I try to challenge people to remove their lens of interpretation and look at the Bible with fresh eyes. But what does that mean? What is a lens of interpretation, and what does it mean to see the Bible with fresh eyes?
A lens of interpretation refers to any preconceived ideas or bias you might have about something. Your lens might be based in any religious, cultural, gender, racial, psychological, or social bias you might have.
For example, we have some churches that teach against homosexuality, while other churches teach that there is nothing wrong with homosexuality and they even allow homosexual pastors. Both churches claim to be teaching what the Bible says, but they are interpreting the text very differently. This is because they have a particular lens they use to interpret the Bible.
Why do Calvinists believe in predestination yet Wesleyans believe in free will? How can they both look at the same Scriptures and see two different things? It’s because of a bias in their lens of interpretation.
Every student of Theology learns about Exegesis and Eisegesis, and every theologian believes themself to be faithful to Exegesis, but if we are truly honest with ourselves, we have to admit that we all have preconceived ideas about certain things in the Bible. This means we all have ideas and understandings that we need to set aside if we truly want to understand the Bible.
If you were raised as a Catholic, you were taught to see the Bible through a Catholic lens. If you were raised a Baptist, you were taught to interpret Scripture with a Baptist lens. Pentecostals have one lens and Presbyterians have another lens. The challenge is learning how to set aside that lens of interpretation and see the Bible with fresh eyes, like you are reading it for the first time.
Proverbs 3:5 NKJV
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;”
We are told not to lean on our own understanding. Instead of looking at a verse or passage with the mindset that you already understand what it’s about. Try looking at it through the eyes of a child who is reading it for the first time. Don’t lean on your own understanding, seek fresh understanding from the Bible itself.
To do this, we have to approach the Scriptures with humility. Stop thinking we know so much, and come with a heart that is eager to learn. We‘re supposed to approach the LORD with humility. This also means to approach His Word with humility, not pridefully thinking we already have it figured out.
The humble man is hungry for the Word of God.
The Bible says God humbled the children of Israel and allowed them to get hungry, then He gave them manna to eat, and this example was given to teach the people to live by the word of God.
Deuteronomy 8:3 NKJV
“So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.”
We need to approach the Word of God with the same humility as the Israelites did with the manna. Take a moment to consider the giving of manna in the wilderness. The Israelites called the bread from God “manna” because they didn’t know what it was. The word manna literally means “what is it?”
Exodus 16:15,31 NKJV
“So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat… And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.”
The children of Israel humbly ate the bread that God provided even though they didn’t know what it was. This is how we should approach the Scriptures as well. We need to come with the mindset that we don’t have the knowledge or understanding, but we are hungry for truth and we have a desire to be fed by the word of God.
We need to determine that we really don’t know much, because the Bible says,
1 Corinthians 8:2 NKJV
“And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.”
1 Corinthians 2:2 NKJV
“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
When we approach the Scriptures with humility, we are posturing ourselves to receive instruction. A disciple sits at the feet of the Master. To sit at the feet is to take a place of humility. Humility is the only posture that will allow you to learn.
When you think you already know everything, you’re preventing yourself from learning and hindering your growth.
So, the first thing every Bible student must do is learn how to approach the Bible with humility, by setting aside any preconceived ideas or biases you might have, and look at the Bible with fresh eyes, like it’s your first time reading it.
2 Timothy 2:15 NRSV
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.”
We should all desire to rightly explain the word of God. That should be the desire of any Bible student. This is why understanding the difference between Exegesis and Eisegesis is so important. So, I want to take a moment to explain what those words mean.
Eisegesis means “to lead into”, and Exegesis means “to draw out from”.
When you read something into a Biblical text that was not intended by the author, you are doing Eisegesis. You are imposing your ideas onto the text. This is what happens when you ask yourself, “what does this verse mean to me?”
2 Timothy 4:3–4 NKJV
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”
That is exactly what Eisegesis does. It replaces the truth of Scripture with clever deceptions that support and encourage their false beliefs. They tickle the ears of people by teaching things that people want to hear.
People like to come up with their own private interpretation of Scripture. We see this when someone disagrees with something and they say, “that’s not what it means to me” or “I interpret that differently.” This type of private interpretation is both arrogant and disrespectful to the Scriptures.
2 Peter 1:20–21 NKJV
“knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
The correct way to interpret Scripture is known as Exegesis, which as I stated before means “to draw out”, indicating that we are drawing out the true meaning from the text. This means we need to understand the context and culture of the author.
Exegesis is defined as the careful, systematic study of the scripture to discover the original, intended meaning of the text.
Where Eisegesis asks the question, “what does it mean to me?”
Exegesis asks, “what did the author intend his readers to understand?”
