Christians: How do you know that they way you interpret the bible is correct?

Question

Are you ever truly able to forget your own cognitive biases when reading the bible or is your interpertation influenced already by your own thinking?

Answer 1

The word is revealed to you through the holy spirit. That's why it's called the living word because every time you read it you will find a deeper mystery that you may have missed the first time. Or sometimes you are not spiritually mature enough the first time you read something to see what is now so clear to you.

Answer 2

That is a hard question. I think that what you read is always going to be influenced to some degree by your own thinking and how you process information. Because of sin (something all Christians agree on) our ability to understand completely has been muddied. There are many ways of studying/translating the Bible. The best way to see if your interpretation is correct is to compare it to the totality of the Bible, which means you need to know and understand the whole thing to get the best understanding. On some issues, like child baptism, there are valid view from different camps. We can disagree and still love one another. The key to Christianity is that Christ died to save us. If you have a personal relationship with Christ, you are a Child of God, no matter how you interpret the Bible.

Answer 3

I have never claimed that I interpreted the Bible. When I read the Bible, I ask God for help in my understanding His word the way He wants me to. I don't take versus out of context. But I read and study the whole Bible to get Gods truth and understanding. I look at what was being said, but also why it was being said at that time. Gods word is true and will stand for ever. As far as putting my own cognitive biases on it, I am human, I make mistakes. But if I ever do that then God would show me the true meaning. Have faith in God and He will show you the true meaning of His word.

Answer 4

it's not about biases when God is concerned we should not pick and choose the bible parts we like and don't like. that is what causes trouble in the first place. when i come across a scripture that reveals my sin and judges my actions i can't not believe it because it make "me" wrong. i need to just repent of it right? so when i study the bible with religious people, the biases are nearly unscalable walls. they have to be right! because if at any point there doctrine is wrong their entire faith shatters. and that is simply unacceptable. this is due to the fact often false religion is based on being right about God and not necessarily right with Him. or they would change when proven wrong, correct?, so the best way to interpret what a passage of scripture is saying is to find out what it is not saying. if you truly believe the word of God to be flawless then it should have 2 unbreakable standards: 1. no scripture contradicts another and 2. the bible interprets itself because no. 1 is true. for example...in Luke 14:26 jesus says, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple." if the word hate is to be taken literally (from our veiw of hating someone) this means that we must to hate our parents to become christians. but that would contradict Deuteronomy 5:16 which is the 5th commandment "honor your father and mother..." and also the 2nd greatest commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. so it seems that hate is not a literal meaning right? well if you look for parallel scriptures (different verses that mean the same thing or "mirror" each other) then they can be correctly interpreted. like the passage in matthew 10:37 , "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." do you see the similarity? hating ones family and loving them more than God? did this help you to see it a little clearer? i hope so. so the best interpretation for above is? that nothing in this life should hinder you from becoming a follower of christ. no matter what the cost. in a nutshell...if your love for man and God are on equal levels then you may be led astray by man. andd this happens way too often.

Answer 5

http://www.kingdom-gospel.com/interpret.html

"About the time of the end, a body of men will be raised up who will turn their attention to the Prophecies, and insist upon their literal interpretation, in the midst of much clamor and opposition." Sir Isaac Newton 1642-1727


Dr. David L. Cooper, the founder of The Biblical Research Society, was proficient in the Biblical languages. He studied Greek under Dr. A. T. Robertson. Dr. Cooper is known for his “Golden Rule of Interpretation” which is as follows:

When the plain sense of Scripture

makes common sense,

seek no other sense;

Therefore, take every word

at its primary, ordinary,

usual, literal meaning

Unless the facts

of the immediate context,

studied in the light

Of related passages and

axiomatic and fundamental truths

indicate clearly otherwise.

[This rule was published regularly in Dr. Cooper's monthly magazine, Biblical Research Monthly.]

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If God be the originator of language and if the chief purpose of originating it was to convey His message to humanity, then it must follow that He, being all-wise and all-loving, originated sufficient language to convey all that was in His heart to tell mankind. Furthermore, it must also follow that He would use language and expect people to understand it in its literal, normal, and plain sense. The Scriptures, then, cannot be regarded as an illustration of some special use of language so that in the interpretation of these Scriptures some deeper meaning of the words must be sought. [Charles C. Ryrie, Dispensationalism (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), 81.]

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The Clarifying Statement on Dispensationalism, published by the New England Bible Conference, says it this way:

The Bible must be interpreted literally which is the way language is normally and naturally understood. We recognize that the Bible writers frequently used figurative language which is a normal and picturesque way of portraying literal truth. The Bible must be understood in the light of the normal use of language, the usage of words, the historical and cultural background, the context of the passage and the overall teaching of the Bible (2 Tim. 2:15). Most importantly, the believer must study the Bible in full dependence upon the SPIRIT OF TRUTH whose ministry is to reveal Christ and illumine the minds and hearts of believers (John 5:39; 16:13-15; 1 Cor. 2:9-16). The natural, unregenerate man cannot understand or interpret correctly the Word of God. The things of God are foolishness to him, he cannot know them (1 Cor. 2:14), and his mind is blinded (Rom. 3:11; 2 Cor. 4:3-4).

Answer 6

Every person's view of the Bible (or any topic for that matter) is based upon the starting point of the prejudices and biased they were ingrained with through their personal experience.
Very few are those, who are willing to allow their pre-held beliefs to be tested as to whether or not they can truly be supported 100% by scripture.
The simplest way to realize and reject incorrect beliefs is to admit the contradictions that may be created by indoctrination, and to allow the Bible to explain itself.
For their are no contradictions. A contradiction is simply this-one or more of your parameters is wrong, and as such one must go back, check the parameters, find the parameter in error, and remove it.
In my observation, one of the most difficult things for all humans to do, is to admit they are wrong about anything, and if even then, to be willing to make adjustments in their thinking so as to become ever closer to truth.

Answer 7

when you wake up in the morning, are you 100% certain that you aren't going to die that day? i don't think so.

when you read the bible, are you basing it off of what you want to hear or what you know you need to know?

no matter what you do in life you will be inflicted by the choice of what is right and what is wrong. Sadly, we cannot say that the bible is right or wrong in a societal sense because we don't know what right and wrong is ourselves. Its is merely man opinion as to what was right/good wrong/bad. As a society, we've been raised to put murders in jail because its wrong.

Answer 8

Comparison. Compare your own understanding with:
Other texts in the Bible
Other beliefs of other believers who are faithful (not in word but in deed)
Historical understanding

The main reason I give no credibility to what the Catholic Church says, for instance, is Ethos. They have no credibility. They are historical murderers and liars. This is not an insult. This is not an exaggeration, this is the way it is.

Therefore their conclusions are all tainted with ungodliness.

If you honestly begin to narrow down the understanding of the Bible to those who have good credibility, then you can begin to get a collective understanding that not only makes good literary sense but practical sense as well.

Answer 9

The Holy Spirit’s presence within us enables us to understand and interpret the Word. Jesus told His disciples “when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). He reveals to our minds the whole counsel of God as it relates to worship, doctrine, and Christian living. He is the ultimate guide, going before, leading the way, removing obstructions, opening the understanding, and making all things plain and clear.

Answer 10

I know I have interpreted the bible correctly when good things happen and when my love goes outward to others and I can feel their love flowing back at me and when I can feel a oneness with the Earth and it's laws.

Unfortunetely, It takes along time to master life, usually a lifetime. By the time you master it, you have to go.