Don’t Misinterpret
Words are tricky. They may seem simple, but they can carry many different meanings, and a misunderstanding can be serious.
Imagine I tell you: “Pastor Tan has always been gay …” You might quickly jump to one modern conclusion.
But if I finish the sentence: “… and sprightly, a very sociable person who never fails to liven up a meeting,” you realize I meant “joyful” or “cheerful,” an older meaning of the word.
This shows how dangerous it is to misinterpret a single word.
Words used in the Church and in the world can also mean different things. A minister in a church, for example, is quite different from a minister who runs a government department. When our understanding goes wrong, the message is lost.
Word Meanings in the Bible
Let’s look at a few words from the Bible where modern ideas often cloud the original meaning.
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Slave:
The Greek word at issue is doulos. In the New Testament, this term is translated variously as “slave” in some Bible versions (like the NET Bible: “Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus” – Romans 1:1) and “servant” in others (like the NIV: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus”).
While the New Testament ultimately establishes principles that undermine modern chattel slavery (e.g., Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11), the context of the ancient world was complicated. Servitude, or being a doulos, wasn’t always the sad, brutal condition we associate with the word today.
The key takeaway is that we must avoid reading today’s ideas into the interpretation of biblical messages, especially when figures like Paul proudly used doulos to declare a total devotion and submission to Christ.
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Apostle:
The title apostle (apoˊstolos) has a few distinct levels of meaning. It first referred to Christ himself (Hebrews 3:1) and, most importantly, to the original Twelve disciples chosen by Christ. They were the foundation of the early Church.
However, the word is also used in a broader sense to mean a “messenger” or someone who is “sent.” Barnabas, Andronicus, and Junias are called apostles in this general sense. Paul claimed the title for himself, not because he was one of the Twelve, but because Jesus Christ and God the Father had personally sent him on a special mission, giving him signs, wonders, and miracles as proof.
Today, when someone is called an apostle, it usually means the person is a messenger of the Gospel who is empowered by God. But we must be careful not to confuse the unique, authoritative role of the original apostles in the early Church with the highly regarded role of someone who uses the title in a modern church today.
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Disciple:
A disciple is simply a follower of Jesus who actively learns and lives by His teachings. Historically, the first followers – who were, by nature, disciples – were first given the name “Christians” by outsiders in Antioch (Acts 11:26).
Consequently, every Christian is, by definition, meant to be a devoted follower and learner of Christ, their Great Teacher. In the eyes of the New Testament, the terms “disciple” and “Christian” are fundamentally the same and carry identical demands for commitment.
Conclusion
The Son of God has come to give us understanding so we can know Him (1 John 5:20). We don’t have to understand every single word in the Bible, but we must protect ourselves from major misunderstandings. The real risk to our faith is not a lack of knowledge, but a wealth of wrong ideas about what the words in the Bible mean. We need to focus on context to make sure we’re getting the right message.
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