INTRODUCTION

Have you ever heard a sermon on how to interpret the Bible? A

presentation in a Sunday school? Small group?

Few have. Yet, if we are going to make the most out of life both
now and into eternity, what could be more important than
properly understanding God’s Word?

Some interesting questions religion doesn’t seem to answer in

depth:
➢ What is the Bible all about? Should we take the Bible
literally?
➢ How does the Old Testament apply to us today?
➢ How do we interpret problematic passages?
➢ What do we need to know before interpreting the Bible?
➢ If the Bible is clear, then why are there so many
denominations?

There’s nothing more important than following God’s will.

And for that, you must properly
interpret and apply His Word.
INTERPRETING YOUR BIBLE

Why is Interpretation important?

➢ Interpretation is necessary because meaning is what we are
after.
➢ Applies to all historical documents
➢ Meaning affects thinking and thinking affects your life.
➢ If Meaning is wrong, then your Thinking will be wrong and
then your Life will be wrong.
➢ The Bible becomes a burden when it is misinterpreted

Principles of Hermeneutics
from the Greek word hermeneuein, meaning “to interpret /
explain”
➢ All Kingdom citizens must be theologians of high degree
because we live and move by the word of God
➢ Hermeneutics is important as it protects you from putting
your own interpretation into whatever you read.

The majority of the Old Testament is written in Hebrew with

only a few verses in Aramaic.
The New Testament is written in Greek.

God in his infinite Wisdom, waited until the Greek language was
dominant to send Jesus because the Greek language is so exact.
The Bible is the MOST interpreted document in all of history.
This is also why it garners a lot of criticism.
Meaning is not in Words but People
A study was done where a pair was shown the same cow and
was asked to come back later and describe what they saw. The
researchers noticed you will get 2 different explanations each
time.
The meaning is not in the cow, it lies in the person who is
relating the information to you.

No one knows what you mean except you.

“That's not what I meant!”
We confuse the word choices with what the person meant.

A Constitutional Problem
A constitution is a document that outlines the fundamental
principles / precedents that govern a state / organization.
The constitution of all countries is written by dead men.

What did the Original Writers mean when then they wrote it?
It can mean anything your lawyer can interpret it to mean
because the original writers are dead.

The Kingdom of God has the best constitution because the

author of our book came back to make sure that we don’t
fool around with what he said.
THE FULFILLMENT OF THE LAW
PROPHECY OF SCRIPTURE

Matthew 5:17
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Jesus begins his ministry with a disclaimer, He says I have not

come to destroy, it is going to sound like I am because you
misinterpreted what was originally said.
Instead, he came to fulfill, to fill them full of the meaning that
was originally intended.

2 Peter 1:20-21
20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of
Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of
things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will,
but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were
carried along by the Holy Spirit.
MISINTERPRETED SCRIPTURE

The following is just a small list of scriptures that I have seen

being misused over the years, I have taken the liberty of
providing their correct meaning.

Genesis 1

The passage itself is a summary.

This passage contains important principles that can be applied

but it was not written as a scientific journal.

Genesis 1 is a polemic and was attacking the Egyptian creation

story that the Israelites were being taught to adopt in their
slavery.

Polemic - a strong verbal or written attack on someone or

something. (noun).

God was not explaining the science of creation to Israelites who

could not even comprehend it. We can’t even figure out why a
duck’s quack doesn’t echo but we think we can fathom the
science of the creation of the entire universe. Presumptuous
indeed...
Genesis 1:28

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and

increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule
over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over
every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Our sex-crazed society praises men who have many children.

How proud God is of you who has 12 kids in poverty!!

In fact, the passage has nothing to do with children. Humans

were going to have kids regardless. Adam was supposed to
spend 900+ years with Eve and not have sex? Funny.

God was teaching them how to be successful.

Be Fruitful, Multiply, Replenish and Subdue.

Manifest your gift, hone it until it can be multiplied, distribute it

to different domains until you are able to take over that domain.

The wealthiest businesses in the world all use this principle.

Laughs in KFC.
Genesis 38:8-10

8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife

and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up
offspring for your brother.” 9 But Onan knew that the child
would not be his; so, whenever he slept with his brother’s
wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from
providing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was
wicked in the Lord’s sight; so, the Lord put him to death
also.

