How to Interpret Scripture

1. Come to the Scriptures prayerfully. Most of the great Bible interpreters were guided by prayer in their studies. The necessity of the involvement of the Holy Spirit is vital!

2. Allow Scripture to interpret itself and refuse to be clouded by personal doctrinal presuppositions. This really sets the great Bible expositors apart from those who refuse to depart from their denomination's guidelines.

3. Begin with understanding what the passage actually says, and yet always ask, "What does the passage really mean?"

4. Pay as much attention to the original Hebrew and Greek as your learning will allow you. (For those without language training, an interlinear Bible can be very helpful as can be a Bible dictionary).

5. Never use one of the paraphrased (very loose) translations to establish doctrine! The KJV, NKJV and NIV are very sound primary study translations, but the more paraphrased versions, such as the NLT, have a place in more devotional reading.

The Problem With Religion

Religion is quick to discredit the ministries of others
Religion is very judgmental and is quick to discredit others who are laboring in the kingdom for the sake of Christ. Even if a minister has a few flaws, but the rest of his ministry is bearing good fruit for the kingdom, religion will be quick to overlook all the good fruit, and focus in on the handful of negatives and flaws rather than the good fruit that is evident. Look at how even though Jesus was flawless in everything He did, the religious Jews would criticize him for healing somebody on the sabbath!
Religion is very legalistic
Dead religion is full of legalism. Legalism is strict adherence to the law, but also disguises itself in other ways. For example, a person may be dying of cancer, yet refuse to go to the hospital because they feel like if they go, then they are not trusting God for their healing. That's not true faith in God's Word, but rather a form of legalistic fear!
Religion is argumentative and "always right"
Religion likes to prove to everybody that it is right, and everybody else is wrong. Religion always feels that it's opinion is correct, and everybody else is still learning. This is a form of religious pride which the Pharisees practiced quite well.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

2 Timothy 3:2-5
Correction does not settle well with religion
Since religion is 'always right', it hates correction from others, even if it was done in a loving manner. Do you hate it when others show you where you've been wrong? This is pride and goes along with a religious mindset.
Religion also shakes hands with rebellion
Since religion is always right and does not like to be corrected, it naturally hates God-ordained authority which is in place to correct and to guide that person. Religion wants to feel like it is at the top of the food chain, and that it answers to nobody.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

2 Timothy 3:2-5
Fearing the loss of your salvation?
Anytime a person is tormented over the idea of losing their salvation, it is a direct result of a religious mindset or spirit. Why? Because if that person knew the loving and merciful nature of God, they would realize that repentance and acceptance of the work of Christ would restore them to right standing with Him (therefore no need to fear loss of something that you can obtain so easily - after all, it is the gift of God!). Unfortunately, they fear loss of salvation because their way of being right with God is somewhat 'earned', and they can never earn right standing with God.
Are you scared or afraid of God?
This is another fruit of the religious mindset. Anybody who truly understands the loving, merciful, and gracious God that we serve would realize that if they will repent of their sins and accept the free gift of God which was paid for on the cross, they will know that they are in right standing with God and that He deeply desires a loving relationship with them.
Fears of the unpardonable sin
This is a common one! As you can see above, if you are tormented over losing your salvation, then it means you are not looking at the loving and merciful nature of God towards us, but rather caught up in a religious mindset. The same concept is true with those who are afraid they've committed the unpardonable sin. They don't realize the loving and merciful nature of their heavenly father, and therefore they feel that He is angry with them and will no longer accept them because of what they've done. This again, is in a sense, earning your right standing with God. If you are truly repentant and have accepted the work of Christ on the cross, then there is no need to be worried about whether or not you are in right standing with God. I have done much research on the unpardonable sin, and to put it in a nutshell, anybody who has truly committed the unpardonable sin will not be interested in having a relationship with God whatsoever. You can read more on this subject in my teaching on The Unpardonable Sin.
Religion is prideful and arrogant
Religion is the worse form of pride. It lifts the person up on a self-righteous pedestal, while it sees everybody else as either unworthy. A prime example of this is found in a parable that Jesus told to the religious folks:
And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Luke 18:9-14
You'll never feel good enough!
You will never feel good enough for right standing with God, if you are caught up in a religious mindset. No matter how much good you do, or how much you repent of your sins, you will never really have the feeling of "knowing" that they are forgiven, because your religious mindset is actually denying the work of Christ and has made His work in your life to no effect to you.
Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Advice for Future Chaplains

Here is some advice for those interested in Chaplaincy. Chaplaincy is a weird dynamic because you are not only clergy but clinical at the same time, you may have to deal with situations that are not always “religious” in nature. When dealing with Non-Believers in an institution using titles like “Evangelist” or “Prophetess” can sometimes block your initial entry into an institution, You know who you are in Christ Jesus and declaring it when introducing yourself to people (as a Prophet) for lack of a better word “creeps them out”, Jesus said “Be WISE as a serpent and harmless as a dove”, when I introduce myself I am Mark Stevens, a Chaplain. Am I anointed YES, Do I operate in the Gift as the Spirit uses me YES, but in an institution you just DO IT…DON’T announce it. I wish you well, take this from an old head that has been in the ministry over 30 years and have had to learn the hard way. I have had to "fire" many volunteers that I am in charge of at the Trauma Hospital I work at. Often well meaning saints forget that you cannot go in a private or public institution and evangelize. The way to share your faith is by FREINDSHIP!!!! When I visit patients I smile and I ask them how they are doing, but I let THEM lead the encounter. By virtue of the fact that I AM a Chaplain, they know I am a man of faith, so after letting them vent, I ask them if they would like prayer (99% of the people I ask that say YES!) Never argue religion with a patient! Be compassionate and caring, let the Holy Spirit lead you and you will not go wrong.

