General Context
Principles of Interpretation 1 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction:
Introduction:
Context is where the bible student sometimes gets himself into trouble.
If we are considering context that is outside of the scriptures we are assuming certain conclusions.
That the history is correct.
That our assumptions about a certain individuals and their writing styles is correct.
That the manner in which the word is being used is correct.
Context is one of those terms that everyone throws around but few actually understand or appreciate.
This is a very bold statement that I do not necessarily believe is completely accurate.
I do agree that context is important but i do not agree that every bible student has to agree with Kevin.
Do not take me wrong every bible student can agree and should agree with the Scriptures.
derived from Latin, this compound word means “with the text.”
This is were we get ourselves into trouble when we attempt to bring something into the text that is not in the Scriptures.
In 1 Cor. 4:6 we are warned about this very idea.
6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other.
In Galatians 1:6-10 Paul gives a very stern warning against changing God’s word.
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
John warns against this as well in Revelation 22:18-19.
18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Moses warned several times about turning to the right or to the left of God’s commandments.
31 But as for you, stand here by Me, and I will speak to you all the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I am giving them to possess.’ 32 “Therefore you shall be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 33 You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.
14 “When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’ 17 Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. 18 “Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.
This concept even applied to the kings of Isreal.
Notice how similar Deuteronomy 17:20 is to 1 Corinthians 4:6-7.
6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. 7 For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
1 “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God: 3 “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. 4 “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. 5 “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. 7 “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. 8 “The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. 9 “The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. 10 Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. 11 And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. 14 So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Kevin says “it is never enough therefore to say, ‘It means what it says.’”
Again I disagree with this statement.
God’s word is straight forward most of the time.
For example Mark 16.15-16 is merely straight forward and the statement it means what it says is relevant.
15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Kevin goes on to say “This is only the text, the words. Every text has its own history and its own particular place in the larger scheme of the writing.”
Though I do agree that every text has its own history and own particular place in the Scriptures. The only history that matters is the history revealed in the Scriptures all other history can only be assumed relevant. As to a passages place in the larger scheme of the writings or Scriptures this can only be achieved by studying the relevant materiel which again is only the Scriptures.
Kevin then says “To ignore these, as many are prone to do, is to turn a blind eye to essential information.”
If we are bring something into the bible or as Kevin say “with the text” then we are turning a blind eye to what the bible itself says.
We either have all things that pertain to life and godliness through knowledge of Him or we do not.
3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
We either have the ability to be complete or perfect through the Scriptures or we do not.
We are either are thoroughly equipped for every good work through the Scriptures or we are not.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
It can not be both to any of these statements.
Kevin says “The result is that people believe they understand a passage of scripture when all they really understand are the words.”
I would say that the result we are striving to obtain as a bible student should be only the understanding of the words of the bible.
Kevin is right somewhat here because to merely understand the English words is not enough.
You might be thinking Corey you are contradicting yourself but I am not because the actual Scriptures are not in English.
So to actually get the true meaning of the Scriptures is go back to the Greek and Hebrew to make sure the English translation is correct.
So this is not adding anything to the Scriptures like outs history. It is merely going back to the actual words it was originally pinned in.
Now there is nothing wrong with a good translation because Jesus himself used a translation when quoting the Old Testament.
Septuagint referred to as the LXX
Kevin says “They often assume incorrectly that because the same word is used in two different places that it must refer to the same doctrine or concept.”
Kevin is right here when speaking about the English.
For example our English word love in the Greek is translated by several different words.
In order to be talking about the same principle the same Greek word must be used.
For example agape is translated love in our English bible but every time the word love appears in the English it is not alway agape.
Kevin says “Far too many try to interpret the Bible as if it had been written today directly to them.”
This is often the excuse to ignore something in the bible as just cultural.
But God considered culture and wrote a book through inspiration transcends culture and still applies to us.
9 That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us.
Though it was not written to us directly the people of biblical times are not so drastically different from us that the principles in the bible do not directly apply to us.
I would dare to say that we need to be careful when we call something cultural that God found necessary to preserve for all times in the Scriptures.
Most of the time we want to use context or culture to explain away something that God told the people of the time to make it easier for the people of this time to hear it because we have become unaccustomed to obeying it.
For example women's roles in the church.
Kevin says “They then try to twist every piece of information in such a fashion as to make it apply directly instead of accepting the reality that the Bible was written years ago by individuals to particular people who had particular problems.”
Parts of this statement I agree with.
We are not to twist the Scriptures but I do not think that twisting the Scriptures is limited to what only what Kevin is speaking about.
Matter of fact if we add history or context that is not right we twist the Scriptures.
Again the only context that will always be one hundred percent right is the context that is provided in the Scriptures.
Again I agree that the bible was written hundreds of years ago to a particular people.
The slight disagreement I have is the implication that we do not have the same identical problems today.
And if we have the same problems then we need the identical remedy. We have not change so much that we do not understand what they were going through.