Three Pillars of Biblical Interpretation
Accepting his fate and preparing for his execution, the apostle Paul penned one final letter to his companion in the faith, Timothy. In a brief but powerful exhortation to continue in faithful ministry and to defend the bride of Christ from devious false teachers, Paul delivers a series of instructions to his young successor. Within the context of this post, one particular Pauline imperative bears significant weight as it issues a clarion call, explicitly to those who preach and teach, yet implicitly to every believer. “Be diligent,” Paul declared, “to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).1
The call to be diligent carries the idea of a zealous drive and eagerness to accomplish a goal. Paul implores Timothy to do his best and eagerly desire to display himself before God as a workman—or laborer—who has been tested and tried. It is this type of workman who does not need to be ashamed as one accurately handling (Lit., “cutting it straight”) the Word of God. The image painted is that of a carpenter or a tentmaker who makes straight cuts through his material. Timothy’s task was to exercise the same level of care and accuracy when handling and communicating God’s Word. While the immediate context focuses on the preacher’s responsibility, the apostle’s words transcend those who take the pulpit and reaches out to every steward of Scripture. It is here that we come face to face with our incredible, yet daunting task. One that ought not to be taken lightly.
Considering Paul’s statement, two facts ought to be inherently true of Christians: first, that we believe the Bible to be the inerrant Word of God. Secondly, we acknowledge that there are very few tasks as vital as the study of the Word of God. If these two statements are true in our minds, then we are off to a strong start. Nevertheless, merely knowing that the Bible is important is not enough. The faithful student of Scripture not only recognizes that the Bible is “inspired” or “breathed out by God” (2 Tim. 3:16a) but also that it is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16b-17). This passage clarifies that the Bible is indispensable to the Christian life. If Paul’s command to Timothy (and to us by extension) is to be taken seriously, we must realize that we have an immense responsibility to handle the “God-breathed” Word well.
Unfortunately, herein lies the problem. Many Christians have never learned how to process and apply what they read in Scripture correctly. If the Bible is the Word of the living God to His image-bearers on earth, not knowing how to read and understand it presents a significant problem. It is this kind of biblical illiteracy that has led to the development of many scriptural mishandlings and dangerous teachings throughout the Church’s history. In light of this, a few critical questions begin to emerge: What am I to do? How can I be confident when studying the Bible? How do I ensure that I handle God’s Word rightly? The answer is found in the faithful application of a reliable and accurate interpretive method.
The Importance of Bible Interpretation
When your electric bill arrives, saying that $102.78 is due, how you interpret that bill influences the amount that you pay and the outcome that results in your lights either staying on or being cut off. In the same way, we all have a responsibility to interpret the Bible correctly or endure the consequences. God has spoken to His people, and His Word is the written recording of that message but, as Roy Zuck has stated, “We must know the meaning of the Bible before we can know its message for us today.”2 What does it mean to interpret the Bible? Simply put, to interpret the Bible is to uncover and comprehend the meaning of a biblical text. Biblical interpretation is the heart of what is called “hermeneutics,” which is “the study of the methodological principles of interpretation.”3 Each Christian approaches Scripture with a hermeneutic, which governs how he interprets the Word of God, but just because there are many forms of hermeneutics does not mean they are all right. In our post-modern age, many have adopted the notion that “you can have your interpretation, and I can have my interpretation,” but this only produces problems when it comes to determining the true meaning of Scripture.
If the text can be interpreted in any way and can have many explanations, how are we to navigate the many possible understandings of the passage and arrive at the actual meaning? Building upon this thought, Zuck rightly asks, “Did God intend for the Bible to be treated in this way? If it can be made to mean anything we want, how can it be reliable?”4 This is where the need for a proper hermeneutic comes in. God has spoken to His people through His Word, and His Word informs us that He cares about how we engage with it (Acts 17:11; 1 Tim. 4:13; 2 Tim. 2:15). The goal of hermeneutics is to move beyond speculation of what the text could mean and to discover the intended meaning of the God-inspired human author as he wrote the specific portion of Scripture.5 To this end, we must adopt a hermeneutical method that will consistently seek out the one true author-intended meaning of the text. This hermeneutical method is known as a literal grammatical-historical hermeneutic, which revolves around three core pillars: (1) A consistent literal or plain reading, (2) examination of grammatical structure, and (3) an understanding of historical context.
