For many years, Christian teachings and values have been twisted and tweaked to the likes of many. Modern Christianity has been shrouded with truths that cannot be justified before God sometimes. People justify their acts of irresponsibility with man made rules to cover their mistakes. Despite all this, the truth still speaks for itself. More and more people realise the truth is not what you hear, it’s what you read. “Know the truth and it shall set you free” says the Bible. Whatever that is hidden never stays hidden for long. Here we discuss ways to interpret the Bible in it’s actual form. This should enable you to stay focused on the path for long.

AN INTRODUCTION

Recently, a servant of God whom I knew explained baptism from a whole different point of view. It was one that wasn’t valid enough to justify in a church but since the people believed it or wanted to believe it, there was no criticism at all to that. And it has been that way for years. The argument in this case was that an infant should be baptised instead of adult baptism. Child baptism was accepted in traditional Protestant and Non-Protestant churches across the globe. For decades, it has been the accepted practice of baptism. The usual ritual is to baptise the child in water and the atonement of sins is borne by the parents. The parents confess for the sins of the child and its actions in the future. As the child is baptised, they are accepted as members of the church and the name of this new member is henceforth entered into the register.

The Bible is a historical document and the contents of the book are written by different prophets throughout the Biblical times. Every verse and every chapter in the book was authored by the disciples or the prophets in their respective times. The exact way to interpret the words of the Bible were to read them as it is. They were as simple as they could be. Everything that was written had to be followed. What was not written, never had to be followed. The teachings of God were so simple during the time of His ascension – “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all nations. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” – Mark 16. The words were crystal clear to anyone who ever read the Bible even for the first time. Go and preach the good news to every nation and baptise them in Jesus name. But the interpretations have taken a turn as to how a person should be baptised and when, which was not prescribed in the Bible neither by God or even by His disciples. A method of baptism was just created which was not even mentioned in the Holy Bible but just formed out of nowhere. How then can God accept what is not His?

This makes me think – if the world can twist the words of one Holy Book, how much more can God do to His creation? He can do as He pleases. If God’s commandments cannot be revered, how much more can we expect him to honor us? Isaiah 29:13 says –

“And the Lord said: Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men”.

THREE THINGS TO INTERPRET the BIBLE

It is astonishing to see the Church going into ways that cannot be justified. Nothing can ratify the acts of the people or the Church that follows it because God himself is head above all things. He is the source of all things and the mind of all creation. What He has purposed will stay forever, but what He hasn’t cannot stay for too long.

How therefore, shall we interpret the Bible in it’s entirety? How can we actually get to know what is right and what is wrong?

1. Clear your mind – The first and foremost thing would be to clear your mind to enable the mind to focus more clearer. It will erase all disambiguity beforehand. Remove all judgements that have been stored before. Only meditation can help in this matter. Always remember to ask God for a clearer mind and ask Him for wisdom. James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to Him.”  This will help you to clearly interpret the Bible more just the way it was supposed to be understood. From then on, a new perspective processes our thoughts. Understand the concepts, even if you have to read it again and again.

2. Meditate more – This is the part that needs more time. The Bible is a book of metaphors and parables that is so beautifully combined in it’s final form with the best instructions ever written for man to survive his trials on earth. But it requires time and patience to interpret what is written in it. It is not something that cannot be decoded. But even the most famous ones took years to meditate on the scripture. You can start it now by reading a chapter at a time. Meditate on the deeper aspects of it. Because a medium of communication for God to speak to us would be through the Bible.

3. Grasp the reality – Changes happen when we accept it. Sometimes when we read the Word, it may not become acceptable to the mind. We have to remind ourselves that the Bible was for our will, not the opposite. When necessary changes fail to happen, the result is our negligence towards the Word.

CONCLUSION

If all the world had taken the necessary steps ahead, it could have been a better place. Negligence to the Word is the main reason why peace has been lost and the reason why every mind thinks differently. If the Word had been deep in our hearts, half the problems would have vanished itself. But since we are so focused not to accept the Word in it’s entirety, the change itself has vanished.

The prominent Christian apologist, Dr. Ravi Zacharias, once went to preach at a jail in Angola, as part of his ministry. There were 8000 prisoners and he preached to them the Word. At the end, he talked with a man who said “Ravi. We have Bibles in each and every cell in this prison. If we had them in the hand of each and every student in schools, the world could have been a much better place.”  If eight thousand prisoners found solace in the Bible, it is evident that the Word did indeed changed them to be a new creation. I imagine how eight thousand managed to change compared to half the world which is yet to come into faith. There is no doubt that they did indeed learn the Word when trouble came around them. What surprises me is how fast they changed, compared to those who never had a reason to change.

How much more shall we turn hostile to the Word of God? The time that everything can be taken for granted has passed. The end times are much nearer than before and the deepest prophecies are being fulfilled before the Second Coming of Christ. A thousand years are like a day that has gone by says the Bible. If all these years have passed, it means that the Second Coming is now coming sooner.

Do share your experiences about your spiritual endeavors with us. We are available at mbmteam@outlook.com. Stay tuned with us via facebook and twitter. God bless.