First Principles of Bible Study

    Hermeneutics is the science of biblical interpretation. Many learned and scholarly books have been written regarding the principles of hermeneutics. Every believer should be concerned with the subject, because it relates to the process by which we derive spiritual truth from the scriptures.
    It is our desire that by means of this study the earnest student of the Scriptures might clearly understand a few basic principles of proper biblical interpretation. These principles are taken from the Bible; the Bible requires that we keep theses in mind. They will be carefully examined as we proceed in our study and are as follows

    1. We must remember that the Bible, in its entirety, is the Holy Word of God. Every word, every phrase, is God-breathed. "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (Peter 1:21). It is imperative that we remember that the Old Testament is just as holy and important and uniquely the Word of God as the New Testament.

    The Bible is not just any book. It has no peer. God moved holy men of old to write as He guided them. The Bible in its original autographs (that is, in the original documents that were written), is exactly the message that God intended for man. Each book, each paragraph, each sentence, each word, and each letter of each word, is exactly as God intended it to be. The inquisitive student of the Bible who desires to know the truth must, therefore, approach the Bible with holy awe. This is God’s message to man.
    Because the Bible is God’s book, only God can open the student’s eyes to see the truths set forth on its pages. Sometimes the truths are very clearly seen, sometimes they are revealed only by diligent search in the Bible, and sometimes they remain hidden, regardless of the student’s desire to know everything God has revealed in the Bible. Because God reveals truth, the student must go humbly to the Scriptures; he must beseech the Lord that truth be revealed to him, for it is God, the Holy Spirit, who leads us into truth, through the Bible.
    Furthermore, the student who wishes to know the truth of the Bible must approach the Bible with an earnest desire to be obedient to

the precepts and rules in the Scriptures. In matters of doctrine and practice he should be ready to be obedient to anything and everything he reads in the Bible.

    2. The Bible is its own interpreter. We compare spiritual things with spiritual (I Corinthians 2). To understand a word or phrase or a concept in the Bible, we must determine how that same word, phrase, or concept is used everywhere else in the Bible. Thus the Bible becomes its own dictionary; it becomes its own commentary. While such diligent comparison requires much work on the part of the student of the Bible, is the only way to come to a true understanding of the biblical message. (Young’s Analytical Concordance and Strongs Exhaustive Concordance help immeasurably in this respect because they give every word used in the original languages and where the words are found in the English King James Bible).
    Because the Bible is its own interpreter, the student must leave no stone unturned in becoming acquainted with the Bible. There is no short cut. He must spend much time reading the Bible. To try to learn truths in greater and greater detail and not be exposed to all that God has written in the Bible is foolish. The Bible must be read and re-read.
    Any conclusion that the student of the Word comes to from reading a particular verse or passage must be tested for its validity by checking that conclusion against everything else the Bible offers concerning the subject. Only when the conclusion is found to be in harmony with all that the Bible teaches can the student know that he is on the path of truth.

    3. When we allow God’s Word to guide us in formulating principles of Bible interpretation, we find that the Bible has different levels of meaning. As we study a verse in the Bible, we must remember that while it may have only one level of meaning, it may have as many as three.
    The first level is historical. When Jesus taught using parables, He was not describing historical events. With few exceptions, such as these parables, the Bible gives us an exquisitely accurate account of events and conversations, which actually occurred in history.
    The second level of meaning in the Bible concerns moral and spiritual teachings. When a particular historical event is viewed in the light of the commandments of God as they are found throughout the Scriptures, we may look upon the event as an example of an application of God’s laws.

    The third level of meaning relates to the Gospel of salvation. This is the dominant and most important message of the Bible. The whole Bible is, in fact, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible reveals God’s wonderful message of salvation.
    Thus, there are at least three basic principles that must be kept in mind to study the Bible. They are summarized as follows.

    1. The Bible alone and in its entirety is the Word of God.
    2. The Bible is its own interpreter.
    3. The Bible normally displays more than one level of meaning or significance.

