The bible From God To Us THE BIBLE – From God to us with love [Part II: Interpretation]
In the last issue of the Singles Communicator, I demonstrated in my article, THE BIBLE (Part I: Unity), that there is complete harmony in the Scriptures which cannot be explained by coincidence or collusion. The unity of the Bible is a strong argument in favor of its divine authorship.
Now that we’ve established that there’s good evidence for the authenticity of the Scriptures, we are faced with another potential problem often articulated like this: but-that’s-just-yourinterpretation.
I have been afflicted with the but-that’s-your-interpretation response on many occasions, and I often wonder if those who use this line of argument really understand what they’re implying. It’s as if no individual can come to know the truth because many people arrive at varying conclusions. Should we simply conclude that we’re victims of a relative world floundering on a sea of subjectivity? Is man really like an empty bubble floating on a sea of nothingness unable to come to a sure knowledge of God and an authoritative understanding of what the Bible describes as His will?
The but-that’s-just-your-interpretation evangelists fail to take into account certain facts regarding biblical interpretation. The vast majority of Bible readers have no problem with agreement on the central teachings of the Bible. The main message is crystal clear: God, because of His unconditional love, entered into the world and became a man in the person of Jesus Christ and died a substitutionary death on our behalf, paying the penalty for sin. By developing a personal relationship with Christ, by placing their faith in Him, mankind can have their relationship restored with God.
All Bible-believing churches from a host of different denominational backgrounds accept the essentials (or the basic fundamentals) of Christian faith. For example, all branches of Christianity believe Jesus Christ was God the Son, second person of the Trinity, born of the virgin Mary, who died on the cross for our sins, and rose from the dead as a vindication of His messianic claims. So, the main message of the Bible is clear for those who will read it openly and seek to find out its meaning. The problem comes when people attempt to force the Bible to say what they want it to say based on their own preconceived ideas.
But some may cry, “This is a free country and isn’t everyone entitled to his or her own interpretation of the Bible?” Of course, but not all interpretations are correct. A college student studying for a final examination on the history of Nazi Germany may, in fact, interpret William L. Shirer’s “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” to be arguing that Hitler was a great philanthropist abounding with such heavenly, unconditional love for the Jews that he killed them so they would be able to receive their eternal reward quickly. Since this imaginative student failed to understand William L. Shirer in terms of what he actually said, the teacher will grade his work accordingly, and no excuse such as butthat’ s-my-interpretation will hold up. Interpretive relativism deserves a great big F (failing), in flaming red.
The first principle in interpretive integrity is to make a necessary distinction between what biblical scholars call exegesis and eisogesis. Exegesis means to explain what a passage says. The word comes from the Greek words meaning “to guide out of.” To exegete Scripture is to analyze from the words the meaning that is objectively there. By this process we are now in a position to discern what the inspired author intended to communicate. On the other hand, eisogesis has the same root but a different prefix. The prefix eis, also coming from the Greek, means “into.” Thus, eisogesis refers to the practice of reading “into” the text the meaning one wants to get out of it.
When we claim to know the meaning of a biblical passage, we must be prepared to show from the grammar, the history, the culture, and the context that the writer intended to convey that idea. This is not an invention, but a principle of life. When you receive a letter from your parents or a friend, you read it grammatically (evaluating the writing according to its conformity to the rules of grammar), historically (based on your knowledge of that person in the past and present), and contextually (studying the person’s sentences in light of the paragraphs and entire letter.)
The great need for intellectual honesty in approaching the Bible cannot be overemphasized. God’s Word is not to be used like a “Ouija board” attempting to make Scriptural passages fit one’s preconceived notions. The apostle Peter, referring to the wisdom in which Paul wrote, warned, “His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16).
While the but-that’s-just-your-interpretation rebels throw all common sense to the winds of relativism, the Bible remains mankind’s greatest privilege. No other book so loves and respects the life of man. No loftier songs about man’s true plight and glory, about his agony and joy, misery and hope, have ever been expressed, and nowhere has man’s need for guidance and the certainty of his ultimate redemption been so clearly conceived.
God spoke not to confuse, but to enlighten. In approaching the Bible grammatically, historically, culturally, and contextually, which are principles grounded into the very fiber of our being, we are now in the position for God’s Spirit to illumine His Word and search out its application to our lives.
from The Singles Communicator
Mike Moriarty, Editor
A Publication for Single Adults of Immanuel Bible Church Springfield, Virginia
July/August 1989