How to Read, Interpret, and Apply the Bible

The Bible is the most influential book in human history. Believers have approached the Bible in various ways, depending on their individual circumstances and needs. While there are many helpful ways of listening to God’s Word that are not mentioned below (e.g., Scripture memorization), three ways remain basic and essential for every believer. We need to read the Bible (appealing to our hearts), interpret the Bible (challenging our minds), and apply the Bible (transforming our lives). All three are important aspects of loving God with our whole being by listening faithfully to God’s Word.

Reading the Bible

Sometimes we need to sit back and take in bigger sections of the Bible. We need to fly over the biblical terrain as well as walk through it. When reading the Scriptures in this way, we are not looking to analyze individual words or scrutinize sentence structure. It’s not that we turn off our minds, but we read more with our hearts. We zoom out to get a feel for the big picture, to see how the larger story unfolds, to observe God’s overarching plans for his creation. We are searching for wisdom more than information. We are synthesizing more than analyzing. This kind of wide-angle reading deserves an important place in the life of the church.

Reading through the whole Bible in a year or two can provide this kind of perspective. “A Two-Year Reading Plan” presents one option.

Many people benefit from writing down their thoughts and insights as they watch the bigger picture unfold (e.g., how God repeatedly deals with his people or the qualities of a godly person in the story or how particular promises are fulfilled). Studying the details of the Bible is important (as we will see shortly), but so is reading larger sections of text. We need both!

Interpreting the Bible

Along with reading through the whole Bible in order to see the big picture, we will also benefit from studying smaller sections of Scripture. When we study details such as words, sentences, and paragraphs in this way, we will, of necessity, also be interpreting. It’s impossible to read and understand and apply the Bible without interpreting the Bible. Interpretation is not an option. The only question is whether we will interpret the Bible accurately and responsibly.

Responsible Bible interpretation begins with the question, what did this text mean to the biblical audience? We can’t know what it means for us without knowing what it meant for them. To answer this question properly, we need to consider two matters: context (both literary and historical-cultural) and content.

CONTEXT

In order to know what a biblical text meant for an ancient audience, we must know the context. There are two types of context to consider: literary context and historical-cultural context. Literary context includes the literary form of the passage you are studying (e.g., narrative, law, prophecy, gospel, letter, apocalyptic) and the surrounding context (i.e., what comes before and after your passage). For example, if you are studying Heb 12:1–3, you would first identify the form of the passage as part of a NT letter, and you would approach the passage using rules of interpretation designed for NT letters. Then you would consider the surrounding context. Hebrews 11 lists the “cloud of witnesses” or heroes of faith spoken of in 12:1. As we look to them, we are encouraged to endure in faith as they did. Hebrews 12:4–13 describes hardship as God’s discipline. We endure God’s loving discipline, knowing he allows these circumstances for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness (12:10). The literary context helps us know that 12:1–3 will probably have something to do with faithfully enduring difficult circumstances.

The second type of context is historical-cultural context or background context. Here we are moving outside of the text to background information we need in order to make sense of the passage. We want to know about the author of the book, about his relationship with the audience, and why he is writing. We want to know more about the biblical audience and their situation at the time. We also could benefit from knowing more about any specific background issues alluded to in the passage that might help us understand its meaning.

In the case of Hebrews, we are not sure who the author is, but we do know something about why the author is writing. The audience is likely a house church in or near Rome that is thinking about leaving Christianity and returning to Judaism in order to avoid persecution (10:25). Hebrews was written to warn these believers about the dangers of drifting away from the true faith and to encourage them to persevere in their commitment to Christ. Within 12:1–3, the author uses the image of a long-distance race to encourage believers to endure. The more we know about ancient runners, the better we will understand some of the details of the passage (e.g., “let us lay aside every hindrance” or “the race that lies before us”). We need to study the historical-cultural context because God chose to speak first to peoples living in ancient cultures that are radically different from our own. As we recapture that original context, we will be better equipped to understand the meaning of the passage and apply that meaning to our lives.

CONTENT

As we continue to answer the question of what this text meant to the biblical audience, we need to look more closely at the content of the passage. There are several important steps involved in this phase of interpretation.

First, compare different translations of your passage. This exercise will often pinpoint key issues and can also often clarify the meaning of the passage.

