Interpretation

[Van]

Efforts are sometimes made to present the obvious as razzle-dazzle. An effort to confuse to facilitate deception.

What is an interpretation? Just an explanation of something.

Does the Bible, the inspired word of God, sometimes explain a parable or obscure statement? Yes, of course. Do teachers of the word explain it using homespun illustrations? Yes of course. Do people sometimes wrongly interpreter? Yes of course.

If a person translates something not understood into something understood, the person has "interpreted" whatever was obscure into something understandable.

Every witness of the gospel offers his or her "interpretation." They do their best to make God's promise understandable to the lost person or people.

The fly in the buttermilk is when we offer our understanding of a verse or passage, and our understanding is off the mark, our "interpretation" is not of God.

 

[Van]

Scripture supports the use of multiple person review and consensus concerning validation of an interpretation.

Let’s take three well known verses and present an individual’s interpretation for discussion and consensus building.

Mat 19:26 And looking at them, Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” This version of the verse (NASB) is consistent with many English translations, with God being said to be able to accomplish “all things.” However, contextually, salvation is in view, thus a more limited interpretation would be “…with God all salvations are possible.

Jas 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters: did God not choose the poor to this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? This version of the verse (NASB) is consistent with many English translations, with God’s choice of those poor to this world said not rich in faith, but only chosen to become rich in faith. However contextually since those chosen were poor to the world, they existed such that the world (some of humanity) considered them to be poor. Therefore, they were not chosen before humanity was created, and thus they were rich in faith and heirs to the kingdom promised to those who love God at the time they were chosen.

Jhn 21:17 He *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was hurt because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep. This version of the verse (NASB) is consistent with many English translations, with Jesus said to know everything imaginable. However, contextually, Peter is addressing Christ’s knowledge of those He encounters, thus “… You know all about us” provides the contextual idea.