"The Question"

One of my professors at Bible college always asks, "What is the question?" From the very first day of class with him in your freshman year, this question is drilled into your way of thinking. The answer to "the question" is the basis for all that we do and believe as Christians. So, what is the question? It is, "What does the Bible say?" I know that that is not a very earth-shattering, mind-blowing revelation, but all we believe about the way we should live, the doctrines we teach, and the truths we preach must be supported by the plain teaching of what the Bible says.

I bring this up, because there are many people who call themselves Christians who fail to read and interpret the Bible for what it says. Instead of taking a passage of Scripture and simply believing what it says, they make up their own interpretation by either adding or taking away words and ideas in order to make it fit their own system of belief. Rather than letting the Bible shape their thinking and understanding, they twist the words of Holy Writ to try to make it conform to their preconceived notions and their own peculiar religious views.

Let me digress for a moment. I want to make it clear that I believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible. Yes, there are various forms of figurative language throughout the Scriptures, but its purpose is to impart some literal truth. I believe that the very nature of Scripture is for the purpose of revealing God to man. I believe that in the Bible God says exactly what He means and means exactly what He says. I do not believe that a person has to have a college-level education to be able to understand what is written in the Scriptures. I do believe that there are some things that cannot be understood apart from the guiding of the Holy Spirit, but I believe there are some things that a person can figure out for themselves. For example, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" is something that is self-explanatory. The most uneducated person can hear that and know what is being said. My four-year-old son can even figure that out. I also believe that there are some things we will never know in our finite minds this side of Heaven.

Without a proper system of hermeneutics (interpretation) anyone can make the Bible say anything. By way of illustration, I can prove that God is a female, because Psalm 48:3 says, "God is known in HER palaces for a refuge." Even without changing anything, I have totally misinterpreted this verse by ripping it right out of its context to make it fit a preconceived idea. (Please note: I do not truly believe that God is a woman.) The "her" in this passage actually refers to Mount Zion, but unless you read it in context you would not know that.

I say all of that to say this: Whenever we try to make the Bible say something that contradicts what is plainly written, there is something wrong with our interpretation, not the other way around. The very first rule of hermeneutics is that if the plain sense makes perfect sense, seek no other sense. If the Bible says one thing and it does not fit my predetermined theological system, I do not have the liberty to add anything to it or take anything from it, so that I can maintain what I believe, even if it goes against logic and reasoning. I am positive that God knew what He meant to say and the Holy Spirit recorded it precisely the way it was supposed to have been recorded.

This has turned into a longer introduction than I intended, but I feel that to say what I am going to say this foundation has to be laid. However, I will have to finish it in another post in the next couple of days. Think about what has been written so far and be sure that you believe what you believe because it is plainly written in the Scriptures. Remember, "What does the Bible say?"