Truth
On
Tough
Texts
ISSUE 27 –
October/2007
Principles
of Biblical Interpretation (2)
II
Timothy 2:15
IN PART 1, WE CONSIDERED FOUR of
twelve basic principles of Biblical interpretation. We
conclude with the remaining
eight.
V. The Historical Principle
Another vital principle in
proper Biblical interpretation is the understanding of
social customs, historical names and events, political
climate and rulers, and even geographical
references.
One example of the
historical principle appears in Revelation 2:17 (for
the sake of space, we will mention only Scripture
references in this article). In
our Lord’s letter to the church at Pergamum, a church
that was tolerant of the world, He appeals to anyone who
will listen and promises them two blessings if they will
obey. First, He says he will give them “hidden manna.”
This is fairly easy to understand. As Israel was
nourished with “physical food” in the wilderness, Christ
is our “spiritual food,” as He is spoken of as “Bread of
Heaven” and the “Bread of Life” (see Jn.
6:30-35).
The second blessing the
Lord promises here, however, is impossible for us to
understand without the historical principle of
interpretation. What is this “white stone?” John’s
readers knew that a prisoner in court was either given a
white stone (acquittal) or a black stone (conviction).
They also knew that a white stone was often used as an
invitation to a feast; the stone often had the
recipient’s name on it. Both meanings beautifully apply
to the Christian believer. We have been acquitted from
sin’s guilt by justification through Christ, and we now
have a “personal invitation” to the Marriage Feast of
the Lamb (see Rev. 19:7-9).
Coming back to the armor
of God (Eph. 6:11-17) mentioned in part 1, we find
another example of historical interpretation. Paul
speaks there of having our “loins girded about with
truth,” but, again, we can’t possibly understand this
without knowing the historical background. The most
important article of clothing in Paul’s day was the
tunic, a knee-length, kimono-like garment worn next to
the skin. Holes were cut for the head and arms in a
square piece of cloth and the garment was then worn
loosely over the body. Poorer people wore only this in
warm weather, while wealthier people wore this by itself
only in private, never appearing in public without an
outer garment (a coat or cloak).
For a soldier, however,
wearing a loose tunic was dangerous, so the tunic was
cinched up and tucked into the girdle, which held the
tunic close to the body. The girdle was a broad leather
belt, usually about six inches in width, and was the
foundational piece of the soldier’s armor; other pieces
of armor were kept in place because they were attached
to the girdle.
Knowing this
historical meaning yields the powerful spiritual
application of the “spiritual girdle of truth” we must
all wear. Truth is absolutely foundational. Without the
objective
truth of the Word of God and the subjective truth of our personal honesty and integrity,
there can be nothing else of value.
Peter uses this same
expression in I Peter 1:13, where he says, “Gird up the
loins of your mind,” that is, discipline your mind, pull
your thoughts together, prepare for battle.
Even a seemingly
insignificant act can be filled with meaning when we
know the historical background. John 18:1, for example,
tells us that on His way to the Garden of Gethsemane,
Jesus crossed over the Brook Kidron. This seems
insignificant until you know that at that time of the
year (Passover), the Brook Kidron was filled with blood
because the blood from thousands of lambs drained out of
the back of the Temple right into it. How significant
this must have been for our Lord as He was reminded that
He was the Lamb of God!
Consider also the
historical significance of the term “body of this death”
(Rom. 7:24), which Paul uses to graphically describe
man’s sin and his struggle with the flesh. A fascinating
story is told of the ancient people near Tarsus, the
city where Paul was born. Convicted murders were
sentenced to an unimaginable execution. The corpse of
the murdered person was tightly lashed to the murderer
and remained there until the murderer himself died. In a
few days, of course, the decay of the corpse would
infect and kill the murderer. It is quite possible that
Paul had this story in mind when he used this term.
History, then, is a vital
principle of interpretation. No study of Scripture is
complete (or honest) without the historical context.
VI. The Contextual Principle
Probably the most violated
principle of Biblical interpretation is the ripping of
verses from their context. Just as we can take any
writer’s words out of their context and, therefore, make
him say the exact opposite of what he is actually
saying, we can take a verse out of its context and quite
literally prove anything we want to prove. In this way,
countless “interpreters” have done tremendous violence
to God’s Word.
