UNDERSTANDING THE WORD (Part IV)

UNDERSTANDING THE WORD (Part IV) “All scripture is given by inspiration of GOD.” (II Timothy 3:16)  God’s Word discloses the Mind of God, i.e. His past, present and future plans for us.  Accurate interpretation of Scripture requires a consistent effort and a complete openness to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Furthermore, it involves “HERMENEUTICS,” which is the science of interpretation of the Scriptures.  Today, we conclude our presentation of ten principles of biblical hermeneutics, which serve to facilitate a clearer comprehension of the Scriptures.  hermeneutic Principle #6: The One Interpretation Principle This is a difficult principle for many.  It is simply this: Every verse of Scripture has only one authentic interpretation, although a particular verse may have many applications. The correct interpretation is the one which mirrors the original intent of the God-inspired author. HERMENEUTIC Principle #7: The Harmony of Scripture Principle No Scripture may be interpreted in a manner that contradicts other parts of the Bible.  The inerrancy and harmony of Scripture is the product of a perfect God whose purpose is to reveal Himself (clearly and correctly) to us.  The proper application of hermeneutical principles will resolve any and all apparent conflicts. hermeneutic Principle #8: The Genre Principle Genre is a literary term which describes the various categories of Biblical literature.  Proper interpretation takes the literary category of any given passage into account.  That is, are we now reading poetry or prose?  Are we now reading history or prophecy?  This is vitally important because it leads us to the author’s original intent, which gives us a more accurate understanding and interpretation of the text.   hermeneutic Principle #9: The Grammatical Principle The Bible was originally written in three languages: Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic.  While we have several reliable English translations of the Bible, it is important to note that all translations involve a certain amount of interpretation on the part of the translator.  Therefore, serious Bible study examines the word meanings, grammar and syntax of the original languages, which helps us to gain a proper understanding of Scriptures.  This does not mean that every Bible reader must learn Hebrew or Greek.  Actually, there are a number of great study tools that are available to help us gain a deeper understanding of important and difficult passages, e.g. language lexicons, Bible dictionaries and Bible commentaries. hermeneutic Principle #10:  The Historical Background Principle The Bible books were composed within specific cultures at particular points in human history.  While Bible truths are universal in their application, they cannot be fully known unless we consider the culture and history of the author and the audience.

As we close out our discussion on biblical interpretation, it is beneficial to note that there are four major types of hermeneutics: literal, moral, allegorical, and anagogical.

Literal interpretation seeks to understanding the plain (most basic) meaning of the words and their historical context.  The reader takes the literal meaning to correspond with the intention of the authors.

moral interpretation seeks to draw ethical lessons from the biblical text.   

Allegorical interpretation interprets the Scriptures with a second level of application – beyond the persons, things and events that are explicitly mentioned in the text.   One well known example of this is typology, in which key figures, events and institutions of the Old Testament are seen as types or foreshadows of persons, events and occurrences in the New Testament.

anagogical interpretation is both mystical and prophetic.  This method of interpretation seeks to explain biblical events as they relate to the life to come, i.e. eternity future.  Books such as Daniel and Revelation are most often associated with this method of interpretation.

Nevertheless, the bottom-line for all biblical interpretation is simply this: “All scripture is given by inspiration of GOD.” (II Timothy 3:16)  Therefore, since God’s Word is Spirit-breathed, it must be Spirit-received.  Since there can be no exclusively private revelation or interpretation of the Scriptures, the serious Bible student will search diligently, “precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little” to discover the intended divine message. (Isaiah 28:10) 

One final word:  Whenever I study the Scriptures, I start with a heartfelt confession and a prayer: “Father, I do not understand all of Your Word, but my heart’s desire is to know more about You.  Please allow the Holy Spirit to teach and guide me as I read.  Increase my understanding and give me revelation knowledge.  Amen.”  Trust me, whenever this prayer is offered from a sincere heart, it will work every single time.  Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed!