The year was 1990 and the place was the White House Cabinet Room. During nuclear negotiations between two rival countries (the United States and the former Soviet Union), a single misinterpreted word very nearly provoked a dreadful third World War. Former president George H. W. Bush and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev could not reach an agreement as to which country’s aircraft would be used for the inspections confirming the compliance in arms control as proposed by the Open Skies arms treaty. Veteran Soviet interpreter Igor Korchilov erred when he interpreted the word “verifying,” instead of “verified.” Although the error may appear to be insignificant, in a high caliber discussion such as an arms control treaty every detail is of the utmost importance. Korchilov explains in his memoir (Translating History: 30 years on the Front Lines of Diplomacy with a top Russian Interpreter) that during the meeting, the word “verifying” inadvertently meant that Gorbachev had ceded to allow American aircraft’s to carry out the inspections over Russian territory since the United States was the “verifying party” and Russia was the “verified party” in the treaty’s language. Gratefully, Gorbachev quickly caught the minute mistake and immediately corrected it, thus avoiding a global calamity. It is interesting to read the weight and value a proper interpretation has in important discussions such as the one mentioned. At the same time, it is terrifying to realize the catastrophic repercussion one misinterpreted word could have had upon the entire world. This story certainly highlights the relevance of having a clear understanding of what is being conveyed through interpretation. Professional interpreters, like Korchilov, carry an incredible amount of pressure on their shoulders because of the requirements their vocation has. They are required to pay an extreme attention to detail, their focus must be undivided, and the practice of their craft must be precise, or else the consequences can be disastrous. Without a doubt, this is also very true when it pertains to the study of God’s inspired word. The apostle Paul exhorts, “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long suffering, forbearing one another in love” (Ephesians 4:1-2, old King James translation, emphasis added). The Holy Ghost, through the pen of the apostle, reminds Christians that our Christianity is a vocation, or a calling. Paul makes an emphasis in this passage that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, emphasis added). Thus, the necessity of studying the Bible becomes essential if we are to fulfill our God given responsibility. Yet, it is imperative to understand that how we approach the study of the Bible will determine if we arrive to the proper interpretation of it’s teachings. Hence, the apostle’s exhortation of walking worthy of our calling. Like any profession, a Christian’s attitude toward their spiritual life is critical. In order to grow spiritually, one must first be willing to “lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21, emphasis added). Unquestionably, a person who believes to know everything already will never be able to grow. Their hubris stifles their ability to learn. Holy Writ wisely manifests that a sincere desire to learn begins with a humble acceptance of ignorance. The Master verifies this fabulous lesson as He began His Sermon on the Mount “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3, emphasis added). He follows it up by professing “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4, emphasis added). He who accepts that without Jesus he is poor, will mourn his inability to pay his debt of sin. The acceptance of this unfortunate limitation is what James describes as laying aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness. Pride and obstinacy are walls that each person must remove first in order to see the truth fully and not partially. Once this limitation has been accepted, the helping hand of the Lord must be taken gratefully. James refers to this as receiving the Word with meekness. Rebelliousness and resistance must be individually subdued in order to be able to listen attentively and learn efficiently what one must do to gain entrance into eternal heaven. In our earlier example, the interpreter required humility and meekness if he did not want to be responsible for a third world war. The same is undeniably true of Christian who must “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2, emphasis added). Every disciple of Christ is commanded to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2nd Peter 3:18, emphasis added). However, observe that the proper attitude of humbleness is reflected in the acceptance that is the Lord’s grace and knowledge we are to grow in; not our own. Those who falsely promulgate that everyone interprets the Bible differently are approaching the study of the Bible with their self-knowledge and not Christ’s. Peter reveals that there “are some things hard to understand,” but because they are difficult, it does not mean that they cannot be understood (2nd Peter 3:16a). This also does not mean that they are open to a private interpretation due to their difficulty, nor does it justify the false idea that Biblical doctrine can be interpreted differently. The apostle rapidly shuts down that philosophy as he identifies those who spread this idea to be “untaught and unstable people [who] twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures” (2nd Peter 3:16b, addition and emphasis mine). Needless to say that these are Christians who have not walked worthy of their vocation. The arrogant and audacious attitude with which they approach the study of God’s Holy Word radiates the ignorance that remains in them. The tragedy, however, of their constant misinterpretation of God’s Word is their eternal self-destruction, for it is written “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6a).
