Questions on reading the bible?

Question

It seems today everyone has an interpretation of the bible. I have been reading the bible recently and I see how people can make these different interpretations, especially with the parables.

My question is there one true interpretation of the bible? if so why was the bible written in such a way which allows for interpretation?

If you don't believe there is one true interpretation of the bible, why would Jesus come down and be killed if he didn't want to send a clear message to us? If he came to save us, why leave it up to interpretation?

Answer 1

Of course there is one true interpretation of the Bible. It was written for a purpose, and like anything that is written, there is one true interpretation that the writer intended. Anything that is written can be misunderstood and taken out of context. Even your question could be interpreted different ways. This is a failure of language and of human understanding, not a failure of God.

Answer 2

I believe that there is one true interpretation of the bible, but because the bible has been translated so many different times into so many different languages, it may be very hard to find that interpretation. What the original idea was when the verse was written may be entirely lost because of translations and other things in the Bible's history.
Check out James 1:5 -6. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.
I do believe that those verses are easy to interpret and that their true meaning is there. Just pray, with faith, about the things you don't understand, and God will give the answer to you. I have done this and it truly works.
I know of one boy who had a similar question. He wanted to know which church was true. He went into the woods nearby his house and prayed. God the Father and his son, Jesus Christ appeared to him and told him that none of the churches were true. This was back in the nineteenth century. Under the direction of Jesus Christ he set up the true church of God. It is called, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This boy translated a book which is called, The Book of Mormon; Another Testament of Jesus Christ. I've read both this book and the Bible from cover to cover, and it helps explain the Bible a little bit more. I challenge you to pray with an open mind about this church and it's Book of Mormon, and God will tell you if it is true or not.

Answer 3

The bible should be interpreted in the way that the writers intended it to be. However that is not as easy as it sounds. In part because we are told that one must have the Holy Spirit within him in order to understand it. Also God tends to do things in ways that are very different from what we would choose. Destroying the walls of Jericho by having the Israelites march around in circles for example. The complexity of the bible also causes us to miss some of the deeper meanings. Many objects, people, places and events have symbolic meanings and are interwoven throughout the scriptures. I can't help but laugh a little when someone claims that they read the bible, understood it and rejected it. I knew a man in his 80s, who had been a former preacher and elder after having grown up in the church. After all those years studying he still found meaning that he had never seen before. This does not mean that it means so much that we can make it mean whatever we want. Quite the opposite. Because it is so interwoven, a scripture should not be taken out and used out of context. We must try to see what the writer was communicating. Always go back at least several verses or better yet, re read the whole chapter or book.

Answer 4

Biblical instruction: comes with spiritual growth. ok?

Some of the things could mean different ways for different people. Like "not be unequally yoked together".

A lot of people read that as marriage. And that is ok, if that is where they are at in "growth.

That verse can mean several things with a well grounded person. It could mean, being business partners with someone, it could mean, even for Christians, to be careful. A very grounded in the Word, marry a New Christian could prove difficult. They are both at different levels of knowledge. This could be a bad thing.
You say: How could it? God, would not let 2 Christians have a problem? Whoa.........Time-out...........

God, warned the more "grounded" person, "Do not be unequally yoked". Right?

The basic teachings are the same for everyone. There are a good many parts that are "personal convictions". Some Preachers, preach "personal convictions", that's what is wrong with the church today. If a preacher doesn't like ladies to wear slacks, he preaches no slacks.

That is DUMB.............. That is a "personal conviction", that has NO business being preached behind the pulpit.

If you have just started reading the Bible, I very very humbly suggest, you get a "Study Version". It gives multiple references to verses and helps it become more abundantly clear.

KEEP, one thing in mind. The closer you stick too the King James Version, the more accurate it is, because it is translated from Greek. The New Testament was wrote in Greek. These newer versions, easier to read books, and translated from Hebrew. They are NOT as accurate, in detail.

Good Luck. God Bless You. Happy Reading.

