Importance Of Proper Bible Interpretation by Apostle Emmanuel Iren: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Why Proper Interpretation Matters

Have you ever been in a situation where you were misinterpreted? Something you said was misconstrued and it almost damaged relationships. That is how God feels many times, because many people have stood on God's holy platforms and said God said what He did not say.

What I am saying has caused wars between nations before. Before Germany as a country existed, German-speaking people belonged to different kingdoms. The king of Prussia and the ambassador to France were having a conversation. Somebody was taking the minutes of the meeting and was supposed to hand over that minute to France. But somehow in his editing of the conversation he made it as if somebody was insulting the other. True life story. And so when France read it, they got angry and declared war. Thousands of people died because of interpretation.

This is the same thing happening in the way people handle the word of God. Sometimes it is the difference between life and death. Some people will read the Bible and come up with some ordinances, some things that you can or cannot do, that your life may depend on sometimes. When a denomination believes that blood transfusion is wrong, that is a matter of life and death. People have died because of someone's doctrine.

God is only committed to defending what He said. And so if the pastor is saying what he thought God said that God did not say, it will not command divine backing.

Maybe you are here and you are angry at God because you think He did not fulfill a promise that He did not promise in the first place. That is why proper interpretation is necessary.

I sat with a young man from a poor background who wanted to go to university. There were people who wanted to sponsor him but could only sponsor him to a public school. But he had said that God told him he must not attend a public school, that he must attend a private school. I said, "Sorry, how did God tell you?" He said, "He saw it in the word." He opened 1 Timothy 3:13 — "For they who have used the office of a deacon well purchased to themselves a good degree." He said: private school is good degree. I saw him 5 years after. He is still waiting for a good degree. These things have real implications.

What Is Hermeneutics?

When you come to understanding interpretation, there is a word for it. It is called hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is simply the science of interpretation. It is the science of interpreting an author's language.

You see, this is the problem. Many of us have been taught to read the Bible in a very loose, lazy way. Some of you grew up with the notion that if you wanted to hear what God was saying, you just hold the Bible like this and say, "Lord, anywhere I open now, you are talking to me." Make no mistake, God can honor the faith of ignorant people. But more often than not, all the time, you will come to a point where your experience will be: the days of ignorance, God winked at. He is now calling everyone to repent, or in this case, to grow up.

There is a hermeneutics joke. Somebody stretched his Bible and said, "Lord, as I open now, you are talking to me," and he opened it and saw, "And Judas went and hanged himself." Ah, he quickly closed it. He opened again. "Go and do likewise." Ah. He closed it. He opened the third time. "What you do, do quickly."

Yes, the Bible is spiritual in its origin, but there is a human element. There are literally human authors. And so it means that normal interpretive skills apply.

For instance, the writings of Paul were letters. Imagine I write you a letter and you start reading it from the middle. In 2 Peter 3:16, Peter said Paul's writings are hard to understand, which unlearned and unstable people twist to their own destruction. He is telling you that wrong interpretation can destroy you. But Paul himself said in Ephesians 3:1-4: by revelation He made known unto me the mystery as I have briefly written already, by which when you read you may understand. And in 2 Corinthians 1:13: we are not writing any other thing than what you can read and understand. He was not deliberately trying to confuse you so that it would sound deep. He wrote it to be understood. The barrier exists in some other things.

If you learn the interpretive skills, you will be able to read and understand on your own. If you understand the basic laws of hermeneutics — not without training — but when you have the basic laws and understanding, you can pick the barriers and take them out. Are you getting what I am saying?

Two Types of Hermeneutics

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Apostle Emmanuel Iren
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• General Hermeneutics — applies broadly to all written documents. It is the science of interpreting an author's language.
• Special Hermeneutics — applies specifically to the Bible, also called Sacred Hermeneutics or Biblical Hermeneutics. It pays attention to the specific genre. The way you interpret the book of Proverbs is not the way you read Ephesians. Proverbs are wise sayings. The way you read the book of Matthew is not the way you read the book of Revelation. Historical, poetic, philosophical and prophetic writings differ from each other in numerous particulars, and each class requires for its proper exposition the application of principles and methods adapted to its peculiar character and style.

