Category: Hermeneutics
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interpreting prophecy
Interpreting OT prophecy…. In our schooling we learned that different kinds of literature employ different conventions. Only by recognising the form of literature, knowing its conventions and applying them as we read can we grasp the author’s intended meaning. If we are unfamiliar with the genre (kind of literature) and its conventions we will misunderstand…
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interpreting ot prophecy…. literal and figurative
Interpreting OT prophecy…. In our schooldays we learned that there are different kinds of literature that employ different conventions. Only by recognising the form of literature, knowing its conventions and applying them as we read can we grasp the author’s intended meaning. If we are unfamiliar with the genre (kind of literature) and its conventions…
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sussing the sermon on the mount
It seems that The Sermon on the Mount has a negative press in large segments of evangelicalism. Some insist it is pure law and its purpose, like the Mosaic Covenant, is only to kill (Lutheranism and variants of it). Others also see it as law but think its primary focus is to instruct believers during…
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christ the end of the law
Romans 10:4-13 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in…
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chalke turns the grace of God into licence
Steve Chalke recently, ‘conducted a dedication and blessing service following the Civil Partnership of two wonderful gay Christians.’ Why? He wanted, ‘to extend to these people what I would do to others: the love and support of our local church. Too often, those who seek to enter an exclusive, same-sex relationship have found themselves stigmatised…
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can calvinists and arminians church together?
Well, the short answer is that in the church to which I belong both have for many years. Some in the church, if labelled, would be ‘moderate Calvinists’ and others ‘moderate Arminians’. I suspect both are ‘moderate’ because the influence of the other has protected from extremes. This does not mean there are no discussions …
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studying hermeneutics?
If you are studying principles of biblical interpretation (hermeneutics) you will find a wealth of material here and here.
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the story’s end is vital to rightly read the story
Douglas Green, in discussing Psalm 8 (here) makes this important and wise observation: ‘biblical texts should be read (by and large) in the context of the unfolding story of redemption. The meaning of a text varies depending on the way it is related to the larger story in which it is embedded. Each part of…
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a real adam and eve
Evangelicals are now being pressed by other evangelicals not only to jettison the literal historicity of the creation narrative but also the historicity of Adam and Eve. The first is just conceivable but the second seriously strains any integrity in biblical interpretation and seriously compromises the biblical salvation narrative. A few blogs consider some of…
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do nt writers misuse ot texts?
D A Carson has an excellent post on the NT use of OT texts that can be found here. Well worth reading.
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hermeneutics in a galaxy not far from here
Justin Taylor has a good post on ‘over-interpreting’ the Bible. It is spot on. Another ‘spot on’ post is Tim Keller’s on the historicity of Adam and Eve. Read them both; the second combats issues which well illustrate the concerns of the first.
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questions we must shelve
It has become quite trendy to assume asking questions in the Christian faith is a good thing. And of course by and large it is. However, not all questions are good. We saw in the last post that questions ostensibly asked to inquire can really be intended to subvert. Satan is a master at this…
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the devil’s hermeneutic
Gen 3:1-5 (ESV) Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit…
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speaking biblically
Whatever the rights and wrongs of the Federal Vision folks, I like some of their hermeneutical aspirations. Let me cite a few examples. We affirm… that Scripture is to be our guide in learning how to interpret Scripture, and this means we must imitate the apostolic handling of the Old Testament, paying close attention to…
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d a carson: trials of biblical studies
D. A. Carson’s article on ‘The Trials of Biblical Studies’ can be sourced via Euangelion. It is an article well worth reading even by those of us who are not professional scholars. Lessons are there for us all. Moreover, he exposes with authority what instinctively concerns many of us. Below are a few quotations to…
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what to do when the bible baffles
Read Kevin De Young’s blog of the above title. It is first class. Absolutely first class.
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bible reading
If reading the Bible devotionally (to commune with the Lord and discover his will) do so critically (seeking to understand it in context and to be alert to its language, nuances, connections etc): if reading the Bible critically (for exegetical reasons) do so devotionally (allow it to speak to your heart).
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is adam a real person?
Is Adam a real person? Evolutionary pressures are causing otherwise orthodox theologians to give ground on this question. Whatever the literary genre of Gen 1-3, we must ask the following: If Adam and Eve are not historical then who gave birth to Cain and Abel (Gen 4:1)? Are they mythological too? If so what about…
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parallelomania
The assumption is made today that we cannot properly understand the Bible unless we understand the cultural milieu in which it was first set. Consequently a great deal of energy is poured into reading sources current to that of the Biblical book under consideration and then shaping the interpretation of the biblical book on the…
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can you say shibboleth
Cultures are defined by their history and their language. In fact, their history creates their language and their language preserves and explains their history. Thus a culture is a community of people who share in a common history and language. Language is powerfully cohesive (and divisive). When God wanted to scatter peoples across the earth…
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singing while studying Scripture
In his introduction to Athanasius’s On the Incarnation, C.S. Lewis writes, “I believe that many who find that ‘nothing happens’ when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in…
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a plea for care in theological language
Jason Meyer in his book ‘The End of the Law’ has a suggestion via Stephen Wellum that is sensible even if unlikely to be taken onboard. Wellum says: we should put a ‘moratorium’ on using language like the ‘covenant of grace’ and speak instead of the ‘one plan of God’ or ‘the eternal purposes of…
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interpreting the apocalypse
Cafè Apocalypsis is a site to explore for those interested in engaging with theology not straightjacketed by confessional stands. This blog on Seven Tips for Interpreting Symbols in the Apocalypse is a good example of a helpful blog. Of course, it does assume the Apocalypse of John is symbolic and not literal. For many of…
Cave Adullam 