    The purpose of this study is to look at these three principles in greater detail. A thorough understanding of these principles will prepare the student to receive the rich and wonderful truths that are hidden within the Bible.

The Bible Alone and in its Entirety is the Word of God

    The first principle to examine in greater detail is that the Bible alone and in its entirety is the Word of God. In the examination of this principle, let us ask, "What is the true Gospel?" As we answer this question, we will see that the Bible alone and in its entirety is the Word of God. It alone and in its entirety is the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
    What is true Gospel? No evangelical believer needs to struggle for an answer to this question. The true Gospel has everything to do with the Lord Jesus Christ. If we recognize Him as Lord and Savior, we have the true Gospel. The Bible declares in I John 4:2-3:

Christ and who do their work in the name of Christ? Can we trust no one?
    As you can see, the question, "What is the true Gospel?" is not as easy to answer as you may have thought.
    We must find the answer to this question! How dreadful it would be if we followed a false prophet who brought a false gospel and we trusted that that it was the true Gospel. We could end up in hell - confident that we were saved while believing in something other than the true Gospel. We must find the answer to the question concerning the nature of the true Gospel.
    In seeking for the answer to this important question, we might also ask, "How do we know about Christ? Where do we learn of Him?"
    Immediately and correctly the answer one gives is, "Of course, we learn about Christ from the Bible. It, as the Word of God, is our source of information concerning Jesus and the salvation he offers."
    How true this answer is! The Bible is the only authority by which we can know what to believe about Christ. This principle is clearly presented in the Bible. We read about the nature of the Gospel in I Corinthians 15:1-4. Verse 3 and 4 say:

    The principle of the ultimate authority of the scriptures is seen in the temptation of Christ by Satan. Again and again, when Satan tempts Jesus, our Savior replies, "it is written" (Luke 4:4,8,10).
    Thus, the Bible is the authority that tells us about the Gospel. It is the source book of truth. The knowledge we have concerning Christ or God’s plan of salvation must be firmly based on the Bible.

All of the Bible is the Word of God

    Having established the principle that the Bible is the authority of the Gospel of salvation, the next obvious question is: "How much of the Bible must we trust to know that we are following the true Gospel?" More specifically, we might ask: "Based on I Corinthians 15:1-4 and I John 4:2-3, if we believe Christ has come in the flesh and we trust in His death and resurrection, can we be sure we are following the true Gospel? Can we have the true Gospel regardless of what we believe concerning creation, the end of the world, hell, predestination, etc?"
    The answer to these questions is found in II Timothy 3:16. There we read:

    In I John 4:2 we read: "Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God." The key word is "confess." We commonly use this word to mean a simple and open admission of truth, but the Bible’s use implies not only admission of the truth, it also implies identification with that truth. Therefore, only a child of God, a person born of the Holy Spirit, actually confesses the truths of I John 4:2,3, for only he is ready and willing to be altogether obedient to the Gospel.
    When we read about false prophets in Matthew 7:15-23, we discovered that although they claimed to identify with the Christ of the Bible, they were unsaved. In that context (verse 21), Jesus declares:

    As we examine these critical questions, we must be guided by the biblical account of the experiences of the early New Testament church. Their Bible was what is now called the Old Testament. Occasionally, people received additional revelations of the will of God by such means as dreams, visions, or angel visitations; for instance, Peter received a vision concerning the proclamation of the Gospel to the Roman centurion, Cornelius. Peter’s obedience to this vision added the information given in the vision written Word. The vision provided knowledge of the will of God.
    The Apostles Paul and John also received information through visions. These visions provided help in knowing the will of God.
    In the church at Corinth, there were those who received additional information regarding the will of God from a phenomenon called "tongues." Those who received the gift of tongues spoke in an unknown language, "mysteries" in the spirit (I Corinthians 14:2). What they received from God could have been in the form of praise, prayer, or additional revelation. When this happened in the assembly, they were commanded to seek from God interpretation of the message, so that the whole congregation could be edified. They were edified, because this information was a declaration of the will of God and could be considered an addition to the written Word. The combination of the written Word and the Word received in the "tongue" gave them more complete knowledge of the will of God (to which they were to be obedient).
    Therefore, the question that faces us is: "Can it be possible today that God is supplying additional revelations of His will by tongues, visions, or dreams?" The answer to this question must be found in the Bible.
    While the Bible was being written, additions were made to it as holy men spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit (cf. II Peter 1:21). Then God completed the written Word, and when He came to the last chapter of the last book of the Bible, He declared (in Revelation 22:18):