I. Literal Sense
Defining terms is essential when dealing with topics of such importance. What is meant when one says “literal,” regarding biblical interpretation? While addressing the principles of hermeneutics, Mal Couch submits that “one must take the words in their normal, literal, plain historical sense. Literal would imply the natural or usual construction and implication, following the ordinary and apparent sense of words rather than a symbolic or metaphorical sense.”6 Again, most people do not take an allegorical approach when reading an electricity bill, but rather interpret what is listed on the paper as the amount that is due. Finding the literal sense of a body of writing is our default approach and ought to be pursued when interpreting Scripture. This is how literature was intended to be handled. Bernard Ramm illustrates this in clear terms: “Whenever we read a book, an essay, or a poem, we presume the literal sense in the document until the nature of the literature may force us to another level. This is the only conceivable method of beginning or commencing to understand the literature of all kinds.”7
It is important to note that a literal approach to Scripture does not ignore figures of speech and symbolism but recognizes them within the framework of the biblical author’s intended meaning. When interacting with Scripture, we aim to understand what the author meant for the text to communicate to his specific audience. The closer we can get to the authorial intent, the higher the accuracy when interpreting the meaning of the text. Teasing this out a little further, Abner Chou writes, “Accuracy occurs when our reading of the text matches the (dual) author’s ideas, and misinterpretation occurs when we misconstrue that intent.”8 Our goal is accuracy: both in learning the author’s intended meaning and in practically applying the significant implications that stem from that meaning.
Another critical factor regarding a literal approach is understanding that this method of Scripture interpretation must be applied consistently. While other interpretative methods may claim a literal approach, it is often used inconsistently. The resulting dual-hermeneutic applies a literal or plain approach to most biblical passages, but an allegorical or symbolic interpretive model is applied to specific passages or when dealing with certain subjects (i.e., unfulfilled prophecy, millennium, Israel, etc.), creating an inconsistency of interpretation based on subjective standards. The literal approach requires a consistent application to produce accurate results as we seek out the author’s intended meaning by dealing with the plain sense of the text and engaging it as one would engage standard forms of literature, while still recognizing the content as divine.
II. Grammatical Structure
In addition to a consistent literal approach to interpreting Scripture, diligent handlers of God’s Word must also turn attention to the text’s grammatical structure. Now, you may be thinking, “why is the grammar of Scripture such an important factor to Bible interpretation?” Zuck answers this question succinctly: “Thoughts are expressed through words, and words are the building blocks of sentences. Therefore, to determine God’s thoughts, we need to study His words and how they are associated in sentences.”9 While the Bible is a divine book, God, through many inspired authors, penned the book in human language, meaning that the intent was that humans would understand it. Through grammatical examination, we can learn from the style (genre) in which the author wrote the letter, the exact words the author used, and the way that those words are composed to communicate the message of the text.
Referring to the importance of genre, Grant Osborne presents it as “a valuable link between the text and the reader.”10 Highlighting the significance of the reader, he continues, “we cannot neglect the reader in the process of interpretation. Every interpreter comes to a text with certain expectations based in part on his or her genre understanding.”11 There is a reason that we wouldn’t go to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings to find a Nicholas Sparks romantic drama storyline. Our understanding of genre dramatically affects our approach to and expectations of the content that we are consuming, and the same is true when we come to God’s Word. We must know the different characteristics of each writing style found in Scripture and discern which genre belongs to which books of the Bible.
Also essential to faithful analysis is the study of individual words. Word studies can be indispensable in determining the precise nuances of terms used within the context of the verse and passage.12 Although the words used in our modern translations are of great importance, we must remember that the Bible was not originally written in English. While becoming fluent in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek languages is not necessary to glean wisdom, insight, and instruction from God’s Word, but looking at keywords in their original language does aid us in our quest to uncover the author’s intent.
