By Pastor Mike
Bible Abuse
If only we could see how often we abuse the Bible (and therefore, its Author) in an effort to bolster and justify our personal views and proclivities. The process is called “isogesis” – presupposing our own interpretation and views and “reading them into” a passage of Scripture when they are not actually there. The goal, of course, is “exegesis” – extracting God’s meaning from a passage of Scripture by allowing that text to speak for itself. Knowing which we are doing when we are reading or quoting the Bible is critical.
Unfortunately, it is our tendency to bring our preexisting understanding of what God is like, our valuations of the world and culture, our beliefs about right and wrong into a passage expecting to find it there even when it’s not. We do this most often by injecting assumed definitions of words into the passage we are reading. We are not tenacious enough to insist that biblical words be defined by the Bible instead of assuming their definitions based on our interaction with our parents, our childhood church, pop culture, our American democracy, our social institutions or any number of personal twenty-first century experiences. Avoiding this tendency is what makes Bible study so challenging.
As we sit down to study the Bible we find ourselves confronted with an inspired document that was delivered against the backdrop of a language and culture that is now two thousand to thirty-five hundred years past. This is why we can’t just plop our finger on the page and ask, “What does this verse mean to me?” If we don’t know a text’s historical, literary and grammatical context we are bound to become isogetes and not exegetes.
So, let’s do our homework, avoiding “Bible abuse” by expending the necessary effort to derive biblical principles after we have understood the original context and the biblical definition of words.
-Pastor Mike
Thanks Pastor Mike for the reminder about exegesis verses isogesis. So many times we do put our own thoughts, upbringing, worldly expressions even to the discussion, when that should not be.
I was reminded after reading your blog of a little book I found in the Compass Book store by Richard Mayhue, Focus on the Bible” How to interpet the Bible”.
He quotes in the into R. A Torrey ” I learned years ago, to go one place for the deepest lessons of life. That one place is the Bible”
We have so much information at our fingertips, radio, books, computer that has totally saturated us. 2 Tim 2:15 reminds us” Be diligent to present yourself approved unto God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.”
This little book again reminded me, about sticking with a biblical inductive method, warning about interpretation errors, current theological errors, right steps to avoid wrong doctrine and emphasizing the truthfulness and trustworthiness of Scripture.
I highly recommend it!
Isa 66:2″ but to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My Word.”
I enjoyed Dr. Mayhue’s message Sunday, was good to hear the Word from him. A godly man with a godly message.
Thanks for the blog….great reminder to be careful in our exegesis……
Oh and my favorite Ps 1:1-3
Hello, I have a Catholic friend who believes as Protestants we create our own interpretations. He asserts they have the magisterium that provides the true interpretation. Do we as Protestants have anything similar to the magisterium? Where do our interpretations come from?
Thanks
Protestants through the centuries have championed the doctrine of the “perspicuity of Scripture” - that is, the Bible is a book that can be properly understood and applied by regenerate individuals because God has revealed his truth clearly and forthrightly. While this does not minimize the challenge of rightly understanding a document delivered in the context of ancient languages and cultures, it does provide us a biblical and common sense precept that we will be held accountable to a revelation that can be properly deciphered and discerned. Even though most biblical interpretation is grounding in simple logic and common sense, a whole series of principles have been observed that define logical and sensible interpretation. We call that field of “hermeneutics” - the principles of interpretation. For those who insist on some form of magisterium (be it Roman Catholic or in some sect), the question remains, “what rules of interpretation will those in charge utilize to tell me what God requires of us?” Either they are bound by sound hermeneutical principles (to which reasonable people should be able to attest) or there is a blind trust in those who teach. Such thinking is foreign to the Scriptural exhortation and commendation. Consider the Bereans in Acts 17:11. How could they be praised for evaluating Paul’s teaching by their own biblical research if personal study is somehow flawed or disdained? How could John command the church to “”test the spirits to see whether they are from God” because “many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1Jn.4:1)? How can individual Christians be exhorted to “feed on the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up in their salvation” (1Pt.1:2-3) if they were not able to interpret truth for themselves. David said that God’s Spirit is required. The Holy Spirit must illuminate us because biblical truths are spiritually discerned (Ps.119:125; 1Cor.2:14). Of course it helps when our pastors give themselves to many hours of study, but they are not the only ones who “can” or “should” interpret God’s word. We know it is possible for the “spiritual man” of 1 Corinthians 2:15 to make “judgments about all things”. I hope that helps.
Thank you for your time, Pastor Mike. I appreciate it! And, yes, this helps.
SSB
I recommend a short but very helpful book by RC Sproul, “Knowing Scripture”.
We must read the Bible and see how God interprets it. Too many times people can read the Bible and see it the way THEY want to. They dont like to be pricked in the heart by the truth. We cannot see sin the way I want to see it, or the way anyone else wants to see it, we must open the Bible in truth and see what GOD says is sin to HIM, not to us. We cannot fool God, and we are only fooling ourselves if we dont look into His word and see how HE wants us to live our lives that is pleasing to Him. I have heard many interpretations as well, but I do believe the Holy Spirit tells us how to discern and what to sift through before we believe every false doctrine that comes along. Study the Bible to show yourselves approved.