This passage of scripture has been used to say that masturbation

is a sin. There is no mention of masturbation anywhere in the
passage. Onan was intentionally disobeying God’s command to
raise up offspring for his brother and he was put to death
because of his willful disobedience not because of
masturbating.
Exodus 20:13
King James Version
13 Thou shalt not kill.

This is more the fault of the KJV translation than anything else.

The word used for kill here is the Hebrew word GVX
Pronounced: raw-tsakh'
Orig: a primitive root; properly, to dash in pieces, i.e., kill (a
human being), especially to murder: --put to death, kill, (man-
)slay(-er), murder(-er).

to murder, slay, kill

1a)(Qal) to murder, slay
1a1) premeditated
1a2) accidental
1a3) as an avenger
1a4) slayer (intentional) (participle)
1b) (Niphal) to be slain
1c) (Piel)
1c1) to murder, assassinate
1c2) murderer, assassin (participle) (subst)
1d) (Pual) to be killed

The Bible is making a very clear distinction between a lawful

killing and murder which means unlawful killing.

David killing Goliath was lawful as he was saving his people, he

didn’t kill Goliath for some malicious intent.
Exodus 21:23-25

23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for

life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for
foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

People like to use this passage as an excuse to seek vengeance.

This is a common practice of people picking apart scripture to
make it say what they want.
Remember the Bible had no verses and the verses were
added about 500 years ago to help us navigate the text.

Let us look at the passage as a whole.

22 “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and
she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury,
the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband
demands and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious
injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for
tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for
wound, bruise for bruise.

Interesting. This scripture is WAY more specific now.

If someone hurt your pregnant wife you are out for blood.
If lasting damage resulted, the eye for eye principle
always limited retribution.
This law was meant to block man’s natural desire for
vengeance.
It was not given as a license for revenge.
2 Chronicles 7
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will
humble themselves and pray and seek my face and
turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven,
and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Yes sir. Here we are. One of the famous scriptures. Pastors use
this all the time to say if we just insert humility and prayer here
Jamaica will be better. Our nation needs a lot more work than
that but that’s not the issue here. That’s not what the verse is
about and it is only last part of a complete sentence.

Context: Solomon is praying for God to spare the people from

his wrath and God responded directly to Solomon’s prayer.

12 the Lord appeared to him at night and said:

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for
myself as a temple for sacrifices.
13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or
command locusts to devour the land or send a plague
among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my
name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and
turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I
will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Jeremiah 29

New International Version

A Letter to the Exiles

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give
you hope and a future.

1 This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah

sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the
exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other
people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from
Jerusalem to Babylon.

This is literally how the scripture begins....

At this point, I’m doing these pastors dirty.

By show of hands, who here has ever been an Israelite exiled in

a foreign land?

No one? Well, this passage of scripture is not about you.

Move along.
Matthew 5:41

41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two

miles.

There was a law that applied to the Roman Infantry. A Roman

soldier was legally allowed to command any able-bodied man to
walk 1 mile with his equipment.

For good reason, the Jews hated these oppressive laws and the
Romans as well.

If you are commanded by a Roman soldier to follow him for 1

mile you are really walking 2 miles because you have to walk 1
mile back to return to where you were.

In pops Jesus, who says to his own people. Go with them 2

miles. In all you are walking for 4 miles!

What was Jesus trying to say? Show love to those who try to
oppress you. He wasn’t saying you must willfully be taken for a
fool. No other Kingdom teaches you to do these things, the
currency of the Kingdom of God is love not money so if you
can’t function on love...
Matthew 7

7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

People use this all the time to justify whatever slackness they are
pursuing. The passage is a command on how to judge not that
you are not supposed to judge.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same
way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the
measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your

brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own
eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the
speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in
your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of
your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the
speck from your brother’s eye.

The passage is about judging hypocritically.

I must get that problem out of my own life first then

I am able to help my brother.

Matthew 7:7

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will

find; knock, and it will be opened to you

People see this verse and think of it as a blank cheque to the

First National Bank of Yahweh. God is not some cosmic genie.

Jesus' point here, then, in Matthew 7:7-11 is not that God will
give us anything we want. Rather, he teaches us that when God's
children ask for things such as wisdom, discernment, and the
like, God will not grant them something evil in return (vs. 9-10).

See the first document on prayer.

Matthew 18:20
20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I
with them.”