Common Barriers to Bible Interpretation

Barrier One: Language.

KJV, the most popular Bible translation till date, is not written in modern day grammar. There are some people who think that KJV language is spiritual, is deep. But Jesus in the incarnation never spoke English. So do not think that language is the heavenly language, that that is how the Holy Ghost talks.

Some of you have missed His voice many times because you were expecting something in KJV language.

There are language usages, words that were used in the KJV that are now obsolete. The doctrine is not obsolete. The mode of communication is now obsolete.

For instance, when the Bible says, "You have exalted my head like the horn of a unicorn" — do you know some atheists run with the narrative that the Bible is a fairy tale book? Meanwhile, that was old language for rhinoceros. A unicorn was simply an animal with one horn. Not the fantasy one with wings. The name applied to a rhinoceros. And if you check the Latin Vulgate, Job 39:9 literally says rhinoceros.

When the Bible says "evil communication corrupts good manners" — what did he mean by communication? Did he mean talking? He meant association in general.

Language barriers can be resolved by getting newer translations. And some good newer translations are very encouraged. Some translations are not actually translations. They are commentaries. The Message Bible is a commentary, not a translation. It is not a transliteration. It is not the exact words. He is just taking it and putting it in modern language, which is a commentary. And when it becomes a commentary, it becomes subjective. You must judge it the way you judge sermons. Not read it and think it is the word of God.

Barrier Two: Figures of Speech.

Like any other literary material, the Bible is littered with figures of speech. There is sarcasm — in 2 Corinthians 11:16-18, when Paul said, "I say again, let no man think me a fool. If otherwise, yet as a fool receive me" — that is sarcasm. It does not mean literally "as a fool receive me."

There are similes, metaphors, prophetic metaphors. When Jesus said "I am the door" — that is a prophetic metaphor.

There is hyperbole. In John 21:25, John says there are many other things which Jesus did, which if they had been written, he supposes that the world itself would not be able to contain the books that will be written. Atheists have tried to calculate how much that would have to imply. But this was a figure of speech. Hyperbole is the use of extravagant words to make a point.

When the Bible says, "Except you hate your own life, hate your father, hate your mother, hate your wife" — that was figure of speech. You know that, do you not?

Barrier Three: Culture.

The kiss passages in the New Testament — Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:12, 2 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Peter 5:14, and even Jesus in Luke 7:45 who said to the Pharisee, "I have been here. You gave me no kiss" — what the Bible was advocating was for cordial interaction. You interpret that in your context. So you can hug in your context or shake hands in your context. Be cordial.

Barrier Four: The Prophetic Nature of Old Testament Writing.

In Matthew 2, Herod called the chief priests and said according to the scripture, where is the king of the Jews to be born? They went to Micah 5:2 to discover that out of Bethlehem Ephratha shall come forth one who will be ruler in Israel, and his going forth shall be from of old, from everlasting.

If you are reading the book of Micah in context, you may not understand that this was a prophecy about Christ. The Old Testament talks about Christ but you do not see it because it is veiled. And why was it veiled? If they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. So God veiled it deliberately so that the rulers of the earth would continue to play guesswork until everything is fulfilled.

Paul's Desire for You

Ephesians 1:17-19 — Paul praying for you: that the eyes of your understanding will be flooded with light to know what is the hope of His calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, the exceeding greatness of His power.

If you have to go to a Bible school to learn the basics of the Bible, change your church. It is very simple. These things are very important for your sake.

Lord, I want to know you. I want to see you in your word deeper and better than ever before. This month I receive insights, clarity, illumination to see you in your word and to see myself in you. In Jesus mighty name. Amen.