My Rules for Understanding Scripture

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This week on Former Adventist Podcast Colleen and I began a new series talking through the book of Ephesians. While preparing I remembered that as a new former Adventist I was overwhelmed by the complicated sentences and deep concepts found in this book. Ephesians contained truths that turned Adventism on its head and demanded an entirely different understanding of God and His character and attributes, of man and his natural state and desperate need, and of salvation and its certainty in Christ. 

I quickly learned that rightly understanding Ephesians required that I submitted to a set of hermeneutical rules which would not allow me to walk away from the text with an interpretation of my own. I had to be willing to accept what the author was communicating even if it challenged my picture of God—and it did. I had to let go of my Adventist pre-programed arguments against the God and gospel of Scripture in order to clearly see what the Holy Spirit was teaching me through the simple reading and believing of the words in front of me. 

I had to let go of my Adventist pre-programed arguments against the God and gospel of Scripture…

As we prepared to begin this series I decided to compile some of the hermeneutical principles I’ve collected over the years from various teachers, online sources, and from Christians who invested in my life as a new believer. I shared this list on our introduction episode, and I would like to share it with you here. 

Compiled in outline format this list should be easy to print and tuck into your desk or Bible should you find it helpful. These rules are by no means exhaustive on the subject. This is simply the meager attempt of a stay-at-home mom trying to share with you what I’ve learned from faithful saints on this side of Adventism. I pray that this only be a springboard for you as you seek to learn how to handle God’s word rightly. There are many wonderful resources written by scholars which are accessible and worth acquiring for your personal library. For now, however, I share with you a brief collection of those hermeneutical principles and rules of interpretation which have aided me greatly in this new life after Adventism. 

First thing first: Identify the Book

Genre

  • OT: Torah (5), History (12), Poetry & Wisdom (5), Major (5) and Minor Prophets (12)
  • NT: Gospels (4), History (1), Epistles (21), Apocalyptic (1) 
  • The genre will determine how we understand and apply what we are reading. An example of how Adventism ignores genre is when it dismisses clear didactic teaching on the state of the dead in the epistles but uses the poetic language of Ecclesiastes. to build its false doctrine of soul sleep. 

Author

  • Who is the author and what other books has he written? 
  • What is the author’s writing style?
  • Does he use keywords or phrases across his letters which fill out the meaning in what you are reading? An example of this style-analysis is the Apostle John’s use of the word “overcome”. In Revelation we read that those who “overcome” will receive various things pertaining to salvation from the Lord Jesus. For those of us raised in a works-based religion, we can impose our own definition of “overcome” onto the text and find ourselves confused about how to obtain salvation. However, John uses this word in other letters. We read in 1 John 5:4, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world—our Fatih.” Overcoming is about our faith in God and in Jesus’ finished atonement, not our works. 

   Historical Background

  • When was the book written?
  • What was the historical context theologically, geographically, politically, and socially?
  • While these details may seem overwhelming to gather on your own, a good study Bible will help you find these things. 
  • I would also recommend using maps to help root the historical reality of the Scriptures into your thinking as you build your faith in the text. 

    Audience

  • Was this book written to the Jews or Gentiles? 
  • Is the writer addressing believers? 
  • If so, believers in which covenant?

    Purpose/Theme

  • What is the author’s goal or purpose for the letter/book?
  • Genre helps us with this understanding. Is the book meant to be a description of historical events, an expression of praise, a prophetic warning, or didactic teaching for the church? Again, a good study Bible will help with this question.    

Things to look for while reading

  • Are there commands or promises for us to notice?
  • If so, who are they for? Be careful not to impose yourself on the text, and be aware of the intended audience. 
  • What applies to us now?
  • Are there principles that can be applied to us?
  • What do we learn about God?
  • What do we learn about Man? 

Ten Interpretive Rules to Remember (not exhaustive) 

  1. Rule of Precedent or Pattern:
    • Where else do we see Scripture talk about this idea?
    • Is there a precedent in Scripture related to this topic? (i.e. prayer, food, meditation)
    • An example helps us on the issue of prayer. Popular Christianity pushes various prayers and prayer methods that we do not see taught or modeled in Scripture. (i.e. Labyrinths, Hail Mary/Rosary, Contemplative Prayer, etc.) What is the pattern in Scripture related to Prayer? 
  2. