By R. Alan Culpeppe
The story is told that when William Tyndale was a young man, a priest told him that it was better that the Bible was in Latin (a language only a few Englishmen could read) and that the church told people what to believe, so false teachings could be contained.
Tyndale responded, “If God spare my life, I will cause that the boy that driveth the plow shall know more Scripture than thou dost.”
A revolution in human history started with that declaration. Tyndale translated the New Testament into English. His translation richly influenced the King James Version and later English translations, and English-speaking people have been able to read and interpret the Bible for themselves ever since.
But if we are not going to depend on a church official to tell us what the Bible means (remember the Baptist principles of freedom of conscience or “soul competence” and the priesthood of the believer!), then we face the task of interpreting the Bible for ourselves — a challenge so daunting that we all need to approach it with a great deal of humility and seek all the help and guidance we can find.
Here are just a few suggestions about how to enrich your Bible study and how to work through the interpretation of difficult passages, hard texts and divisive issues:
1. Consult several translations. The King James is beautiful and irreplaceable, but it is Elizabethan English, and we have much more accurate Greek and Hebrew texts today. Read a translation like the New American Standard Bible that offers a word-for-word translation, a middle-of-the-road translation (in terms of whether the translators approached their task with an attempt to balance between literality and readability), like the New International Version, Revised Standard Version, or New Revised Standard Version, and a translation that translates meaning rather than words, like the Contemporary English Version or the New English Bible. By reading several translations you will get a clearer idea of the possible range of meanings.
2. Use a good study Bible, like the HarperCollins Study Bible or the New Oxford Annotated Bible. The notes at the bottom of the page are brief but valuable comments on the text. Learn to use the marginal or cross references to lead you to related passages.
3. Buy a good one-volume commentary on the Bible so that you will always have it handy. The Mercer Commentary on the Bible and the HarperCollins Bible Commentary will serve you well. When you need to go further, consult a good multi-volume commentary, like the New Interpreter’s Bible, the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary, or any number of other fine commentaries. They will help you understand the issues, the history of interpretation, and the arguments for various interpretations.
4. Take a broad view. Look at the context of the passage. What is the historical setting, and what are the major themes of the book in which it appears?
5. Consult other passages in the Bible that speak on the same subject. The Bible often speaks differently to different settings, so we have to be very careful about taking any one passage to the exclusion of others on controversial social or ethical issues. Instead of planting our flag on just one verse, we need to consider everything the Bible says on a particular topic.
6. If the Bible says different things in different places, look for an ethical or theological progression. Ask yourself which verses reflect the grace and love of Jesus, or Jesus’ uncompromising call to discipleship, most clearly? How does Jesus offer a context for understanding the Old Testament, and how did the early church interpret Jesus and his teachings? Where is the Bible crossing longstanding boundaries, and where is it simply echoing the culture of its day?
7. Seek the guidance of a pastor, teacher, or friend. None of us has all truth, and none of us is right all the time. Keep an open mind on subjects where the Scriptures are not clear, and above all pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
One of the most rewarding aspects of studying the Bible is that every time we work through a book or passage carefully, we gain insights we had never seen before. Thank God, even the “boy that driveth the plow” may hear a word the rest of us have missed.
