The Guideline to God’s Word: Interpreting the Word
In the first part of this series, we talked about reading God’s Word and what you can read from the Bible just like the stories of the miracles of God over the Bible characters’ lives and also the Faithful Promises that are mentioned through every book of the Bible and even the clarity of the vision or the plan God has for you. If you want to read the first blog of this series called, “The Guideline to God’s Word” then you may click this link to access it: The Guideline to God’s Word: Reading the Word. Truly, the Bible is your compass or a map to help us in our lives and this is what today’s article will talk about: How we interpret the Word of God and get its full context.
Since there are a lot of fake prophets that rise today that interpret and stir up confusion, it is important as a Christian to understand and know the context of everything to avoid confusion or misinterpretation of the Word of God.
Just like John 4:7-11, says, “When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. [a]) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?” The Samaritan Woman met Jesus and when Jesus asked for water, she at first resisted because she was a Samaritan while Jesus was a Jew and it wasn’t because she didn’t want to give but there’s a culture that Samaritans don’t associate themselves with Jews. However, if in life you get to meet Jesus, any Christian would have broken the standards of culture just to serve Jesus but this woman did not understand the situation and misinterpreted it because of the upbringing of her culture. The Samaritan woman had the physical water in mind and that she was doubting how Jesus would’ve gotten the water without the bucket but Jesus was speaking of the Living Water when Jesus explained it to her, that’s when she realized who she was speaking to. The same thing as you read God’s Word, at first you wouldn’t know how or why the Word of God is saying regarding your life here on earth and the eternal life or how your pain has a purpose but through continuing to read His Word and asking the Holy Spirit for wisdom to impart to you while you study God’s Word, then you’ll eventually know what the Word of God is really trying to tell you. Eventually, God’s Word becomes your compass or your map in this life that will guide you into the Truth and how you will walk in life, how you’ll become a blessing to others and how you face trials or challenges daily.
Through training yourself to read God’s Word and asking the help of the Holy Spirit to open your mind into the truth it wants to imply in your life, then no matter how many false preachers and how they deceive you through words, you would know how to filter the truth from the lies that look similar to the truth. Even the Bible knows that there would be false prophets that would try to lead you to darkness by becoming a false light in this world. However, when you directly learn from the Teacher Himself, you would eventually grow to discern what is the Truth God wants you to know. The Bible’s message is objective, not subjective which means it does not vary in your feelings but the ultimate goal is to bring the Truth to everyone who reads the Word.
For you to truly interpret what God wants to tell you through His Word, remember to have a humble heart to desire to really interpret the Word in an objective way that you’ll trust and hope for God’s best plan for your life despite the challenges you may face. That your challenges are your setbacks towards your testimony that God is bringing in your life.
As we, the Salvation Garden bring you these series to remind you and help you grow into the person God desires you to be. From reading and interpreting, you’ll soon read about applying its impact in your life through this series. Take your time to pray and read God’s Word and see how it will bring a great blessing in your life.
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