CRAIG'S LIST #9 of 10. Are ALL Interpretations of Scripture Equally Valid?

We advertise on CL to share our Testimonies. An example: “Knocked on doors for 15 years as a JW—now a Born-Again Christian. Glad to share our stories! Request our Testimonies." Someone from Dallas, TX emailed back: "Are all Interpretations of Scripture equally valid?"

Here is MY ANSWER!

I think that there is a difference between interpretation and application. When it comes to interpretation, the basic goal of any biblical interpreter is the discovery of authorial intent, which is the meaning the words of scripture would have conveyed to the readers at the time they were written by the author. In other words, when we seek to understand the words of scripture, we are asking what did the author mean to convey when he wrote what he wrote? Thus, when we study the Bible, we must use all of the tools to properly interpret an ancient document. We must take into consideration the text’s literary genre, historical background, grammar and it must be in harmony with all of scripture. But what does all of this tell us about discovering the meaning of scripture? Simply this: the original authors of scripture meant to convey only one meaning to their readers and the task of the interpreter is to discover that meaning. This is not to say that any given passage cannot have several points or more than one lesson.

Therefore, no text of Scripture can have many different, mutually contradictory meanings. A text might have a complex meaning that can be summarized in different noncontradictory ways. The text’s meaning might have different practical applications to different people depending on their particular situation. But, if two people read a text and find contradictory meanings, one or both readers must be wrong. They cannot both be right. If you say that each interpretation is valid, you then cause the Bible to have no real meaning whatsoever, since everyone is allowed to have their own private interpretation even when that interpretation contradicts another private interpretation. If this is allowed, scripture becomes, as Martin Luther put it, “a wax nose that can be shaped into whatever form the interpreter likes.” When this happens, the interpreter cannot be corrected by the text, rather, the interpreter becomes lord over the text.

Various individuals offering their take on a given passage are not necessarily offering different meaning of a text, but offering a variety of applications derived from the one meaning.

Application is how a particular verse’s meaning can be applied to a variety of circumstances or situations in one’s life. Another way to put it is that the meaning of a text answers what the scripture meant to the original author AND application answers the question of how that meaning, once understood, then applies to my life now. The danger comes when we try to apply a text before understanding the meaning of a text. Failing to discover the meaning first will inevitably lead to misapplication.

Craig's list #10 of 10 is here.