Do we need to rely on Bible Interpretations Of Others? There is no end of individuals who will want to interpret the scriptures for you, and even assert you can only gain life through their interpretation. Must we be dependent on such individuals, or do we even need them? Might such ones actually be dangerous?

The Bible does speak of interpretations, and it further assures us that interpretations belong to God. (Genesis 40:8) Many will use that or similar scriptures to assert you need them to interpret scripture for you, and some even that your life depends upon them. What thought, does that scripture mean, and do we need someone to interpret such scriptures for us as we study the Bible?

If we read on in that account, we find the Bible teaching us about Joseph, the son of Jacob and great grandson of Abraham. Joseph was sold into slavery to Egypt about 1750 BCE. He was then freed by Pharaoh and used by God to bring the nation of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, down into Egypt for protection against a terrible famine. As part of that drama to free and use Joseph, two of Pharaoh's servants had dreams which God used Joseph to interpret. The one servant's dream rightly depicted a blessing upon him, and the other a curse. Those dreams had hidden meaning not understood, and so they needed to be interpreted. Joseph did so by God's power or holy spirit.

Most of us today need to rely on a translation of the Bible from Greek or from Hebrew, or for most of us, from both of those original languages. We need people who have translated the Bible into our own language. That is not, or should not be, interpretation. A good translation will simply convey the thoughts from the original language with no added explanation. Interpretation is when individuals tell us what the Bible means. Those dreams revealed to Joseph were figurative and needed to be interpreted. The Bible "is" God's interpretation as it were, and is provided as simple fact. We need faith in the Bible, but we need no interpretation. We simply need to read the scriptures into context with some knowledge of who is being talked to and when it was said. In other words: We need to learn what God is telling us. Other people can help with that. We can benefit from others helping us to understand the Bible, and such details about it. As the Contemporary English Bible says at Proverbs 27:17: "Just as iron sharpens iron, friends sharpen the minds of each other." There is great benefit to listening to other sensible individuals. Here though is the key and the caution: We must then prove ourselves "noble minded" by considering what such individuals say and teach us, with what the Bible teaches. That is likely the best way to expand our own Bible knowledge. At that point in time, as we compare what we are taught with the Bible, we come to know the Bible says it and not just some man. That is the process of allowing others to preach to us, but not to interpret scripture for us. Jesus said loving God and our neighbor was most important for all of us. (Luke 10:27) Sharing knowledge of the Bible is a great expression of that love!

Bible knowledge has been growing among mankind for thousands of years. We can today stand on the shoulders of sincere Bible students who have come before. By the work those men and women did, in translating the Bible or in organizing study aids to peer into it, they have amassed knowledge which is today available to us. Consider science as an example: Albert Einstein is largely given credit for splitting the atom to create the first nuclear explosion and harness the power of the atom. Mr. Einstein can not take all the credit however. He had diligently studied what the men who came before him had learned. Mankind had learned and organized enough scientific knowledge to split the atom so that it was their next logical step. Mr. Einstein was not the only one working on the project. Teams around the globe were working to accomplish the same task. If he had not succeeded, someone else would. It was the natural progression of scientific knowledge.

The same can be said for Bible knowledge. God has revealed the sacred secrets (Mark 4:11) contained in the Bible gradually over thousands of years; No doubt according to what the men living at their respective times needed to know to maintain strong faith; And so they might act in harmony with God's purpose as it was revealed to them. Today, we have all the Bible knowledge we need to make sense of our place in the stream of time and the outworking of God's purpose toward the earth and mankind. We simply consider what is presented to us as "Bible knowledge," and then examine the Bible to be certain it actually is knowledge from the Bible, and not the "interpretations of men." Not only do we not need that, we do not want that. If someone teaches something as Bible fact, he or she should support it with scripture and verse, and it should clearly be what the Bible teaches. If he has to interpret it for you, and you can not see the clear support from the Bible, you should be very cautious. That person is likely going beyond the things written. (1 Corinthians 4:6) They have not learned the rule against going beyond what the Bible says, and you should avoid being led along with them. My dear uncle told me recently that he believed much/most of the trouble among men arise from "private interpretation" of the Bible. I wholly concur, and much more importantly, so does the Bible. As it says in 1 Cor. 4:6, such "private interpretation" makes them "puffed up" at one in favor of another. The Bible is a book clearly written by our Creator for our benefit. While some interchange of encouragement is beneficial to all concerned, no interpretations are needed. (Romans 1:11-12) There is no reason to become angry or be concerned. Either the Bible teaches a thing or it does not. If someone does not see the Bible teaching what you clearly see that it does, there is the hope they will gain insight, and only love of neighbor should be shown them. Who is there knowing whether it might be us who need the insight. The Bible is clear and concise, but we do reveal it to our heart through our power of reason, to form our personal faith. (Romans 12:2 ; Romans 1:17) Faith is not knowledge, it is faith. Recognizing what we have is faith, worked out by our power of reason in our understanding of the Bible, should help us not to be judgmental of others. The Bible is the only source of information to help us put all that in order. The dreams recorded and then interpreted within it, make it dependable for us to understand it. Those dreams have been interpreted by God through men like Joseph. The Bible needs no interpretation. It is a book of wonder beyond measure.

Use browser "Back Arrow" or Alt+Left_Arrow keys to previous page.   |   Home Page