Interpreting Scripture: Guarding Against Personal Bias
Summary
In our journey of interpreting Scripture, it's crucial to be aware of the influences that can lead us astray: our desires, logic, and experiences. These elements can taint our understanding, causing us to read into the Bible what we want it to say rather than what it truly communicates. Often, we approach Scripture with preconceived notions, shaped by our desires. For instance, there are passages that challenge us, and our natural inclination might be to interpret them in a way that aligns with our personal wishes. This can lead to a distortion of the truth, as we might manipulate words to fit our narrative, especially when it comes to topics like miracles or spiritual gifts.
Similarly, our logic can be a stumbling block. We might reason that certain biblical truths don't align with our understanding of fairness or love, leading us to dismiss or reinterpret them. However, Isaiah 55 reminds us that God's thoughts and ways are far beyond ours. Our human logic is limited and cannot fully grasp the divine perspective. Therefore, we must approach Scripture with humility, acknowledging that our reasoning is not the ultimate standard.
Our experiences also play a significant role in shaping our interpretation. Past hurts or abuses can create a defensive stance, causing us to reject certain teachings outright. It's understandable, especially if Scripture has been misused in harmful ways. Yet, it's important to separate our experiences from the truth of God's Word. We must strive to read the Bible objectively, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth, rather than letting our past dictate our understanding.
In summary, interpreting Scripture requires a careful balance of humility, openness, and reliance on the Holy Spirit. We must guard against the influence of our desires, logic, and experiences, seeking instead to understand God's Word as it is, not as we wish it to be.
Key Takeaways:
1. Desires and Interpretation: Our personal desires can skew our understanding of Scripture, leading us to read into it what we want rather than what it truly says. It's essential to approach the Bible with an open heart, allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal its true meaning. [00:48]
2. Logic vs. Divine Wisdom: Human logic is limited and cannot fully comprehend God's ways. Isaiah 55 reminds us that God's thoughts are higher than ours, urging us to trust in His wisdom rather than our reasoning. [03:23]
3. Preconceived Notions: Many of us come to Scripture with presuppositions based on past teachings or experiences. It's crucial to examine these biases and seek the literal sense of the text, allowing it to speak for itself. [04:14]
4. Impact of Experiences: Past experiences, especially negative ones, can create barriers to accepting certain biblical truths. While it's important to acknowledge these hurts, we must strive to separate them from our interpretation of Scripture. [05:44]
5. Objective Reading: To truly understand God's Word, we must read it objectively, free from the influence of our desires, logic, and experiences. This requires humility and a reliance on the Holy Spirit for guidance. [06:42]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:12] - The Influence of Desire
[01:02] - Personal Bias in Interpretation
[01:30] - Misunderstanding Miracles
[02:13] - Logic and Scripture
[03:23] - God's Thoughts vs. Human Logic
[04:14] - Preconceived Notions
[04:57] - The Role of Experience
[05:21] - Addressing Past Hurts
[06:05] - Objective Reading of Scripture
[06:42] - Conclusion and Reflection
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Isaiah 55:8-9 - "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Observation Questions:
1. How does the sermon describe the influence of personal desires on interpreting Scripture? [00:48]
2. What examples does the pastor give about using human logic to reinterpret biblical truths? [03:05]
3. How are past experiences said to affect one's understanding of Scripture according to the sermon? [05:21]
Interpretation Questions:
1. In what ways might personal desires lead to a misinterpretation of biblical passages, and how can one guard against this? [01:17]
2. How does Isaiah 55:8-9 challenge the use of human logic in understanding God's Word? What does this imply about the nature of divine wisdom? [03:23]
3. How can preconceived notions from past teachings or experiences create barriers to understanding Scripture objectively? [04:14]
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when your personal desires may have influenced your interpretation of a Bible passage. How can you approach Scripture with a more open heart in the future? [01:02]
2. Consider a biblical truth that you have struggled to accept because it conflicts with your logic. How can you practice trusting in God's wisdom over your own understanding? [03:39]
3. Identify a past experience that might be affecting your current interpretation of Scripture. How can you work towards separating this experience from your understanding of God's Word? [05:44]
4. What steps can you take to ensure that your reading of the Bible is guided by the Holy Spirit rather than your desires, logic, or experiences? [06:42]
5. Think of a specific area in your life where you need to apply the principle of humility in interpreting Scripture. How can you cultivate this humility in your daily Bible study? [06:05]
6. How can you support someone in your community who might be struggling with past hurts that affect their view of Scripture? What practical steps can you take to offer love and understanding? [06:21]
Devotional
Day 1: The Influence of Desires on Scripture Interpretation
Our personal desires can significantly impact how we interpret Scripture. Often, we approach the Bible with preconceived notions, shaped by what we wish to find rather than what is truly there. This can lead to a distortion of the truth, as we might manipulate words to fit our narrative, especially when it comes to challenging topics like miracles or spiritual gifts. It's essential to approach the Bible with an open heart, allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal its true meaning. By doing so, we guard against the temptation to read into Scripture what we want it to say, rather than what it truly communicates. [00:48]
Jeremiah 17:9-10 (ESV): "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 'I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.'"
Reflection: Think of a recent time when your desires may have influenced your understanding of a Bible passage. How can you invite the Holy Spirit to guide you towards a more truthful interpretation today?
Day 2: Trusting Divine Wisdom Over Human Logic
Human logic is limited and cannot fully comprehend God's ways. Often, we might reason that certain biblical truths don't align with our understanding of fairness or love, leading us to dismiss or reinterpret them. However, Isaiah 55 reminds us that God's thoughts and ways are far beyond ours. This calls us to trust in His wisdom rather than our reasoning. Approaching Scripture with humility means acknowledging that our logic is not the ultimate standard. Instead, we are invited to trust in the divine perspective, even when it challenges our understanding. [03:23]
Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV): "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
Reflection: Identify an area in your life where you struggle to trust God's wisdom over your own logic. What steps can you take today to surrender this area to Him?
