207 - How the Bible Interprets Itself, Scriptural Usages

Another thing that needs to be considered is that all scripture must be in harmony with all other scriptures related to the same subject. No scripture relating to a given subject can be contradicting another. If there is an apparent contradiction, it can not be from God. God can not contradict Himself. The problem is either in translation or in our understanding of what is being said.

Clear verses versus unclear verses.

Consider whether things are similar or identical. Two or more records speaking about an identical situation can add to our understanding of what happened. They do not contradict each other, but they could add information by way of scripture build-up.

There can be no contradiction when it comes to rightly dividing the Word of God. We must pay close attention to the details of the subject, time, place, people, etc...

Mark 3:1–6:   looked round with anger.

John 7:23, 1, 9 & 10, 14 – 23: Is this talking about the same incident?

Ephesians 4:26, 31, 32: Be angry and sin not, but forgiveness is the big thing.

It can be found in the Bible's previous and other Scriptural usages.

If scripture does not interpret itself in the verse or context, then the interpretation may be found in its previous and other Scriptural usages or where it has been used before.

But if the scripture doesn’t interpret itself in the verse or in the context, the story around it, then the interpretation might be found in other Scriptural usages or where it has been used before. Bibles are like dictionaries. They are because if you come across the word or words and you don’t understand what that word means, you can look at other times the word is used. You can look up the word where it was Scriptural used or used before and get a really good understanding of what that word means.

The word's first use is very important, and it expresses an idea, an explanation. The explanation is usually complete enough to carry throughout the entire Bible. If God ever changes the usage of a word or an expression, he always explains it.

Genesis 1:5:  The meaning is carried throughout the entire Bible. It will not change until God changes it. This is true of all the truths in the Bible.

This is true of all the truths in God’s Word. That’s why a Bible is like a dictionary at times. The first time a word is used will usually give you the meaning of the word. It may be necessary at times to consult concordances, lexicons, dictionaries, and other resources to find the first use of words or to find where other places where the word is used for more scope on how the word or words are used in their context, and to see if God has made any changes to the word or words.

However, it is especially important to consider all resources in light of what the scripture says in the verse, its contexts, and other scriptures dealing with the same subject.  We should always keep the Scripture as our primary source for what is truth.

Remember what these verses say.

John 5:39  -  It does not say to search what someone has said means. It plainly says to search the scriptures.

Acts 17:11 -  It is the scripture we are to search to find the answers. We use research resources to help us find the Scriptures we want to search for.

What about Biblical studies and books that we can read? The Bible says that we are to search the scriptures daily to see if it is true. The only real profit in these studies or books is the scriptures that are written in them. The scripture is what has been given to us for profit.

I believe that God did a great job and that no man can do as good a job as God did. God, in His Word, asks us to search the scriptures, not what man says about them.

Sometimes I think with so much writing and ink used. There is no way not to have some speculation, opinion, or misleading terms. We should search the scripture and say what the scriptures say without embellishing them with worldly terms, philosophy, history, or any other outside influence.

As they were originally given, the scriptures themselves ought to be consulted and considered as the final word.

Colossians 2:8 -

I once was reading all around the Word myself. I had piles of Biblical studies on my desk and piles of CDs and tapes. I knew what others have worked out from their study of the Bible. But that is not what the Bible says to do. What they taught may have been right, but it could just as easily have been wrong.

A few years ago, I was reminded of what my first teacher of God’s Word taught me. What if I put all my other reading material away and read nothing but the Bible that people would not recognize me, and I would not even recognize myself? So I did it. I packed up all Biblical studies put them away for three months and started to read and search just the scriptures. That was a few years ago now, and those boxes are still packed away.

I found the benefit and profit in my life as I search the scriptures. If I hear something that I think may make sense, I search the scriptures to see if it is true. I have learned never to take any man’s word as truth but to search the scriptures to see if it is.

Until the next time we get together, may God bless you abundantly.

Agape,

The Teacher: Steve Jaynes

The Announcer: Maurice Coleman

Intro and Outro Music: Pamela LoVerme Janovyak, Her version of "Be Thou My Vision" from her CD Behold

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