Hermeneutics - Lesson 1

I will be using “Understanding God’s Word” by David K Bernard and “Grasping God’s Word” by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays as sort of our textbooks as we study throughout this year.

Today, we are going to cover chapters 1, “God’s Inspired Word” From David K Bernard’s, Understanding God’s Word.

God’s inspired Word

For the Word of God to make an impact upon our lives, we must believe and obey its message. In order to believe and obey, we must understand. Proper understanding is the basis for hermeneutics, or the science and art of interpretation.

What we think about the Bible will greatly affect how we interpret the Bible

The bible is God’s Word

If we believe in God we should also believe in His Word!

God took the time to create us as rational beings, and with the need and ability to communicate, both with humans and also with him (prayer) it would make sense God would also communicate with us.

We should expect to find God’s Word among us.

How can we know what is God’s Word?

We could expect God’s Word to:

identify itself clearly and convincingly

To tell the truth about the human condition

To contain content worthy of its author

To address our deepest spiritual needs

1. The Bible invites us to investigate and prove the truth for ourselves.

1 Thessalonians 5:21 NASB95

21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;

and admonishes us to be prepared to explain the basis of our faith to others.

1 Peter 3:15 NASB95

15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

2. The Bible asserts its unique status as the Word of God, and it speaks with self-vindicating authority.

the Bible does not hide nor why away from its claim to be the inspired Word of God.

Therefore, if we accept that Jesus Christ is Lord, we will also accept the authority of the Bible.

3. We can establish that the Bible is God’s Word by examining its claims, character and historical and scientific verification , and impact upon human society.

The fulfilled prophecies of the scriptures are an amazing testimony to its supernatural origin.

4. By applying it to our lives, receiving its promises, and experiencing its dynamic power personally.

The Inspiration of the Bible

The author of the Bible is God himself (2 Timothy 3:16)

Inspired by God = God-breathed

The image is of God breathing out words from his mouth, creating scripture similar to the way He created the universe. (Psalms 33:6)

This is not simply using inspiration as the urge or the impulse that moves a poet, a story teller or a musician, it specifically refers to an action by God

Inspiration means “A supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit upon divinely chosen men in consequence of which their writings become trustworthy and authoritative”.

Every Word was inspired…even the writers themselves, through they understood the words that were being given them, did not always understand every implication or manner of fulfilment

The inspiration of Scripture extends to every word, a concept that theologians often call verbal inspiration.

Small phrases of scripture are important and are valid sources of instruction.

Individual word’s of the scripture are important. (Jeremiah 26:2) (Revelation 22:18-19)

Even the individual letters of scriptural words are consequential (Matthew 5:18)

Jot - Smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet

Tittle - Small stroke of the pen that distinguishes certain Hebrew letters from others.

Inspiration by God extends to all parts of the Bible; The Bible is fully and completely God’s Word!

While the Bible is fully God’s Word, it is also written by humans.

Some supposed that that God mechanically dictated word for word to people who acted as mere scribes or secretaries.

It is clear that some passages were directly dictated, such as the ten commandments

However, the dictation theory does not account for the clear variations in style among the biblical books

It is evident that personality, culture and background of the various Biblical writers affected what they wrote.

it is apparent that most of the scripture was not mechanical dictation or divine ecstacy but consciously chose words to express the message of God they received inwardly through spiritual communion with him.

b. On the other extreme, some suppose that God inspired thoughts or concepts without necessarily inspiring each word.

Implication is that there are some factual errors, although no theological errors.

Some go even further, saying that God elevated human writings to inspired status, with the bible still containing some theological and factual errors.

However, the Bible claims inspiration for each word, and proclaims itself to be completely true.

c. The Bible is the product of both divine and human action.

God chose and prepared writers suited to His purpose.

While human writers employed words that reflected their language, culture, personality, education, experience, circumstances, and style, God guided the process so that each word would accurately convey His message. The vocabulary is the writers, but the message is God’s.

The Authority of the Bible

Because the bible is God’s word, we must obey its message.

The authority of Scripture — Its right and power to command our belief and obedience — is based on the inspiration of Scripture.

The bible is God’s revelation to us, and as such it is our sole authority for doctrine, salvation and Christian living. (Psalm 119:11, 50, 93, 105; John 5:39-40; Galatians 1:8-9; 1 Timothy 4:13-16; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 4:2; James 1:21-22)

We must allow the scriptures to determine our worldview, our purpose in life; and our way of life. Our response to its authority and message will determine our eternal destiny.

The Truthfulness of the Bible

The Bible is infallible - Never wrong; incapable of error; not subject to mistake or failure. It is neither misleading nor mislead. It is a reliable, trustworthy guide in all manners

The characteristics of truth that are essential to its nature:

Absolute: Not relative; not dependent on anything else; real; actual (Romans 3:4)

Precise: Accurately stated; correct even to minute details (Proverbs 30:5)

Immutable: Never changing; Constant (Psalms 119:89)

Whole: Entire; complete; to be taken as a whole body (Deuteronomy 4:2; Psalm 19:7)

Consistent: In agreement or harmony, in accord; not contradictory (Psalm 119:160)

Eternal: Everlasting; timeless (Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35)

Unbreakable: Incapable of failing, being disproved, or being destroyed (1 Kings 8:56; John 10:35)

Irrevocable: Incapable of being withdrawn, repealed or cancelled (Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:44; Acts 1:16)

Since the whole Bible is infallible, it is inerrant - Without error.

