That’s Just Your Interpretation
Photo by Aaron Burden (Unsplash)
It’s all too common for someone to point out something the Bible says and have somebody respond, “Well, that’s just your interpretation,” as if when it comes to what the Bible says there’s nothing more than personal opinion. But is that true? Is interpreting the Bible just the reader’s opinion, completely subjective, so that when it comes to the Bible it’s a free-for-all? Believe what you want, read it how you wish, because it doesn’t say anything definitive?
I’m afraid that’s a cultural myth. There’s an actual field of study for interpretation called hermeneutics defined as “the science of interpretation.” And it is a science—a series of steps, practices, disciplines and rules that apply to interpretation.
But make no mistake—99% of the Bible doesn’t take any heavy lifting in regard to interpretation. Here’s some quick reading. In the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy it says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (6:4, NIV). So is there one God or two? One! In the Old Testament book of Exodus it says, “You shall not steal” (20:15, NIV). Is it okay to steal or not? It’s not! In the New Testament book of I Thessalonians it says, “... Jesus died and rose again” (4:14, NIV). Did Jesus die and rise again or not? The Bible says that He did. So is the Bible obscure in its meaning? No.
So why do so many claim that the Bible is difficult to understand? For some, it’s not in trying to grasp the most obvious reading, but in accepting the implications of that reading. It’s interesting how when you don’t like something you read, you can suddenly find yourself having a hard time understanding.
Lee Strobel says to pretend that your daughter and her boyfriend are going out for a Coke on a school night. You say to her, “You must be home before 11.” Now suppose it gets to be 10:45 and the two of them are still having a great time. They don’t want the evening to end, so suddenly they begin to have difficulty interpreting your instructions. They say: “What did he really mean when he said, ‘You must be home before 11?’ Did he literally mean us or was he talking about you in a general sense, like people in general? Was he saying, in effect, ‘As a general rule, people must be home before 11?’ Or was he just making the observation that generally, people are in their homes before 11? I mean, he wasn’t very clear, was he?
“And what did he mean by, ‘You must be home before 11?’ Would a loving father be so adamant and inflexible? He probably meant it as a suggestion. I know he loves me, so isn’t it implicit that he wants me to have a good time? And I am having fun, so he wouldn’t want me to end the evening so soon.
“And what did he mean by, ‘You must be home before 11?’ He didn’t specify whose home. It could be anybody’s home. Maybe he meant it figuratively. Remember the old saying, ‘Home is where the heart is?’ My heart is right here, out having a Coke, so doesn’t that mean I’m already home?
“And what did he really mean when he said, ‘You must be home before 11?’ Did he mean that in an exact, literal sense? Besides, he never specified 11 p.m. or 11 a.m. And he wasn’t really clear on whether he was talking about Central Standard Time or Eastern Standard Time. I mean, it’s still only quarter to seven in Honolulu. And as a matter of fact, when you think about it, it’s always before 11. Whatever time it is, it’s always before the next 11. So with all of these ambiguities, we can’t really be sure what he meant at all. If he can’t make himself clearer, we certainly can’t be held responsible.”
There's no doubt that some parts of the Bible are hard to understand. It reflects the places, histories, cultures and languages of places long ago and far away. Sometimes it helps to have some background information on those issues to get the best sense of it, and there are some passages that people might disagree about. But on the essential teachings and issues, the Bible leaves little room for confusion.
As Mark Twain was known to have quipped, “It’s not the parts of the Bible I don’t understand that disturb me, rather it’s the parts of the Bible that I do understand that disturb me.”
James Emery White
Sources
Adapted from James Emery White, Christianity for People Who Aren’t Christians: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions (Baker), order from Amazon.