Washed in the Word Part 3 – Context

In the past two articles we have talked about significance of the Bible being worthy of our admiration and respect. We talked about how we get in the way of what God wants to tell us because of our attitudes and preconceptions. Setting out to read the Bible these are some of the first things that must be dealt with and finally the last thing is to have integrity when approaching the Bible.

Approach the Bible in Context with Integrity

The word Context means the text that goes with the text. The meaning of words and sentences is dictated or determined considering the surrounding words and sentences. For example, the word cast has two meanings; to toss or to form in a mold but how do we know which meaning is intended by an author. Well, the fisherman casts a net, and the artists casts a statue. We know that fishermen throw nets and lines into the water to catch fish and therefore the meaning is to throw. We know that artists cast bronze into a mold to create a statue, so the meaning is to form in a mold. What the author, God, means to tell us will not contradict the context. There is a saying, “context is king”, because it is the authority that determines the intended meaning.

Now what does this have to do with integrity? If someone has ever taken some words you said and then some other words you said and strung them together falsely accusing you of lying, or slander then you know how upsetting that can be. This is called taking what someone said out of context. Sometimes people do this to make someone who they don’t like look bad. Other times someone might do this not realizing it when they hope someone whose ideas they disagree with would be found saying something that most would not accept and then they would be discredited. Other times someone has an idea that they want to be accepted and they might look for anything a person in authority has said that would back up their idea. You do not want to be found doing the same thing with God’s words.

2 Timothy 2:15 – Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed accurately handling the word of truth.

Often we just look for some encouraging verses, maybe about God’s promises or exhortations that is inspirational. These can be great resources, but it is like going to a banquet and only eating the hors d’oeuvres but missing the meal. Worse yet sometimes without the verses arround it an encouraging verse or promise may be based on a misunderstanding, in which case it is junk food.

If there is a passage or chapter of the Bible you want to study you must first read the chapter before it and after it as well before you then re-read it to consider it more carefully and more deeply. In fact you should read the whole book, notice I said read not study, not slowly but at a high level looking for the obvious topics and themes. Once you have done this then you can read a chapter or some verses in the Bible slowly and more deeply making sure you have a right understanding directed by what came before and after it.

Approach the Bible using a good Translation

Finally, the text matters. The Bible was written in Hebrew and later Aramaic and then Greek. Then, someone had to take all the various copies throughout history and compare them to compile what is called a text removing typos, and errors; this process is called textual criticism. Then groups of translators come and write a translation of these words into our common language. We have been blessed with several hundred English translations of the Bible but not all are good for study. Someone has even translated the Bible into pirate speech; maybe they were having fun or poking fun at something which deserves to be admired and respected.

Since the original ancient languages are different from our own and even the order of words are different translators have a balancing act between writing what captures the broadest meaning of each word and interpreting multiple words to decide what the original author meant and then to write it in a way we would understand. Often, we look for a Bible translation that says things in the way we like to hear or that supports our own thinking. I notice some recent Christian books jumping between many translations of the Bible and I find myself wondering; were they looking for the translation that presented the most accurate understanding of the verses in the bible or were they looking for a translation that best backed up the idea they had? Our goal should always be to understand what God wants to communicate, not what we hope He will say. Don’t look for a translation that says things the way you like but one that was intended to be as faithful to the original words of God.

In the next article we will spend more time on translations and bible study tools. The picture above shows the various kinds of translations starting with the formal equivalent where the goal is to capture the meaning of each Hebrew or Greek word with minimal interpretation. Then Dynamic equivalents such as functional and natural try to strike a balance between capturing the meaning of each phrase and explaining the meaning in ways that are more familiar to us. Finally, paraphrases are explanations of the meaning of each verse or paragraph in modern English. For reading a Functional Equivalent or Natural Equivalent is sufficient but for intentional study you should use a natural or formal equivalent. I would avoid hyper-paraphrases as they are rewritten from someone’s perspective to such a degree that they should no longer be called a translation. They should really be called poetic commentaries or stores of the Bible and should only be read for reference understanding that they are the thoughts of someone else and may not reflect what God wanted to communicate.