As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“Separating absolute truths from passages admitting to real-life exceptions is a challenge that has daunted even the most scholarly interpreters…..These principles yield five questions that can offer an aid to pastors and church leaders in helping their flocks observe Proverbs’ timeless truths.” - BJU Seminary
“…paying close attention to literary genre is a key principle of biblical hermeneutics. One cannot, for example, interpret Old Testament narrative books in the same way as New Testament epistles, which lay out doctrine.” - BJU Seminary
“Applying sound hermeneutical principles helps believers uncover the true meaning of God’s Word and avoid misinterpretation.” - Church Leaders
Read Part 2.
“Why is our time in God’s Word not as life-transformative as it should be?”
When one is associating a belief with the text of Scripture it is never wise to choose texts from obscure, debated or overly figurative portions of the Bible. Why go to a vision of Zechariah when you can go to an epistle of Paul for the same doctrine?
When tying a doctrine concerning the Church to Scripture we find good men like F. Turretin running to the song of Solomon. Surely it is unwise to appeal to the Song of Solomon, since the assumption that the Song is actually speaking about the Church is a decided long shot.
Read Part 1.
Interpretation is the process of understanding 1) what a Biblical text means and 2) how the text was meant to be applied. Once you have gathered the necessary information to discover what a passage is saying, you can then begin to understand its meaning through careful study of the book’s historical context, literary context, and actual content.
For the sixth year in a row, I had the privilege of attending and exhibiting at the Shepherds 360 Church Leaders Conference, held at Shepherds Theological Seminary in Cary, N.C., on Monday through Wednesday of this week.
The theme of this year’s conference, which focused on dispensationalism, was “City of God—City of Man,” with the tagline: “Already? Not Yet? Let’s Get It Right!”
Read the series.
I’ve mentioned analogies in this series, so let me give one of my own.
Suppose someone made you a promise concerning something of great importance to you. This person then went a step further and, to show his intent to make good his promise, entered in to some solemn ritual involving a self-maledictory oath. You could surely trust the promise right?
2 Timothy 3:16 reveals that all of Scripture is God-inspired and instructive. Taken with Romans 15:4, similar verses, and examples of NT use of OT passages, some have concluded that even incidental narrative details are potential sources of doctrine.
Since OT narrative details reference everything from clothing to cooking, tools, weapons, vehicles (carts, chariots), and so much more, there are, of course, references to music. There are even references to specific instruments, moods, and uses of music.
Discussion