Testament we were given a more extensive revelation than that enjoyed by the church at Corinth. With the writing of the Book of Revelation, we have the entire New Testament and the Old Testament; and to the Old and the New Testaments, nothing is to be added. Never again would God give divine information by means of a dream, a vision, a tongue, or an angel visitation. God has given the complete account of His will.
    Thus, we have another principle concerning the nature of the true Gospel: The Bible alone is the authority under which the Gospel stands. The true gospel is circumscribed by the Bible. There is no other source of divinely articulated or verbalized truth.
    We may combine the foregoing principles into one statement: The Bible alone and in its entirety is the Word of God. The true Gospel is completely identified with and has as its authority the Bible alone and in its entirety.
    Some might argue, "But Revelation 22:18 speaks of "this book." This book must refer to the Book of Revelation. Therefore, this verse does not end further additions to the Bible; rather, it limits further expansion only of the Book of Revelation."
    A bit of reflection will show the failure of this reasoning. If we assume that the phrase "this book" refers only to the Book of Revelation, then in fact it must relate to the whole Bible. The Bible is one cohesive whole. A verse or chapter added to or taken from the Book of Revelation is added to or taken from the Bible – the Book of Revelation is an integral part of the whole Bible. In Revelation 22:7-9 we read:

must mean to become involved with the teachings of the whole Bible. Therefore, "this book" must be the Whole Bible.

What about Direct Bible Quotations Coming to Us?

    Others will insist, "But the information I received in a vision or tongue was a direct quotation from the Bible. Therefore, it was not an addition to the Bible."
    This argument is also invalid, as can be shown, for example, in Acts 2:17-21, where the Apostle Peter under the guidance of the Holy Spirit quotes from Joel 2:28-32. Can Acts 2:17-21 be removed from the Bible because it is not an addition to the Word of God – it is a duplication of something already in the Bible? Immediately we know that we cannot do this. Acts 2:17-21 is as an important part of the Word of God.
    If someone believes he has received a direct revelation from God in which the Bible is quoted, he would be attempting to add to the Word of God. He would be guilty of violating the command given in Revelation 22:18.

Praying in a Tongue

    One observation of those who are interested in tongues is that when they pray in a tongue, they cannot be adding to the Scriptures. They fail to realize that there are many prayers in the Bible, including prayers by David, Solomon, and Ezra. As these men prayed, they were guided by the Holy Spirit to say the words that have been written in the Bible, the Word of God. While they prayed to God, God used them to write the Word of God. Likewise today, if someone claimed to pray in a tongue inspired by the Holy Spirit so that God guided him as to what he prayed, then his prayer would just as certainly be the Word of God as are the prayers recorded in the Bible.
    Therefore, anyone who claims to pray in a tongue is adding to the Word of God, and anyone who thinks he receives a revelation from God in a tongue, in a dream, or in a vision, is adding to the Word of God. The principle of Revelation 22:18 will be violated by anyone who attempts to pray in a tongue.

    In Revelation 22:18-19 we have a clear statement by which we can know whether or not we follow the true Gospel. The true Gospel is circumscribed by the Bible. If one has a gospel that starts with the Bible and then adds what is believed to be divine truth from other sources, such as dreams or visions, he is following a gospel other than the true Gospel.

