On Hermeneutics & Interpreting the Bible

I once heard a pastor say, “It doesn’t really matter what people think about the Bible.” He went on to explain that, in this statement, he is addressing a (mostly) “bible-belt phenomenon” in which people get together for informal Bible studies, “pool their collective ignorance”, and without any real authority on the matter claim “Well, I think the text means this or that.” He concludes that this practice reflects a break down of basic hermeneutical skills, because it empties the text of its objective meaning by making it dependent upon what a person brings to it.

Now, let me just say that I share this pastor’s concern. In our study of the Biblical text, we must give interpretive priority to the meaning that the original authors – both divine and human – intended in light of their historical and cultural context. However, it would be easy for someone with no seminary or bible college training to infer from this that it is impossible to really understand the Bible without the proper training in hermeneutics & Bible study methods. From this, they might even conclude that it is pointless to even read/study the Bible on their own or that they should really just leave study of the Bible to the “experts” (read scholars/pastors) who have been trained to do it. As the Apostle Paul would say, “May it never be!”

In other words, we must affirm, as one of our fundamental theological values, something called the perspicuity of Scripture. We must believe that the message of Holy Scripture is essentially clear and understandable to any and all who are willing to open its pages. Of course, this does not mean that every nuance is easily defined or that there are no obstacles to overcome in the interpretive process. However, it does mean that God has revealed himself in the Bible in a way that He meant for us to be able to understand.

Scripture can be and is read with profit, with appreciation and with transformative results. It is open and transparent to earnest readers; it is intelligible and comprehensible to attentive readers. Scripture itself is coherent and obvious. It is direct and unambiguous as written; what is written is sufficient. Scripture’s concern or focal point is readily presented as the redemptive story of God. It displays a progressively more specific identification of that story, culminating in the gospel of Jesus Christ. All this is to say: Scripture is clear about what it is about. (Callahan, The Clarity of Scripture, 9)

Secondly, as pastors and teachers, if we truly believe that a basic understanding of hermeneutical principles and bible study methods is necessary in the study of the bible – and it is – then we should include this as a foundational part of the teaching/preaching ministry of the church, both implicitly and explicitly. Implicitly, we must model good hermeneutics in the pulpit; yes, our lessons and sermons must serve as examples of how to study the Bible well. We must let principles like authorial intent, historical/cultural context, literary flow-of-thought, and the big idea guide us in our sermon/teaching preparation. We must give first priority to what the text says over our own thoughts (read soapboxes). On the other hand, explicitly, we should make it a goal to teach people how to study the Bible, both from the pulpit in a large gathering and in a small group setting. People need to understand the contours of the biblical genres, and they need to know how to evaluate and use the wide range of Bible study resources that are so readily available in today’s information culture. They could even stand to learn a little about the biblical languages and how they work. In other words, our goal in preaching and teaching should be to work ourselves out of a job, i.e. to teach people how to study and understand the Bible for themselves.

Lastly, we should trust the Holy Spirit. He is the one who inspired Holy Scripture, and He is the one who illuminates our minds to its truths. Moreover, He is the one who applies those truths in our lives to bring about radical lifechange. In other words, engaging in the study of the Bible without giving attention to the work of the Spirit can never be more than historical investigation, no matter how consistently the principles of hermeneutics are applied. We must remember that Bible study is one of the spiritual disciplines by which the Spirit makes us more like Christ, and He can be trusted to testify to the truth. (John 14:26, 15:26, 16:12-15) This does not negate the role of the preacher/Bible teacher, but it does move our dependency from fallible human beings to the Holy Spirit of God. He is the only infallible interpreter of Scripture.

Ultimately, hermeneutical considerations are a means to an end, and that end is a more accurate and clearer understanding the biblical text itself. Studying hermeneutics gives us the basic skills and tools to understand the Bible better, i.e. the way the original audience would have understood it, the way that the inspired authors intended for it to be understood. So, what we need to say is: “It doesn’t matter what people think; it matters what the text says!”