How to Interpret the Bible - Step 1: Context

[@gleenielawson8066]

You are so articulate that a child can understand you. Thank You for such Awesome Teaching on how to interpret God's Word in Context!!

[@whatstheword3]

Thank you so much for the kind words! Please consider subscribing and sharing these videos with others! God Bless!

[@edmarklowelldelossantos4952]

I agree... He has the gift of making complicated things simple. That is the gift of Teaching. I also like the Context = Wholeness of something! :)

[@angloaust1575]

The Holy Spirit will guide and teach the elect!

[@anneshirleyduncan]

I just found your channel. I'm so glad that your using the whiteboard. I'm a visual learner and hands on learner. Now I can visualize it.

[@franciseslaban6775]

Thank you Lord

[@hudernz]

I love yours because it has differed from others

[@gleenielawson8066]

Biblical Theology amd/or Hermeneutics are of utmost importance when interpreting the Scriptures in Context! Thank You Very Much for this first lesson in learning to interpret Gods Word. God Bless You!!!

[@frankekekwe1560]

I love you with th Love of Christ Jesus❤ God bless you sir

[@toniathrasybule5022]

Thank you. ❤

[@caloraph7460]

Wow refreshing

[@mmwtpu]

Good work brother

[@hudernz]

I have greater revelation because of your steps

[@Ariana_Hope]

Context is key! There’s nothing that irks me more than people twisting the Word out of context.

[@PhilipsSajan]

❤Amen

[@shalompeace9988]

Thank you! And God bless!

[@Euryalus]

Silly me, I thought that it meant what it said. Clearly, it actually means what the interpreter says it means. This being the case, it could be argued that the text itself is in fact superfluous as interpretation clearly carries more weight than said text. I could be unkind at this point, but that might be unfair as I might well have missed the point myself.

[@gregorygarcia1810]

There are over a 1000 churches in America, all interpreting the Bible their own way, so now we’ll add “yours”

[@whatstheword3]

Haha. Good one Gregory. Thanks for watching either way and God Bless!

[@areuaware6842]

Abrahamism and it's filthy false god create chaos and conflict.

[@echoinggospelmission7426]

It is really helpful

[@caroljones3649]

What bible you in? I study CSB Life Connection Study Bible

[@gleenielawson8066]

@@caroljones3649 I have a King James Version, Full Life Study Bible, published by Zondervan 😃🙏🙏🙏

[@039mediahouse6]

Wow thanks 👌

[@williamjayaraj2244]

Thank you.

[@paulahazelwood635]

These are good guidelines, however, I believe to interpret the Bible you must keep in mind The Bible is written For, To, and About Hebrews with their Middle Eastern mindset, of their culture, customs, and beliefs (Not a modern Western mindset) As Non-Hebrew Believers we are invited to be grafted into Believing Hebrews When I realized these simple points the Bible began to open up for me. There were No pagans at the time scriptures were written desiring a long-awaited Messiah, prophesied by the prophets, on the contrary, this was what Hebrews longed for. The scriptures tell about a GOD seemingly forgotten by the first created beings to be made known to a ‘chosen’ people and given the Ten Commandments to keep and reverence. The scriptures speak of this Messiah delivering them and any who chose to believe in him. Remember we are to be ‘graffted into them.’

[@whatstheword3]

Hi Paula I appreciate your input and you are completely right. I made this video 6 years ago so I definitely would’ve emphasized that more if I could do it again. Hopefully you consider checking out some of my most recent videos. :) God Bless!

[@paulahazelwood635]

@@whatstheword3 How kind of you to respond to me; I absolutely will checkout your videos As I stated you have great guidelines for getting an understanding of scripture reading. Thank You

[@walterlandaverde7284]

Great

[@portableseminary]

Good job

[@melacrane6025]

Hi I am deaf and I have a problem following you and taking notes I find you move too fast. All in all I feel after who knows how many bible studies I have tried I seem to have hit the jackpot. I am so desperate to learn just need the right person. Thanks so much God Bless

[@whatstheword3]

Hi there! I’m sorry that I go too fast. Have you tried slowing the video down with the KZbin option on the side? I’ll keep this in mind when working on my future videos. I’m very glad to hear that you are learning from my content and I hope you continue watching! God Bless!

[@caroljones3649]

What bible you in?

[@carishmajames331]

❤

[@CharlesGodwin-ck2se]

Context = it is as though...

[@frankekekwe1560]

6years ago!?

