerous applications, but the application cannot pervert the true interpretation. There are different approaches to interpretation, but in that also there can only be one that is correct. Do we interpret the Scripture only allegorically or strictly literal or do we read it at face value (my approach). The author (God) is never confused, but man, even when he/she thinks they are being Spirit led may be in error. The Word and the Spirit work together and not one over the other. We check the "spirit" with the Word to see if it is God, us or demonic influence speaking.
Food for thought.
Lord Bless,
LT
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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on
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Amen LT.
A verse means one thing and one thing only by the author's intention. It does not mean 2 or three things. Each verse means to convey one teaching in context of the surrounding text. Keeping that truth in mind helps us then to seek the authors meaning of the text and not our private interpretation.
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Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on
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LT,
To answer your question, I am striving to obey God. I think that we need to answer the *striving for* question for ourselves.
I believe there is much difference in James 4:1-10 and what I was speaking of which is not dismissing another person's knowledge of a verse just because we received something else. This knowledge that I am referring to has nothing to do with the interpretation of a verse...but rather what one obtains from the Holy Spirit from reading, studying, praying about the verse. You are correct in saying there is but one interpretation of a verse...but, we all don't receive the same knowledge from the verse.
I do not believe that the Holy Spirit, when asked for guidance, will allow Satan to answer for Him.
I trust this will give you clearer understanding of what I am saying.
Blessings.....
Rita
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Char,
I agree with your post completely. Private interpretation means to me that one person is receiving something that no one else gets from the message. It is an interpretation that no one else gets. It leads us away from the truth.
Knowledge gained from a verse shouldn't be ridiculed. Holy Spirit is going to explain it as it pertains to the person praying about it.
What I do know is that we need to strive for unity within the Body of Christ. When we poo poo what another receives as invalid, we are going in the wrong direction.
My father used to say, "if you keep you mouth shut and your ears open, you will know what you know and you will know what others know too." I am reminded of this as I hear others speak of their knowledge received from the Lord. First I validate it and if it is a valid answer, I add it to what I know.
Unity comes when we can come into agreement, thus expanding our *territories*.
Blessings.....
Rita
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Rita, private interpretation is frowned upon and we are warned against doing it simply because it means someone is determining an opinion and opinions are based on subjective judgment and personal values rather than on fact. There is only one genuine and authentic interpretation of a Scripture. There is only one truth. That truth is absolute, not relative. People can form many opinions though. When you see a doctor, if he can't determine through testing and an examination exactly what is going on with you, he might simply give you his opinion about what is wrong with you. He might begin brainstorming and weeding out possibilities. You might, in the meantime, get tired of it and just seek a second opinion. But very often even experts who have studied the same issue carefully often have very different opinions about that issue.
In reading the Bible, comprehension can be very challenging.
Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines comprehension this way: "capacity of the mind to perceive and understand." Reading comprehension, then, would be the capacity to perceive and understand the meanings communicated by texts.
You are right about the Bible being living and active. That's why we can read the same passage more than once and each time gain new insight from it, but the meaning of it only deepens and doesn't change.
To say that a Scripture has one interpretation for one person but a different interpretation for another person is to say that truth in the Bible is relative and that what may be true for you may not be true for me and so on and so on ... There can be only one meaning. This does not mean that relative truth does not exist, but when Jesus says He is the truth, He is absolute truth.
There are different ways of interpreting Scripture and depending upon which way you use, then you will likely arrive at a different meaning. Some interpret Scripture literally, some allegorically, some at face value, etc ... as has already been pointed out.
It is very important to try to determine the author's intended meaning of the passage. What does Paul mean when he writes ...? What does Isaiah mean when he writes ...? How we interact with the living Word of God is extremely important.
I've been using a wholistic method of interpretation, which involves doing a literary analysis, as the Bible contains seven distinct genres or types of literature: narrative, prophecy, wisdom, psalm, gospel, epistle and apocalyptic. But the literary analysis is just the starting point. I also look at grammar, history, context, and theology. I know. It sounds complicated. I guess it means I'm seriously a disciple :) ... or I'm being discipled seriously. Lol
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