“That's Your Interpretation!”




How often we hear this phrase parroted when trying to bring some truth of the Scripture to those who are without God in the World. Or, “There's so many interpretations how can one know what to believe”? But, when they are asked the last time they read the Bible there is usually a long silence. Then it is revealed that their complaint is just an excuse for the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart, revealing their own unwillingness to seek the Truth of God in His Word. It is just another form of rebellion against our Creator.

But if that is the claim, how should we answer this? Does the Bible need interpreting? Many believe the Bible is a very mystical book and hard to understand so it must necessitate a special “holy man” or a “priest” to expound its contents. Otherwise, how can we really know what God is saying and what He means? Is it possible for man to understand what the message of the Bible is, or do we need someone who will read it for us and give us the meaning?

The answers to man's questions are given in the Scriptures themselves, which man neglects to read. “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalms 119:130). He also promises to help illumine our understand saying, “the Holy Ghost … shall teach you all things … he will guide you into all truth” (John 14:26, 16:13).

Since “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2Timothy 3:16) He knows exactly what they mean, so we must rely on His wisdom and not our own. “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law” (Psalms 119:18). In Luke 24:45, it was Jesus who opened “their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures” .

In our fallen nature, we have different ways and thoughts compared to God. “Let the wicked forsake his way , and the unrighteous man his thoughts : and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways , saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:7-9).

He says “…be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind , that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). We must then, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

If we would be further convinced in our minds as to how we ought to interpret God's Word, we must look to the Bible to see how the word interpretation is used. In the Old Testament God did communicate His will to His servants at different times and in various manners through His prophets. One manner of communication was through dreams and visions (although this method is not used today because we have the whole counsel of God: Hebrews 1:1-2).

God had given certain men, such as Joseph (Genesis 40-41) and Daniel (Daniel 2, 4-5), the ability to interpret these dreams and give the meaning. These dreams were as motion pictures without words and therefore they needed explaining by the man of God. There were also those who could interpret or translate one language into another (Genesis 42:23, Ezra 4:7), which was used to communicate with someone of a foreign language. These are the two main usages in the Old Testament where interpretation was needed. Dreams and foreign language needed to be interpreted, but the plain Word of God needed no such thing.

In the New Testament, the word interpreted is used as well. Again in the sense to translate what has been spoken or written in a foreign tongue into the vernacular (Matthew 1:23, Mark 15:22). There was also the gift of interpretation , that was used to translate foreign languages or tongues, which God gave to individuals in the early Church for edification of the body of Christ (1Corinthians 12:10, 14:5).

Besides these usages there is the final mention of interpretation in the book of 2 Peter. “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2Peter 1:20-21). The authority of Scripture is attested by fulfilled prophecy (Isaiah 46:9-10), and when we study the Scriptures they must not be understood or interpreted apart from the whole counsel of God. That is, we cannot isolate one passage of the Bible and build a doctrine upon it. If you cannot get the whole counsel of God to confirm your teaching you better drop it and start over.

J. Vernon McGee used an excellent illustration to describe the difference between one-verse doctrines, and teachings that the whole Bible confirms. He says it “is the difference between riding in a good, solid, four-wheeled wagon and on a unicycle.” How easy it is to fall from one and not the other. He goes on to say “While it is wonderful to have one marvelous verse of Scripture, if it tells a great truth, there will be at least two or three verses and usually a whole chapter on it somewhere in the Bible.”

In other words, no Scripture should be understood without confirming it with the rest of the Scriptures. Isaiah says “precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line” (Isaiah 28:10). When the apostle Paul was teaching the saints at Ephesus he said “I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God ” (Acts 20:27).

For the most part, if we would understand the Truth of God's Word, it is important to study all 66 books of the Bible and take them literally. Many have used the late Dr. David Cooper's rule who has said, “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.”

We could maybe paraphrase this as follows, “ When the literal sense makes good sense, seek no other sense, lest you come up with nonsense .” Words have meaning, and if you do not understand a word, a good dictionary would be handy in helping you to expand your vocabulary.

Simple Rules to follow:

  1. Consider the whole Bible for the Scriptures cannot be broken (John 10:35).
  2. It is important to understand who is being spoken to (Example: The Church or Israel).
  3. Background and historical context (OT or NT) is essential. Don't pluck any Scripture up out of its context.
  4. Interpret the Scriptures literally. God means what He says. While there may be many applications to the Scriptures, there is only one interpretation . Apart from this, we must also allow for figures of speech, parables and symbolism, which are always explained in the context or elsewhere in Bible.

What about alleged contradictions? There have been many complaints of alleged contradictions by the skeptics, atheists, and unbelievers alike, but every time their mouths have been stopped. One example is as follows. The Lord had prophesied through the prophet Ezekiel that King Zedekiah would be taken captive “to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it , though he shall die there” (Ezekiel 12:13). Yet the prophet Jeremiah said, “ thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon , and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon” (Jeremiah 34:3). On the one hand it appears that Zedekiah would not see Babylon and yet he would behold the king of Babylon. But both of these prophecies proved true. Zedekiah saw the king of Babylon at Riblah; but his eyes were there put out, so he did not see Babylon, where he was carried captive (Jeremiah 39:5-7). All the alleged contradictions have similar explanations that can easily be revealed with a little knowledge of the Bible.