The Bible is God’s Word communicated through humans yet without error.

The inerrancy of the scriptures still allows for the following

Recoding of false statements and sinful actions by Bible characters

Illustrations, figures of speech, and literary devices, including parables, poetry, similes, and metaphors.

Quotations from nonbiblical sources.

Use of non-scientific, phenomenal, or cultural relative speech

Different personalities, styles, and modes of expression.

Adaptation to the limitations of human thinking.

General statements of accounts, including indirect dialogue, summaries, and stylized presentations. We must read the Scriptures according to the customs, standards, and modes of understanding of the times in which they were written.

Errors of transmission. we seek to identify and eliminate such errors through textual criticism. (study and comparison of ancient manuscripts)

In addition to these, we should consider the following points when we encounter difficulties or seeming discrepancies in Scripture:

The Bible does not always say everything on a subject at once.

Not everything in the bible is clear to us, because of our distance from the original situation.

The Bible sometimes describes similar but different events or the same events from different points of view.

Errors sometimes exist in our understanding of science and history. Moreover, the Bible doesn’t try to give us full understanding in these areas.

We may be incorrect in our interpretation.

The Canon

The cannon is the list of books accepted as the scripture. By definition, the books that belong in the canon are the books inspired by God.

Humans have no authority or ability to create scripture, therefore the church does not determine, form or judge the canon.

God determines the canon and the people of God discover and acknowledge the canon.

How do the people of God discover the canon?

Historically, it appears that when a book of the Bible was originally written, God’s people in that generation recognized it as inspired of God primarily on the basis of authorship of content. Subsequent generations also looked at the history of its reception by the people of God.

The guidance of the Holy Spirit

God not only inspired the scripture initially but also ensured that we would be able to recognize it.

2. Recognized Old Testament prophets kept a register of prophetic writings as God inspired them. God’s people recognized the ongoing process. The Old Testament canon was probably complete by about 400 BC and was recognized as being closed no later than the second century BC.

Josephus, first century historian, as well as the Talmud, the ancient collection of rabbinical writings attest to the Jewish canon.

The Dead Sea scrolls, which date from the third century B.C. to the first century AD, also provide important evidence.

Includes fragments of all canonical books except Esther as well as other writings that allude to most of the canonical books except Esther. It also includes a number of commentaries, but only on those canonical books

The Jew’s, Gods chosen people under the old covenant, recognized the books of the Old Testament as God’s Word and transmitted the books to us. Jesus and the apostles accepted the Old Testament as God’s Word. They used scripture to reason with Jewish opponents without a hint that their canon was any different

3. For the New Testament, the primary test of canonicity is apostolic authority. Of the nine authors, five were recognized as Apostles, in the sense that they were eye witnesses of Jesus and founding leaders of the first century church. (Matthew, John, Peter, Paul and James accounting for 22 books)

For the remaining five books, the authors (Mark, Luke, Jude, and the author of Hebrews) were closely associated with the apostles.

the Apostles and their associates were uniquely qualified to write the New Testament.

It is apparent the early church accepted the apostolic writings as inspired shortly after they were written.

1 Timothy 5:18 quotes a saying of Jesus, recorded in Luke 10:7 as scripture.

2 Peter 3:15-16 refer’s to Paul’s epistles as Scripture.

We accept the biblical canon by faith, based upon the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

He validated the Old Testament canon of the Jews, and the New Testament canon preserves the preaching and teaching of the Apostles that he called and commissioned.

When we study the Bible, hear its voice of authority, and trace its providential history, the Spirit bears witness with our spirit that its sixty-six books are the Word of God.

Translations

Our best option would be to read the Bible in its original language.

If this is not possible, we should select relatively literal translations for primary reading and study. There are at least two reasons why

The doctrine of verbal inspiration shows that each word of the scripture is significant and not merely the general ideas.

The authoritative nature of Scripture and the purposes for which God gave it indicate that we need to study its meaning carefully and not merely be content with general understanding.

Literal translations attempt as much as possible to translate word for word but not so rigidly that it violates normal English usage.

King James Version

New King James Version

New American Standard Bible

English Standard version

Paraphrase versions of the bible take verses and put them into different words to translate the meaning of the thought, rather than focusing on the importance of every word.

These can be helpful as an introduction or a sort of commentary, but should not be equated with scripture.

Conclusion

2 Timothy 2:15 admonishes that we rightly divide, or correctly handle the word of truth, treating it in a workmanlike fashion.

In other words, if we expect to receive God’s approval, we must read, study, interpret, preach and teach the Bible in a careful, thorough, and correct manner.

In order for us to benefit from the Bible, not only must we read and study it, but we must believe and obey it. The link between reading and obeying is interpreting the Bible.

this class will ensure that we are correctly applying principles of interpretation for our own understanding but also so that we are correctly declaring the Words of life to those whom he would entrust us to speak before