The bible, as a collection of various writings, is to be interpreted; what the Apostle Paul says, “Rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15).
There are different types of literature in the collection. There are Historical narratives, Poetic verses, Laws and Prophecies, each with their own purposes and unique ways to understand. To read them all as the same muddles the meanings.
Historical narratives, like who did what to whom, are expected to be taken literally, as accounts of what really happened, but Poetic verses are NOT expected to be taken literally.
The scripture from Psalms 91:4 says God, “shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” (Psalm 91:4). It is NOT telling us God has feathers and wings like a chicken.
Treating every passage with the same, literal, interpretation will lead to confused ideas.
Prophetic writings are difficult to determine what events come first and when because, from God’s perspective, all time is now.
Laws and Instructions are to be obeyed by those to whom they are given, but to others they are applied in different ways.
Example, The Law, Deuteronomy 25:4, “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he is treading out the corn.”; is to be obeyed, but we have an application in 1st Corinthians 9:9:
Was God thinking only about oxen when he said this? Wasn’t he actually speaking to us? Yes, it was written for us, so that the one who plows and the one who threshes the grain might both expect a share of the harvest.” (1 Corinthians 9:9-10 NLB)
The application is to pay your preachers and support their families.
We read from 1st Corinthians 10:32 that there are three different people groups the scriptures apply: 1) The Jews; 2) The gentiles, called “The Nations’, and 3) the church of God. The bible has to be correctly applied to each group differently.
For example, the Bible commands circumcision. The Apostles, however, concluded in Acts 15 the circumcision command was written to the Jews, not to the new gentile believers, and they wrote a letter to the Gentiles saying so. They weren’t saying part of the Bible is no longer valid or that it was for a different time. It was still in effect but did NOT apply to the different groups in the same way.
This is why people who all say they believe the Bible, come to opposite conclusions. It is essential to correctly apply scripture to daily life.
So how do I know I am applying the bible correctly?
The first step is humility. I could be wrong on some things. Ask God to show you the truth in his word.
Next, open the bible and just begin to read. Become familiar with it. Determine the kind of literature you are reading, who it is written to or about, how similar/different they were to you and your needs?
Don’t throw away your beliefs just because someone tells you to, but search the scriptures, read them in the context of what is being written about. Let obscure passages go for the moment, trusting that they will open when the time is right for what you need.
Living with Jesus is a journey of discovery, surrender to Jesus and trust him to lead; you will be surprised at what you see and experience.
Patrikin - Kinship through The Father 