Second, read your passage over and over, looking for repeated words, contrasts, comparisons, lists, results or consequences, figures of speech, important conjunctions, key nouns and verbs, answers to questions, purpose statements, conditional clauses, commands, the tone of the passage, and so on. Take time to look closely at the details of your passage. You also might want to raise questions that you can find help with later in the process. Here are a few observations about the first part of Heb 12:1–3:

•  “Therefore” refers back to Heb 11 and the “large cloud of witnesses.”

•  In what sense do these witnesses “surround” us?

•  Figure of speech—the image of a long-distance race.

•  We are supposed to throw off “every hindrance” and “the sin that so easily ensnares us.” Is the author referring to the same thing or to two different things?

•  Running is qualified by perseverance.

•  Throwing off precedes running with perseverance.

•  What does it mean that the race is “before us”?

•  “Let us” is repeated twice in verses 1–2.

•  Jesus is described as “the source and perfecter of our faith.” What do these words mean?

The list could go on. Don’t underestimate the importance of looking closely at what your passage actually says.

Third, consult the experts in order to discover the meaning of key words, to better understand all the connections within the passage, and to find answers to your questions. Reliable Bible commentaries provide valuable information on just about every aspect of a passage; the study notes of the Baker Illustrated Study Bible provide a great starting point. It’s wise to consult several commentaries on your passage rather than just one.

Don’t forget, you’re still trying to answer the question, what did this text mean to the biblical audience? Having studied the contexts and the content, now is the time to attempt an answer to that question. In light of all that you have learned, write a past-tense statement that summarizes the meaning of the passage for the biblical audience. Here is one possible statement for Heb 12:1–3:

The author of Hebrews used the image of a long-distance race to challenge the audience to persevere in their commitment to Christ in spite of opposition. Rather than drifting away from Christ and reverting to Judaism, they needed to run the race of the Christian life with endurance, drawing inspiration from saints who have already endured and focusing on Jesus, the ultimate example of perseverance under pressure.

Applying the Bible

People often get frustrated when preachers and teachers fail to move beyond the meaning of the ancient text. Interpreting the Bible deals with what it meant to its orginial audience. Applying the Bible, however, deals with how that meaning connects to us today. The original meaning is the same for all Christians, whereas how that meaning applies will vary widely among believers.

We cross over from the ancient world to our contemporary world in two ways. First, it is important to identify how our situation is different from and similar to that of the biblical audience. We are separated from the ancient audience by many things, including language, time, culture, situation, and sometimes covenant. At times the gap is fairly wide (e.g., in some parts of the OT), while at other times the gap is narrow. When it comes to Heb 12, we are probably not tempted to revert back to Judaism to avoid persecution, but we still may be tempted to move away from Christ and toward some more acceptable form of religion or worldview in order to minimize ridicule and opposition. Many other elements of the Heb 12 passage are the same for us today (e.g., our culture also includes long-distance races).

Second, we cross into our world by identifying the timeless theological message(s) or principle(s) of the biblical text. Write out a present-tense statement that reflects what the text means for all Christians. You may have several such statements for each passage. Once you have written a statement, ask yourself the following questions to make sure it is a valid statement: Does the statement accurately reflect the biblical text? Does the statement apply equally well to both the ancient and the modern audiences? Here are a few possibilities for Heb 12:1–3:

•  The believers who have persevered and are now with the Lord give us valuable examples of endurance. We should look to them for inspiration and encouragement.

•  The Christian life is like a difficult long-distance race, which requires both effort and endurance.

•  To run the race successfully (faithfully), we need to reject things that hinder our progress, and, most important, focus on Jesus and his perfect example of perseverance in the face of hardships.

Take the second theological statement mentioned above as an example. People who are facing rejection because of their faith in Christ need to be reminded that the Christian life is more like a marathon than a sprint. Being a faithful Christian takes both effort and endurance. So the passage is meant to encourage (and even warn) Christians who are tempted to take an easier route or even quit. Have you ever experienced a situation where you were tempted to move away from your commitment to Christ in order to reduce the ridicule, shame, or rejection coming your way? It is in that kind of situation, one that parallels the ancient situation faced by the house church in Rome, that the truth of Heb 12:1–3 speaks most deeply.

The application could be made even more specific, depending on the situation. This might include defining what “effort” and “endurance” would look like in a specific setting, such as staying faithful to Christ at work where you are in a distinct religious minority, or holding firm to your faith in Christ in a college classroom where the professor and most of the students are openly hostile to Christians. The wisdom of the Holy Spirit and the community of faith work together in helping us to know how to apply the meaning of the Bible in specific ways.