How Do You Understand the Scriptures?

There are two ways to understand what you are reading in the Bible—two ways of thinking. You can look at the Bible from an inductive or a deductive viewpoint. Often, both types of thinking are helpful.

First of all, deductive Bible study involves what is called “a priori” thinking. “A priori” thinking means “to the front.” In simplest terms, it means coming to the Scripture with your preconceived ideas in order to understand the essence of the passage in question. Bible students who use “a priori“ thinking come to the reading with an idea about it already or a story that defines the idea; then, the preconceived idea adds to the reading to deduce the meaning. “A priori” thinking involves adding a story to get the meaning of the reading.

If we are reading Psalm 139, and we are using this deductive thinking technique we will ask ourselves, “How can I apply this Psalm to my daily life and future, i.e., what can I deduce from it judging directly from the words of the Psalm and my own ideas about the subject. In order to understand this Psalm, I must add a story to the words expressing my own impressions.  This deductive reading can imply that the reader  already thinks he knows what is the truth of the reading; and he does not need to consult with the original writer through a posteriori thinking.

Inductive Bible study is a technique of study called “a posteriori” thinking. “A posteriori” thinking involves looking at a reading to figure out what the author actually meant when he wrote it. “A posteriori” thinking involves looking at the story that preceded the reading to get the meaning.

Let’s look at an example of what I am saying:

Again, thinking of Psalm 139, we may ask ourselves, “What does God think about this Psalm? What can we learn about Him from reading this Psalm?” This can be thought of as “thinking to the back,” This is “a posteriori” thinking.  In this kind of thinking mode, we are applying our reason to the task of literary interpretation, i.e., understanding what the Psalm means from the viewpoint of the author. We are looking at what we can understand about God from reading this Psalm.

As I have said above, however, both kinds of reasoning can be profitably applied to our understanding of the Bible. For instance, if we read inductively (“a posteriori”) we can learn some of the qualities of God, who wrote the Psalm. Then, we can ask ourselves the question, “What can I say about my understanding of how I should apply this knowledge to the life I live in the present?” This last question converts the study of Psalm 139 to a deductive process of thinking from an inductive technique. Deductive (“a priori”) thinking asks us to use our reason to understand how to fully apply the knowledge of God gleaned from our inductive (“a posteriori”) study to our lives in the present and the future in a reasonable way.

We all should use both kinds of thinking in our daily Bible reading. We need to look at the Scriptures to see what kind of God wrote it (“a posteriori” or inductive) and how we should use the information we have gained from that understanding to tell us how we should act and think (“a priori” or deductive). The utility of these understandings is that if we read the Bible, we should understand what parts of our reading tell us about God and His ways and what parts tell us about ourselves and our ways.

In reading the Bible, we need to ask ourselves, “Am I looking at God’s ideas, or am I looking at my ideas?” We must all remember that we each bring our own ideas with us when ever we open a Bible. We need to carefully separate our own ideas from God’s ideas in our understandings.  

There is one other feature of the term, “a priori” which might be somewhat confusing. The term “a priori” can also mean “self-evident.” In that case, the truth of an “a priori” statement is obvious and right out in front—the meaning of the statement is so obvious it requires no further explanation. Its meaning clearly shouts out of the passage. An example of this is the statement, “The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.” There is no question about the meaning.

On the other hand, “a posteriori” statements are never self-evident. They require study and examination to understand their truth. For instance, the statement, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) This statement may seem to be true to some Bible students on an “a priori” basis; but I would posit that readers of the Scriptures should examine this statement to see what it says about God. Thus, understanding this statement in this way is an “a posteriori” task.

In studying the Bible, it is always best to use the inductive (“a posteriori”) method first. Seek to understand the mind of God by this kind of thinking. Then, and only then, draw your deductive conclusions using a priori ways of thinking. Don’t jump to conclusions based on your preconceived notions. Even the simplest biblical principles need inductive data to fully understand them, e.g., “God is love.” Always ask yourself this question: “Am I using inductive or deductive reasoning as I read the Scriptures? Am I reading to understand God, or am I deducing things to confirm my own preconceived ideas?”

The wrap-up of this blog post in the simplest terms is this: Look to God and his written word first; then…apply your own thinking in order to apply these concepts to your life.