Rightly Interpreting Scripture

Is there a right way and a wrong way to interpret Scripture? You bet there is! The following was adapted from a larger article here. I’ve included material from the referenced article that addresses interpretive principles most needed in a ‘Christian’ culture that focuses on ‘What this verse means to ME”, more than simply “What does it MEAN”, or “What is God saying?” I hope it is helpful.

Methodology

The word “method” comes from the Greek word methodos, which literally means “a way or path of transit.” Methodology in Bible study is therefore concerned with “the proper path to be taken in order to arrive at Scriptural truth.” This clearly implies that improper paths can be taken.

Improper methodology in interpreting Scripture is nothing new. Even in New Testament times, the apostle Peter warned that there are teachings in the inspired writings of Paul “which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest [distort], as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16, insert added).

A Foundational Truth: God Created Language for a Purpose

God sovereignly chose to use human language as a medium of revelational communication. If the primary purpose of God’s originating of language was to make it possible for Him to communicate with human beings, as well as to enable human beings to communicate with each another, then it must follow that He would generally use language and expect man to use it in its literal, normal, and plain sense. This view of language is a prerequisite to understanding not only God’s spoken word but His written Word (Scripture) as well.

Seeking the Author’s Intended Meaning

Instead of superimposing a meaning on the biblical text, the objective interpreter seeks to discover the author’s intended meaning (the only true meaning).

• One must recognize that what a passage means is fixed by the author and is not subject to alteration by readers.
• Meaning is determined by the author; it is discovered by readers.

Our goal must be exegesis (drawing the meaning out of the text) and not eisogesis (superimposing a meaning onto the text).

Only by objective methodology can we bridge the gap between our minds and the minds of the biblical writers.
Indeed, our method of interpreting Scripture is valid or invalid to the extent that it really unfolds the meaning a statement had for the author and the first hearers or readers.

The Importance of Context

Seeking the biblical author’s intended meaning necessitates interpreting Bible verses in context.

• Every word in the Bible is part of a verse, and every verse is part of a paragraph, and every paragraph is part of a book, and every book is part of the whole of Scripture.
• No verse of Scripture can be divorced from the verses around it. Interpreting a verse apart from its context is like trying to analyze a Rembrandt painting by looking at only a single square inch of the painting, or like trying to analyze Handel’s “Messiah” by listening to a few short notes.
• The context is absolutely critical to properly interpreting Bible verses.

In interpreting Scripture, there is both an immediate context and a broader context.

• The immediate context of a verse is the paragraph (or paragraphs) of the biblical book in question. The immediate context should always be consulted in interpreting Bible verses.
• The broader context is the whole of Scripture.
  • The entire Holy Scripture is the context and guide for understanding the particular passages of Scripture.
  • We must keep in mind that the interpretation of a specific passage must not contradict the total teaching of Scripture on a point.
  • Individual verses do not exist as isolated fragments, but as parts of a whole.
  • The exposition of these verses, therefore, must involve exhibiting them in right relation both to the whole and to each other. Scripture interprets Scripture

Let Scripture Explain Scripture

Interpret the Old Testament in Light of the New Testament. God gave revelation to humankind progressively throughout Old and New Testament times. In view of this, a key interpretive principle is that one should always interpret the Old Testament in view of the greater light of the New Testament.

Where a passage is unclear, find other scripture with the same topic and use what is clear to interpret what is unclear. The Bible does not contradict itself.

Dependence on the Holy Spirit

Scripture tells us that we are to rely on the Holy Spirit’s illumination to gain insights into the meaning and application of Scripture (John 16:12-15; 1 Corinthians 2:9-11).

• It is the Holy Spirit’s work to throw light upon the Word of God so that the believer can assent to the meaning intended and act on it.
• The Holy Spirit, as the “Spirit of truth” (John 16:13), guides us so that “we may understand what God has freely given us” (1 Corinthians 2:12).
• This aspect of the Holy Spirit’s ministry operates within the sphere of man’s rational capacity, which God Himself gave man (cf. Genesis 2-3). Illumination comes to the ‘minds’ of God’s people – not to some nonrational faculty like our ‘emotions’ or our ‘feelings’ [like a 'burning in the bosom'].

The ministry of the Holy Spirit in interpretation does not mean interpreters can ignore common sense and logic. Since the Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13), He does not teach concepts that fail to meet the tests of truth. In other words, “the Holy Spirit does not guide into interpretations that contradict each other or fail to have logical, internal consistency.”

It must also be kept in mind that the function of the Holy Spirit is not to communicate to the minds of people any doctrine or meaning of Scripture that is not contained already in Scripture itself.The Holy Spirit makes men “wise up to what is written, not beyond it.” Indeed, “the function of the Spirit is not to communicate new truth or to instruct in matters unknown, but to illuminate what is revealed in Scripture.”

