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Rule #6: The Bible not only has to be Read, It has to be Interpreted.
I. The Bible not only has to be Read, It has to be Interpreted,
So we don’t want to interpret it wrong.
II. The Bible not only has to be Read, It has to be Interpreted
because if it isn’t interpreted, then it can’t be put into action.
Psalms 112:7 They will have no fear of bad news;
Jeremiah 16:1-2 “The word of the LORD came to me: You shall not take a wife,
nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place.”
Proverbs 21:19 It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and
fretful woman.
Matthew 17:15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic.”
Leviticus 27:10 He shall not alter it, nor change it, …”
Revelation is what God said. Interpretation is what we think God said.
Somebody has to decide what it means, which is the interpretation of the text.
III. The Bible not only has to be Read, It has to be Interpreted
and to interpret the Bible is hard work. It requires study!
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
What does it mean period is the issue, not what does it mean to you.
1 Timothy 5:17 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor,
especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.
IV. The Bible not only has to be read, it has to be interpreted —
but if interpreted wrongly, it must be unlearned in order to relearn.
Matthew 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder,
and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’
Matthew 5:22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without
a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother,
‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in
danger of hell fire.
Matthew 5:27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not
commit adultery.’
Matthew 5:28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has
already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 5:31 “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him
give her a certificate of divorce.’
Matthew 5:32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason
except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries
a woman who is divorced commits adultery.
Matthew 5:33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not
swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’
Matthew 5:34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is
God’s throne;
” You have heard that it was said … ” (Unlearn this interpretation)
” But I tell you ” (Learn this interpretation)
Unlearning is twice as hard, and it often takes twice as long.
The celebration or observance of Christmas and Easter
Jesus was Born on December 25th
The Jews crucified Jesus
The devil has horns, a tail and a pitchfork
The devil can do whatever he pleases, He is as powerful as God
Satan rules hell, He can be all places at all times like God
There were only two of each animal on Noah’s ark
Elijah was taken up in a chariot (he was taken up in a whirlwind)
Samson was a muscle bound He-man
A whale swallowed Jonah
Mary Magdalene was a prostitute
Angels with wings
There are guardian angels
The word or even the concept of a “halo.”
Anyone praying with hands folded
Making the sign of the cross before doing anything
Any mention of the New Testament church celebrating Ash Wednesday, Advent, or
Lent.
Any mention of Mary remaining a virgin after Jesus’ birth
Any mention of Mary being worshiped or anyone else being worshiped but Jesus and
God the Father
Praying through any mediator other than Jesus
Purgatory exists
Religious titles such as pope, cardinal, archbishop, father, reverend, curate
Any mention that church leaders should wear different clothing than lay people
such as clerical collars, robes or rings
Any mention that there should be separate “departments” in the church for kids
Sunday School, youth groups, or men’s and women’s ministries
Any mention of how often to have church
Any mention of pews, pulpits, Lord’s tables, offering plates
The sinner’s prayer, altar calls
Women pastors
Women can’t wear pants.
Women can use makeup or not use makeup
Church music styles or musical instruments to use or not to use in worship
Promises of health/wealth/success, Name it, claim it, binding & loosing in spiritual
warfare, Seed faith (Sowing a seed as in financially)
New revelations/Prophetic words, deliverance ministries,
Slaying in the Spirit, Being drunk in the Spirit, Laughing in the Spirit
Speaking things into existence (only God can do that)
A second blessing
Evolution
The Earth is millions of years old
Any specific “age of accountability” for baptism.
Baptism by any means other than immersion
Christians can be demon possessed
We must never judge
Soul sleep
Suicide is an unforgivable sin.
V. The Bible not only has to be read, it has to be interpreted —
but not through the lens of liberalism or legalism.
Matthew 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder,
and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’
Matthew 5:22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without
a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother,
‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in
danger of hell fire.
Trent Horn, an author, speaker and podcaster, is a Roman Catholic and an opponent
of abortion rights.
“The Bible does not explicitly mention abortion, so it doesn’t say that abortion itself
is wrong, but it also doesn’t say that infanticide is wrong or that pedophilia is wrong.
Instead, I use scripture to inform me with general principles. The Bible is clear in
Exodus 23:7 and Proverbs 6:16-17 that it is wrong to kill innocent human beings.
Proverbs 6 says that God hates the hands that shed innocent blood.
If the Bible says that it’s wrong to kill innocent human beings, and science and
sound reasoning tell us that human embryos and human fetuses are human beings,
then the Bible informs me that it is wrong to kill them.
What’s more relevant is that the Bible says human life exists in the womb (Luke 1:41)
and the Bible prohibits killing innocent human beings (Exodus 20:13). This prohibition
would apply to abortion as it would to any other homicide. Because the unborn are
just smaller, more dependent human beings, those differences don’t nullify their
jinalienable right to life.”
Laura Ellis supports legal abortion rights and is project manager at Baptist Women
in Ministry, a National Baptist group that advocates for women in ministry.
We have to be really careful when we try to take a topic as complicated as
abortion and try to justify it or condemn it through a single verse or a couple
of verses that are taken out of context. The Bible is an incredibly complicated
book written by multiple people over different historical and social contexts.
It could be irresponsible to just pull out a sentence or two and relate them to
21st-century America. The Bible does not talk explicitly about abortion, pro or
con in any kind of way. It’s just not there.
When I think about the kind of scriptures that people who are anti-abortion pull
out, they are often about murder, sexual immorality and blaming women.
They are so taken out of context. I fall back to drawing from the life and ministry
of Christ. Jesus really advocated for women in a beautiful, unique way for the time
period he was living in. Even by being with women and speaking to women, he was
honoring them and breaking social conventions. Both in Jesus’s day and in our day,
women’s bodies are too often tossed aside. I think Jesus would not approve of that.
There are biblical stories where Jesus advocated for and empowered women.
In John 4: 1-42, Jesus engaged with the woman at the well and empowered her to
spread his teachings. In Luke 8: 43-48, Jesus dropped everything to speak with and
help the woman who touched his garment. And in Matthew 28: 1-20, Jesus entrusted
the good news of his resurrection to women.”
Matthew 22:29 Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing
the Scriptures nor the power of God.
Jude 1:4 (NLT) I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way
into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral
lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have
denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Jude 1:4 (NIV) “… They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into
a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
“Both women and men are seen as vessels through which the Spirit works, and the
Spirit equips all believers for myriad ministries including the role of pastor within
the church. This basic understanding affirms the inherent worth and potential of
all followers of Christ.”
Matthew 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder,
Matthew 5:22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause
Matthew 5: 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom
of heaven.
The letter of the law is “Thou shalt not kill”
The spirit of the law is “Thou shalt not hate”
1 John 3:15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer
has eternal life abiding in him.
John 15:24 “… but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.
John 15:25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in
their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’
VI. The Bible not only has to be Read, It has to be Interpreted
and it takes a good deal of humility to interpret it correctly.
Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise
and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
