0.2 Overview of Interpretive Methods

Insufficient Interpretive Approaches

The “Whatever Strikes Me” method

Probably the most common method used by Bible-believing Christians

Highly subjective

Fails to account for culture differences between original audience and current reader

Occasionally gets it right

The “What this passage means to me” method

“There is no such thing as objective truth.”

“It’s up for interpretation.”

“The reader determines meaning.”

This method completely casts aside the authority of Scripture and puts the reader in complete control. You can make Scripture say whatever you want with this method.

The “Literal” method

“I just take the Bible literally.” Really? Even the figurative passages?

If you did this, you’d end up in jail and you would not be a Christian.

No one really does this with all of Scripture. But in the absence of any good guidance, the reader is left to arbitrarily decide which passages he/she will interpret “literally” and which ones he/she won’t.

Interpreting the Bible is like building a house.

There is no single “right” methodology which guarantees success, even if you’re working from the same blueprint.

Some builders prefer to use a nailgun, others like to hand nail

Each builder is going to have his own preference for the precise order of construction and which tools he’s going to use

Each Bible interpreter is going to have their favorite tools and use a methodology which makes sense to them

But, there are many wrong ways to do it.

There may not be one particular right method to build a house, but there are some striking similarities in the approaches used by good home builders. (i.e., they all start with the foundation, set studs on 16” centers, etc.)

And you can usually tell when a builder deviates from these principles too much; it produces shoddy workmanship

Good Bible interpretation has some fundamental principles which, if not followed, can derail the process and produce flawed interpretations

My goal is to teach you how to build the house (aka, “interpret the Bible”).

I’m going to show you a couple different approaches so you can see their strengths and weaknesses

I’ll point you to various tools

And we’ll practice along the way so that you get to try out your new tools and newly learned skills.

The Seven Arrows approach, by Matt Rogers and Donny Mathis

Rogers, Matt and Donny Mathis. Seven Arrows: Aiming Bible Readers in the Right Direction. Rainer Publishing. Spring Hill, TN: 2017.

Arrow 1: What does this passage say?

Summarize the passage in past tense and third person.

Consider Genres in this step

Arrow 2: What did this passage mean to its original audience?

Make use of Bible study tools to gain a better understanding of how this passage would have impacted its original readers.

Bible Dictionaries, Atlases, Study Bibles, Commentaries, etc.

Arrow 3: What does this passage tell us about God?

The Bible is primarily a story about God. What does this passage reveal about his character?

Arrow 4: What does this passage tell us about man?

The Bible is about God, but it was written for mankind. What does this passage reveal about humans?

Consider Fallen Condition Focus (FCF) in this step

Arrow 5: What does this passage demand of me?

What effect should this passage have on my daily life, attitudes, or beliefs?

Should I begin doing something or stop doing something?

Arrow 6: How does this passage change the way I relate to people?

Sin has broken our relationships with other people, as well.

How does this passage affect how I relate to others?

Arrow 7: How does this passage prompt me to pray to God?

Is there a sin I need to confess?

Do I need to ask God for help applying some truth to my life?

Grasping God’s Word, by Scott Duvall and Daniel Hays

Duvall, J. Scott, and J. Daniel Hays. Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible. Third Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012.

Step 1: Grasping the text in their town.

Question: “What did the text mean to the biblical audience?”

Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible Step 1: Grasping the Text in Their Town

The first part of Step 1 is to read the text carefully and observe it. In Step 1, try to see as much as possible in the text. Look, look, and look again, observing all that you can. Scrutinize the grammar and analyze all significant words. Likewise, study the historical and literary contexts. How does your passage relate to those that precede it and those that follow it?

After completing all of this study, synthesize the meaning of the passage for the biblical audience into one or two sentences. That is, write out what the passage meant for the biblical audience. Use past-tense verbs and refer to the biblical audience. For example:

God commanded the Israelites in Joshua 1 to …

Paul exhorted the Ephesians to …

Jesus encouraged his disciples by …

Be specific. Do not generalize or try to develop theological principles yet.

Step 2: Measuring the width of the river to cross.

Question: “What are the differences between the biblical audience and us?”

Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible Step 2: Measuring the Width of the River to Cross

As mentioned above, the Christian today is separated from the biblical audience by differences in culture, language, situation, time, and often covenant. These differences form a river that hinders us from moving straight from meaning in their context to meaning in ours. The width of the river, however, varies from passage to passage. Sometimes it is extremely wide, requiring a long, substantial bridge for crossing. Other times, however, it is a narrow creek that we can easily hop over. It is obviously important to know just how wide the river is before we start trying to construct a principlizing bridge across it.