The Authority Regarded as Divine Establishes the Gospel

    What is the divine authority that structures and determines the nature of the true Gospel? The Bible. We read a verse in the Bible and interpret it by focusing the whole Bible upon it. We are to interpret Scripture by Scripture, or as I Corinthians 2:13 puts it, by "comparing spiritual things with spiritual."
    If one believes that the Bible is the Word of God, and believes that some other book is also divine revelation, then his authority is a wider authority than the Bible alone. If someone believes the Bible is the Word of God, but also believes that a dream, vision, or tongue is a revelation from God, then his "gospel" is wider than the Bible. He will interpret any Bible verse not according to the rest of the Bible only, but also in light of the information received in the dream or vision.
    We can begin to understand why false gospels differ in many points of doctrine from the Gospel based only on the Bible. The doctrines we hold are the products of the authority under which we place ourselves.
    A judge who tries a case under the law of the United States will come to a different conclusion than the judge who tries the same case under the law of Canada plus the law of the United States. The second judge was a wider and therefore a different authority than the first.
    If I receive a vision that I believe has come from God, and that vision is related to a particular doctrine, it is apparent that I will regard the information of the vision as the latest, clearest, and most important information in regard to the doctrine. I will believe this regardless of what the Bible offers concerning that doctrine. Even if it disagrees to some extent with the Bible, I will consider the vision a truth that modifies what the Bible teaches. I will be following the same principle of interpretation as that which applies to the New Testament modifying truths in the Old Testament. My conclusion concerning the doctrine will be influenced by my vision.

    It should now be apparent how important it is to know what our authority is. If it is less than the whole Bible or more than the whole Bible, we will no longer have the true Gospel, which is the Gospel of salvation.

Every Religion Has an Authority

    Every religion or gospel is under an authority – an authority its followers believe is the Word of God. The Muslim religion, for example, looks upon the writings of Mohammed as being of divine origin. These writings, there, are the final authority in matters of doctrine and practice in that religion. Those who have the Mormon gospel believe that the Bible is the Word of God, but they are convinced that the writings of Joseph Smith, in "The Book of Mormon," are also divine. Consequently, the authority that structures and determines this gospel is the combination of the Bible and "The book of Mormon."
    We live in a day when many people believe that God continues to bring revelations by dreams, visions, voices, or tongues. Those who are interested in these activities have an authority that structures and determines their gospel; their authority is a combination of the Bible and the messages, which they believe are from God. This gospel, too is structured and determined by what is considered to be a divine source of truth.
    From these examples, we can see that those who believe that the Bible alone and in its entirety is the Word of God have one Gospel, and those who believe the Bible is the Word of God but who also believe that God brings additional revelations today have a different gospel. The most recent revelation in such a gospel has the greatest impact upon its doctrines. For example, in the true Gospel, we do not dare say that we understand the Old Testament unless we have carefully studied the New Testament. The New Testament interprets the Old Testament. The New Testament shows that the ceremonial laws have been completed in Christ; therefore, we are not to observe the Old Testament Sabbaths or the Old Testament Passover. It shows us that God’s decree that adultery is sin has been strengthened to include thoughts of lust. The later revelation sheds more light on the earlier one, and it is the final word.
    Those who believe that God brings revelations today place great importance on the content of the revelations. For them, the later revelations are the last word, and they influence their view of the Bible,

which they believe is part of the revelation of God. As a result, their understanding of many biblical passages is different from the understanding of those who believe that the Bible alone and in its entirety is the Word of God.
    The true Gospel has as its authority the Bible alone and in its entirety. There is not other divine source of God’s word. There can be no later additions to the Word of God. The true Gospel, which has as its authority the bible alone and in its entirety, is different from a gospel, which includes in its authority revelations that may have come after the Bible was completed. These other gospels may use ideas, phrases, and words from the true Gospel. Many different gospels employ such terms as "the blood of Jesus," "the cross," "the resurrection," "heaven," "hell," and "Holy Spirit," etc., but the use of these biblical words does not guarantee that the true gospel is being taught. Only by following the Gospel that has its authority circumscribed by the Bible can we know that we have the true Gospel.

