Rules for Bible Study

The Bible is a wonderful book, but it has been misunderstood and misread and has become a tool to theologically mislead sincere believers. This is the reason there are so many divisions among Christians, divisions that have developed into denominations, sects, and cults.

We need a set of rules by which we will study the Bible. These rules should be simple and should be consistently followed, regardless of where they lead.

Alexander Campbell, a Presbyterian who was baptized (sprinkled) as an infant, adopted the rule of doing Bible things in Bible ways. When his first daughter was born in 1812, the question of infant baptism immediately came to his mind. After a thorough study of the New Testament Scriptures, Campbell came to the conclusion that the only ones in the New Testament who were baptized into Christ were people capable of believing in Christ and repenting of their sins. He also discovered that the word “baptize” means “to immerse, to dip or to plunge”.

Alexander Campbell did not sprinkle his infant daughter. But Campbell, who was determined to follow that basic rule of Bible study and to follow that basic rule for the practice of his faith, and who had been sprinkled as an infant himself, was convinced that baptism (immersion) was for repentant believers. So instead of sprinkling his daughter, Alexander Campbell himself was immersed into Christ by an elder of the Baptist church.

A set of basic rules for reading and studying the Bible is essential for a proper understanding of its message. And each of us should want to follow where the Word of God leads us, even if it leads us where we have never gone before.

What follows are a few simple rules for reading and understanding the Bible.

1. Consider the historical circumstances. Who is the author? What is the approximate date of the writing? From where was the Scripture written? To whom was the Scripture intended? What was the reason for the writing? In what dispensation (Patriarchal, Mosaic, or Christian –more on this later) was it written?

The answers to these questions can be found in many of the modern translations of the Bible that contain footnotes, alternate translations and also in concordances and commentaries. The translation and the notes in the New International Study Bible are a good resource for this information.

2. Determine who is speaking. Sometimes we may be led astray if we follow the counsel of a non-believer who is quoted in the Scripture. For example, when Gamaliel advised the Sanhedrin not to oppose the church, he said, “If the church is not of God, it will perish; and if the church is of God, there is nothing we can do to stop it.” (Acts 5:38-39) Many have adopted the attitude of indifference toward other religions and even toward heresies within the church. Gamaliel was not a Christian and his advice may well not be the attitude we should have toward those who teach things that are opposite the words of the Scripture.

3. Determine to whom the person is speaking. Jesus spoke to the apostles in the upper room (John 16:12-15) and told them that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth. Many believers have miss-taken this promise to mean that the Holy Spirit leads every Christian to the truth and that the will of God can be determined by something called “discernment”, or by prayer, or by “listening for the voice of God”, or in some instances “new revelation”. But Jesus was speaking to the eleven apostles, to the ones who wrote the New Testament and on which the beliefs and practices of the church rest. (Ephesians 2:20-22)

We need to ask this question: Is the message in a particular passage for all people everywhere, or is the message for a limited time and circumstance? When the apostle Paul told the Corinthian church, “Every woman that prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head” (1 Corinthians 11:5), was this a universal prohibition for a woman to come to the assemblies of the church without a covering on her head? Or was this prohibition limited to Corinth at the time of the apostle Paul? What were the circumstances for such a statement? And, even more disquieting for many believers, is a woman permitted to “pray and prophesy” in the assemblies of the church? (The answer to this question is discussed in the section “Leadership in the Church”.)

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be enough grace among believers to come to an agreement, or even enough grace for an accommodation for other opinions on tough questions like these.

4. Study the message in its immediate context. Matthew 18:19 says, “If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” Many believers apply this verse to prayer. They believe that if two people pray for the same thing, God is obligated to give them that for which they have prayed. Obviously this does not work.

The problem is not with God, or with the object of the prayers. The problem is that the verse has been taken out of context and applied to prayer, which is not even mentioned in the verses preceding or following verse 19. In this passage Jesus is teaching the disciples what to do when there is a problem between two members of the church.

As I write this I cite many passages of Scripture and individual verses in order to speed up what I want to say. Please take the time to read the Scriptures in their immediate contexts. This is fundamental to getting the right message from the Word of God.

5. Interpret Scripture in the light of other Scripture. When we read a verse about a belief or practice, we must not draw any conclusions until we have read all the passages dealing with the subject. Throughout these essays I try to incorporate all the passages related to the subject under discussion.

For example, in the section on prayer, and especially how to receive from God that for which we pray, I will cite at least six different passages that deal with receiving a “Yes” from God when we pray. But to focus on one or two passages concerning any subject will distort the truth rather that clarify the message of the apostles and prophets.

6. Use a Greek to English dictionary to get an accurate reading of words. The complete meanings of words cannot possibly be translated from one language to another. Translators of the Bible have to choose words in English, which they think best convey the meaning of the Hebrew and Greek texts of the Old and New Testaments. This is the reason Bibles translated from Hebrew and Greek are called “versions”.

Bibles can only be the translators’ “renditions” of the Hebrew and Greek texts. As with every person a translator’s experience, education, and biases (if it would be admitted), influence the translator’s choice of English words used to translate the Hebrew and Greek texts into English.

For example, in the New International Version James 5:15 says, “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well and the Lord will raise him up.” (underline mine)

Translated the way this verse means that if we pray for the sick in faith, the sick person will recover. But by checking a Greek to English Dictionary I found that the word translated in the NIV “make the sick person well” is the very same word, which in other places, is translated “save”. The word is “save”: Does that mean “heal” the sick person so they can continue living on this earth? Or does the word mean “save” to everlasting life?

The answer to this question has a definite impact on what we believe and practice as believers as we pray for the sick.

7. Lastly, and the most difficult decision is this, we have to choose to take a word or passage literally or figuratively. And this is really a problem. Many consider the descriptions of creation, the flood, and the Tower of Babel to be mere allegories or myths. Many who hold this view also regard the miracles of the Bible in the same way – myths and legends or allegories.

There are theologians and archaeologists who don’t believe the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and all the way down through David and Solomon) even existed. In theological circles those who hold these views are known as “minimalists”. Many believe the history of the lives of the patriarchs from Adam to Solomon (creation to 950 B.C.) were inventions of creative minds to support the existence of the nation of Israel, and later, Jesus and the church.

I once corresponded with a minister who did not believe that the command to “be baptized”, in Acts 2:38 and in many other places, was water baptism. He said those references to being baptized was what he called “spirit” baptism, even though the word “spirit” is not used in any context. For him the word “baptize” in verse 38 means “spirit baptism” and the word “baptize” in verse 41, where three thousand were baptized, is “water baptism”.

So you see the problem. Do we understand the words literally or figuratively, and how do we make the decision? For me, I take the whole Bible literally unless there is some overwhelming reason to understand something figuratively. For example, In Genesis 3:15 speaking of the offspring of the woman, God said to the serpent (Satan), “He will crush your head and you will strike his heel.” I believe this is a prophesy of the work of Christ on the cross where Jesus was wounded for our transgression (strike his heal), but as he was being wounded, Jesus won the victory over Satan (crushed the serpent’s head).

I told you determining literal and figurative was difficult.

So these are some rules that I follow as I study the Bible. Regardless of one’s approach to the Scriptures, we ought to be consistent throughout. And these rules seem to work well for me.