Key Principles for Scripture Interpretation

1. We recognize that the Bible is divine words. Scripture is “of God.” Scripture is God-breathed; it is God-given. We study and obey Scripture because Scripture is divine revelation.

2. We recognize that the Bible is human words. God chose to disclose his will to us through human beings who wrote material in human literary forms. Though Scripture is divine, God has accommodated Himself to human expression, words, and ambiguities. Therefore:

a. Scripture can be misunderstood

b. Scripture requires our best efforts to understand God’s message to us.

3. Scripture is rightly understood as a coherent narrative of God’s work in bringing grace to humanity through creation, rebellion, redemption, and the ultimate communion to come. The Bible contains many voices and speaks in many forms, with tensions, digressions, and subplots, yet Scripture finds its unity in the overarching story of God.

4. Scripture is not an end, but the means to a greater end: entering and nurturing a relationship with God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Scripture is the tool that God has chosen to disclose his love and gracious kindness to us.

5. Faithful interpretation of Scripture requires engaging the entire narrative: the New Testament cannot be rightly understood apart from the Old, nor can the Old be rightly understood apart from the New. We should read “back to front” - understanding the whole narrative in light of its climax in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We should also read “front to back” - understanding God’s revelation in Christ in light of the history of God’s self-revelation to Israel.

6. The study of Scripture takes God seriously and takes understanding the original contexts of Scripture seriously. We must set Scripture in its historical context in order to hear God’s divine message clearly and accurately.

7. The true meaning of the biblical text for us is what God originally intended it to mean when it was first spoken. So to understand Scripture and thus to hear God’s voice in Scripture, asking the question “what did it mean?” comes before “what does it mean today?”

8. To learn from Scripture we must appreciate the way in which it communicates and not attempt to fit our preconceived notions upon it. This can not be done perfectly. We all have some bias and we all have some limitations.

9. Picking and choosing texts is not an option. Neither is choosing one text, pulling it out of context, and using it as the standard by which everything else must be interpreted.

10. Some things have changed significantly since the first century. For example, we live in a culture where slavery is roundly condemned; Paul lived in a culture where slavery was commonly practiced. Such cultural shifts must be negotiated.

11. Some things have not changed since the first century. Sin is still sin, humankind still struggles for meaning, and God is still at work in the world. Such continuities must be affirmed.

12. We must learn that there are some things more important in Scripture than others - as Jesus himself understood (Matthew 22.34-40).

13. Because we are human we will not all agree on the various interpretations of Scripture. Humility, patience, kindness, and gentleness are indispensable virtues to frame our discussions of Scripture.

14. Interpretation is a conscious effort of spiritual growth, and growth needs the nurture of Christian community. The Christian community provides insight, example, encouragement, and counsel vital to shaping our understanding of Scripture and thus our Christian character.

15. Scripture calls the church to ongoing discernment, to continually fresh re-readings of the text in light of God’s continuing work in the world.

Adapted from:

“Scripture Basics” & “The Bible Tells Me So: A Primer on Bible Interpretation”

Carson Reed, http://www.carsonreed.squarespace.com

“Nine Theses on the Interpretation of Scripture,” The Scripture Project

The Art of Reading Scripture, Ellen F. Davis & Richard B. Hays, ed.

Eerdmans Publishing, 2003

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart, 3^rd edition.

Zondervan, 2003

June 3: Getting Started

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that all God's people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:14-17 TNIV

Our subject is “Listening to Scripture,” and this passage frames many themes that we will engage throughout our study. Today we introduced the class, talked about our objectives, shared an understanding of our “starting points,” and discussed some basic principles to guide us as we move through our study.

The overarching purpose of the class is to help us engage Scripture more thoughtfully and thus live it more thoroughly. The study of Scripture for us has meaning and importance beyond our classroom or on-line discussions – as believers we see it as vital for our lives – so our understanding and interpretation in thought, word, and deed is very important.

This is not easy – our simple class exercise on a few texts indicated the different perspectives we all have on interpreting the Bible. We asked, “Which of these instructions from Scripture are still in force for us today exactly as they are articulated on the page?”

• “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5
• “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” Matthew 28:19
• “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.” John 13:14
• “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.” James 5:14
• “And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." Matthew 5:40-43
• "Whoever sheds human blood, by human beings shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made humankind.” Genesis 9:6
• “Praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, 5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.” Psalms 150:4-5
• “Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.” 1 Peter 2:18
• “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.” 1 Corinthians 14:34
• “Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.” Proverbs 31: 6-7

This is an “art” more than a science, in that it takes discipline, imagination, and sustained effort – and has the potential to create something beautiful. We cannot do this alone – and we cannot do this once and assume everything stays the same. We have to be open to Scripture as part of God’s working in the world, as God leads us to new challenges and opportunities – we need to keep reading Scripture, and letting Scripture read us.

What dynamics are at work as we read Scripture?

We reviewed a set of Key Principles for interpreting Scripture (see separate post), and we discussed the importance of reading with an open mind:

Whenever we pick up the Bible, read it, put it down, and say “That’s just what I thought,” we are probably in trouble. The technical term for that kind of reading is “proof-texting.” Using the text to confirm our presuppositions is sinful; it is an act of resistance against God’s fresh speaking to us, an effective denial that the Bible is the word of the living God.

The only alternative to proof texting is reading with a view to what the New Testament calls metanoia, “repentance” – literally, “change of mind.”

- Ellen F. Davis, “Teaching the Bible Confessionally in the Church,” The Art of Reading Scripture, Eerdmans, 2003 page 16.

Next week we’ll move into our discussion of the epistles, with I Corinthians as our focus. Please read I Corinthians, and try to do it in one sitting. Read for the big picture, and try to make notes on:

• Recipients - who are these people? what's going on with them?
• Paul’s attitude towards them
• Occasion – what prompted the letter?
• The letter’s natural divisions

You’ll notice we have two weeks on the epistles, so that we can take the time to focus on two important aspects of interpreting Scripture:

• What did it mean to them? – there & then
• What does it mean to us? – here & now

Our closing reading was from Romans:

^“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15: 4-5 TNIV