The Contextual
Principle involves examining the words that
surround the word in question, the verses that
surround the verse, and the basic theme of the
book where the verse
appears.
One example of the
importance of the context appears in I Corinthians 2:9.
Taken out of its context, this verse indicates that the
promise is to be fulfilled in the future, when, in fact,
the context, verse 10, clearly shows that it is to be
fulfilled now.
First Corinthians 9:27,
where Paul writes about not becoming a castaway, has
been used by some to “prove” that believers can lose
their salvation, but the context clearly talks about
rewards for Christian service, not salvation.
Even more dramatic
is what the modern Charismatic movement does to I
Corinthians. Portions of chapters 12-14 are used to
prove Charismatic doctrine, while the context, when
viewed as a whole, clearly demonstrates the temporary
nature of the gifts listed in chapter 12. But even more
shocking is what I heard a Charismatic say some years
ago. During an excited radio broadcast, a Charismatic
was praising
the Corinthian believers and finally even said, “Oh, how
I wish our churches today were like the one in Corinth!”
I couldn’t help but think that many churches are like the one
in Corinth, but that is not something to be desired.
The occasion of the entire letter is
rebuke. The Corinthians had
perverted virtually every aspect of
Christianity.
Many preachers are guilty
of taking verses out of context. A pastor friend of
mine, a dedicated and careful student of the Word, was
talking one day to another pastor in the area. As they
chatted about ministry and preaching, the other pastor
said, “I don’t ever want to preach when you are in the
congregation because I take a lot of verses out of
context.” How can a man deliberately do such a thing?
I don’t know who to credit
for this thought, but it has been well said that, “A
text without a context is pretext.”
VII. The Comparison Principle
No Scripture verse
stands by itself. Indeed, comparing Scripture with
Scripture is absolutely essential to arriving at the
proper interpretation of a given text. This principle is
what is called analogia
scripturae, “the analogy of Scripture,” that is, comparing
Scripture with Scripture.[i] In
other words, we allow the Scripture to interpret Itself.
The old adage, “Well, that’s just your interpretation,”
is a smoke screen to hide from the Truth of what the
text says. Our motto must be, What does the text
say?—not, “What do you think it says?” Or “How does
it make you feel?”—rather, what does It
say? If we ignore this
principle, we are headed for
disaster.
In my early days in
Bible College (some 35 years ago), for example, I had to
read a book on prayer. Even in those early days of
little Bible knowledge the book grieved me because the
author’s basic premise is that prayer is primarily
“asking and receiving.” What a narrow view of prayer! A
worse problem with the book, however, is the author’s
contention that we never have to pray according to the
will of God, that we can simply ask God for anything and
He will give it to us. The author is quick to quote such
verses as Matthew 21:22, which is, indeed, a blessed
verse that promises power for overcoming obstacles to
those who have faith, as the context (vs. 18-21) clearly
indicates. But this verse must not be taken apart from I
John 5:14-15, which speaks of praying “according to
[God’s] will.” Prayer is never divorced
from God’s sovereign will. Prayer is not us getting our
way done in heaven, rather God getting His way done on
earth. Our will must always come into conformity with
His will.
The great theologian
Charles Hodge comments on this principle and provides
another example:
God cannot teach in one
place anything which is inconsistent with what He
teaches in another. Hence Scripture must explain
Scripture. If a passage admits of different
interpretations, that only can be the true one which
agrees with what the Bible teaches elsewhere on the same
subject. If the Scriptures teach that the Son is the
same in substance and equal in power and glory with the
Father, then when the Son says, “The Father is greater
than I” [Jn 14:28], the superiority must be understood
in a manner consistent with this equality. It must refer
either to subordination as to the mode of subsistence
and operation, or it must be official. A king’s son may
say, “My father is greater than I,” although personally
his father’s equal. This rule of interpretation is
sometimes called the analogy of Scripture. . .[ii]
Many today, no matter what
the issue or question, are fond of saying, “Well, that’s
just your interpretation.” On the contrary, as the
Reformers and the Puritans were fond of saying,
“Scripture interprets Scripture.”[iii]
Another aspect of this
principle is that any conclusion we come to in our study
must not contradict the Scripture elsewhere. A very
typical example of this today is Bible teaching that
contradicts the nature of God, as when Bible teachers
emphasize God’s love as His motivating attribute. Upon
this premise, then, they proclaim everything from “easy
believism” salvation to unity at any price. As a result
of today’s ignoring of God’s sovereignty, holiness,
justice, and other attributes, we have a plague of false
Bible teaching.