Used by pastors to encourage people when they naturally feel

bad that there is poor attendance at some religious event.

15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their

fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you
have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one
or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be
established by the testimony of two or three
witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the
church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat
them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will
be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will
be loosed in heaven.
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree
about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my
Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my
name, there am I with them.”

Jesus was giving practical advice about handling conflict in the

church. God will put his stamp of approval on judicial decisions
among church members who come to a mutual agreement.
Matthew 19:23-24
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only
with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of
heaven. 24 Again I tell you; it is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to
enter the kingdom of God.”

There are numerous patriarchs in the Bible who were

ridiculously wealthy. David, Solomon, Abraham etc.

So, if the wealth isn’t the issue what is? How the wealth is made.

If you make your wealth in this earthly system it’s going to be

very difficult for you to enter the Kingdom. Why?

Once you enter the Kingdom all that wealth is now God’s to do
with as He pleases.

A citizen of a Kingdom owns nothing but you access the

commonwealth of the King.
John 11
35 Jesus wept.

Jesus is crying because his beloved friend Lazarus is dead.

Let’s explore that idea shall we.

11 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the

village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who
anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with
her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent
to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when
Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death.
It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be
glorified through it.”

Mary and Martha come to tell Jesus about Lazarus’ sickness but
Jesus already knew. Also, he tells them the very reason Lazarus
is sick because God is going to be glorified in the end.

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So,
when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days
longer in the place where he was.

Pause...Jesus hears his beloved friend is sick and intentionally

stays another 2 days? Everything Jesus is doing is intentional
here.
11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend
Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The
disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will
recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they
thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus
told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I
am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.

Jesus tells them Lazarus died before they even left to go

to him. We know the story Jesus gets there 4 days late
and then this happens.

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had
come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his
spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have
you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and
see.” 35 Jesus wept.

When Jesus asked Martha if she believed Lazarus would live

again, she replied 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will
rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to
her, “I am the resurrection and the life.

Jesus is saying all of those things’ religion tells you to wait on are
possible right now. The resurrection isn’t some future event.
Jesus says plainly, I am the resurrection standing right there.

Jesus wept because they still didn’t understand.

1 Corinthians 10

English Standard Version

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to

man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted
beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also
provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure
it.

This passage has been summed up to mean God will never give
you more than you can bear.

Then there’s nothing unbearable in life and we are all just a

bunch of crybabies.

The sexually abused, children in abject poverty, Jews in the

Holocaust and our enslaved ancestors could have borne it all
right?

If you read the passage carefully, the passage is about

temptation.

There are definitely unbearable circumstances in life.

Ephesians 5:22–33
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you
do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife
as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is
the Savior.

First, this passage applies to married couples. Second, it not

saying women are their husband’s pet or plaything.
Yes, the man is the head of the household and was created by
God to be the foundation of the family. Foundation doesn’t
mean dictator; it means he bears all the struggles of the family so
they don’t have to. Again, let us look at the complete sentence.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the

church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her
holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the
word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church,
without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and
blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love
their wives as their own bodies.
Philippians 4:13

13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

I typically see this passage used by athletes on social media.

Let’s look at the full sentence.

11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have

learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I
know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have
plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any
and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether
living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him
who gives me strength.

Paul is saying he can be content in difficult circumstances

because of the Holy Spirit.
Revelation 3:15-16
15 “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would
that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are
lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of
my mouth.”

I always hear this scripture used to describe people who flip flop
in their devotion to God, some days they are Jesus’ right ankle
other days they are Satan’s collarbone.

The book of Revelation opens with seven letters. Each of the

seven letters addresses a different church in Asia Minor, one of
which is to the believers who live in a city called Laodicea. We
get the idea of “lukewarm” believers from John’s recounting of
Jesus’ letter to these believers.

Historians tell us that the city of Laodicea, received hot water

from about five miles away. The water came through pipes,
using a system pioneered by the Romans. But unlike our water-
heating systems, the heat wasn’t localized—it started hot, but
after five miles in a wooden pipe, very little heat remained.
So, this concept of lukewarm water isn’t random. Not to
Laodiceans. Rather Jesus makes his point to these Christians by
drawing from their daily reality.
Laodicean water was lukewarm, and this presented a problem:
their water was useless just like their church.

Jesus isn’t calling them less devout he was saying they

were unbelievers.