Bible interpreter
-
The Christian church is so different; different in our backgrounds, different in our emphases, and so different in our spiritual gifts. Some planted, others watered, but God gave the increase (cf. 1 Cor. 3:6). Neither the planter nor the waterer counts for much, but God is everything in keeping the plants growing. The planter and…
-
The issue of the (married) women in the church of Corinth being told to “keep silent” during their worship service is one of a cultural issue and should not be taken as a universal principle. Paul is addressing a problem of a group of women, because of their too much excitement in their new freedom…
-
(cf. Exodus 16) Did you know that ‘complaining’ is not simply a bad attitude? It’s really a grievous sin against the Person of God and His trustworthiness. Complaining may go by different names, such as murmuring, griping, whining, grumbling, beefing, belly-aching, & moaning. We all know what complaining means; we all complain one time or…
-
(Romans 3:21-31) John Calvin once said that there is not probably in the whole Bible a passage which encapsulates most profoundly the righteousness of God in Christ than Romans 3 verse 20 through 31. Noteworthy is the fact that Galatians and Romans are the doctrinal books of Paul. They are the systematic theologies of the…
-
(Romans 3:1-20) It would seem from Romans chapter two that a Jew having the covenant of circumcision was no better off than a Gentile because it is only in Chapter 9 verses 4 and 5 that Paul would enumerate all the Jewish advantages. In our day, of course, it is an advantage to be born…
-
The Olivet Discourse found in Matthew chapters 24 through 25 (cf. Mark 13; Luke 21) has been such a focal point for different interpretations that have caused much divisiveness in the church. Jesus was answering His disciples’ query about His Second Coming, and the thrust of His entire discourse had two main emphases: ‘You do…
-
Aren’t you glad the Bible is not just a book of rules, not just a series of propositions and imperatives? Well, it’s good to know that the Bible has huge sections of poems, huge sections of letters or what you call epistles that various Apostles wrote to different churches. While it is practically nice to…
-
Can you think of an example of something you heard offered as an interpretation of something in the Bible that made you suspicious even if you don’t know for sure why? You know at times, we can be suspicious of things and we can’t necessarily describe why. It’s like knowing what somebody looks like but…
-
Another compelling reason for the need to interpret Scriptures correctly is the danger of ‘unique interpretations’. ‘Unique interpretations’ are like when you hear something new and say, “wow, I never heard that before. Unbelievable! I never would have figured that out for myself.” But I submit to you ‘unique interpretations’ are usually wrong. Well, that’s…
-
It has been my honest observation that people including a vast majority of believers today do not have a clear sense of basic things about studying the Bible and reading its different parts. Many read the Bible as if they were reading their daily newspaper, and don’t think much about where they are, and where…