The next principle follows
this one.
VIII. The Outline Principle
Coupled with the previous
principle, this one looks for the organization and
structure of the text, as well as the principles that
the text presents. In other words, what is the logical
flow of the text? What are the points or principles the
author is trying to convey?
This process is often
easy. For example, Galatians 5:22-23 lists nine
“Christian Graces,” that is, an outline of the
believer’s Godly behavior. Each one of these principles,
then, can be traced through the Scripture and reinforced
using the Comparison Principle. The Comparison Principle
and the Outline Principle then become the foundation for
the Application Principle, which we will examine
last.
Other texts will not be so
obvious, but will fall into place as you read and study
them. Second Timothy 3:16-17, for example, provides a
good example. As I studied the text, it became apparent
that these two verses, and their context, give us three
foundational truths about the Word of God: 1) The
Recording of God’s Word (v 16a), which is by
Inspiration, and which we could then trace throughout
Scripture; 2) the Result of God’s Word (vs. 16b-17),
which in turn involves four principles that form the
foundation for our application; and 3) the Reason for
God’s Word (3:1-7), which, as the context indicates, is
so we have a record of absolute truth in contrast to
that which is false.
Again, by using these two
principles, we allow the Scripture to interpret
Itself.
IX. The Progressive Principle
Another principle we must
not ignore when interpreting the Bible is that God’s
revelation is progressive; that is, God reveals His
truth in steps, “a little at a time,” if you will.
Undoubtedly, one reason for this is that man could not
possibly absorb all God has to say if He revealed it all
at once. Can we imagine, for example, Adam’s reaction if
God had revealed to him His entire plan for the
ages?
Such progressive
revelation appears repeatedly in Scripture. Matthew
10:5-7, for example, records Jesus’ sending forth the
twelve to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” but
not to the Samaritans or the Gentiles, but He then
commands all believers to go to “all nations” in Matthew
28:18:20. Another example appears in Genesis 17:10,
where God institutes circumcision of every male child as
a sign of the Abrahamic covenant, while Paul says in
Galatians 5:2 that circumcision profits nothing.
Likewise, God instituted the Sabbath as the day of
worship in Exodus 20:8, but then replaced it with
something better, “the first day of the week” (Acts
20:7), the day our Lord rose from the grave.
X. The Illumination Principle
As we study the Word of
God, we must ever remember that what we are doing is not
some intellectual exercise. Our ultimate purpose is not
intellectual but spiritual. Therefore, no matter how
much we study the Word, no matter what tools we use, no
matter how many principles we employ, nothing can
substitute for the illumination of the Holy Spirit.
(Please read Jn. 14:26.)
Head knowledge, by itself, is of
little or no value. A person might have a string of
degrees, but without the Comforter’s application it will all be empty. Just like a babies’
rattle, which is cute but means very little, knowledge
in itself is empty. Now, knowledge is good and very
important, but the greatest seminary is at Jesus’ feet,
the greatest textbook is the Scriptures, the greatest
Tutor is the Holy Spirit, and the only tuition we must
pay is the surrendering of ourselves to the authority of
God’s Word.
The point here is
that it is the Holy Spirit Who teaches us. We should key
in on the word “He” in our text (Jn. 14:26). Ponder a
moment: in the technical sense, no man really “teaches.”
As a pastor I can only present the
truth of God’s Word to God’s people. It is then the Holy
Spirit Who does the teaching, as declared in John 16:13
and I John 2:27. Those verses have been used (and
abused) to teach that Christians don’t need a pastor or
regular attendance to a local church, that they can just
read their Bibles and get all they need. But that
contradicts Ephesians 4:11-12, where God tells us that
God gave certain men “for the perfecting of the saints
for the work of the ministry.” God calls certain men to
be pastors so they can devote their time to study. Few
Christians, because of vocation, can spend large amounts
of time in study, but that is what God calls pastors to
do. God’s people, then, by being faithful in their
attendance to the local church, benefit by the hours of
study the pastor invests in preparation. We can put the
contrast this way: the Christian should desire preaching
and teaching but must depend upon the Holy Spirit.
