Navigating the Crisis of Biblical Interpretation

 

Summary

In our exploration of biblical interpretation, we delve into the foundational principles and concepts that guide our understanding of Scripture. Interpreting the Bible is akin to both an art and a science. Like art, it requires a sensitivity to nuance and context, but as a science, it demands adherence to objective principles and methods. In the modern era, the interpretation of art has often embraced subjectivism, where the meaning is left to the viewer's interpretation. This approach, if applied to Scripture, would lead to chaos, as it would strip the Bible of its objective meaning, which is the intent of its divine Author.

The crisis of biblical interpretation, or hermeneutics, is not new. It has been a point of contention throughout church history, with significant challenges arising during the emergence of liberal theology in the 19th century. This school of thought sought to de-supernaturalize the Bible, focusing instead on extracting ethical teachings while discarding the miraculous. This approach necessitated a reinterpretation of Scripture to align with modern sensibilities, a trend that continues to influence contemporary hermeneutics.

Today, we face a multitude of competing hermeneutical schools. The classical Grammatico-Historical method seeks to understand Scripture within its original historical and grammatical context, aiming to bridge the gap between the ancient text and modern application. In contrast, the Religious-Historical method, influenced by evolutionary thought, views Scripture as a product of its time, evolving from primitive religious ideas. The existential approach, or the new hermeneutic, prioritizes personal, subjective experience over historical context, allowing Scripture to be reinterpreted according to individual existential situations.

This crisis mirrors broader cultural shifts, such as the reinterpretation of the U.S. Constitution based on contemporary standards rather than original intent. Such relativism threatens the objective foundation of both legal and theological frameworks. As we continue this journey, we seek to uphold an objective method of interpretation that honors the unchanging truth of Scripture, ensuring that the Jesus we follow remains the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Key Takeaways:

1. Interpreting Scripture as Art and Science: Understanding the Bible requires both an artistic sensitivity to its nuances and a scientific adherence to objective principles. This dual approach helps us avoid the chaos of subjective interpretation, ensuring that we seek the true intent of the divine Author. [02:51]

2. The Crisis of Hermeneutics: The church faces a significant crisis in biblical interpretation, rooted in historical challenges like 19th-century liberal theology, which sought to strip the Bible of its supernatural elements. This crisis underscores the need for a return to objective hermeneutical methods. [09:24]

3. Grammatico-Historical Method: This classical approach emphasizes understanding Scripture within its original historical and grammatical context. By reconstructing the first-century setting, we can bridge the gap between ancient texts and modern application, preserving the Bible's objective meaning. [16:07]

4. Religious-Historical and Existential Methods: These modern approaches often prioritize contemporary relevance or personal experience over historical context. While they offer insights, they risk distorting the original message of Scripture, leading to a relativistic interpretation that undermines its authority. [19:54]

5. The Importance of Objective Interpretation: Just as the reinterpretation of the U.S. Constitution based on contemporary standards threatens its foundational role, so too does subjective biblical interpretation threaten the church's theological integrity. Upholding an objective hermeneutic is vital for maintaining the unchanging truth of Scripture. [28:11]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:34] - Opening Prayer
- [01:20] - Interpreting Scripture: Art or Science?
- [02:51] - Subjectivism in Art and Scripture
- [04:28] - Objective Meaning in Scripture
- [05:46] - The Science of Hermeneutics
- [07:18] - Understanding Hermeneutics
- [09:24] - The Crisis of Hermeneutics
- [10:46] - Liberal Theology and Its Impact
- [12:31] - Relevance of the Gospel
- [14:47] - Modern Hermeneutical Challenges
- [16:07] - Grammatico-Historical Method
- [19:54] - Religious-Historical Method
- [23:13] - Documentary Hypothesis
- [25:08] - Existential Approach
- [28:11] - Relativism and Its Dangers

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) - "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
2. Hebrews 13:8 (NIV) - "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

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Observation Questions:

1. How does the sermon describe the dual nature of interpreting the Bible as both an art and a science? [01:20]
2. What historical challenges to biblical interpretation were highlighted in the sermon, particularly those arising in the 19th century? [10:04]
3. What are the key differences between the Grammatico-Historical method and the Religious-Historical method of biblical interpretation? [16:07]
4. How does the sermon relate the reinterpretation of the U.S. Constitution to the crisis in biblical hermeneutics? [28:11]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. In what ways does the sermon suggest that subjective interpretation of Scripture can lead to chaos within the church? [03:45]
2. How does the Grammatico-Historical method aim to preserve the original meaning of Scripture, and why is this important according to the sermon? [17:28]
3. What are the potential dangers of the existential approach to biblical interpretation as discussed in the sermon? [25:42]
4. How does the sermon argue that relativism in interpretation threatens the theological integrity of the church? [28:11]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your own approach to reading the Bible. Do you tend to interpret it more subjectively or objectively? How might you adjust your approach to align with the principles discussed in the sermon? [03:45]
2. Consider a time when you encountered a challenging passage in the Bible. How did you go about interpreting it, and what methods did you use? How might the Grammatico-Historical method have changed your understanding? [17:28]
3. The sermon warns against the dangers of relativism. In what ways might you be influenced by contemporary cultural standards when interpreting Scripture, and how can you guard against this? [28:11]
4. How can you ensure that your understanding of Jesus remains consistent with the unchanging truth of Scripture, as emphasized in the sermon? [28:58]
5. Think about a recent sermon or Bible study you attended. How did the interpretation of Scripture align with the methods discussed in the sermon? What could have been done differently to ensure a more objective understanding?
6. Identify a specific area in your life where you might be tempted to reinterpret Scripture to fit personal preferences or experiences. How can you seek accountability in this area to maintain theological integrity? [25:42]
7. How can you apply the principles of objective biblical interpretation in your daily Bible reading to deepen your understanding and application of God's Word? [05:46]

Devotional

Day 1: The Dual Nature of Biblical Interpretation
Understanding the Bible requires both an artistic sensitivity to its nuances and a scientific adherence to objective principles. This dual approach helps us avoid the chaos of subjective interpretation, ensuring that we seek the true intent of the divine Author. The art of interpretation involves recognizing the beauty and depth of Scripture, while the science demands a disciplined approach to uncover its truths. By balancing these aspects, we can appreciate the richness of the Bible and remain faithful to its intended message. [02:51]

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12, ESV)

Reflection: How can you cultivate both an artistic appreciation and a scientific approach to your personal Bible study this week?


Day 2: The Historical Crisis of Hermeneutics
The church faces a significant crisis in biblical interpretation, rooted in historical challenges like 19th-century liberal theology, which sought to strip the Bible of its supernatural elements. This crisis underscores the need for a return to objective hermeneutical methods. Liberal theology attempted to align Scripture with modern sensibilities, often at the expense of its miraculous and divine aspects. Today, this challenge persists, calling believers to uphold a method of interpretation that respects the Bible's supernatural origins and its timeless truths. [09:24]

"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you ensure that your interpretation of Scripture remains faithful to its supernatural elements and divine inspiration?


Day 3: The Grammatico-Historical Method
This classical approach emphasizes understanding Scripture within its original historical and grammatical context. By reconstructing the first-century setting, we can bridge the gap between ancient texts and modern application, preserving the Bible's objective meaning. This method requires diligent study and a willingness to immerse oneself in the cultural and linguistic background of the biblical text. By doing so, we honor the original intent of the authors and gain a deeper understanding of God's message for us today. [16:07]

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16, ESV)

Reflection: How can you incorporate the grammatico-historical method into your Bible study routine to gain a deeper understanding of Scripture?


Day 4: The Risks of Modern Hermeneutical Methods
Modern approaches like the Religious-Historical and Existential methods often prioritize contemporary relevance or personal experience over historical context. While they offer insights, they risk distorting the original message of Scripture, leading to a relativistic interpretation that undermines its authority. These methods can be appealing in their flexibility but may lead to interpretations that stray from the Bible's intended meaning. It is crucial to remain vigilant and discerning, ensuring that personal experiences and modern perspectives do not overshadow the timeless truths of Scripture. [19:54]

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2, ESV)

Reflection: How can you guard against allowing personal experiences or contemporary culture to distort your understanding of Scripture?


Day 5: Upholding Objective Interpretation
Just as the reinterpretation of the U.S. Constitution based on contemporary standards threatens its foundational role, so too does subjective biblical interpretation threaten the church's theological integrity. Upholding an objective hermeneutic is vital for maintaining the unchanging truth of Scripture. This commitment requires a steadfast dedication to the principles of sound interpretation, resisting the temptation to mold Scripture to fit personal or cultural preferences. By doing so, we ensure that the Jesus we follow remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. [28:11]

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8, ESV)

Reflection: What steps can you take to ensure that your interpretation of Scripture remains objective and faithful to its original intent?

