OldhamLane,10-12-03,pm;

“HOW SHOULD WE APPROACH SCRIPTURE?”

introduction:

1& The Bible--unique claim:

A. Old Testament –

1. Ex 31:18. “And he gave to Moses, when had finished speaking with him on Mt Sinai, the two tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.”

B. All scripture -

1. 2 Tim. 3:16. “All scripture is breathed out by God…”

C. The Bible makes the claim, then, to be the Divine, authoritative revelation!!

1. The Bible is heaven’s book!

2& If that is true we have a truly awesome responsibility:

A. 2 Tim. 2:15. “Do your best to present yourselves to God as one approved…”

1. KJV. “…rightly dividing the word of truth…”

WEYMOUTH: “straightforward dealing with the word of truth…”

BERKLEY: “…correctly interpreting the message of truth…”

2. GREEK: “…cutting a straight course…”

B. Paul tells us four things:

1. The Bible can be misinterpreted.

2. We must have give the utmost care that we interpret it correctly.

3. It is shameful not to properly interpret the Bible correctly!

4. We are approved by God when we interpret it correctly and disapproved by when we interpret it carelessly.

3& Why do people often fall short of this awesome responsibility?

A. Neglect to study...

B. Ignorant of how to study...

C. Approach scripture—personal agenda:

1. Pre-conceived idea

2. Compromise with culture

3. Justify sin

4. Please people

D. Vital truth: Having the correct presuppositions about scripture is vital to correct interpretation!

1. False pre-conceptions:

a. Uninspired myths - May find some contemporary applications of general truths...but not the actual Word of God.

b. Fallible book - Each individual must find his own personal truth. The Holy Spirit reveals the Word of God through this infallible book.

1) Fits into the thinking of a Post Modernist, Existential world!

c. Epistolary view - First century letters to be interpreted mainly in light of First Century culture.

1) Does not contain an exclusive pattern for righteousness.

d. Personality revelation –

1) The major weakness of this approach to Scripture is the preconceived, personal view of the nature and qualities of God and of Jesus that fit the student’s own likes and that colors and influences what we consider to be vital.

2) For example, if your sole idea of God is a God of love and not of judgment, then all you will see is love and grace!

a) Rom. 11:22. “Note then the kindness and severity of God…”

b) Ex 34:6. “The Lord passed before him (Moses) and proclaim-ed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgress-sion and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty…”

4& How Do We Approach Scripture? How can we bring out the truth from the Word? How do we interpret the text?

A. My conviction--the Bible itself should reveal our method of interpretation—IT’S OWN HERMENUTIC!

1. What does the Bible says about itself that governs how we interpret scripture?

discussion:

1$ The Bible contains the unfolding of God’s plan to redeem mankind from sin.

A. Eph. 1:9,10. 3:3-6.

1. The whole Bible should be read in a “redemptive context”!!

a. It tells us then, of the fall of man from fellowship with God, and how God brought about the means to bring us back.

b. Jesus told his disciples before his ascension to the heaven that the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms prophesied of Him and his work, Luke 24:44.

B. By approaching scripture from this basic view it gives us an overall context of scripture.

C. We will seek to understand what Scripture reveals about sin, since it is sin that separates us from God, Isa 59:1,2:

1. Defines it...

2. God’s attitude toward it...

3. Effect on man’s soul...

4. Effect on man’s relationship with God...

5. Effect on man’s relationship with man...

6. God’s plan and conditions of salvation...

D. It also tells us that God has a “Plan” of Salvation that we should seek to understand and obey!

1. This plan is spoken of as a “mystery”—hidden in the Old Testament, and revealed in the New.

2$ The Bible is the Record of Covenants.

A. The scripture contain the record of various covenants God made with man:

1. Blessings, Curses, conditions -

2. Deut. 5:1-3.

a. What did covenant demand? vv. 5:32,32.

2. We also are under Divine covenant mediated by Christ:

a. Heb. 8:6. “…much more excellent than the old covenant…”

9:15. “…he (Christ) is the mediator of a new covenant…”

8:13. “…In speaking of a new covenant, he made the first one obsolete…”

b. And unlike the Old Covenant that included only Israel, this covenant is open to all mankind, both Jew and Gentile!

1) Rom 1:16,17.

B. When we understand that scripture is covenant, we will seek to learn:

1. Definition

2. Parties

3. Conditions

4. Blessings

5. Penalties

6. Duration

B. Helps us understand the relationship of the Old Testament to the New Testament.

C. When we approach scripture as the revealer of Covenant it provides us a clear principle for interpreting the Bible:

1. Paul shows a common quality of human and Divine covenants:

a. Gal. 3:15. “To give a human example, brothers, even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.”

1) You don’t add to our take away—Vital to correctly interpreting scripture!

2) Deut. 4:2

12:32

Prov. 30:6

Rev.2:18,19.

Vs 16. “I Jesus sent my angel to testify to you about these things…”

3$ “The New Testament” reveals the legally binding, last will and testament or of Jesus.

A. Taught by the writer of the Hebrew letter:

1. Heb. 9:16-18. (Commenting on the new covenant of which Jesus is the mediator)

“…where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive…”

a. If you read the context, it is absolutely clear that he is speaking of the New Covenant mediated by Jesus with his blood and death!

B. As a will it has legal conditions for inclusion and inheritance.

1. As I study the New Testament, then, I will seek to identify the binding conditions for becoming a child of God and receiving the blessings afford only to those that are part of the family:

a. As with any will, it can be clearly determined who is a child and who is not and who will inherit and who will not!

1) Gal 3:26,27

Rom. 8:17.

I Peter 1:3,4.

3. That also places absolute essentiality on every word of the Bible!

a. 1 Cor. 2:12,13.

1) Note: The words themselves are taught by the Holy Spirit, not just the principle of truth!!

4. A will does express the love and compassion of a gracious benefactor.

1. But It can never be viewed strictly as a “love letter” with mere suggestions that can be obeyed or ignored!

5$ Scripture reveals a pattern for the church.

A. The Bible is filled with patterns:

1. Noah—the ark in Gen. 6.

a. verses 14a,16. “Make yourself an ark…this is how you are to make it…”

1) Materials, length, breath, height, stories, door…

2) Specifics as to inhabitants…

B. Moses—the tabernacle, Ex. 25.

1. Ex 25:9. “Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so shall you make it.”

a) Read through Exodus 25-40 and see how many times, he mentions “pattern!”

C. The Hebrew writer parallels the tabernacle to the church, Heb.8 and specifically refers to pattern:

1. verse 5. “See…that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.”

D. Paul said his teachings were a pattern:

1. 2 Tim. 1:13. “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me..”

E. We obey a pattern to become a Christian:

1. Romans 6:17. “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to that standard of teaching to which you were committed and having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness…”

E. Motto in the Restoration movement, “We speak where the Bible speaks and we are silent where the Bible is silent.”

1. A respect for the prohibition of silence of scripture is based on a “pattern” approach to biblical interpretation!!

2. In a pattern what is not authorized is forbidden!!

a. If you have ever built a house strictly according to the blueprints, you know that is true!!

E. Someone might object, “But, Les, won’t that produce as cold, legalistic approach to religion?”

1. No, we need to understand legalism.

a. Legalism is not obeying God’s directions, but loveless trust in law and law keeping itself as the means to salvation! John 14:15.