Day 3: Examining Preconceived Notions
Many of us come to Scripture with presuppositions based on past teachings or experiences. These preconceived notions can cloud our understanding, leading us to interpret the Bible through a biased lens. It's crucial to examine these biases and seek the literal sense of the text, allowing it to speak for itself. By doing so, we open ourselves to a more authentic understanding of God's Word, free from the constraints of our past interpretations. This requires a willingness to let go of our assumptions and embrace the truth as it is presented in Scripture. [04:14]
1 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV): "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."
Reflection: Reflect on a specific teaching or belief you hold that may be influenced by past experiences. How can you approach Scripture with fresh eyes to discern its true message?
Day 4: Overcoming the Impact of Past Experiences
Our past experiences, especially negative ones, can create barriers to accepting certain biblical truths. It's understandable, especially if Scripture has been misused in harmful ways. However, it's important to separate our experiences from the truth of God's Word. We must strive to read the Bible objectively, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth, rather than letting our past dictate our understanding. By doing so, we can find healing and clarity, embracing the fullness of God's message without the weight of past hurts. [05:44]
2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV): "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
Reflection: Consider a past experience that has affected your view of Scripture. How can you invite God to bring healing and a fresh perspective to this area today?
Day 5: Embracing Objective Reading of Scripture
To truly understand God's Word, we must read it objectively, free from the influence of our desires, logic, and experiences. This requires humility and a reliance on the Holy Spirit for guidance. By approaching Scripture with an open heart and mind, we allow it to transform us, revealing truths that we might otherwise overlook. This objective reading invites us into a deeper relationship with God, as we seek to understand His Word as it is, not as we wish it to be. [06:42]
James 1:22-25 (ESV): "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."
Reflection: What practical steps can you take today to ensure you are reading Scripture objectively? How can you invite the Holy Spirit to guide your understanding and application of God's Word?
Quotes
I just want to throw out a couple of thoughts um as you interpret scripture when necessary um be aware of three things your desire your logic and your experience your desire your logic and your experience this is where I've seen myself and others go go astray in Bible interpretation our interpretation is Tainted by our own desire our own logic or our own experiences rather than looking at the word of God objectively and through the power of the Holy Spirit. [00:00:00]
We often bring our desires into the interpretation so you have to look at a passage like this and and other passage I look at there's there's passages I look at and I don't really like the way they read it's not my desire and so a lot of times when I go to the scriptures I go okay what do I want this to say what is my fleshly desire because what we end up doing is going well I want this to be true. [00:00:48]
I used to do this when I didn't believe in miracles and I didn't believe in spiritual gifts it wasn't that that was the natural reading of scripture I just didn't want to become one of those weird prophetic guys it's like oh I Heard a Voice from the Lord he told me this you know and I I look at all those people and go gosh they're so weird they don't care about the scriptures they're just making up stories they're seeing visions. [00:01:23]
Every time I'd read a passage of scripture that would talk about the supernatural I would explain it away and and go well that was for back then that must have been for back then when it says don't forbid the speaking of tongues don't despise prophecy I'm like well and that was for back then and the literal sense of the scriptures I because I had a desire in me I don't want to get into that world. [00:01:55]
Another mistake I've seen people make is their own logic they use their own logic and go yeah I don't think God would say that I mean he says that we're all equal so why would he and you start using your own logic I remember years ago there was a book called love wins and uh and it was all based upon human life logic it was it was kind of like well why would there be a hell I mean I wouldn't create a hell. [00:02:36]
Isaiah 55 God makes it very clear God says my thoughts are not like your thought thoughts and he goes my ways are not like your ways you see how the heavens are so much higher than the earth that's the way my thoughts are compared to yours and that's the way my ways are compared to yours so if you look at a piece a portion of scripture and go well I don't think like I don't think that way who cares. [00:03:23]
Sometimes we come into scripture with presuppositions too like we were all taught or many of us you start off in your Christian walk and you're taught a certain thing um you're instructed a certain way and so in your mind you already go oh I already someone already explained that to me that that submit means don't submit uh you know they are you know I I was raised with and you were taught these things. [00:04:12]
Our experiences can really affect this and I want to I want to think about this for a second you know some of us have had horrible experiences in life maybe you've seen passages abused maybe some of you guys grew home grew up in homes where there was abuse and maybe your dad beat your mother and use passages like this to justify what he did maybe some of you ladies have been in abusive relationships. [00:04:57]
Understand that your hurt can also cause like this defense mechanism where I will never come under the leadership of a man cuz cuz I've seen what happens I saw what happened to my mom and so now suddenly you're coming to the word of God and based upon your experience you're going I will not ever believe that because of what I've experienced I'm just saying look I am so sorry. [00:05:44]
We want to love you through those difficult situations care for you during those situations but let let be careful when we are reading the word of God not to alter it to what we want based upon our experience our desire or our logic does that make sense. [00:06:21]
Be aware of three things your desire your logic and your experience your desire your logic and your experience this is where I've seen myself and others go go astray in Bible interpretation our interpretation is Tainted by our own desire our own logic or our own experiences rather than looking at the word of God objectively and through the power of the Holy Spirit. [00:00:12]
We often bring our desires into the interpretation so you have to look at a passage like this and and other passage I look at there's there's passages I look at and I don't really like the way they read it's not my desire and so a lot of times when I go to the scriptures I go okay what do I want this to say what is my fleshly desire because what we end up doing is going well I want this to be true. [00:00:48]
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