Paul also emphasizes
this Illumination Principle in I Corinthians 2:12 and
14. Spiritual study is the only avenue to spiritual
truth. We must approach the Scriptures reverently and
prayerfully.
Indeed, the only way we will put ourselves under total
Biblical authority is to
first put ourselves under total Holy Spirit dependence. At
best, study apart from the Holy Spirit is arrogance, and
at worst, it is apostasy.
XI. The Paradox Principle
The dictionary definition
of “paradox” is, “A seemingly contradictory statement
that might nonetheless be true: [e.g.] the paradox that
standing is more tiring than walking.”[iv] “Paradox”
actually comes from the Latin word paradoxum, which
in-turn comes from the Greek paradoxos. The
root doxa
means “opinion, expectation, or glory,” and the prefix
para means “beyond.” In Greek, then, a paradox was
something that was beyond expectation, something that
surpassed all the opinions and anticipations of
men.
This word does
appear in the New Testament, but only once. Note the
“strange things” (paradoxa) in Luke 5:28. The scene was the healing of the
paralytic. When Jesus healed him and he got up and
walked, the people were amazed and said that they had
seen something that was beyond expectation, something
that surpassed all the opinions and anticipations of
men.
Applying this to Biblical
interpretation, there will be times when we will
encounter things that are simply beyond our
expectations, our opinions, and our anticipations. To
put it simply, there will be things that we simply
cannot comprehend, just as those spectators could not
comprehend Jesus’ miracle. As Deuteronomy 29:29 puts it,
“The secret things belong unto the LORD our
God.”
For example, was Jesus God
or man? Yes. He was both one hundred percent God from
before the beginning (Jn. 1:1, etc.), and He was one
hundred percent man in His incarnation (Jn. 1:14, etc.).
Can we comprehend this seeming contradiction? No, but we
believe it anyway.
Another question: Did God
author the Bible or did men author the Bible? Yes. “Holy
men of God spake [using their own words, style, and
personality] as they were moved by the Holy Spirit [Who
controlled the entire process]” (II Pet. 1:21). Can we
comprehend this seeming contradiction? No, but we
believe it anyway.
Still another
question: Do I live my Christian life or does Christ
live my Christian life? Yes. Paul states both principles
in Galatians 2:20. While Paul said in one place that he constantly
struggled to discipline His body to keep it in
submission (I Cor, 9:27), he says in another that “we
are His
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath
before ordained that we should
walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). Which is true? Both. Can we
comprehend this seeming contradiction? Can we possibly
comprehend that someone else lives in us and through us?
No, but we believe it and rejoice in it
anyway.
Another question that
constantly arises is: Is God sovereign, or is man free
to choose? Yes. The Word of God clearly declares the
absolute sovereignty of God in salvation. Ephesians
1:4-5 declares that “[God] hath chosen us in [Christ]
before the foundation of the world” and that He
“predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his
will.”
We can briefly state
the matter this way: God’s sovereignty
never tramples over man’s “free choice,” but neither is
God’s sovereignty ever at the mercy of man’s will.
Because God knows (and therefore decrees) every choice a
man might make, He anticipates everything so His will is
still accomplished. Did you get it? No matter what man
does, God’s plans and purposes are never thwarted.
Why? Because He
is God! As A. A. Hodge so ably
put it:
We have the fact
distinctly revealed that God has decreed the free acts
of men, and yet that the actors were none the less
responsible, and consequently none the less free in
their acts.[v]
Acts 4:27-28 also
illustrates this. Does this passage say that God decreed
the suffering and death of our Savior at the hands of
these wicked men? Indeed, it does. But does it say that
these men were coerced or even forced to do what they
did? No. While God knew and decreed the actions of Herod
and Pilate, they still did them of their own accord. We
can sum it up this way: Man is free to choose, but God
is sovereign in control.
