2nd Peter 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
This passage of scripture teaches us that there must never be any private interpretation to the scriptures for any reason, for the Bible explains itself, and should be studied and interpreted using the methods and systems God Himself has put in place. But it's a sad testimony to our day that the cautions written in the passage are not heeded, and as a direct result we now have a plethora of erroneous interpretations in circulation, which lead the unwary into destructive paths. One method of wrong interpretation that is often used is that of removing a passage from its original context, and causing it to stand alone, whereas if the rest of the chapter was read, great light would have been shed on our pathway, and God's will would have been made very plain.
Another erroneous method often implemented is that of interpreting a passage of the Bible literally, without searching for the spiritual meaning, if there is any. The Bible teaches us that spiritual things are spiritually discerned, and not everything in the Bible is to be taken in a literal sense. For instance, when Christ made the statement concerning eating His flesh and drinking His blood, many of the Jews were deeply offended, as if Christ was there endorsing cannibalism. Let's read:
John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Obviously, it could not be His literal flesh and blood that Christ was referring to, for God had already strictly forbidden any consumption of animal blood, let alone the blood of human beings. The correct interpretation to Christ's words, must therefore have a spiritual meaning, which He saw necessary to give, in order to clear up the controversy that was already brewing. Let's read:
John 6:61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? 63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Another passage of scripture that great violence has been done to, is the one that speaks of "Compelling" men to accept the gospel invitation. This passage has been taken quite literally by some churches in ages past, and the result has been persecution and burning at the stake, by those who thought they were doing God a favor, by slaughtering in cold blood, those Christians who stood resolutely for the truth. The passage in question was given in the context of a parable, and therefore every word thus spoken should not be pressed to a literal meaning. Let's read:
Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
God never uses force to compel the conscience, and although He may exhaust every other available means to save us from sin, yet He explicitly states that our salvation remains our free choice, to accept or reject as we so choose. But under no circumstances are we to try and force the gospel down the throats of any human being, however good and upright our desires and intentions might be. Let's read:
Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
1st Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
In our day some churches have again fallen into the error of literal interpretation of scripture, and the result has been the untimely demise of some of those who subscribed to those teachings. A well-known example of what is being referred to took place not too long ago, right here in the United States, when a supposedly Christian minister presumed to take up a live, venomous serpent during worship services, based on a literal interpretation of Mark 16. The deadly rattle snake then bit the minister, and instead of being rushed by ambulance to the nearest emergency room, he decided to wait on God to deliver him, but as a famous song writer sang in his own familiar words, he waited, and waited, and waited in vain. Let's read:
Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
This passage cannot be interpreted to mean that we are now commanded to take up deadly serpents, neither are we required to speak in tongues as an endorsement from The Most High. If in the carrying out of the gospel commission we were to be suddenly bitten by a venomous serpent or other beast, then God has promised that He will intervene in our behalf, according to His good will, as took place with Paul as he was gathering sticks to make a bonfire so that he and his fellows could be warmed in the cold night. Let's read:
Acts 28:3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. 5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. 6 Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.
In our study of the word of God, let us be careful to use only, the God-ordained methods of interpretation such as line upon line and precept upon precept, and in every research and study, let's always remember that the Bible explains itself. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which confirms this point, and it is the will of God that the gems of truth continue to shine upon our pathway in steady, concentrated rays. Let's read:
Isaiah 28:9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.
May God add His blessing to the correct study and interpretation of His word. God bless!