We live in a time where people talk about “my truth” like it’s the ultimate authority. Because of this, the Church needs to stick to a pretty radical idea: a verse of Scripture has only one intended meaning.
It isn’t about being arrogant or acting like an academic elite. It’s actually just about being honest. God doesn’t stutter. When the Holy Spirit spoke through ancient writers, he used specific words to tell specific things to specific people. He wasn’t trying to be vague or leave us guessing. He was revealing truth so we could actually know him. Maybe we’ve forgotten that clarity is the point.
Meaning and Application
There is a huge difference here that changes how you read everything. Interpretation is singular and application is plural.
People mix these up all the time. We ask, “What does this mean to me?” but the better question is, “What did this mean to the people it was written to?” A passage might touch your life in a hundred different ways depending on what you’re going through and what you’ve seen, but the core meaning—what the author actually meant—stays anchored in the original context.
The Responsibility of the Reader
Bible study shouldn’t be about hunting for a verse to make us feel better about our emotions. The goal is to submit our minds to the text itself. Doing the work matters. You have to look at the verses around the one you’re reading and think about history and look at the grammar. Sometimes that’s uncomfortable. It means letting the Bible say what it says instead of what we want it to say.
When we get lazy with this, things get messy. False doctrines usually don’t start because people are being mean; they start because people are being careless. People pull a verse out of its natural home and shove it into the middle of their own personal experience. But a text cannot mean today what it never meant when it was first written.
Watching Out for Our Own Bias
Feelings change and traditions can get in the way and personal opinions are usually biased anyway. You can’t use those as a compass for the Word of God. We have to be strict about exegesis—that’s just a fancy way of saying we should pull meaning out of the text rather than pushing our own ideas into it.
When Paul wrote his letter to the Romans, he was talking to a real audience with real problems. He wasn’t writing a horoscope for someone in the 21st century. He was writing a theological manifesto. Our job is to go back and understand that message first and then bring that truth into our own lives.
The Word was given to show us things, not hide them. It works as a lamp for our feet only if we are standing on solid ground.
A Call to Workmanship
We should probably stop treating the Bible like a buffet where we just take what we like. We need to value sound doctrine. When we let the context speak, things get clearer and the Savior looks more magnificent.
The verse has one meaning—the one the Holy Spirit intended. Your job is to find that meaning and let it change you. Don’t be ashamed of the work it takes to get it right.
Thanks for reading this message. Shabbat Shalom! Wishing you a peaceful and restful Shabbat dear.
E.A. Randolph-Koranteng (Rev)
A-Servant of Christ (Author of the book “Tomorrow Happened Yesterday” on Amazon.com)