Biblical Interpretation

The Bible is God’s Word. But some of the interpretations derived from it are not. There are many cults and Christian groups that use the Bible, claiming their interpretations are correct. Too often, however, the interpretations not only differ dramatically but are clearly contradictory. This does not mean that the Bible is a confusing document. Rather, the problem lies in those who interpret and the methods they use.

We need, as best as can be had, the guidance of the Holy Spirit in interpreting God’s Word.

Because we are sinners, we are incapable of interpreting God’s word perfectly all of the time. The body, mind, will, and emotions are affected by sin and make 100% interpretive accuracy impossible. This does not mean that accurate understanding of God’s Word is impossible. But it does mean that we need to approach His word with care, humility, and reason. Additionally, we need, as best as can be had, the guidance of the Holy Spirit in interpreting God’s Word. After all, the Bible is inspired by God and is addressed to His people. The Holy Spirit helps us to understand what God’s word means and how to apply it.

On the human level, to lessen the errors that come in our interpretations, we need to look at some basic biblical interpretive methods. I’ll list some of the principles in the form of questions and then apply them one at a time to a passage of Scripture.

I offer the following principles as guidelines for examining a passage. They are not exhaustive, nor are they set in concrete.

Who wrote/spoke the passage and to whom was it addressed?
What does the passage say?
Are there any words or phrases in the passage that need to be examined?
What is the immediate context?
What is the broader context in the chapter and book?
What are the related verses to the passage’s subject and how do they affect the understanding of this passage?
What is the historical and cultural background?
What do I conclude about the passage?
Do my conclusions agree or disagree with related areas of Scripture and others who have studied the passage?
What have I learned and what must I apply to my life?
In order to teach you how these questions can affect your interpretation of a passage, I have chosen one which, when examined closely, may lead you into a very different interpretation than what is commonly held. I leave it to you to determine if my interpretation is accurate.

The passage that I am going to use is Matt. 24:40, "Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left," (NIV).

1. Who wrote/spoke the passage and who was it addressed to?

Jesus spoke the words and they were recorded by Matthew. Jesus spoke them to His disciples in response to a question, which we will get to later.

2. What does the passage say?

The passage simply says that one out of two men in a field will be taken. It doesn’t say where, why, when, or how. It just says one will be taken. It doesn’t define the field as belonging to someone or in a particular place.

3. Are there any words in the passage that need to be examined?

No particular word in this verse really stands out as needing to be examined, but to follow this exercise, I will use the word "taken." By using a Strong Concordance and a dictionary of New Testament words (Vine’s, for example), I can check the Greek word and learn about it. The word in Greek is paralambano. It means "1) to take to, to take with one's self, to join to one's self, 2) to receive something transmitted."

A point worth mentioning about word studies is that a word means what it means in context. However, by examining how a word is used in multiple contexts, the meaning of the word can take on a new dimension. For example, the word for "love" in Greek is "agapao." It is generally believed to mean "divine love." This seems obvious, since it is used in John 3:16 in that way. However, the same word is used in Luke 11:43. Jesus says, "Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces," (NIV). The word used there is "agapao." It would seem then that the meaning of the word might mean something more along the lines of "total commitment to."

However, we must be careful not to insert a meaning of a word from one context into that of another. For example: 1) That new cadet is green. 2) That tree is green. The first green means "new and inexperienced." The second one means the color green. Would we want to impose the contextual meaning of one into the other? It wouldn’t be a good idea.

4. What is the immediate context?

This is where this particular verse will come alive. The immediate context is as follows, Matt. 24:37-42, "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 42Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come," (NIV).

Immediately we can see that the person taken in verse 40 is paralleled by people being taken in verse 39. That is, the "being taken" are of the same kind.

A further question needs to be asked. Who was taken in verse 39? Was it Noah and his family or was it the people who were eating and drinking? The answer to that question might help us understand the original passage better. Therefore, the next interpretive step will help us greatly.

5. What is the broader context in the chapter and book?

A passage should always be looked at in context, not only in its immediate context of the verses directly before and after it, but also in the context of the chapter it is in and the book in which it is written.

Jesus’ discourse from which our verse was taken began with a question. Jesus had just left the temple and in verse 2 told His disciples that "... not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." Then in verse 3 the disciples asked Jesus, "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" (NIV). Jesus then goes on to prophesy about things to come at the end of the age. He speaks of false Christs, of tribulation, of the sun being darkened, of His return, and of two men in a field where one will be taken and the other left.

The context, then, is eschatological. That means that it deals with the last things, or the time shortly before Jesus’ return. Many people think that this verse in Matt. 24:40 refers to the rapture spoken of in 1 Thess. 4:16-17. It may. But it is interesting to note that the context of the verse seems to suggest that the wicked are taken, not the good.

Now, about this time you might be thinking that this method of interpreting passages isn’t that good. After all, the "one taken, one left" verse is obviously about the rapture. Right?