How to Read
the Bible for All Its Worth, Session XIV
Wrap-up
Session
A teaching by
based upon the book by the same title,
written by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart
So what else
can I say?
2 things …what we’ve already said
…and what the PCUSA has said.
I. Review:
A. Purpose
of the course
1. Interpreting task: done automatically
…need
to be self-conscious and intentional about it
2. Goal of interpretation: to get to the plain meaning of the text
3. Working definition of scripture:
“The Bible is the Word of God, expressed in
human words in history.”
4. 2 essential tasks of interpretation
a. exegesis:
deciphering what it meant there and then
“What
was the intended meaning of the original writers to their original audiences?”
b. hermeneutics:
bridging from the there and then to the here and now
“How
does the original meaning apply to us?”
B. Key
to the course: Different Kinds of genre
1. Some were written as direct teaching for believers of the time
esp.:
letters/epistles
OUR
task: to reconstruct the original situation
à intent of writer
AND then, using common sense
à Distinguish between teachings that are emphatic &
central, vs. teachings that are situational
& peripheral.
2. Some are more narrative: stories
Realize
that they may be illustrating teachings and principles
…but
they do not introduce teachings directly
They
may be setting a precedent that may be repeatable
…but
those precedents carry over to our time only if followed consistently in biblical history and are
taught as such
3. Some: Gospels
a. Intentionality is two-fold:
Jesus’
intentionality when encountering people
each
writer’s intention when writing about such encounters
b. each writer did have a particular audience in
mind when writing and did have particular goals in mind when
writing.
c. so we read vertically …each gospel from
beginning to ending
AND
we read horizontally, comparing each gospel w/ the others
to
look for distinctives
4. Within those gospels: Parables
a. stories that evoke a response
like
a joke with a punchline
b. THEREFORE:
1)
find the points of reference
2)
Identify the audience
3)
Listen for the “Punch”
5. OT Law
constituting
documents for the new nation of
covenant
of
…part
of which gets renewed in NT
…part
of which gets supplanted in NT
6. The prophets
Not
much foretelling, but lots of Forthtelling
Served
as exhorters and enforcers of the covenant
à God’s megaphone, reminding the people of their
obligations to obedience, promising blessing for
obedience and warning of curses for disobedience.
Interpreting
them is helped enormously when we can locate them in
their exact place in the history of
Be
careful not to look for hidden meanings
7. The Psalms
How
do these words TO and ABOUT God operate as God’s Word to
us?
a. Psalms are poetry: do not overexegete them
b. Psalms model for us how to relate honestly to
God:
openly
expressing joy, disappointment, anger, etc.
c. Psalms encourage us to reflect and meditate
on things God has done
d. Psalms are a great guide to worship
both
as quotations to be quoted
and
as examples of bold praise to God
8. Wisdom literature
a. In
particular:
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job & Song of
Solomon (in part)
b. FORM: a
collection of pithy advisory statements designed to help a person grow up
happy, well-liked, morally upright, prosperous, and successful.
c. read as poetry
d. approach is one of “wise sayings”
--not promises that always come true
--best understood when read as a collection of sayings
9. Today:
Book of Revelation
a. a mix of epistle, prophecy and apocalypse
epistle: reads like a letter
prophecy: words directing obedience to scriptures/God
apocalypse: visions, dreams, symbols, fantasy
--looks
to ultimate destruction of evil and vindication of good
b. born in persecution
c. To understand it: start with its meaning to 1st
cent. Christians
“the
primary meaning of the Revelation is what John intended it
to mean, which in turn must also have been something his readers could
have understood it to mean.” (p.
254)
accordingly: where symbols are interpreted, go with it
…where
not interpreted, need to look for possible meanings in
their minds: 1st century
history, popular mythologies,
OT
images
d. Ultimate message:
1)
“THINGS ARE NOT AS THEY APPEAR”
2) AND: In the end, the last one standing will be
God.
3)
Therefore, hang in there! Endure till
the end.
II. So what Does the PCUSA say about Biblical
Interpretation?
A. The authority of scripture is clearly
affirmed
Scripture
takes precedence over other sources
B. 6 interpretive principles:
1. Jesus Christ, as our Redeemer, is the central
focus of Scripture
2. Our appeal should be to the plain text of
Scripture, to the grammatical and historical context, rather
than to allegory or subjective
fantasy
3. The Holy Spirit aids us in interpreting and
applying God’s message.
4. The rule of faith: Doctrinal consensus of the early church as summarized in the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene creed, and the Definition
of Chalcedon is the rule of faith that guides us.
5. The rule of love: All interpretations must accord with the rule
of love, the two-fold commandment to love God
and to love our neighbor.
6. Interpretation of the Bible requires human
scholarship in order to establish the best text, to understand the
original languages, and to interpret
the influence of the historical and cultural context in which the divine message has
come.
C. One cautionary conclusion:
All
interpretations are tentative, and probably flawed.
III. Questions / discussion /
What have
you found helpful in this course?
What gaps
are left in your understanding?