Is anything at all in the Bible ever understood in the correct context? Who decides?

Question

"You're taking that out of context!!!"

Hahahahaha!!

Kathryn: Well done:-)

Answer 1

When I read the OT, entirely in context, I could not help but laugh out loud at the absurdity therein.

Dan Barker, who was a Christian minister for 19 years certainly must have understood the correct context when he read "The Good Book".

"You believe in a book that has talking animals, wizards, witches, demons, sticks turning into snakes, food falling from the sky, people walking on water, and all sorts of magical, absurd and primitive stories, and you say that we are the ones that need help?" Dan Barker, former Christian minister, Losing Faith in Faith

Answer 2

Interpreting any document, not just the Bible, should be a honest attempt to understand what the author actually meant to say, not what we want to hear.

Common sense dictates that you first of all have to take something in its literary context. That is, a sentence (or verse) does not stand alone, but it is part of a paragraph, which is part of a chapter, which is part of a book, etc. Anybody can quote an isolated sentence from any document (like the U.S. Constitution, for example) and make it sound like it means something that the original author never intended.

Having said that, it is also useful to research the culture and the history of the author's particular time period in order to get a better sense of the problems being addressed by the author, and to understand commonly used figures of speech. This is an attempt to eliminate one's own cultural bias which might affect your interpretation. You cannot read John, Peter or Paul like you were reading the writings of a 21st Century American. You have to learn to think like a 1st Century Jew to better understand what they were getting at.

This method of interpretation is described by lawyers as the "plain meaning rule" (i.e.: there are no hidden meanings -- the author meant what he said). It is the method of interpretation that seems to be most commonly used by fundamentalist Christians.

Answer 3

Yes to the first part and you do is the second part. We are not ignorant concerning truths...many of us can 'feel' a lie when we hear it. Who interperts the Bible, God does.

Gen 40:8 At this they said to him: “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter with us.” So Joseph said to them: “Do not interpretations belong to God? Relate it to me, please.”

2 Peter 1. 20 For YOU know this first, that no prophecy of Scripture springs from any private interpretation. 21 For prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were borne along by holy spirit.

Understanding the Scripture requires effort on a persons part. You can not, should not rely on what someone else tells you from a pulpit. Especially when that person may have an agenda you know nothing about.

You need to do a diligent study with another learnered person who will NOT tell you what to think, but show you how to find the answers for yourself and make up your own mind. It is then that you come to understand the deeper truths of the Bible. It is there you will see that the Bible does not contradict itself at all, but follows a specific course to the appointed outcome.

If you'd like more information let me know.

Answer 4

The correct context would involve actually finding out the exact document that the text comes from and then finding out the age it came from. Then finding out for what purpose (fact) the text was written. For example parts of Exodus is believed to be based on the rules written by the wandering Jews during the departure from Egypt.
It is difficult and the subject to of alot of historical debate as to where these documents come from and contexualising them. However that would be the only way of getting a true reading of the bible!

Answer 5

That's the problem we run into with the "anything goes" mentality in the modern church. Of course we should be free to believe what we want to, and to read the Bible for ourselves.
But at some point, common sense should kick in as to how the scripture is read. Some Christians read a verse that says "the sky is blue" and they come off saying "God REALLY meant it was purple, but blue was the word they used for purple, and for all we know it could have been more of a burgundy."
I know this is a funny analogy, but I have heard people say things that ridiculous before.
Who decides how to understand the Bible, you ask? Everyone pretty much decides for themselves, or they go along with what their pastor says. I know a lot of pastors who twist scripture or blatantly make things up to suit themselves. It's disgusting.

Answer 6

The Catholic Church decides.

Don't read the Bible if you have problems with it, but ignore the God-given authority of the church at your own peril.

The Church wrote the new testament, adopted what was useful and true from the old testament, and put it all together in one big book.

Over the last 2000 years many of the greatest scholars in the history of the world dedicated their lives to explaining it, along with many of the other aspects of the Christian faith.

The knowledge exists, and the documents are available to all.

What's keeping you?

Answer 7

NO. Its a book with no living authors to clarify and has had thousands of years to be interpreted any ole way.

Answer 8

Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived.

Answer 9

It sure is. Who decides, God does by the Holy Ghost, because his spirit will bear wittness with our spirit that we are the sons of god.

Answer 10

Who decides? The judge.

Ecclesiastes 5:7 For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.