Helpful Presuppositions to Understand the Bible

Everyone approaches the Bible with presuppositions. It doesn't matter who you are; you can't escape it. Your culture and life experiences will shape the way you view Scripture. This explains how so many interpretations can come from the text. It explains different theological viewpoints, heresies and cults. Man is depraved, and throughout history, has interpreted texts to his own liking and benefit. In fact, only by the illumination of the Holy Spirit can man rightly interpret God's Word. The goal should not be to eliminate presuppositions, but to read the Bible with the correct ones.

1. The Bible is the authoritative, infallible Word of God. The Bible calls its readers to have faith in this (2 Tim. 3:16-7, 2 Pet. 1:17-21). It is God's full and final revelation, all that man needs to know about God and nothing that we don't.

2. The Bible centers on the life and work of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the starting point for understanding the Bible. Christ has died! Christ has risen! Christ will come again! Jesus has fulfilled/will fulfill all the promises of the Old Testament by these three acts. (Lk. 24:13-47, 2 Cor. 1:20)

3. The Bible is a book about God, not man. It is the story of the Triune God's redemptive work in history for his own glory and our good. It is not primarily an instruction book or a road map for us, but tells us what God has done for those who believe. We are called to respond to what God has done, but that is not the primary focus. (Col. 1:15-20, Isaiah 6:1-7)

The most damaging presupposition of our time is humanism. In a culture that tells us that it's all about us, it's hard for us to imagine that the Bible is not all about us. This affects our understanding of the Bible in varying degrees, from the prosperity gospel to more subtle interpretations. But it is not specific to our time or culture. Adam's original sin in the garden was derivative of thinking he could be like God. From what the Bible reveals about the rebellion of the devil, it is from the same spirit of pride. That prideful self-centeredness which motivates us to glorify ourselves instead of God has always been present through the sinful nature of man. The beauty of the gospel, however, is that Christ became man and defeated our sinful nature by living a perfect life, dying on a cross for our rebellion and rising to intercede for his enemies made friends by his blood. Thanks be to God!