Here, we answer the question: Should we read the Bible literally or contextually?
Should we read the Bible literally or contextually? This is a question that often crops up when people are either on the brink of taking a step of faith or in the early days of their spiritual connection with God. It is a good question to settle in both of those circumstances. Leaving it unresolved will hinder progress as you will be unsure what steps forward to take and how much weight you can put on what you read in the Bible – is it God’s Word, just another book or ‘some-and-some’?
The Bible is the most widely read, deeply studied, and passionately debated book in history. But how we interpret its words—literally or contextually—shapes our theological beliefs, moral reasoning, cultural norms, and even global traditions. The question isn’t merely academic; it touches on personal faith, life style choices and the deepest foundation a person can choose or reject to own.
What others have said
- ‘The primary purpose of reading the Bible is not to know the Bible but to know God’ – James Merritt
- ‘Reading the Bible can be like meeting someone you don’t know who, oddly, somehow seems to know you deeply. It’s uncanny’ – Max Lucado
- ‘Whether we are reading the Bible for the first time or standing in a field in Israel next to a historian and an archaeologist and a scholar, the Bible meets us where we are. That is what truth does’ – Rob Bell
- ‘To what greater inspiration and counsel can we turn than to the imperishable truth to be found in this treasure house, the Bible?’ – Queen Elizabeth II
First Principles
If you have an interest in the Bible, God is beginning to get your attention – this is one of His primary ways of speaking to us. To make sense of what we read, it’s helpful to know some simple facts:
- There are 66 books which were written by more than 30 people over about 1500 years
- The first part before Christ’s birth is called the Old Testament and has 39 books
- There are 27 books in the New Testament which begin with the birth of Christ
- There are different types of literature in the Bible – Poetry, History, Law, Prophecy, Letters
The Key to Interpreting the Bible – ‘Hermeneutics’
‘Hermeneutics’ is a fancy word that originates from the Greek word ‘ἑρμηνεύω’ (hermēneuō) – it simply means ‘to translate or to interpret’.
There are generally four steps in the hermeneutical process which will help us understand the intended meaning:
(1) understanding the historical and cultural context – what is the time frame and setting so you can take account of cultural implications?
(2) understanding the literary context – which of the five types of literature is it? If it is poetic or allegorical, then you wouldn’t interpret it literally but try to get the sense of what the writer is conveying.
(3) making observations – imagine that what you are reading was written to you by someone you know. Intuitively, you will begin to see behind what is written to the character, personality and intentions of the person. As you read more, you will get a clearer picture of the writer and perceive more easily the points being made.
(4) drawing application – your conclusions from applying steps 1 to 3 may mean you can draw out some principles that you can helpfully apply to life.
Following this process may seem time-consuming at first, but once you get the hang of it you become familiar with how to interpret what you are reading. In so doing, you get to know the Writer better – God.
If ‘hermeneutics’ is the theory behind interpretation, the ‘Exegesis’ is the actual practice of drawing out the meaning of a text based on its context. You could think of exegesis as carefully taking apart a clock to see how it works and what each part does. By contrast, you could consider hermeneutics as the study of clocks in general, including how different types of clocks work, what makes a good clock, and how people use and understand clocks.
Three Approaches to Biblical Interpretation
- Literal Reading – to read the Bible literally means to take its words at face value. If it says the world was created in six days, it means six 24-hour days. Miracles happened exactly as described. Every commandment is absolute and universal. However, Jesus Himself used figures of speech and often spoke in parables (stories with a meaning). An example of this is Matthew 19:24: ‘it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God’. Jesus paints a picture to make a point.
- Contextual Reading – in this case, the reader asks what the passage meant to the original audience. It considers the historical setting, cultural norms, literary genre, and purpose of the text.
- Principled Contextual Reading (Both/And) – This is the middle commonsense path which retains reverence for the literal words, but always through the lens of contextual understanding. This still honours God’s Word but helps us understand better what it means to us in this day and age. Some translations of the Bible adopt a literal approach (‘Literal Equivalence’) when translating from the original language of Greek or Hebrew – an example is The King James Version. Others such as the popular New International Version seek to convey the original meaning in modern language – this is referred to as ‘Dynamic Equivalence’.
Whichever of these three approaches, the ultimate goal for us in considering whether we should read the Bible literally or contextually should be to seek to hear from God. Here are some concluding verses to help you consider your approach:
- ‘For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart’ – Hebrews 4:12
- ‘Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” – Matthew 4:4
- ‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work’ – 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Bible Gateway – This is a great resource for personal Bible study and discipleship, providing many search options, translations, Bible-reading plans and devotionals. All on-line material is free!
Bible Gateway – Connect4Life (https://connect4life.org.uk/church-growth-resources/discipleship-resources/websites-discipleship/bible-gateway/)
For future reading and encouragement: https://connect4life.org.uk/c4l-boosters/the-voice/