Answer 5

If it was written clearly there would be little room for discussion. We have to remember it was written thousands of years ago, not by God but for God. It was written and re-written by man. Only the words in red are Jesus's words, hopefully; exactly His words. It all goes back to Faith, there is different interpretations because each one of us are looking for different answers and we gleam what we need from the bible when we need it. I personally get more from it when I listen to it on tape, because I can concentrate more on what is being said and the flow helps it be far clearer. Parables make us think, make us question, makes us study and search to find the answer so that when we get it, we really get it, we feel it through our very being it is like the clouds lifting and the shadows being plucked from your sight.
Keep the Faith and keep reading the bible because that pleases God to no end to know that we thirst for the knowledge He so freely gives.

Answer 6

This is the reason I believe we should stick with the King James Version - maybe it isn't the best or the greatest, but as long as it was the most available everyone had the same version and it was "less misunderstood" (sorry didn't know how else to put it) than it is today with all these various versions, translations, and paraphrases. But the real interpretation is not what we do with it as men or women, but what the Holy Spirit lays on our hearts and minds and that will always be the truth of the Scripture. That is why it is important that as we read we pray that the Holy Spirit be our intercessor in understanding - even the demons know the Word of God and will try to enter our thoughts and give us false meanings - the Bible is a Spirit and Truth book and requires it be read in such a fashion - that's why Jesus always slipped away for his quiet time with the Father - so there would be no distraction, in this same way he was teaching us to read his word, and to be in prayer, we need to slip away into a quiet time so that we can hedge ourself in with the Holy Spirit indwelling within us and rebuke the circle of demons that would like to attack our mind and ask God to hedge us with his angels and give us a mind of discernment that we would understand. When you read a passage and you don't understand, you have to accept that God is not ready to reveal this passage to you, and you keep going or ask him where to lead you to and then you listen for where he will direct you. Many people use devotionals, but for me they tied the hands of God as to where he wanted me to read each day so that he could teach me what he wanted. I still read devotionals, but not as my Bible study, just as informative and inspirational reading. I want my quiet time and bible study and prayer to be very personal with Christ, educational, and somedays he will have me read the same four or five verses over and over and I'm wondering why when all of a sudden and email comes on that very subject, or a question is asked of me and I realize he's been preparing me. So, as you mature in allowing the Holy Spirit to be your interpreter, you will find why he uses this method of teaching us the truth he has written down for us.

Answer 7

Well you see, some parts of the Bible are easy to understand, like the parts relating to being saved by faith in Jesus. But other parts of the Bible are open to interpretation because the Bible wasn't written at an 8th grade reading level but by the Holy Spirit of God. I heard one sermon where a Pastor was talking about this and he opined that one reason for this was that God used it to test Christians to see if they would argue with each other or demonstrate love and long suffering patience over non-essentials of the faith.

Answer 8

I look at the Bible the same way one can look at a car accident. If you ask 12 people to view the same accident from beginning to end(I am not saying the bible is an accident-read me out here) they will each have 12 different ideas on what the meaning is. If you give a student a passage in any book to read and ask other students to do the same-you will get different ideas on the topic. If you look at the Gospels according to the apostles-they are all different based on where they were during the different things that happened. It is nearly the same story but not exactly. I dont think this is just of the Bible but of anything in general. Even laws of the land today can be interpreted in many different ways.

Answer 9

The problem with the bible is that a lot of it is people talking, not the bible saying stuff. So it CAN be interpreted different ways, because people are generalizing specific circumstances to the religion as a whole. So while there's a theoretical "perfect interpretation" that happens to get everything in context, no one has any reasonable idea as to what that is (they all just think they do).

Answer 10

The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, the New Testament in Greek. It was written in these languages because they are DEAD languages and will not change over time.

You can purchase side by side texts which will show you the original text and the translation next to it, called a Parallel Bible.

I have a Greek New Testament which has the original Greek next to both the King James version and the New International Version. Mine is from Zondervan.

The King James version seems to follow the original texts more closely. I have found any paraphrased bibles, like the Good News Bible takes great leaps and liberty with the original text. My husband is a Lutherna pastor and he has a working knowledge of both Greek and Hebrew and he feels the King James Version is closest.