Exegesis is concerned with discovering the true meaning of the text, respecting its grammar, syntax, and setting.
Eisegesis, however, is only concerned with making a point, even at the expense of sacrificing the true meaning of the text.
Our responsibility as Bible students is to draw out the truth from the Scriptures, not try to make the Bible say whatever we want it to say.
A great question to ask ourselves is, “Am I allowing the Bible to challenge my thinking, or am I only interested in confirming my own ideas?”
If you are just looking for proof-texts to support your theory, then you’re imposing your ideas onto the Bible instead of letting the Bible lead your understanding.
If we want to interpret the Bible correctly, we need to let go of any preconceived ideas we have, and let the Bible interpret itself. But what does it mean to let the Bible interpret itself?
The first thing we need to do is let the Bible define words for us. When you’re studying a word, look at how that word is used everywhere else in the Bible so you can get a better understanding of the meaning of that word.
Another way to let the Bible interpret itself is to work from simple to complex. Let the simple easy to understand texts help you define and understand the more complex verses.
Remember that context is always needed to find understanding. If you are looking at a particular verse, then read the entire chapter for context. Also look for cross-references to that verse to see if it is used or referenced in other places in the Bible, and then read those passages for context as well.
This brings us to Hermeneutics.
Hermeneutics is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts. Hermeneutics deals with what principles we use to interpret a text.
There are 4 basic ways a text can be interpreted.
1. The first method is the literal interpretation, or the Peshat level. The Literal Interpretation seeks out the “plain meaning” of a biblical text. This doesn’t mean that every passage of Scripture should be interpreted literally, but the focus is on the plain simple understanding of the text.
2. The second method of interpretation is through Typology, or the Remez level. This method connects the events of the Old Testament with the New Testament by drawing allegorical connections between the events of Christ’s life with the stories of the Old Testament. Typological Interpretation views the biblical narratives as having a secondary level of meaning, interpreting people and events in the Old Testament as foreshadowing people and events in the New Testament.
3. The third method of interpretation is Tropological, or the Derash level. This type of interpretation is concerned with identifying moral metaphors in the text. It’s concerned with the “moral of the story”. This type of interpretation seeks to reveal the ethics and moral principles behind the text.
4. The fourth type of interpretation is Anagogical, or the Sod level. This type of interpretation deals with prophecy and future events such as heaven, hell, and end times judgment. Anagogical Interpretation seeks to interpret Scripture in view of the life to come. Relying significantly on numerical values of Hebrew letters and words, the focus is placed on Messianic prophecies and the study of the last days.
Thus the four types of interpretation (or meaning) deal with past events (literal), the connection of past events with the present (typology), present events (moral), and the future (anagogical).
As a general rule, the extended meanings never contradict the simple plain meaning of the text.
Now I want to talk about what I believe is the most important thing to keep in mind when studying the Bible, and that is – the entire Bible is about Yeshua. From Genesis to Revelation, it’s all about Yeshua. This is one of the most important revelations the disciples learned that helped them interpret the Scriptures.
Yeshua explained that everything that was written in the Old Testament was about Him, and the Bible tells us that this opened their understanding to comprehend the Scriptures.
Luke 24:27,44-45 NKJV
“And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself… Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.”
If we don’t understand this Biblical truth, that the whole Bible speaks about Yeshua, then we will never be able to correctly interpret the Scriptures.
In fact, Yeshua rebuked the Pharisees because even though they were searching the Scriptures, they didn’t understand that the Scriptures were testifying about Yeshua.
John 5:39 NKJV
“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.”
If we are not finding Yeshua in the Scriptures, then we are missing the deeper meaning of the text. Our study of the Bible should always point us to Yeshua and draw our hearts closer to Him.
2 Peter 2:1 NKJV
“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.”
We are seeing more and more of these false teachers who lead people away from Yeshua with their destructive interpretations of the Bible. Instead of finding Yeshua in the text, they are leading people away from Yeshua.
Hebrews 13:8–9 NKJV
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.”
God doesn’t change, and God’s Word doesn’t change. Yeshua is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So, when someone brings in a “new teaching”, something you haven’t heard before, use caution. Test it out. Study the Scriptures to find out if it is true, and examine the fruit of that teacher. If the fruit is bad, the root is bad.
Matthew 7:15–20 NKJV
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”
The task of proper Bible interpretation is important, which is why Yeshua appoints people to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, because they are needed for teaching correct doctrine, and their job is to prevent people from being led astray by false teachings.
Ephesians 4:11,14 NKJV
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers… that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,”
All Bible students should be careful in how they interpret the Bible, but Bible teachers have even greater responsibility because their wrong interpretations can lead people astray, and they will be held accountable for anything they teach that causes someone to fall away.
James 3:1 NKJV
“My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.”
