Hey y’all!
I am currently in Orlando at the Ligonier Ministries conference. The theme of the lectures this year is “Tough Questions Christians Face,” and it has been a good mix of theology, worldview studies, biblical studies and ministry application. There are thousands of people attending, and it’s really encouraging to see so many people interested in intellectual, passionate, orthodox Christianity. As would be expected, there are plenty of clean-cut white guys in khakis and collared shirts (I numbered myself among these), and the mandatory detachment of 45-year-old Baptist pastors with crew cuts in suits (very nice guys), but there is a sizeable representation of cool people too: guys with tattooed arms and soul patches, girls with scarves, teenagers, and a bunch of serious young black men with portfolios. Many people brought their kids too, all of which encourages me to no end that biblical Christianity is still reaching the world and is still relevant.
Praise be to God!
My favorite lecture of the day came from a man named Derek Thomas. Being fairly new to the crowd I heard called “The Young and Restless and Reformed” I had not heard of him before, but I will be listening from now on. He spoke on “How do we know which interpretation is right?” He gave some very insightful remarks, which I will let him speak for himself when I bring the DVDs back to Georgia. For now I wanted to share a very helpful guide to biblical interpretation which he outlined.
First, before he got into the plan, he gave one general rule as a starting point for interpretation: Begin humbly (and, I would add, prayerfully). Always assume that the biblical writers were at least as smart as you are—if there seems to be a contradiction, they probably saw it too, and there is probably an accessible explanation for it.
Derek Thomas’ 10-Point Plan for Scriptural Interpretation
1. We must have a hermeneutic for ordinary people.
-using the ‘ordinary means of grace’ (Bible studies, good preaching, dependable commentaries, et c.), a layman is and ought to be able to understand the fundamental truths of the Bible.
2. Scripture has one meaning.
-although it has many applications, there is one meaning to the text because behind all the authors lies one mind.
3. Scripture is its own interpreter.
-we cannot build a complex doctrine based on only one verse or word. To that end,
4. Interpret obscure passages in the light of those which are clear.
-Thomas used the example of 1 Peter 3:19, “the spirits in prison.” Does it mean purgatory? It cannot, based on the entire rest of the Bible. Incidentally, he said he was not at all sure what it did mean, but was positive about what it did not mean!
5. Pay attention to genre.
-is it a poem? a historical account? an apocalypse written in symbols? As beautiful as the imagery of the Psalms can be, in Thomas’ words, “God is not a chicken.”
6. Remember that the writers sometimes said more than what they knew.
-the Old Testament was written through historical people, by the Spirit of God who exists outside of time, so we are able and even required to apply an interpretation forward as well as backward historically through the books of the Bible.
7. There is a difference between description and prescription.
-when we read about a wish to dash children against rocks or Noah’s drunkenness, it’s not necessarily a license to do the same.
-we must interpret the historical passages in the light of the didactic and the moral ones.
8. NO interpretation can ever contradict the Gospel!
-does this need further explanation?
9. Be careful about word studies.
-the etymology and cognates of shalom may or may not be helpful for truthful interpretation. These make for great sermons, but not always great theology.
10. Beware of a ‘false Christocentrism.’
-sounds heretical, right? But that’s not really what he’s saying. The point is, not every verse is talking explicitly about the person of Jesus (although you could sell a million copies of a book that attempted to show that).
-Rather than ask at every obscure verse “What is this saying about Jesus?” instead we should ask, “What is Jesus saying in this passage to me?”
Amen.
- Delivered at the 2010 Ligonier Conference on June 18, Orlando, FL
Very good note taking, Elijah. Very well done.
I’m not sure about the probability of an accessible explanation. Maybe by probably is meant usually. Maybe that is true. But I have long thought that some of the apparent difficulties in the Bible may have no accessible solution because: 1. God designed that his people should be exercised to say, “Based on what I know about God and the Bible elsewhere, I believe (evidentially) that there is no problem here except in my limited understanding” which is to their edification of faith. 2. That the non-elect should scoff unjustifiably and be hardened in their unbelief so that in the day of judgement they may be shown to have turned away from God based on their own pride and self-confidence in their own wisdom, so that God may be more glorified in their just condemnation.
On another note, I appreciate you not putting me in any of the categories you outlined for the attendees.