It is important to state that there is a danger in both over and underemphasizing the original languages. Addressing this issue, Moises Silva warns believers to be careful not to romanticize the original languages,13 as well as not to underemphasize the Hebrew or Greek text as “English versions by themselves cannot be the exclusive basis for formulating doctrine.”14 The original languages have their purpose, serve as essential assets, and should be utilized if possible when studying the grammatical structure of passages in Scripture.
III. Historical Context
In the pursuit of discovering the meaning of Scripture through handling the Word of God rightly, we not only use a literal approach to Bible interpretation and exercise careful examination of grammatical structure, but we must also become familiar with the historical context surrounding the passage. Historical context answers the question of why the author wrote his specific letter to a specific audience, addressing specific topics. The influence that the historical context has upon a text cannot be over exaggerated. Scott Duvall and Daniel Hays highlight this fact, stating, “Since God spoke his message in specific, historical situations (i.e., to people living in particular places, speaking particular languages, adopting a particular way of life), we should take the ancient historical-cultural situation seriously.”15
By being faithful in studying the surrounding context of biblical passages, we can know how God’s Word was to be understood by the immediate audiences, helping us to derive how we are to apply it today. Peter, writing to a number of believers dispersed throughout Asia Minor, continued to encourage the saints to remain faithful and to endure amid trials and hardships, so that “the proof of [their] faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:7). While it is easy for the 21st-century Christian to be encouraged by this mighty letter, it takes on entirely new weight when one knows that during this time, these Christians were under a cloud of great persecution set in motion by Nero after being framed for the destruction of Rome. They were fending for their lives in the face of life-or-death circumstances.
Historical context helps to paint the picture surrounding the text, providing insight into the content being communicated while reminding the reader that the events of Scripture exist within the real world. It is after we discover what the author intended to relate to his original audience within their historical context, that we can discern the implications the text holds for us today. If the student of God’s Word is committed to doing the work, he can rest assured that his interpretation of the biblical passage will be correct because it is consistent with the historical-cultural background of the passage.16 Gaining an intimate knowledge of the historical context must be a top-tier priority for the student of God’s Word.
Faithful Stewards of God’s Word
Brothers and sisters, remember that two realities ought to be true for every Christ-follower: First, we must believe that the Bible is the Word of God, and secondly, we are to hold the study of God’s Word in high regard. As students of the Word, how we study and interact with Scripture is massively important as it produces life-changing implications. To be found faithful, we must work to develop and adhere to a hermeneutic that correctly deals with the text in a plain, literal sense, interacts with the grammatical structure, and considers the historical context. It is only when these three pillars stand together that we—aided by the Holy Spirit—uncover the author’s intended meaning, interpreting Scripture rightly. Furthermore, we can have confidence in this task as those who do not need to be ashamed, “accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). If this is new to you, take heart and start small, but may each of us strive to be found faithful with this excellent stewardship.
1) All Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted.
2) Roy B. Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation. (Colorado Springs, Co.: ChariotVictor Pub., 1991), 10.
3) Andreas J. Köstenberger and Richard Duane Patterson. Invitation to Biblical Interpretation: Exploring the Hermeneutical Triad of History, Literature, and Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2011), 57.
4) Zuck. Basic Bible Interpretation, 11.
5) Grant R. Osbourne The Hermeneutical Spiral: a Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2010), 24.
6) Mal Couch. An Introduction to Classical Evangelical Hermeneutics: A Guide to the History and Practice of Biblical Interpretation (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2000), 59.
7) Bernard Ramm, Protestant Biblical Interpretation, 3rd rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1970.), 123, quoted in Roy B. Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation (Colorado Springs, CO: ChariotVictor Pub., 1991), 63.
8) Abner Chou. The Hermeneutics of the Biblical Writers: Learning to Interpret Scripture from the Prophets and Apostles (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2018), 14.
9) Zuck., 99.
10) Osborne., 182
11) Ibid.
12) Chou, 208.
13) Moises Silva. “Using and Abusing Language” in Rightly Divided: Readings in Biblical Hermeneutics, ed. Roy B. Zuck (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1996), 89-91.
14) Ibid., 89.
15) J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays. Grasping Gods Word: a Hands-on Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 99.
16) William W. Klein, Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017), 312.