Who Interprets Scripture?

I had a thought about Scripture. It's something that I have been thinking about for quite some time, but has been revisited in my mind because of the continued controversy over Rob Bell's new book, "Love Wins," and his, supposed "unbiblical" questions and ideas about what the bible is saying about heaven and hell. My signed copy, woo hoo, of the book is making it's way to me, thanks to my dear friend, and I can't wait to get started reading it. In the meantime I have been watching lots of interviews with Rob Bell, and getting as much information as I can about what is going on and what he's saying. In all the research I am doing, I stand by the fact that I do not believe he is in any way claiming absolute truth, that he is twisting verses to make them say what he wants, or that he has found THE answer to everything about heaven and hell. He is doing what we all should be doing...talking about what matters. Here is what I think about interpreting Scripture in light of his controversial interpretation.

The question... Who interprets Scripture? There's not this one person alive today that has every verse's exact meaning figured out. No one who is alive today, wrote the bible. No one even personally knows someone who did. Therefore, I would submit that the meaning of the words in the bible are subject to our interpretation. Our best, most intelligent, most wise, most well-informed and studied, interpretation. I am not saying that you can take words and twist them to mean whatever you want, and I absolutely do not think that's what Rob Bell is doing, but what I am saying is that I think, just like anything else in this world, we analyze meaning of things through our own experiences and perspective, and I don't believe interpreting Scripture is any different. I would say it takes deep consideration, prayer, studying, and talking, to work through whatever position you find yourself holding about a certain Scripture. In my mind, you have the right, capability, and freedom to put the pieces together as they make sense to you, assuming the above factors are at play. I would then say, that there is a measure of responsibility in making sure that whatever position you hold is spoken about with others with humility, without claiming that you know it all, since really, no one knows absolute truth.

Not one single person can tell the rest of the world exactly what a specific verse means. I think the word of God leaves much room for interpretation because there are cultural contexts to consider, there are traditions that were carried in the time that it was written to consider, there are metaphors and abstract ideas, and there is a whole world then that we, 2000 years ahead, may not understand fully. Therefore, we can't just read the text, and then say we know what it means. Scripture and who God is, is not known fully by anyone, and because we all interpret based on our experiences and through our eyes, it is imperative that we talk about we're learning, thinking about, and wrestling with, so we can gain knowledge from each other and have a well-rounded perspective. Throwing out different points of view seems important to me in discovering who God is. 

If everything were settled and all was understood because scripture is so clear about everything, we wouldn't have this longing to know more, have hundreds of different theories about meaning and intention, and no one would be continuing to throw out their ideas. I would argue that precisely BECAUSE the meaning of Scripture and who God is, isn't fully known, we ask, seek, and look for answers through dialogue with each other. Rob Bell's, "Love Wins" is his contribution to the conversation, that's all.

Let me communicate clearly that I fully believe in the sacredness of scripture, and do NOT believe you can use scripture the way you want and think, just to prove a point. What I AM saying is that we have been given minds that have the to ability to think deeply and critically about important things. I would even say that we are urged to, so that the foundation of what we hold to and know, are solid. I think then at the end of the day, you do your own research and find out what you believe for yourself, and that, to me, encompasses a lot of resources... people, prayer, books, your experiences, and of course, your understanding of scripture.

In everything that I am learning, I am doing my best to read and study, find scripture for what I believe, explained by people whose opinion I respect, and am asking God to give me clarity. It's a fun journey, and I'm learning so much right now. Continue the conversation with your owns thoughts, and enjoy the process of figuring out what matters to you! It's very freeing.