Does the Bible Contain the Word of God?

    Some theologians declare that the Bible contains the Word of God; this implies that parts of the Bible are not the Word of God. Effectively, they make themselves or their churches the ultimate authority: they decide what parts of the Bible are the Word of God. Rather than being subject to the Word of God, they are ruling over the Word of God. They have a narrower authority than the whole Word of God. It is important that we recognize that the whole Bible is the Word of God!
    Early in this study, we raise the question, "What is the true Gospel?" We learned that the true gospel is circumscribed by the Bible. It is based on the principle that the Bible alone and in its entirety is the Word of God. The Bible is the complete written presentation of the Gospel.
    This conclusion has ominous implications for many congregations and denominations; it tells of enormous consequences for today’s evangelical community. The importance is stressed in the warning of Revelation 22:18-19, where God declares that anyone who widens the authority by "adding to the words of this book," is subject to the plagues written in "this book." The plagues related to God’s wrath being

visited on those who are subject to hell. God is saying that those who add to the words of this book are subject to eternal damnation; they are therefore unsaved. They do not understand the true Gospel or salvation.
    By the same token, anyone who has a narrower authority upon which his gospel is based (he believes that only parts of the Bible are the Word of God), is warned by Revelation 22:19 that he, too, is subject to eternal damnation. Specifically, God declares, "God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city…" How important it is that we recognize what constitutes the true Gospel.
    God states the same warning in slightly different language in Galatians 1:8-9. God declares through the Apostle Paul:

this verse speaks of a problem unique to the culture of that day and, therefore, is not applicable to believers today. They conclude that it is not applicable because we live in a culture, which is different from the one that existed at the time of the church of Corinth.
    Let us examine this conclusion. If the statement of I Corinthians 14:34 is applicable only to the culture of that day, then Jesus’ statement in the conversation with Nicodemus in John 3 does not apply to us today, because Nicodemus was an Old Testament Jew. None of us is an Old Testament Jew. Also, the Old Testament would have no application for us today, because it was addressed to ancient Israel or nations such as Babylon. They were entirely different cultures from the cultures we have today. Moreover, the Book of Romans would have no application for us today, because it was written to church at Rome almost 2,000 years ago. Philippians, Colossians, and the New Testament epistles would have no application for us. All of Jesus’ teachings would also have to be set aside in view of the fact that He was addressing individuals, who lived in a culture different from ours.
    A conclusion that allows us to set aside certain passages because they seem to be associated with a cultural problem of long ago and therefore is said to have no application for our lives today, effectively, destroys the authority of the Bible. It is a direct violation of II Timothy 3:16:

biblical basis for every doctrine we teach. If we find that a doctrine does not have adequate biblical authority, or that there are passages in the Bible that appear to contradict a doctrine we teach, it is imperative that we resolve these differences before we continue to teach that doctrine. We who believe that we have been called to teach or preach have a grave responsibility to be as accurate as possible in the Word of God. God declares in James 3:1: "My brethren, be not many masters [teachers], knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation."
    The seriousness of being a teacher of the Word of God cannot be over-emphasized. Teachers and preachers of the Word of God should search the Word of God unceasingly so that what is said to the class or congregation will be as true and trustworthy as possible. A teacher or preacher must be ready to correct the doctrine he teaches at any time, if he finds it is contrary to the Word of God.
    May our Lord give to all those who love Him and wish to be obedient to Him the wisdom and humility to submit to the authority of the Bible.
    Thus far in our study we have discovered that the Bible alone and in its entirety is the verbalized, articulated Word or God. We will study another principle of Bible interpretation, that is, we are to interpret the Bible by the Bible.