What about all the different translations? Another complaint put forth by the unbeliever when the topic of interpretation has been brought forth is that there are so many different translations of the Bible so how can we know what God is saying? The devil no doubt would try to corrupt the Word of God (2 Corinthians 2:17), misquote the Word (Luke 4:10,11), and try to get us to doubt the Word of God (Genesis 3:1-5), and the numerous Bible Versions that have recently flooded the market has accomplished just that.

Although this can be a complex subject we would like to point out a few obvious reasons for choosing the King James Versions of the Bible.

  1. ALL of the modern translations except the King James Version alone have copyrights by big money making corporations. These copyrights can only be obtained by making enough change to the text so that it does not look like the original. You can print as many King James Bibles as you would like without having to pay Zondervan ® or Nelson ® a nickel! Because the Bible is the world's bestseller, there have been over 100 versions published, most of them proliferated in the last 25 years. Remember the Scriptures warning, “And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you” (2Peter 2:3). There are many who serve not the Lord but their own belly.

  2. Almost all but a few of the modern versions use a different underlying Greek Text in the New Testament and even those who use the Received Text are found to use the same paraphrasing that is found in all the other modern versions. Using a different Greek Text means that some words are added and that some words and even whole passages are missing. Those who have added or taken away from God's Word are under some of the fiercest condemnation found in the Bible (Revelation 22:18-19).

    How then do we know which Bible is God's Word and which is not? The King James Version (NT) is translated from the Greek Received Text (otherwise known as the Textus Recepticus ) while almost all others use Westcott and Hort's fabricated and corrupt text called the Nestle-Aland Text . These men created a New Greek Text primarily from what is called the Sinaticus and Vaticanus manuscripts. Because these two very old Manuscripts differed greatly (over 3000 places alone in the 4 Gospels), they combined the two texts selecting what appeared to be best in their own eyes (This is known as Textual Criticism) and made an entirely new Greek Text which goes by their name. So their Eclectic Text was a mixture or a collective of the corrupt manuscripts of Vaticanus and Sinaticus .

    These texts were acknowledged as corrupt and were rejected by the Bible believing church. They may have been older and in better shape than any other manuscripts because they were set aside (likely because they were known to contain errors) and not literally read to pieces and worn out. These Texts were characterized as having a Shorter Text (Minority Text), being Older, and having a Harder Reading (Difficult).

    The KJV on the other hand, uses what is known as the Received Text , having been received by the people of God down through the ages. There can be found over 5000 copies or partial copies and parchments using this underlying Text. (Westcott and Hort's underlying text has only had a handful of copies, which all differ one from the other.) The KJV is characterized by a Longer Reading (Majority Text), and it also has some very old manuscripts dating back to the first century. God has promised to preserve His Word (Psalm 12:6-7, 119:89, Isaiah 40:8, Matthew 5:18, Luke 16:17, 1Peter 1:24-25) and this He has done in the Received Text ( Masoretic Text in the Hebrew of the Old Testament) from which the Bible can be translated into all the languages of the world.

  3. Another complaint by modernists against the KJV that is often repeated is “it is too hard to understand because of the Thee's and Thou's” . But I would ask, when was the last time you read the Word of God? Do you apply yourself to the study of it? How many hours a day do you spend reading it? I do not understand Nuclear Science either, but then again, I have never studied it. Is it not a worthwhile venture to read and study the very Inspired Words that the Creator of the Universe has written for us? If it is the very Word of the Almighty God, should we not want to know about Him and see what He has to say? Think about it, of all that is written, why would this not be our first selection of books to study?

    But why does the KJV use the Thee's and the Thou's ? In the language of the Greek New Testament and Hebrew Old Testament there is a very distinct difference between the second person singular and the second person plural pronouns. We make no difference in modern English--both singular and plural are translated “you”. However, in old English there exists a difference just as there is in the Greek and Hebrew. As a result the old English used in the Authorized Version gives a far more precise translation than would the modern English versions. The KJV was written in what is known as the “Elizabethan Period”. The text is most eloquent amongst all the literature this world has ever known.

    In our Authorized Version, THEE (Gr. soi ), THOU (Gr. su ), THY (Gr. sou ), and THINE (Gr. sos ) are always singular. YOU (Gr. humas & humin ), YE (Gr. humeis ), and YOUR (Gr. humon ), are always plural. A good rule to follow is this: If the second person pronoun starts with a "T" (in the KJV) then it is singular. If it starts with a "Y" it is plural. This information helps us to better understand who is speaking and who is being spoken to in the Word of God. The KJV translators used different words here because they were different in the original Greek. In the new versions these are all mongrelized and translated “you” with no distinction between the singular and plural.


So in our ministry, we can only wholeheartedly recommend the King James Bible. It has been the standard English version for most Christians for over 400 years. It is most reliable, tried and proven throughout many revivals and missionary movements of the past, true to the original ancient manuscripts, whose translators are known to be godly men and very capable in their knowledge of the ancient languages. Known and loved by thousands of English speaking people for hundreds of years, the authorized King James Bible, we believe, no modern version can replace nor come close to comparing.

God is not the author of confusion and this flood of modern versions in these last days has for the most part rendered congregational reading unattainable, and reading along with other ministers of the pulpit impossible.

What we would suggest to all, if you do not understand God's Word, keep reading and studying, seeking the will of the Lord and He will make it clear. A prerequisite to understanding God's truth is a genuine willingness to believe the truth and to follow God's will even if it goes against one's personal preference. Jesus said, “ If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine” (John 7:17).

“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward” (Psalm 19:7-8).

GNC

Last Update: 2/17/2003