[@whatstheword3]

lol. Yup! This is an older one! Hopefully you check out my newer stuff too! Thanks for watching and God Bless!

[@GradyRisley]

True context will also add that shepherds were considered "unclean" and nasty. Lowest of clsses. Telling or comparing Pharasee's to Shepherds was demeaning and insulting to their senses of holyness. My2Cents

[@caly5328]

I've heard churches say you have to read the Bible OUR way or you're wrong.

[@americanswan]

Step one....bias... THE SEVEN LEVELS OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT, DECISION-MAKING, AND THEORIES OF ATONEMENT by Timothy R. Jennings, MD, DFAPA LEVEL 1 - Reward and punishment Right and wrong is determined by whoever holds the power to rule by threat of punishment and hope of reward. Mercy (failure to punish) is seen by others at this level as being weak, rather than being moral. This is the level ancient Israel operated at as slaves in Egypt. They did what the task masters said in order to avoid punishment. People at level one insist that God uses his power to torture and kill the unrepentant wicked, as evidenced when he first established his credentials to rule Israel by acts of punishment upon the Egyptian gods, and by mighty, spectacular miracles demonstrating the Egyptian gods were not gods at all. This level of thinking is so primitive that it doesn’t even require a brain; the mind is completely sidelined. Animals, plants, and even bacteria can be conditioned to avoid painful stimuli and grow toward rewarding stimuli. It is Satan’s goal to reduce mankind to “brute beasts and creatures of instinct” operating at level one. Satisfaction Theory of the atonement most closely matches Level One thinking, which is summarized as follows: God said don’t do something, but when we disobey and do what God said not to do, this dishonors and offends him. Therefore, in his justice, he responds with angry vengeance to execute the disobedient to satisfy his outrage. But then Jesus stepped in between God and man to become humanity’s substitute. Thus, instead of killing man, God killed his Son in our place and is now satisfied that his honor and justice are preserved. LEVEL 2 - Marketplace exchange Right and wrong is determined by an equitable agreement between two parties, also known as quid pro quo - “I’ll do something for you if you do something for me.” At this level vengeance is a moral duty. People who do evil must be paid back with an equal amount of pain and suffering, in other words, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” To not return pain and suffering is considered immoral. This was ancient Israel saying at Sinai, when the law was first read, “All the Lord has said, we will do." Ransom Theory of the atonement most closely matches Level Two thinking, which is summarized as follows: Because earth and humanity are now the legal property of Satan and under his control, the devil claimed legal rights to this earth and the lives of the descendants of Adam and Eve. Therefore, God struck a bargain with the devil to exchange the life of Christ for the lives of the rest of humanity. LEVEL 3 - Social conformity Right and wrong is determined by community consensus, for example, when a child says, “But everyone else is doing it.” Right is deemed right by the approval of peers. This was ancient Israel when they wanted kings. All the other nations had kings, so it must be right, thus Israel demanded to have kings. Governmental Theory of the atonement most closely matches Level Three thinking, which is summarized as follows: In order for everyone to be convinced that God is fair and right in dealing with sin and sinners by inflicting torturous punishment, somebody has to pay the price. That somebody is Jesus, because he’s the only one who could pay that price to get mankind off the hook. LEVEL 4 - Law and order Right and wrong is determined by a codified system of rules, impartial judges, imposed punishments, and respect for authority. Right is getting a proper pay or reward for good work, and proscribed and inflicted punishment for breaking the rules. Authority figures are rarely questioned, “He must be right, because he is the President, the Judge, the Pope, God, etc.” This was ancient Israel at the time of Christ - “we have a law!” they proclaimed, as they sought to stone Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. This is much of our modern world, with its codified laws, courts, prosecutors, judges, juries, and imposed rules. Authority at this level rests in the coercive pressure of the state to bring punishment upon those who deviate from the established laws. At this level, police agencies and law enforcers are required to monitor the population, searching for breaches in the law in order to impose standardized penalties. Penal Substitution Theory of the atonement most closely matches Level Four thinking, which is summarized as follows: Jesus died to pay the legal penalty the law demanded and the heavenly judge imposed. The law must be kept. Man broke the law, thus justice demands and requires the imposition of the proper punishment. Someone had to be executed to pay the legal penalty. Jesus became our substitute and was executed in our place by God the Father (as the righteous judge) to pay that penalty. In doing so, the integrity of the law is maintained and sinners can be pardoned, but only if they claim the legal payment made by Jesus. LEVEL 5 - Love for others Right is determined by doing what is in the best interest of others, realizing people have value in who they are irrespective of the rules. Wrong is determined, not by a checklist of rules, but by not doing what is actually helpful and beneficial for another. Jesus demonstrated this when he touched lepers, spoke to women, socialized with tax collectors, and healed on the Sabbath. The Pharisees, operating at level four and below, wanted to stone Him for breaking the law. Moral Influence Theory of the atonement most closely matches Level Five thinking, which is summarized as follows: Sin separated us from God and corrupted our hearts, so that we no longer trusted God, but God loved us too much to let us go, so Christ’s death was the means to reach us with his love and restore us to trust in him. LEVEL 6 - Principle based living Right is understanding the design protocols and principles upon which life is constructed to operate and intelligently choosing to live in harmony with them. Right is not doing something because a rule says to do so, but because it is understood to actually work this way. This was Jesus living out God’s character of love in all He did, and the Apostles after Pentecost. It is understood that God says what is right because it is right, because it is the way things actually are. It isn’t right simply because God said it. Recapitulation and Christus Victor Theories of the atonement most closely matches Level Six thinking, which is summarized as follows: Christ’s life, death, and resurrection is understood to be the only means to fix what sin had done to God’s creation. When mankind sinned, the condition of humankind was changed, placing it out of harmony with God and his design for life. Humankind was now held in bondage by their own condition of sinfulness (carnal nature), their terminal state (death), and the lies about God told by Satan. Christ came to break these three powers and fix what sin has done to this creation. Thus “he who knew no sin became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God.” 2Cor 5:21. LEVEL 7 - Understanding Friend of God Those at this level not only have love for God and others (Level 5), not only understand God’s design protocols for life (Level 6), but also understand God’s purposes and intelligently choose to cooperate in fulfilling their role in His purposes. Jesus said to His disciples in John 15:15, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” People at this level understand the truth about God’s character of love, His nature and design for life, the origin of evil, the nature of sin, the weapons of Satan, the original purpose for the creation of humanity, the fall of humanity into sin, God’s working through human history, the purpose of the Cross, and the ultimate cleansing of the universe from sin. Jesus operated at this level, as will all those who are ready for translation when Jesus comes again. Healing Substitution Reality most closely matches Level Seven thinking, which is summarized as follows: The plan of salvation is understood to have a deeper and broader intent than just the redemption of the human species. Both level five and six are true: God’s character of love has been misrepresented, His methods of truth, love, and freedom have not been fully understood, so God had a larger purpose than just the salvation of humankind; He was also solidifying the unfallen beings in loyalty to His design methods and character of love.

