Todays thought again thinks around a more inclusive, or varied, interpretations of the Bible.

‘Just as God is unimaginable mystery, so too none of us can proclaim to have a total grasp and understanding of the Bible. We cannot camouflage the Bible’s message by saying that our interpretation is the only true interpretation.’

If the Bible is truly the word of God, how can we ever hope to have the one true interpretation of that word? I would suggest that at best we may glean some understanding for a certain time and a certain place and a certain situation.

A while ago at a YFC staff conference the speaker started his talk with roughly these words: ‘I don’t preach the truth. I preach my opinion of the truth, and if other preachers realised that about their preaching maybe we would have less problems in the church!’

To claim we have 100% truth in our interpretation sub-consciously dismisses our need for God; in fact maybe it even replaces our need for God. If we feel we have total truth, then we no longer have use for a God who we are answerable to, a God who we worship, a God whom we expect to continue to speak truth today. If we claim 100% truth, maybe we stop worshiping God, and start to worship truth – or our interpretation of truth!