1. It does not take faith to understand the Bible; it takes faith to believe the Bible.

A. Any pagan can understand what the 10 commandments say; it takes faith to submit to them.

B. Any pagan can understand that the Bible says Jesus rose from the dead; it takes faith to believe He did.

C. Any pagan can understand the propositions of the Bible; it takes faith to say "this is the word of God for me."

2. The Bible is God's revelation to humanity.

A. God wants the Bible to be understood.

B. Pagans can understand the Bible.

C. Christians can understand the Bible.

3. Interpretation should be public. In other words,

A. Two people should be able to independently come up with the same interpretation.

B. People's interpretations should be able to be examined by others.

4. Distinguish between interpretation and application.

A. Interpretation: understanding what God said originally.

B. Application: how does this apply today?

(1) In my life.

(2) In society.

5. Interpretation hints:

A. Meaning is use: words mean what the author meant them to mean in that particular place.

(1) Words are assigned meaning; they do not contain meaning.

B. Use some (un)common sense.

(1) If this were in the newspaper, what would it mean?

C. Use the plain meaning of words.

(1) Don't try to go a few layers deep.

D. Read in context.

(1) What does this verse mean when I see what surrounds it?

6. There are many kinds of literature in the Bible.

A. All of these are trying to tell us about God, people, and our relationships to each other.

B. All of these are trying to teach us-- whether it be poetry, history, or lists of what we should or should not do.

7. Questions to ask:

A. What does this tell me about God?

(1) Who He is.

(2) What He does.

B. What does this tell me about people?

(1) Who we are.

(2) What we should do.