In Part 1 of this series, we learned that in order to understand the Bible, you need to know some principles of interpretation. The first principle is that God speaks with direct commands. However, this is not the only way God gives us commands.
The next principle is implied commands. These are directives that God gives us that logically follow from the Scriptures. In the Bible, God often implies things instead of speaking directly. For example, in Genesis 13:1, the Bible tells us that, “…Abram went up from Egypt…and Lot with him, to the South.” Here we learn that Lot came from Egypt with Abram, but the Bible never tells us explicitly that Lot went to Egypt in the first place. However, chapter 12, verse 5 does tell us that Lot went with Abram to Canaan. So, logically, the implication is that Lot must have gone to Egypt, as well.
Now, there is another concept that goes hand-in-hand with implied commands: necessary inferences. An inference is a conclusion that is based on evidence and reasoning. But a necessary inference is “a conclusion that is dictated by a fact or premise. If the underlying fact or premise is true, then the necessary inference is an unavoidable conclusion that must be drawn.” These are not baseless assumptions. They are deductions that are logically necessary according to the evidence. For example, Hebrews 11:4 says, “By faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.” Here, we must infer that God told Cain and Abel how to offer sacrifices. The facts we know about this case dictate this conclusion. What do we know? That Abel offered his sacrifice according to faith. We also know that “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Therefore, God must have told them how to offer sacrifice. Abel obeyed and Cain did not.
This principle does not come from nowhere either. Jesus expected His people to make necessary inferences about the Old Testament. In Matthew 22:29-32, Jesus speaks of Exodus 3:14-15, saying, “But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham…God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.’” If God is (present tense) the God of Abraham…then he must be alive. So, we must apply this same principle to the New Testament. In Mark 16:16, Jesus says, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” If belief and baptism are tied to salvation in the first phrase, then there is no need to repeat both in the second. It would be redundant.
We can understand God’s implications. If we study hard, we can recognize the things He wants us to conclude.