In Step 2 you will take a good hard look at the river and determine just how wide it is for the passage you are studying. In this step you look for significant differences between our situation today and the situation of the biblical audience. If you are studying an Old Testament passage, also be sure to identify those significant theological differences that came as a result of the life and work of Jesus Christ.

In addition, whether in the Old Testament or in the New Testament, try to identify any unique aspects of the situation of your passage. For example, in Joshua 1:1–9, the people of Israel are preparing to enter the Promised Land. Moses has just died and Joshua has been appointed to take his place. In this passage God speaks to Joshua to encourage him to be strong and faithful in the upcoming conquest of the land. What are the differences? We are not entering or conquering the Promised Land. We are not the new leaders of the nation of Israel. We are not under the old covenant.

Step 3: Crossing the Principlizing Bridge

Question: “What is the theological principle in this text?”

Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible Step 3: Crossing the Principlizing Bridge

This is perhaps the most challenging step. In it you are looking for the theological principle or principles that are reflected in the meaning of the text you identified in Step 1. Remember that this theological principle is part of the meaning. Your task is not to create the meaning but to discover the meaning intended by the author. As God gives specific expressions to specific biblical audiences, he is also giving universal theological teachings for all of his people through these same texts.

To determine the theological principle, first recall the differences you identified in Step 2. Next, try to identify any similarities between the situation of the biblical audience and our situation. For example, consider Joshua 1:1–9 again. Recall, of course, the differences that we identified in Step 2. But then note the similarities between the biblical situation and our own. We are also the people of God, in covenant relationship (new covenant); while we are not the leaders of Israel, nonetheless many of us are in leadership positions in the church; we are not invading the Promised Land, but we are seeking to obey the will of God and to accomplish what he has commanded us to do.

After reviewing the differences and identifying the similarities, return to the meaning for the biblical audience that you described in Step 1 and try to identify a broader theological principle reflected in the text, but also one that relates to the similarities between us and the biblical audience. In essence, the theological principle is the same as the “theological message” or the “main theological point” of the passage. (We will discuss in more detail how to develop theological principles in chapter 10.) We will use this theological principle as the principlizing bridge by which we can cross over the river of differences.

We can summarize the criteria for formulating the theological principle with the following:

The principle should be reflected in the text.

The principle should be timeless and not tied to a specific situation.

The principle should not be culturally bound.

The principle should correspond to the teaching of the rest of Scripture.

The principle should be relevant to both the biblical and the contemporary audience.

Write out the theological principle (or principles) in one or two sentences. Use present-tense verbs.

Step 4: Consult the Biblical Map

Question: “How does our theological principle fit with the rest of the Bible?”

Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible Step 4: Consult the Biblical Map

During this step you must enter the parts-whole spiral. That is, you reflect back and forth between the text and the teachings of the rest of Scripture. Is your principle consistent with the rest of Scripture? Do other portions of Scripture add insight or qualification to the principle? If your principle is valid, it ought to “fit” or “correlate” with the rest of the Bible.

If you are studying an Old Testament passage, consulting the biblical map (Step 4) is especially important, for here you will run your theological principle through the grid of the New Testament, looking for what the New Testament adds to that principle or how the New Testament modifies it. Keep in mind that we read and interpret the Old Testament as Christians. That is, although we believe that the Old Testament is part of God’s inspired Word to us, we do not want to ignore the cross and thus interpret and apply this literature as if we were Old Testament Hebrews. We affirm that we are New Testament Christians, and we will interpret the Old Testament from that vantage point.

Thus at the end of this step, sometimes you will need to reword your theological principle slightly to ensure that it fits with the rest of Scripture. Don’t ignore the elements you initially drew on in Step 3, but now fine-tune your principle if it needs it.

Step 5: Grasping the text in our town.

Question: “How should individual Christians today live out the theological principles?”

Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible Step 5: Grasping the Text in Our Town

In Step 5 we apply the theological principle to the specific situation of individual Christians in the church today. We cannot leave the meaning of the text stranded in an abstract theological principle. We must now grapple with how we should respond to that principle in our town. How does it apply in real-life situations today?

While for each passage there will usually be only a few (and often only one) theological principles relevant for all Christians today, there will be numerous applicational possibilities. This is because Christians today find themselves in many different specific situations. Each of us will grasp and apply the same theological principle in slightly different ways, depending on our current life situation and where we are in our relationship with God. In our illustration, we have tried to show the different applications possible by showing different individuals traveling on different streets.