Bible Interpretation, Student Workbook, SW05

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B I B L E I N T E R P R E T A T I O N

than merely taking the word of Paul and Silas about the Scriptures and Jesus at face value they engaged in their own rigorous study of the Scriptures daily for the purpose of “to see if these things were so.” Rather than evaluating their verifying orientation as either doubt-filled or disobedient, God saw their spirit as noble, eager, hungry, and praiseworthy. What is plain here is that no authority, not even apostles, are to be consulted and believed unless verified by the testimony of the Scriptures themselves. How does this relate to our task of biblical interpretation? Thankfully, many thousands of excellent biblical scholars have spent entire lifetimes researching virtually every dimension of the Word of God, from the original languages in which it was written to volumes on virtually every kind of subject matter covered within it. These come in all forms, written, digital, online, audio, video—the entire technological circle. While we must thank God for the immeasurable value of such works and aids, we, like the Bereans, must never allow others to do our verifying of the Scriptures for us. Furthermore, it is never wrong to verify the claims and teaching of any spiritual authority, especially if the purpose is to see if the things in which they are teaching actually match up with the direct teaching of the Bible itself. In God’s mind, this verifying work is noble, the most noble spirit of all. While you work diligently to understand the broad range of excellent tools for Bible study that are available to us, make certain that you reserve the right to check, double-check, and triple-check all claims made about the Scriptures against the direct teaching of the Scriptures themselves. This is noble and praiseworthy, and will always find the approval and blessing of the Lord. Verifying the word of an apostle with a daily study of Scripture is dubbed “noble” by the Lord. Let’s live out that nobility as often as we can, all for the sake of verifying the truth that sets us free in the Word of the Lord (John 8.31-32).

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