Page 99 - Doctrine and History of the Preservation of the Bible revised

Therefore, when we say interpret the Bible historically, we mean that we have to take into account
what was happening historically when the passage was written, but we do not build doctrine on what
someone in Scripture historically did. If we do so, we can create false doctrines and mislead others. So,
this rule is simple: We do not build a doctrine for the church today based on a historical event in the
Bible. Sure, some things people did in the Bible are to be admired. Some are to be avoided.

4. We must interpret the Bible contextually. Every passage and all the words and sentences in that
passage have a context. There are sentences before and after that perhaps bring light to the particular
passage you are reading. Take the passage out of the context, and you will miss its meaning and you
may abuse the passage. Charles Ryrie said, “Words and sentences do not stand in isolation; therefore,
the context must be studied in order to see the relation that each verse sustains to that which precedes
and to that which follows. Involved are the immediate context and the theme and scope of the whole
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book.”

5. We must interpret the Bible according to other passages in the Bible that perhaps more clearly
state the meaning. In other words, we allow Scripture to interpret Scripture. If your interpretation of a
particular verse contradicts other clear passages of Scripture, your interpretation is faulty. The Bible has
no inconsistencies. It was written without error. So if you come up with a new thought that contradicts
other passages of Scripture, then you know that your interpretation is wrong.

6. We must realize that God’s revelation in the Bible was progressive. God did not reveal Himself
or His plan all at once. As time went on, more and more light was given to His plan for the ages. For
example, the Old Testament saints did not know about the church after Pentecost. It was a mystery to
them. Obviously, the New Testament adds much that was not revealed in the Old Testament. When
Jesus came to earth, He revealed to man more and more of who God is. To interpret the Bible
effectively, it is imperative to recognize that revelation was given progressively. Those who will not
consistently apply this principle of progressive revelation in interpretation are forced to resort to
figurative interpretation or sometimes simply to ignore the evidence.

7. We must interpret the Bible taking into account the culture and
th
geography of the day it was written. We live in the 20 century, and
we think differently about a lot of things than they did before Christ or in
the 1 century when the Bible was written. We will tend to completely
st
miss the meaning of verses unless we understand the culture of the day.

For example, the Bible (Mark 10:25, Matthew 19:24) says it is easier for a
camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get to
heaven. If we interpret this verse according to today’s culture, we know
there is NO WAY a camel can go through the small eye of a sewing
needle. But if we understand that back in the days when that was written, there was a special gate built
within the large city gate called the Needle Gate. It was small and defensible. If a person arrived late to
the city, the only entrance they had into the city was through the Needle Gate. They had to remove all
the supplies off the backs of their camels, and the camels had to crawl through the gates more or less
naked. What this verse was saying is that rich people have to set aside their love for things to be saved.
Understanding the culture of the day helps us understand this verse of Scripture.

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