Choose this day whom you will serve. . .

“If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” – Joshua 24:15 (NASB)

Joshua spoke those words to the Hebrew children. If He were here today he might tell those who profess Christ -

“…choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: the God of Scripture or the god of your vain imagination…”

The God of Scripture tells us that apart from His Son, we are DEAD in sin and the objects of His wrath.

The god of your imagination tells you that are basically OK, but are inclined to commit a sin now and then – after all, you are only human.

 

The God of Scripture tells us that He must pour out His holy wrath against all ALL sin because He is just and the wages of sin is death, by His own decree. We are all born on Death Row.

The god of your imagination says that God is not angry; He mostly sits around in Heaven all day dreaming up new ways to attract you to Jesus because He can’t imagine His Heaven without you in it.

 

The God of Scripture sent His own Son die in YOUR PLACE, to pour out His wrath against YOUR SIN upon HIS OWN SON, and it pleased Him to do so.

The God of your imagination tells you that Jesus died to bridge an impersonal gap called sin so you could be happy in Heaven with Him forever.

 

The God of Scripture tells us that everything in this world exists to bring Him glory and honor – EVERYTHING.

The god of your imagination tells you that God does everything He does with YOUR happiness in mind.

 

The God of Scripture tells us that He saves those that He does save as a precious love gift to His Son.

The god of your imagination tells you that God saved you because He wanted someone to love.

 

The God of Scripture tells us that He sent His son to seek and save the lost, and that he will seek, save, and keep them.

The god of your imagination tells you that Jesus is waiting longingly outside a door with no doorknob waiting for YOU to decide you want Him to come in.

 

The God of Scripture tells us that the reason he leaves us on earth after He saves us is to proclaim His Gospel to everyone around us.

The god of your imagination tells you He left you here to have your best life now.

 

The God of Scripture tells us the Gospel we are to share, and that is powerful to save a soul is that Christ died for our sins and was raised up again; according to Scripture.

The god of your imagination tells you that folks will get saved if you just love them. When they realize you love them they will just naturally love you and of course love Jesus when you tell them He loves them too.

 

The God of Scripture tells us His Son sits at His right in glory waiting for the command to return as the Righteous Judge.

The god of your imagination tells you that if you are lonely or depressed just imagine Jesus as your lover and dance partner; never mind that He sent His Holy Spirit specifically for that purpose.

 

The God of Scripture tells us that of first importance to our spiritual growth is what He has revealed in His inspired, written word.

The god of your imagination tells you that what you ‘feel’ about what He says is more important that what He says.

 

I could go on and on contrasting the God of Scripture and the god of your imagination, but I will stop now. Be angry at me, hate me for having said what I said. Then search the scripture for everything God tells you about Himself and show me FROM the scripture you have actually read, where I am wrong, so that I might repent of being a liar.

THE LAMB WHO WAS SLAIN

“He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.” – Matthew 10:39

The text of that video is the summary of a sermon delivered by Paris Reidhead sometime in the mid-sixties. The full sermon, Ten Shekels and a Shirt, can be listened to, or downloaded from Sermon Index Net along with the transcript and a short article about it’s origin. It you canwatch the video or listen to the video and remain untouched by the Spirit of God, please check your pulse.

The Father’s Bargain

An excerpt from the sermon The Covenant of Redemption between the Father and the Redeemer, John Flavel ,1671

“How reasonable it is that believers should embrace the hardest terms of obedience unto Christ, who complied with such hard terms for their salvation: they were hard and difficult terms indeed, on which Christ received you from the Father’s hand: it was, as you have heard, to pour out his soul unto death, or not to enjoy a soul of you. Here you may suppose the Father to say, when driving his bargain with Christ for you:

Father: My son, here is a company of poor miserable souls, that have utterly undone themselves, and now lie open to my justice! Justice demands satisfaction for them, or will satisfy itself in the eternal ruin of them: What shall be done for these souls And thus Christ returns.

Son: O my Father, such is my love to, and pity for them, that rather than they shall perish eternally, I will be responsible for them as their Surety; bring in all your bills, that I may see what they owe you; Lord, bring them all in, that there may be no after-reckonings with them; at my hand shall you require it. I will rather choose to suffer your wrath than they should suffer it: upon me, my Father, upon me be all their debt.

Father: But, my Son, if you undertake for them, you must reckon to pay the last mite, expect no abatements; if I spare them, I will not spare you.