[@bryanmercille3049]

Don’t trust the pastors but trust the theologians. 2:47

[@whatstheword3]

Alternatively, we should hope to trust our pastors to be good theologians, and our theologians to be good pastors. Thanks for watching!

[@annmarshall5615]

There's always someone new popping up on you tude who desires or wants to teach someone about scripture. It's amazing, Why not go directly to source which is God himself who is beyond any doubt equip to teach about his word, seeing how he is the author of it.

[@whatstheword3]

Are you suggesting we don’t need teachers to teach the bible? Honest question.

[@MichaelSmith-qc7nk]

Context = the end of the socall new testament.

[@Homeoftheclan]

If only god had been able to write his own book without the help of mere men then maybe it would not require interpretation, he really should have seen that coming don’t you think.

[@whatstheword3]

Hello! While I do respect your view, this is technically incorrect. If God had, in a literal sense, wrote “his own book” as you say, it would still indeed require interpretation. In fact, we still have millions of other things books written by their own authors that still require interpretation. This is one of the reasons we take classes in literature and English. Nonetheless, I hope we can agree to disagree. I appreciate your comment and hope you have a great day. :)

[@MrsRGross]

@@whatstheword3 I have a friend who thinks the same way. Her interpretation is all that matters. The ego of some people is simply astonishing. Those are the dreadful and cringeworthy “narcigetes.” Or maybe they’re just too lazy to take it seriously? I am personally humbled by God’s Word and am convicted to understand it properly. Context. Context. Context. I’m even thinking about learning to read NT Greek for an even fuller understanding of God’s Word. Your video is excellent! Bless you!

