Faithful Steward Ministries and FSM Women's Outreach

---

Hermeneutics. Traditionally the subdiscipline of theology concerned with the proper interpretation of scriptural texts. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the term widened to include the discipline that seeks to understand the interpretation of texts in general, including the proper roles and relationships among author, reader and text. Still more broadly, the term has been used by philosophers such as Hans-Georg Gadamer and Paul Ricoeur to refer to the attempt to articulate the nature of understanding itself, with an emphasis on the role of interpretation as a key component in all human knowing. Here the interpretation of texts, with the taken-for-granted horizons of meaning that reading presupposes, becomes a metaphor for human understanding in general, and such things as human lives themselves are seen as “texts” or text analogues.

C. Stephen Evans, Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 53.

---

I have a bad habit of reading comments on other people’s social media posts that I comment on. Last week, I saw a comment (I forget the post) that said, ‘Why can’t people just read their Bibles and forget about interpretation?”

First, I was surprised that none of the couple hundred comments correctly used the Biblical term for Bible interpretation, Hermeneutics. My next thought was how sad it was that folks would read that, take it to heart, fail in one of the most basic skills EVERY CHRISTIAN should have, and hone to a razor-sharp edge.

I can not be certain, but their idea of Biblical Hermeneutics stems from a twisted view of the Holy Spirit’s role. They interpret (irony) both John 14:26 and 1 John 2:27 to imply that the Holy Spirit will teach us everything we need to know, and we need NO outside help. As always, we must take scripture into context. If these two verses are to be taken as ‘Gospel Truth,’ what about the verses that say God appoints men to be teachers, pastors (who preach and teach), etc. Is the Bible wrong, or did God mess up some of it?

If you call yourself a Born-Again believer today, you know the answer: Of course not! Paul studied under Gamaliel for three years before beginning his ministry, and the 12 Apostles did the same under Jesus. Jesus, too, spent the first thirty years or so of His earthly life under the tutelage of a rabbi. I often wonder how anyone who claims to be a “true believer” can obey the command to share the Gospel if they have not studied enough to defend it? I am not talking about some Ph.d with a 250 IQ verse rattling machine. Just ordinary folks being able to defend what and how God has done for them, 1 Peter 3:15.

The final two verses that I often quote that motivate me to continue studying the Bible daily (Biblical Interpretation or Hermeneutics) are Acts 17:11 and 2 Timothy 2:15 (AMP):

¹¹ Now these people were more noble and open-minded than those in Thessalonica, so they received the message [of salvation through faith in the Christ] with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

¹⁵ Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.

The Biblical evidence that we are to be involved in Hermeneutics/Interpretation is clear. I would hate to be the one standing before our Lord with my only excuse: “I didn’t think that command was for me.”

---

STUDY

When it comes to making claims about what the Bible means, sometimes we hear comments from Christians or non-Christians like the following: “Well, that’s just your interpretation.” “The Bible can be made to say anything you want.” “You can’t really understand the Bible. It is full of contradictions.” “No one can understand the true meaning of anything anyone says.” Or, someone sitting in a Bible study might say, “This is what the Bible means to me.” All of these types of comments are about principles of biblical interpretation also called in theological jargon hermeneutics. Welcome to our postmodern world. Pilate’s question lives on: “What is truth? (John 18:38).” Continued @ Source

---

What Is Hermeneutics?

What is biblical hermeneutics?

Hermeneutics, 2 Timothy 2:15

2 Timothy 2:15 Study Bible: Do your best to present yourself …

---

Reformed hermeneutics is a method of interpreting the Bible that emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of Christ-centeredness. Key features of Reformed hermeneutics include:

• The Bible is the inspired Word of God.
• The Bible is without error.
• The Bible is sufficiently clear and understandable to the common reader about salvation and the knowledge of God.
• The Bible is the ultimate authority for Christian faith and practice.
• The Bible must be interpreted in light of its historical context and its original meaning.

---

Interpretation of the Scriptures, Arthur Pink, 1952

Hermeneutics – A Guide To Basic Bible Interpretation, Darryl Erkel