We’re starting with a pretty straightforward question this episode: Why do different people read the Bible and come to different conclusions? Is it the people? Is it the Bible? Or is it how they read the Bible? The study of reading and interpreting the Bible is called hermeneutics, and while proper hermeneutical principles won’t keep you from making any mistakes, it’s helps keep you from making some of the most obvious and dangerous errors.
In this episode, we want to discuss some of the most common mistakes that people make when reading and interpreting their Bibles. We’ll discuss everything from bringing your own assumptions to the text, to interpreting figurative language as if it was literal, to the most common error of all, not even bothering to read the actual text, but just going from memory or paraphrase.
Reading the Bible incorrectly is dangerous, but all of us who are saved are commanded to do it, so it’s not something that we can avoid if we desire to obey God. The issues raised in this video won’t keep you from making mistakes, but they can help you recognize mistakes that you’ve been making and even give you ideas on how to avoid making those mistakes in the future. God desires his people to understand his word so much that Christ died on the cross to send his Holy Spirit to help teach us all things and to guide us to truth. Our ardent desire is that the church would have a renewed desire to seek and follow after the Words of God. Please join us as discuss this very important topic.
Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/03/how-not-to-read-the-bible-common-errors-in-hermeneutics-ep-161-audio/
Thumbnail image by Paul O’Rear on Flickr under CC BY-SA 2.0
Timecodes
00:00:00 The Problem
00:11:36 Need for a System
00:15:46 Read the Passage
00:25:21 Read the Details
00:28:06 Check the Context
00:49:05 Understanding the Genre
00:58:39 Proof Texts
01:05:05 Finding a Verse You Like
01:14:18 Accepting Exterior Sources as Authoritative