Quotes


There's a sense in which interpreting the Bible is an art. Maybe even it would be better to call it a science, but for a moment at least, let's stick with the analogy of art. I think of the category of art because of the problems that we've all been able to recognize in twentieth century culture of a new wave of art that has swept across the landscape of our culture, and in many cases bringing a sense of confusion and chaos. [00:00:56]

And one of the questions that the art critic is interested in, and the layman as well when he visits an art gallery or sees a painting in "Time" magazine, is what is the meaning of this painting? Or what is the sculptor trying to say with his latest masterpiece? And we went through a period of art in the last twenty-five years where there was kind of a freewheeling artistic expression where the artist was asked, "What did you mean by your painting?" and his response was, "I meant whatever you find in it." [00:02:49]

Now that has provoked a kind of crisis in the field of biblical understanding because in that approach to art, if we would transfer it to the Bible, would leave us with no guidelines of objectivity, no rules by which we can discover an objective meaning. Now remember the framework that I'm working on here is the assertion that I've made that there is in fact only one ultimately correct meaning to Scripture, an objective meaning, and it's the meaning that the author of Scripture had in mind. [00:04:08]

Now if we take that view of the Bible, that there is an objective meaning, then we need to look at the Bible and the whole business of interpreting the Bible not only as an art, but as a science. And in fact, there is a science, an academic discipline, a particular subdivision of theology that is exclusively concerned for looking at the scientific rules and methods and principles that ought to govern our attempts to interpret the Scripture. [00:05:33]

Now there is a sense in which the science of biblical interpretation has provoked a major, very major and serious crisis for the church. Now when theologians discuss this crisis, they talk about it in terms of a technical word for it, which is the word "hermeneutics." Some of you perhaps have never even heard the word; other ones, you'll let it fall off your lips very casually in normal conversation -- the hermeneutical problem here, and so on -- and you may be very knowledgeable of the disputes that are involved in that field. [00:07:19]

And so-called nineteenth century liberalism had its own kind of crisis. It came to the conclusion that the simple natural elements of the biblical content were no longer believable in a modern, industrialized, scientific world, and that if we were to extract anything from the Bible of lasting value, of contemporary value, we had to de super-naturalize the New Testament and the Old Testament, and so there was, in effect, a crisis of belief. [00:10:46]

But these were people who controlled major theological seminaries, colleges, universities, and they had at their disposal vast memberships in large church groups; in fact, in some cases, entire denominations, and they say, "Wait a minute, the church is an institution that still has a very significant impact on the culture, and we have this following. Why should we just close the doors of the church and turn them into museums, why should we just jettison Christianity? [00:12:13]

Now the second method which was developed in the nineteenth century was called the Religious-Historical Method, the religious-historical method. Now that represented an approach to Scripture that grew out of a whole sweeping movement of philosophy and changing of thinking and method that was characteristic of the nineteenth century. If there was a buzz word in nineteenth century intellectual thought, it was the word, "evolution." [00:19:54]

The third one and the one that is most influential in our day, I'm going to call broadly the existential school of thought. The existential school of thought, which has given us the so-called new hermeneutic says that we're not really interested in the original historical situation because it doesn't relate to us today. What we need is a theology that is timeless, that is not bound to the first century or even bound to the twentieth century, but transcends that all, that redemption is something that doesn't happen along historical lines, but it happens vertically, directly from above. [00:25:08]

The governing principle of constitutionality has become consistent with contemporary community standards, which change and change and change because we've brought into a view of relativism. There are no absolutes, there are no abiding principles, and if that's the case, then the Constitution itself can no longer function as an objective foundational guide for future behavior, and so you can actually change the Constitution not by a constitutional amendment but by simply reinterpreting it. [00:28:00]

That's the kind of crisis we have in the Christian faith, in the Christian church, and that's why the science of hermeneutics is vital, because if the new hermeneutic prevails, then we will have a Jesus who is not the same yesterday, today, and forever, but a Jesus who goes through as many changes as the theologians who are interpreting Him. [00:28:52]

We're going to be searching for an objective method, and we're going to be examining ways to establish it throughout the rest of this course. [00:29:22]

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Transcript
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