Basic Facts:

1. Basic Facts: • God has revealed Himself! • Creation, Psalm 19:1. • Divine Revelation, Psalm 19:7. • The book wherein God revealed His will for man is the Bible. It is: • Sufficient for every spiritual need, 2 Tim. 3:16-17. • Complete and final, Jude 3. • Understandable, Eph. 3:3-4. • A knowledge of the Bible is essential! • For true happiness in this life, Psalm 1:1-3. • Salvation, Matthew 7:21; Revelation 22:14.

2. “Basic Facts” (continued) • The Bible is God’s means of communicating His will to man. • Any time there is “communication,” there can be problems of interpretation. Occurs in the home, in business, in school, among friends, etc. • This Lesson entitled “Things Which Hinder a correct Interpretation of the Bible. • To be followed by lessons on “Things which Help one to Correctly interpret the Bible.”

3. “How Readest Thou”(Anonymous) • It is one thing to read the Bible through, • Another thing to read to learn to do. • Some read it with design to learn to read, • But to the subject pay but little heed. • Some read it as their duty once a week. • but no instruction from the Book seek. • While others read it with but little care, • With no regard to how they read, or where. • Some read to bring themselves into repute, by showing others how they can dispute. While others read because their neighbors do, To see how long ‘twill take to read it through.

4. Some read it for the wonders that are there How David killed a lion and a bear. While others read it with uncommon care, Hoping to find some contradictions there. Some read as if it did not speak to them, But to the people of Jerusalem. One reads with father’s spec upon his head And sees the things just as his father said. Some read to prove a preadopted creed, Hence understand but little what they read; For every passage in the book they bend To make it suit that all important end. Some people read, as I have often thought To teach the book instead of being taught And some there are who read it out of spite, I fear there are but few who read it right

5. “How ReadestThou” (con’t) • But read it prayerfully, and you will see, • Although men contradict, God’s words agree. • For what the early Bible prophets wrote, • We find that Christ and His apostles quote. • So trust no creed that trembles to recall • What has been penned by one and verified by all.

6. Things Which Hinder ACorrect Interpretation of the Bible • The Desire to Please others, Gal. 1:10. • The Belief that the Bible is the property of the church, or “the clergy.” • Using the Bible to prove doctrines already believed. • “eisegesis versus exegesis. • Reading without really expecting to understand. • Favorite Scriptures, or from a sense of duty.

7. Things Which Hinder ACorrect Interpretation of the Bible • The Belief that “the natural man” cannot understand the Bible. • A misunderstanding of I Cor. 2:14. • Human Creeds. • The Bible is all-sufficient, 2 Tim. 3:16-17 • Note Revelation 22:18-19; Gal. 1:8-9; 2 John 9. • Prejudice. Cf. John 1:45-46; 7:45-48; 9:16. • Post Modernism. • No such thing as absolute truth; everything is relative; opposing beliefs both considered truth! • A lack of Effort.

8. Conclusion: • The Bible is the word of God, I Thessalonians 2:13. • It must be obeyed, Hebrews 5:9. • One cannot obey the truth unless he knows the truth, John 8:32. • We will be judged by the word of the Lord in the last day, John 12:48. • We must obey the word of God while we have opportunity! James 4:13-14. • Have you obeyed the true gospel of Christ?