Why Trust the Bible?Sample

Isn’t it all a matter of interpretation?

Today we’re asking: Do people just make the Bible say what they want it to say? Isn’t everything just a matter of interpretation? Isn’t the Bible just another power play – a tool of manipulation used by powerful people to control others?

For any text to have meaning and for that meaning to be communicated, the author and reader must engage with the words responsibly and in good faith. You’ve probably seen examples where this didn’t happen, like video clips posted on social media out of context or statements singled out in headlines just for shock value. These are bad-faith interpretations of words – manipulation not communication. The Bible is not immune to this treatment. Its words have, in bad faith, been weaponized and used to exert control over others.

Yet just because it’s possible to interpret the Bible’s words in bad faith doesn’t invalidate its every word. Misuse does not invalidate all use.

How, then, do we interpret the Bible’s words correctly? How do we engage responsibly with any written text?

A good starting point is the author’s intention. In the case of the Bible, some of the writers tell us quite clearly their intention for writing, as today's passages illustrate. Luke, a doctor, explains that he’s writing his gospel as a carefully investigated, orderly account of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. His intention is to accurately record what’s happened for future generations. John, Jesus’ closest friend, tells us he wrote his gospel so that we’d believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that by believing we would find life. Understanding these writers’ intentions influences how we interpret and engage with their words.

What about the rest of the Bible? How should we understand words written by authors who did not disclose their intention in writing? There are two basic ways: inductive and deductive reasoning.

• Inductive questions ask whether the text resonates with the world external to it. In other words, do we have to suspend the real world when we dive into the given text, or does the text ring true, making sense of the world as we know it historically, archaeologically, and in other ways?
• Deductive questions ask whether the text holds together – whether it’s internally coherent, whether it contradicts itself, and whether it makes sense as a whole.

These interpretation methods help those outside of the Christian faith to consider whether the gospels or any other part of the Bible is true. We certainly shouldn’t try to convince people to believe the Bible simply because we do. It’s important for someone to reflect on the Bible for themselves, ask questions, scrutinise motives, and encounter the reality of Jesus in the pages of scripture.

When we consider the context, character, methods, and motivations of biblical authors, we’re able to handle God’s truth responsibly and accurately, as opposed to just making the Bible say whatever we want it to say. If we’re honest and try to read the Bible with the authors’ intentions in mind, we discover meaning. More importantly, if we open our hearts to the living God who inspired the Bible, He can speak to us through the scriptures by the power of His Spirit.