Bulletin Articles
Reason and Interpretation
Reason has been granted to us by God as those made in His image. When we try to reason without acknowledging God, we become our own idols by assuming that we do not need God. Our own reason is sufficient. This leads to futility in thinking (Rom 1:21; Eph 4:17). In doing this we are relying on our own wisdom and we will not understand God and His purposes since the world through its wisdom cannot know God (1 Cor 1:21).
Reason and logic are an undeniable part of who we are as humans. Try making an argument for denying logic and we will come across as senseless and self-defeating, for we will be appealing to reason even as we deny it. By using our reason appropriately, however, we are glorifying the God who gave us our minds and set in order the way facts, reason, and faith function together. We ought to learn to reason humbly and properly because it is the Lord whom we serve and we are to love Him “with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt 22:37).
I have seen various criticisms of logic as applied to Bible study. This may be in conjunction with arguing that we ought not to interpret the Bible; we should just read it with no interpretation. This sounds noble, but it is dangerous because it unwittingly makes a person’s own perceptions into another idol. “This is what the Bible says” can unwittingly become code for, “This is what I am saying it means and I cannot be wrong.” And doing this will inevitably lead us into contradiction, so we must proceed with caution.
While “that’s what it says” can be appropriate in context, making blanket statements without first doing the contextual homework can lead to misapplications of God’s word and lend support to false doctrine. We shouldn’t just say, “That’s what it says,” without first making sure that’s what it really says in its context. Remember that the devil was crafty at using Scripture to test Jesus. He referenced “what it says,” but his application was malicious (Matt 4:5-6). Let us be diligent and careful to avoid that devilish pitfall. Do the homework. Reason well. Apply appropriately.
Paul wrote to Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15). No one reads the Bible in a vacuum without other factors in play. For example, think about how these two points relating to how we read the Bible:
1. All translations are interpretive to a degree. No translation can be made without some interpreting of what words and phrases mean. Translators must study ancient contexts and cultures to understand how words were used, then make decisions about how to render words and phrases into modern languages (it’s not just a one-to-one across the board pattern). It’s a tough task and while they may try to keep their biases out of the equation, they still make interpretive decisions that affect how we read today. We need to be aware of that going in to our study. This is one reason I would recommend consulting multiple translations.
2. We bring biases, prejudices, and presuppositions to the table as we read a text. If we do not take this into account, we may be idolizing our personal conceptions and expecting others to bow to them. Have we never misread or misunderstood something? Have we never succumbed to a fallacious argument? Our thinking is not infallible, which is why we must carefully test all things, check and double check, and be open and honest in our pursuit of truth. Pride in our own wisdom can lead to a hard fall. We can make the Bible say whatever we want it to say when we take statements out of context, fail to see the type of literature we are reading, and fail to recognize our starting points.
None of this is to say that we cannot understand God’s word. We can comprehend truth because God has given us that ability coupled with a message made for those whom He created. We must humbly and carefully test our conclusions while continuing to study. What made study so valuable to the noble-minded of Berea was that they could cross-check what they heard (Acts 17:11). So can we. Truth is discoverable and attainable, but not without hard work and trust in the One through whom all truth comes.
The moment people say, “Reason is a problem because…” they are about to use reason to criticize reason. But like most matters, there is the good and the bad, and this is why we ought to pay attention to reasoning properly. Learn to identify bad arguments. Learn to see through bad interpretations. This is the way to make sure that what we are doing in studying and drawing conclusions (inferences) is G0d-glorifying and supporting truth.
