Authority: Biblical Interpretation & Biblical Authority for Religious Propositions

This page was last revised on 12/09/04.    What's New?

"Speaking where the Bible speaks, and silent where the Bible is silent."

Hermeneutics (hur' me noo' tiks)

1. the science of interpretation, esp. of the Scriptures. 2. the branch of theology which treats of the prinicpals of Biblical exegesis.

Webster's New Universal Unabidged Dictionary p. 665 (1992 Barnes and Nobles Books).

Hermeneutics

As the quote above indicates the science of interpreting the Bible is referred to as hermeneutics. Whether you knew it or not, whenver you looked to the Bible for authority or support for a proposition, theory, or answer, you were participating in a hermeneutical act.

Bible study and consistent Biblical interpretation is important if we sincerely care to understand what the Bible teaches. The purpose of this webpage is to offer an acceptable guide on how to properly interpret the Bible.

The Bible is the word of God

The first and most important concept to remember is that the Bible is the word of God. This means every book of the Bible, every verse, indeed every word is the word of God. What is the significance of this fact? First, this means that the Scriptures are true and infalliable; all of the Scriptures, each and every verse is true and infallible. Second, if any of the verses are untrue, then none of the Bible can be trusted. If we find just one verse that is untrue, then how can we prove that all of the remaining verses are true? Remember, Christianity is a religion of faith. If we cannot accept the word of God as truth, then we have nothing in which to place our hope. Finally, because we believe the Bible is the word of God and that all of the Scriptures are true and infallible, then there must be someway to correctly interpret the Bible in a consistent fashion.

All of the divisiveness in Christianity today (have you ever tried to count all of the demoniations and their divisions?) can be attributed to three (3) main reasons:

1. Some people do not care what the truth is, and will not heed God's commands even if they knew.
2. Some people care, but for some reason, do not take time to read the Bible for themselves (incorrectly believing that they cannot understand the Bible because they are not smart enough or have not been properly trained); and
3. Some people misread the Bible. They either try to read the Bible in a way that makes themselves feel better about themselves, or they read the Bible with precnceived notions about what is or is nor correct.

Make no mistake, there are passages in the Bible that appear to contradict each other. With additional study, however, anyone can gleam the truth. Below is a tried and true method for logically gleaming the truth from apparent inconsistencies.

The Hierarchy of Authority

1. Direct Statement or Command
2. Approved Examples
3. Necessary Inference
4. Expedients