INTERPRETING THE WORD OF GOD CORRECTLY AND HOLDING IT IN BALANCE. (1)

I am sure you have heard the saying that ‘HINDSIGHT IS 20/20 VISION. One of the common signs of aging is reminiscing, and the older one gets the more years one can look back on and see where life has taken you.

I celebrated my 83rd birthday last Sunday, we had a blessed time in church and then went out and had a lovely lunch together. Normally on a Sunday, after the Morning Service, we have a regular 1+hour drive to a branch church where Margaret plays the keyboard, but we did not have to do that last Sunday.

I actually ask the Lord to give me a thought or truth to blog about, and the Lord has dropped an important truth into my mind which I will seek to develop over the next few days.

My parents were alcoholics, so my childhood was not a happy time until at the age of 10 I was born again, this is my next celebration in a few weeks time when I will have been a Christian for 73 years. Thiis experience was life changing, when a few years later I received my call into Ministry, and after training went into Pastoral Ministry for some 20+years , until the Lord dramatically changed the area of my Ministry, to a more Teaching & Training Ministry in various Colleges. My reference to Hindsight which I mentioned in the first paragraph highlights (to me) probably hundreds of awesome things the Lord has done in and through my life, to and I give Him all the praise and glory.

In this series I want to highlight something that has also been life changing and pass on to you.

The privilege of meeting a recognised International Bible teacher, and his Mentoring influence on my life, especially a statement he made numerous times to me, that is this.

WE MUST MAKE SURE WE INTERPRET THE SCRIPTURES CORRECTLY AND KEEP THE TRUTH IN BALANCE.

We are all very influenced by the church we have related too over the years, (or the Seminary we studied at) and often we develop our Theology as much from them as our study of the Word of God. sadly, I was initially slow to re-adjust my thinking and attitudes to certain truths (especially because of busyness and travel) until the decision we made 15+ years ago to “retire” back to our home state and start to slowly reduce all my international travel.

Sadly, we can all have BLIND SPOTS including regarding our Theological beliefs, and it was only after I started to slow down, did I begin to experience the HOLY SPIRIT LEADING ME INTO A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORD OF GOD.

There is an important subject that has now been taught in most Bible Colleges for nearly 100 years and that is HERMENUITICS which is the Principles of Interpretation of Scriptures. The most common principle is do not take the verse/s out of context, but look at who it was spoken to and why. When it comes to Old Testament Scripture for example, we must take the verse/s pass them through the Cross and apply New Covenant truth/s to them. A great example is God’s Word to Moses to build the Tabernacle that is according to the Pattern God had given Him, and King David to build the temple also “according to the pattern”. The Church and every Believer must build their “house” “according to the pattern of the Word of God”. We must clearly know the Word, and build IN BALANCE. Sadly, most churches and many Believers who have never been effectively discipled build according to the “pattern” that is demonstrated before them. Or as Church History teaches us, a Church may start off building well, but after say even 2 0r 3 generations there is compromise and unbalanced belief and consequently sinful practice and lifestyle.

In the following blogs I will highlight some of the things I believe that need to be kept in balance that I have come to see over these past 15 years.

I am not suggesting I have it all together, and some may not agree with some of the things I write, but I trust you will at least be open to think about them.