Commenting on John
19:31-37, where it speaks of the Roman soldiers
fulfilling Old Testament prophecy concerning the
death of Christ, Charles Spurgeon said:
Shall we never be able to
drive into men’s minds the truth that predestination and
free agency are both facts? Men sin as freely as birds
fly in the air, and they are altogether responsible for
their sin; and yet everything is ordained and foreseen
by God. The fore-ordination of God in no degree
interferes with the responsibility of man. I have often
been asked by persons to reconcile the two truths. My
only reply is, They need no reconciliation, for they
never fall out. Why should I try to reconcile two
friends? Prove to me that the two truths do not agree.
In that request I have set you a task as difficult as
that which you propose to me. These two facts are
parallel lines; I cannot make them unite, but you cannot
make them cross each other. . . I believe, but I cannot
explain. I fall before the majesty of revelation and
adore the infinite Lord.[vi]
There is a humble
man. There is a man who knows his place and realizes
the greatness of the almighty, infinite God.
To adapt Spurgeon’s idea
of “parallel lines,” perhaps we can think of our
understanding of this depth as standing between a set of
railroad tracts and looking toward the horizon. Where we
are standing, they are separate, but only in eternity do
they converge.
The trouble with much
Biblical interpretation and teaching today is an
unwillingness to accept the paradoxes of Scripture.
In our arrogance, we just have to “make sense of it
all.” But let us ask the same question as does the
Apostle Paul in Romans 11:33-36:
O the depth of the riches
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how
unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past
finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or
who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to
him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of
him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to
whom be glory for ever. Amen.
XII. The Practical Principle
Finally, and because
of all we have seen, we must interpret the Word of God
practically. By this I do not mean that we sit back and
say, “What is the Bible saying to me?” No, this is the
trap of Liberalism and today’s Post-modernism. Nor do we
mean that we just read a verse and make a quick
application. Rather, we sit back and say, “In light of
my diligent study of what the Bible says, what is It
now demanding
of me?” Further, once we go through the interpretation
process, the application reveals itself. We don’t have
to look for
the application (or make one up, which is quite popular
nowadays), for it becomes
self-evident.
As mentioned
earlier, as we study the Scriptures we must ever
remember that our ultimate goal is not intellectual but
spiritual. To put it another way, our goal is not
primarily to know something,
but to do
something. As James declares, “To him that knoweth to do
good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (Jas. 4:17). And as
Paul told Timothy, “These things command and teach” (I
Tim. 4:11). Bible knowledge is not conceptual or
theoretical; rather it is concrete and practical.
Second Timothy 3:16-17
declares that the Word of God is profitable for
doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction in
righteousness, and equipping for service. Many don’t
think the Bible is practical. On the contrary, how much
more practical could It be? When properly interpreted,
It provides us with the answer to every question, every
need, every issue, and every problem.
Dr. J. D.
Watson
Pastor-Teacher
Graced Bible
Church
NOTES
[i]
This is further explained by the principle: Scripturam ex
Scriptura explicandam esse (“Scripture is to be
explained by Scripture”). This principle is related to
another: Analogia
Fide (“Analogy of Faith,” i.e.,
Bible doctrine is to be interpreted in relation to the
basic message of the Bible, which is the Gospel, the
content of faith, or simply “The Faith” (cf. 1 Cor.2:13,
15:1-4).
[ii] Charles Hodge,
Systematic Theology, Vol. I,
p. 187.
[iii] One of the most
helpful books for Bible study is The Treasury of
Scripture Knowledge, which
contains over 500,000 Scripture references and parallel
passages. In his Introduction, R. A. Torrey alludes to
the Comparison Principle: “There is no other commentary
on the Bible so helpful as the Bible Itself. There is
not a difficult passage in the Bible that is not
explained and made clear by other passages of the Bible,
and [The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge] is marvelously
useful in bringing to light those other parts of the
Bible that throw light upon the portion that is being
studied. But not only does the book illuminate dark
places, it also emphasizes the truth by bringing in a
multitude of witnesses.”
[iv] The American
Heritage Dictionary.
[v] A. A Hodge,
Outlines of Theology
(Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1991 Reprint),
p.210.
[vi] Metropolitan
Tabernacle Pulpit, Vol. 33, p.
198-199.