Son: Content, Father, let it be so; charge it all upon me, I am able to discharge it: and though it prove a kind of undoing to me, though it impoverish all my riches, empty all my treasures, (for so indeed it did, 2 Cor. 8:9. “Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor”) yet I am content to undertake it.

Blush, ungrateful believers, O let shame cover your faces; judge in yourselves now, has Christ deserved that you should stand with him for trifles, that you should shrink at a few petty difficulties, and complain, this is hard, and that is harsh? O if you knew the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in this his wonderful condescension for you, you could not do it.”

When did it change?

When did the Gospel message change from telling others of the need to ‘personally’ recognize one’s sinful condition and believe in Christ as savior to telling them they need to ‘accept Him as their ‘personal’ Savior? One concept is founded in and specifically presented in scripture and the other is not. One focuses on God and what He has done to save sinners and the other on a person’s decision. One presents the sovereignty of God while the other makes the individual’s decision the final event in the chain of events leading to salvation, which would mean that God shares His sovereignty with man (even if it’s just a decision).

No scripture here yet, just the question “When did it change?”, followed by the next logical question “WHY did it change?”

"What Does This Verse Mean to Me?" Bible Study – What’s the Harm?

This was originally published almost a month ago here and the only comment was a pingback from another post here that referenced it. I am pasting it to the front page because I think it a serious issue. Although Dt. MacArthur is speaking as a pastor to pastor’s, it applies to all of us who name the name of Christ, and especially to those of us who share our beliefs with the world via the Internet.

From this John MacArthur article:

“That’s a fashionable concern, judging from the trends in devotional booklets, home Bible study discussions, Sunday-school literature, and most popular preaching.

The question of what Scripture means has taken a back seat to the issue of what it means “to me.”

The difference may seem insignificant at first. Nevertheless, our obsession with the Scripture’s applicability reflects a fundamental weakness. We have adopted practicality as the ultimate judge of the worth of God’s Word. We bury ourselves in passages that overtly relate to daily living, and ignore those that don’t.

Practical application is vital. I don’t want to minimize its importance. But the distinction between doctrinal and practical truth is artificial; doctrine is practical! In fact, nothing is more practical than sound doctrine.

Too many Christians view doctrine as heady and theoretical. They have dismissed doctrinal passages as unimportant, divisive, threatening, or simply impractical. A best-selling Christian book I just read warns readers to be on guard against preachers whose emphasis is on interpreting Scripture rather than applying it.

There is no danger of irrelevant doctrine; the real threat is an undoctrinal attempt at relevance. Application not based on solid interpretation has led Christians into all kinds of confusion.

True doctrine transforms behavior as it is woven into the fabric of everyday life. But it must be understood if it is to have its impact. The real challenge of the ministry is to dispense the truth clearly and accurately. Practical application comes easily by comparison.

No believer can apply truth he doesn’t know.”

How well I remember this sort of Bible study! I have not always been as adamant about first finding out what scripture actually SAYS, and then applying it, as I am these days. Not only have I learned NOT to trust my feelings, I sincerely believe that there is more than enough to apply from what Scripture SAYS to keep me from trying to get something ’special’ just for little old me. If there is something I need as a personal admonition, encouragement or application, I am confident I will receive a much clearer message studying what is plain from reading and inductive study than ‘comtemplating’ until I get some ‘deeper revelation’.

A”ll Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

It’s scripture that is breathed out by God, NOT my interpretation, my insight, or my feelings. I can trust the plain teaching of scripture 100% of the time and, unlike what’s in my head and in my heart, I don’t have to figure out who’s really ’speaking’.

Down to the River to Pray

more about "Down to the River to Pray", posted with vodpod

Contemplative Prayer and the Voices we Hear in our Heads

There is a very insightful article, Encountering Voices in the Silence of Contemplative Prayer by Pastor Larry DeBruyn  here . The article discusses the teachings of the Contemplative Prayer Movement (CPM) leader Richard Foster concerning discerning whose voice we are listening to in the midst of our ‘contemplation’ and compares Foster’s teaching in the light of scripture. Early in the article Pastor DeBruyn quotes Foster:

“Learning to distinguish the voice of God . . . from just human voices within us . . . comes in much the same way that we learn any other voice. Satan pushes and condemns. God draws and encourages. And we can know the difference.” [1]

If the voice is negative it’s Satan. If it’s positive and affirming, it’s God. Foster apparently doesn’t offer any advice for discerning whether or not we are listening to our own voice. I guess if we are truly ’spiritual’ we don’t talk to ourselves in the silence of contemplating God. Later in the same article the author discusses the voice of the Holy Spirit – God’s ‘voice’ in the life of the believer:

