Lesson for June 9, 2024
Hermeneutics 101
Lesson 1
II Peter 1:20-21, “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture becomes a matter of someone’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation of the Scriptures. It is very important that every believer in Christ learn how the Word of God is interpreted. There is a tremendous amount of false doctrine being perpetrated on the Church through misinterpretation of the Scriptures. Only accurate Bible doctrine is to be taught, believed, and applied by believers desiring to reach spiritual maturity. By studying the methods of reaching the proper interpretation of God’s Word, believers will be assured that what is being taught is accurate. Knowledge and application of accurate Bible doctrine is the only way a believer can avoid the pitfalls of Satan’s world system, sliding into reversionism, and destroying their spiritual lives.
Psalm 138:2, “You have magnified your Word above all your name.”
Let’s begin with the basics. The Greek word for “the Bible” is “ta biblia,” meaning the book. The Bible is actually made up of 66 books written by 40 authors over a period of more than 1500 years, without error or contradiction. The men who wrote the books of the Bible were inspired and empowered to write the exact information that God the Holy Spirit inspired them to write. More than any book in history, the Bible has been the source of changed lives. The Bible has been translated into thousands of languages and dialects throughout the world for thousands of years. After careful study, there should be no doubt in a person’s mind that this book is God’s Word and is meant to be studied, understood, and used as a guide for life.
II Timothy 2:15, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
It is impossible to rightly divide (handle accurately) the Word of God without understanding certain principles related to the proper interpretation of any passage. For example, the Bible must always be interpreted in the time it was written, to fully understand what the author was communicating. Other principles must also be followed, such as understanding dispensations, covenants, racial distinctions, differences between law and grace, and many others.
The Bible is separated into two testaments – Old and New. The word testament means covenant or agreement. In the case of the Bible, testament means a covenant or agreement between God and mankind. The Old Testament is made up of 39 books and the New Testament is made up of 27 books. These 66 books were assembled into one book called the Bible.
Let’s briefly examine the history and formation of the Bible, which claims to be the written Word of God. As believers in Jesus Christ, it is necessary to have confidence in our Bible as the true Word of God because in it is contained God’s plan for salvation and blueprint for the Christian Way of Life. The writers of Scripture were often themselves aware that what they were writing was by inspiration of God the Holy Spirit.
Peter gives us an excellent synopsis of the origin of the Word of God. II Peter 1:16-21, “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such a declaration as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased,’ and we ourselves heard this declaration made from Heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so, we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Morning Star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture becomes a matter of someone’s own interpretation,for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
Remember that much of what Peter wrote was taught to him directly by Jesus Christ. Peter was an eyewitness to Christ’s ministry on earth. Peter was at most major events recorded in the Gospels. (Matthew 16:28; 17:1-8) In II Peter 1:20, Peter revealed the fact that all Scripture originates with God and is not someone’s private inspiration or interpretation. This means that God the Holy Spirit so directed the writers of Scripture that without changing their personalities, their literary style, their vocabularies or their personal feelings, God’s complete and coherent message was permanently recorded, with perfect accuracy, in the original languages of Scripture. (II Timothy 3:16)
The Bible is the recorded “mind of Christ,” which existed in eternity past before it was written down. Before the written Word of Scripture came into existence through Moses, God the Holy Spirit revealed it to certain people in the Old Testament. Revelation of Scripture also came through the spoken word of prophets and others, through dreams and visions, and through angels (often the Angel of the Lord, Jesus Christ). In the Church Age, God speaks to us only through His Word. (Isaiah 6:8-10; Daniel 10:9; Isaiah 1:1; Psalms 68:17)
The Bible records many events from eternity past that cannot be substantiated by mankind, but are, nevertheless, true and accurate statements of those events. However, ancient historical facts in the Bible, that were not found in any other writings of old, were unconfirmed by mankind for thousands of years until the recent past when many of the facts were found to be true, despite earlier skepticism from the scientific community.
We also find Laws of Divine Establishment for the entire human race, not just a chosen few. These laws express God’s desire for His creation. Some portions of Scripture are direct quotes from God, or times when He spoke directly to man. The Bible is a book not only of doctrine, but it also contains devotional literature, such as is found in Psalms and Proverbs.
The Bible is so accurate that it even records falsehoods or lies of people and Satan. What we have been given by God is a record of His Divine Viewpoint Thinking – His plan, His purpose, and His will for the human race. And He has made sure that it has been preserved throughout the centuries.
“Thy Word have I hid in my heart (the thinking portion of the soul), that I might not sin against Thee.”(Psalm 119:11)
Since we have can confidence the Bible is truly the Word of God, we must be diligent in learning and applying it. The doctrine contained in God’s Word is meant to be our blueprint for Christian living. Therefore, we must orient ourselves to its teaching. The word “doctrinal” means pertaining to a teaching, a body of principles or a branch of knowledge. Orientation means familiarization with a particular person, thing, or field of knowledge. Doctrinal orientation, therefore, means to familiarize oneself with the teachings and principles of the Word of God. Bible doctrine is the word of God the Father. (Hebrews 4:12) It is the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16) and the voice of God the Holy Spirit. (Hebrews 3:7)
II Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.”
The Word of God is profitable for doctrine (the body of teaching that we believe), for reproof (the Word of God is a mirror into our souls so that we can evaluate ourselves before God), for correction (once we evaluate ourselves and find there needs to be corrective action, the Word of God gives the correct course of action), and for instruction in righteousness (once we discover the right course of action, the Word of God gives us a blueprint of how to accomplish our goal).
II Timothy 2:15, “Study to show yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of Truth.”