Commonly Misunderstood Bible Verses

Ron Rhodes

Description

The instruction and wonder of the Bible can be clouded when readers are uncertain about the meaning of some verses. Bible scholar and popular author Ron Rhodes (more than 1 million copies in combined sales) draws on his many years of studying and teaching Scripture to empower readers with knowledge, background, and truth. With clear and helpful explanations, Rhodes:identifies the most troublesome versesreveals important principles to help interpret themaddresses the stumbling blocks from Genesis to Revelationhelps readers become familiar with God's messageclarifies the different literary genres of the BibleWhether read to satisfy curiosity, pursue deeper Bible study, or prepare for discussions with non-believers, this practical resource will open up the promises and meaning of God's Word and gives readers confidence in all of Scripture.

Sujets

• Christianisme
• Bible
• Reference work

Informations

• Publié par: Harvest House Publishers, Inc.
• Date de parution: 01 août 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780736931342
• Langue: English

Extrait

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Verses marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Verses marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible , 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. ( www.Lockman.org )
Verses marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Verses marked RSV are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Cover by Dugan Design Group
Cover photos iStockphoto
Emphasis and inserts in Scripture quotations are added by the author.
COMMONLY MISUNDERSTOOD BIBLE VERSES
Copyright 2008 by Ron Rhodes
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rhodes, Ron.
Commonly misunderstood Bible verses / Ron Rhodes.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-7369-2175-6 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-3134-2 (eBook)
1. Bible-Criticism, interpretation, etc.-Miscellanea. I. Title.
BS511.3.R49 2008
220.6-dc22
2008001768
All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author s and publisher s rights is strictly prohibited.
Dedication
To David and Kylie
Acknowledgments
This book is decades in the making. Over the course of many years, I ve appeared on innumerable radio and television shows; spoken at many churches, conferences, rallies, and seminars; and answered countless letters and e-mails. Most of these have one thing in common. At some point in the process, someone asked me to explain a difficult Bible verse. I must therefore give a hearty thanks to the thousands of people I ve interacted with over these decades-many of whom simply asked, What do you think this verse means? This book has emerged out of all those interesting interactions.
I want to express deepest appreciation to my wife, Kerri, and our two children, David and Kylie, for their never-ending support, their encouragement, and their constant prayers! I couldn t have accomplished this work without them. Thanks also to all my friends at Harvest House Publishers.
Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Understanding Hard Sayings
The Old Testament
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Esther
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Haggai
Malachi
The New Testament
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Revelation
A Select Bibliography
Index
Contact the Author
About the Publisher
Understanding Hard Sayings
Some Bible verses are not as easy as others to understand. Peter once said of the apostle Paul, His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16). We learn two things here: Some verses are in fact hard to understand, and misunderstanding such verses can be destructive.
For example, Philip, an apostle, came upon an Ethiopian eunuch who was reading from Isaiah, and Philip asked him, Do you understand what you are reading? The eunuch responded: How can I, unless someone explains it to me? So Philip sat with him and explained everything to him (Acts 8:27-31).
You may have read certain verses that you find hard to understand. If so, this book is for you. Of course, no single book could examine every hard saying in the Bible. However, this book contains some of the most common ones. I ve included those that I ve been asked about most often through my years of ministry. My hope and prayer is that this book will guide your understanding so that you attain a better grasp of God s Word. For those who seek even further information on Bible difficulties, I ve included a select bibliography of helpful books at the end of this book.
Meanwhile, let s set the stage for the rest of the book by briefly noting some important guiding principles for interpreting Scripture. For decades, these principles have guided me in dealing with Bible difficulties.
1. When the plain sense makes good sense, seek no other sense. A plain reading of Genesis indicates that when God created Adam in His own rational image, He gave Adam the gift of intelligible speech. This enabled him to use words to communicate objectively with his Creator and with other human beings (Genesis 1:26; 11:1,7). Scripture shows that God sovereignly chose to use human language as a medium of revelational communication, often through the Thus saith the Lord pronouncements of the prophets (such as Isaiah 7:7 and many others).
If God created language primarily so He could communicate with human beings and so human beings could communicate with each other, then He would naturally use language and expect human beings to use it in its normal and plain sense. This view of language is a prerequisite to understanding not only God s spoken word but also His written Word (Scripture).
2. Submit all preunderstandings to Scripture. Theological preunderstandings-doctrinal opinions we have previously formed-should not bias our interpretation of Scripture. Any preunderstandings that the interpreter brings to Scripture should be in harmony with scriptural teaching and be subject to correction by it. We must avoid interpreting Scripture through an alien grid or filter that obscures or negates its true message. To avoid misinterpreting Scripture, students must be careful to examine their presuppositions in the light of Scripture. Only preunderstandings that are compatible with Scripture are legitimate.
3. Pay close attention to the context. Each statement in Scripture must be taken in its proper context. Every word in the Bible is part of a sentence, every sentence is part of a paragraph, every paragraph is part of a book, and every book is part of the whole of Scripture. The interpretation of a specific passage must not contradict the complete teaching of Scripture on a point. Individual verses do not exist as isolated fragments, but as parts of a whole. The exposition of these verses, therefore, must keep them in right relation both to the whole and to each other. Scripture interprets Scripture.
4. Make a correct genre judgment. The Bible contains a variety of literary genres, each of which has certain peculiar characteristics that we must recognize in order to interpret the text properly. Biblical genres include history (such as Acts), the dramatic epic (Job), poetry (Psalms), wise sayings (Proverbs), and apocalyptic writings (Revelation). An incorrect genre judgment will lead one far astray in interpreting Scripture. A parable, for example, should not be treated as history, nor should poetry or apocalyptic literature (both of which contain many symbols) be treated as straightforward narrative. When the psalms refer to God as a rock (Psalm 18:2; 19:14), we should not understand this literally but as a symbol of God s sturdiness: God is our rock-solid foundation. The psalms often use such metaphors.
The wise interpreter allows his knowledge of genres to guide his approach to each individual biblical text. In this way, he can accurately determine what the biblical author was intending to communicate to the reader.
5. Consult history and culture. The interpreter of Scripture must seek to step out of his Western mind-set and into a first-century Jewish mind-set, paying special attention to such things as Jewish marriage rites, burial rites, family practices, farm practices, business practices, the monetary system, methods of warfare, slavery, the treatment of captives, and religious practices. Such detailed historical information helps us understand the world of the biblical writers, and so interpreting the Bible correctly becomes a much easier task.
6. Interpret the difficult verses in light of the clear verses. Let us never forget that being clear on the straightforward verses helps us make sense of the difficult verses.
7. Interpret the Old Testament in light of the New Testament. God gave revelation to humankind progressively throughout Old and New Testament times. He didn t just give His entire revelation for all time to our first parents, Adam and Eve, or to Moses, the lawgiver. Rather, as the centuries slowly passed, God provided more and more revelation that became progressively full so that by the time the New Testament was complete, God had told us everything He wanted us to know. In view of this, a key interpretive principle is that we should always i