RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD (cont'd)
This is an example of phenomenal
language. It is the normal way for us and/or for them to speak of
an event. We describe events from our own point of view. The Word
of God records that for us. The Word does not tell us that the earth
doesn’t move and the sun rises and falls. This is a good example
of why we should not use the Word of God as a scientific textbook.
It was not written for that purpose.
Finally we must consider the progressive nature of revelation. God
did not reveal the workings of the church to Adam or Moses. Passages
that talk about Israel cannot be applied to the church. Statements
early in the Gospels may change at the end of the Gospels as the period
of history is changing. For instance, early in Matthew Jesus tells
His disciples to only go to Israel with the message of the kingdom
of God and not to Samaria or the Gentiles (Matt.10:5-6). At the end
of Matthew the opposite is true; Jesus tells the disciples and us
to take the Gospel to the entire world (Matt.28:19-20). As such, much
care must be taken, for instance, in studying the book of Acts. Acts
is a transitional book. During the book of Acts the Word of God was
confirmed with miraculous events. The people did not have the completed
Word. As the Word of God was written these miraculous events were
no longer mentioned. God no longer needed to confirm that the speaker
was speaking His Word. It was now possible to look at the Word and
see if he was.
Finally, let’s look at some common errors to avoid. First, Jumping
to conclusion about what a passage means as we read through it is
an error. We should study it out first with the above rules in mind
to make sure what it is that God is saying. We should also not spiritualize
every passage. Don’t try to mystify the Word or take a statement
about an event and give it a spiritual meaning that God did not give
it. The Word of God is not of private interpretation. This means that
we are not to say, “It means this to me.” Or “I
feel it says…..” We must study it out and see what it
really says. Don’t put your own angle on the interpretation.
Study it out.
Bible Study Tools.
The following is a list
of very useful Bible study tools:
1. A good study Bible – The Ryrie Study Bible is a good example
2. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance with Greek and Hebrew
3. The New Manners and Customs of Bible Times, published by Moody
4. Smiths Bible Dictionary or Unger’s Bible Dictionary
5. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.