“We live in the age of the Holy Spirit and His spiritual communication and communion with the soul of the believer. But the Spirit’s communication is not always pleasant. Of the Holy Spirit’s communication Jesus predicted, “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment” (John 16:8). Even the Comforter does not always comfort. Sometimes He convicts, and conviction of soul is not pleasant to experience. It upsets. None of us likes criticism. We do not like to be told we are wrong. Yet without the voice of the Spirit’s conviction, we would continue in sin, pursue unrighteousness, and deny we are accountable to God for our behavior. So when, for legitimate reasons, the Spirit’s conviction comes over them, will Christians be so deluded by the positivity and feel-good mindset that saturates today’s evangelical church that they will ignore the Spirit’s conviction, or worse, that they will assign godly conviction to be the bullying voice of Satan?” (Emphasis mine)

A dear Christian friend I met here in Blogland emailed me some time ago wanting to know if she was to only speak positive things all of the time. Apparently other believers in Blogland, or maybe in her church, were telling her that she should. Those who offer such ‘counsel’ are likely among the deluded Christians spoken of in the previous paragraph, because such advice runs counter to Scripture. Nothing personal intended here – I don’t know of a single believer who is immune from the enemy’s deception.

I also don’t know anyone in these blogs who is personally involved in the sort of contemplative prayer that runs dangerously close to the pagan mysticism of Eastern religions. So why make a fuss? I have a few good reasons.

• I’ve been there and back – all the way there and back.
• I can’t think of any ‘personal word’ from God to this guy that could not be traced to something read or taught from Scripture that the Holy Spirit has brought to mind.
• Claiming that the work of the Holy Spirit, who works in all believers similarly, is God speaking specially to ‘ME’ serves to feed fleshly pride.
• Once pride takes hold and begins to germinate, I won’t be satisfied with mere ’special insights’. The enemy will use the seed of pride to tempt me to ‘deeper/higher’ levels of spirituality. Satan’s ‘operational tempo’ seems to always be perfectly matched to the growth rate of the individual believer. He will never tempt us with something he knows we will scoff at, only that which could be appealing.

To believers reading this, please receive it as a word of caution. Yes we serve a God who is personal, loves us personally, even chose us by name – just don’t get too personal.

Endnote:  [1] Michelle McKinney Hammond, “Fear of Silence,” Be Still (DVD © 2006 Twentieth Fox Home Entertainment LLC).

________

I also encourage examining other discernment resources available at Discernment Ministries.

Quote of the Day

“We cannot blink the fact that gentle Jesus, meek and mild, was so stiff in His opinions and so inflammatory in His language, that He was thrown out of church, stoned, hunted from place to place, and finally gibbetted as a firebrand and a public danger. We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah into a household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies.”

Dorothy L. Sayers

Where is Jesus Now?

A Sunday School teacher of preschoolers was concerned that his students might be a little confused about Jesus Christ because of the Christmas season emphasis on His birth. He wanted to make sure they understood that the birth of Jesus occurred for real. He asked his class, “Where is Jesus today?”

Steven raised his hand and said, “He’s in heaven.” Mary was called on and answered, “He’s in my heart.” Little Johnny, waving his hand furiously, blurted out, “I know, I know! He’s in our bathroom!!!”

The whole class got very quiet, looked at the teacher, and waited for a response. The teacher was completely at a loss for a few very long seconds. Finally, he gathered his wits and asked Little Johnny how he knew this. Little Johnny said, “Well…every morning, my father gets up, bangs on the bathroom door, and yells, “Good Lord, are you still in there?!”

That’s an old joke, but the question is quite valid. Where IS Jesus now? I fear there are some who might be confused in this matter. Scripture tells us exactly where He is now:

Hebrews 12:2

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Philippians 2:8-9

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

John 17:5

And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

John 1:1-3

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Ephesians 3:9

And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Hebrews 1:1-3

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

At this very moment, Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, His majesty and glory restored, awaiting the command from His Father to come to earth a second time, but as judge, not as Savior – that work was finished at the Cross.

The work of God on Earth and in the life of the believer is in and through the Holy Spirit, whose sanctifying work is ever conforming us into the image of God’s Son. It is the Holy Sprit who brings comfort and peace when we are troubled or weary, but who also brings conviction and guilt when we sin.  The love of God ’shed abroad in our hearts’ is the Holy Spirit at work. The peace that surpasses all understanding is the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. And the list goes on. . .

If Jesus is sitting in majesty and glory at the right hand of the Father, and the Holy Spirit is now working on earth, where did all this “Jesus is my dance partner” mushy romanticism come from? More importantly, where in scripture is such a view of the Lord of the universe presented in scripture? Can anyone out there tell me?