[@tombutler7296]

@@MrsRGross "Her interpretation is all that matters" One day we will each stand before God and it will not go well for those that do not take personal responsibility for what they believe about God. Just because your minister or a self-proclaimed apostle tells you what to believe about God does not make it true. "The ego of some people is simply astonishing" You might reflect on this statement yourself. Shalom

[@sirephraimgrayson202]

Well, God didn't leave us a book, He leaves us a Church to guide us (Matthew 16:18-19; 1 Timothy 3:15)

[@OldschoolFlaBoy]

What is wrong with you people, every scripture has at least two or more to back it up,. This is how God set it up you don't need my interpretation I don't need yours the Bible interpret itself if you leave man out of it that's trying to make a name for himself

[@lagart991]

I was with you so you mentioned that the Gospel of John was written by the disciple of Jesus. You lost me after that

[@whatstheword3]

I just explained this to someone else who commented something similar the other day. I left it open-ended for those who believe it was written by the disciple or by someone else. I encourage you to focus on the main points of the video rather than just dismissing it because of one point. Also, please keep in mind this video is six years old. I think I’m much better at writing scripts for KZbin now. Nonetheless, I appreciate your comment. God Bless.

[@lagart991]

@@whatstheword3 sorry, you were very good, till that point. I am learning more critical reading, learning about the historical Jesus, etc.. more academic stuff, running away from the old stuff. I’ll listen to it again. 👍

[@EugeneHolley-rc6ry]

You are telling people to rely on other people to understand the scriptures, you said the gospel of John was inspired by the apostle John, my bible says all scripture is given by inspiration of God, not men. You are one of the reasons people don't read the scriptures for themselves, they are as able to understand the scripture as you. When we interpret scripture, it is important to know the words of Jesus to interpret other scripture by, for example John 3:14-20 Jesus tells us when we believe we receive eternal life, and in 1 John 5 we are told if we don't believe the record of God, we make him a liar, and then he tells us the record is that God gave us eternal life. Be like the Bereans and when you have someone tell you something go to the scripture to see if what he told you is true, in other words read and study the word of God for yourself or be deceived.

[@whatstheword3]

Thank you for your comment, although I don’t think we will agree on this. I think that all scripture is inspired by God, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t need people to teach Scripture. I also don’t think that I am one of the reasons people don’t read Scripture for themselves. That’s quite the claim you made when you don’t know me personally and have arrived at that conclusion from such a short video. Nonetheless, you’re still my brother in Christ and I appreciate your take on this. God Bless!

[@EugeneHolley-rc6ry]

@@whatstheword3 I could have worded that better, you made a false claim on that video that the gospel was inspired by John, which it was not. People need to read for themselves their covenant in order to understand it, the scripture says to study to show yourself approved of God. Romans 12:2 tells us the only way to be transformed is by the renewing of our mind, that we may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. We all need help, but better study for yourself, it is not as hard if you understand the new covenant started at Pentecost and Jesus was dealing with the Jews first, he came unto his own and they received him not. Most would be better if they read and studied the gospel of John and stayed in the books of Acts through Jude until they learn to decern.

[@whatstheword3]

I tried finding the place you’re talking about and the only place I could find is at the 4:53 mark where I state, “The Gospel of John was written (or at least inspired by) Jesus’ most beloved disciple.” This is not a false claim. I believe the Gospel of John was written by the Apostle John and was inspired by God. The reason I said “or at least inspired by John” is because there are some theologians who believe that the Gospel of John was written by one of his own pupils. My point is that even if someone argues that one of John’s pupils wrote the Gospel of John, it was still at least inspired by John’s discipleship because those pupils were taught by John himself, who was inspired by God either way. I think you misunderstood the point I tried making, and I probably could’ve elaborated a bit more to make myself clear. I’m not saying the wisdom was divinely inspired by John. All Scripture is divinely inspired by God. I was pointing out that the Apostles also inspired (not divinely) others to write and carry on what they taught, which was ultimately inspired by God Himself. Anyway, I’ll leave it at that. You’re entitled to your own views. I just wanted to defend your accusation that I made a false claim. I don’t think I did. Nonetheless, it sounds to me like we agree on a lot more than you might think. Blessings, -Roddy Mtz

[@lagart991]

All scripture is inspired by God? What scripture is he speaking about? Not the New Testament! Sure! Here is the text: "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV) It’s speaking about the OLD TESTAMENT!!!!! But then you talk about John? What! The letters of Paul are written in the 50s John is written in the late 90s . Are you serious? There is no way,, NO WAY, he was speaking about John’s gospel. You need to study more before criticizing.

[@EugeneHolley-rc6ry]

@@lagart991 So, the New Testament is not scripture, John was an apostle that walked with Jesus, it says ALL scripture, not the Old Testament. It has nothing to do with when the gospel was written, or when the book of Ephesians was written, it is all scripture.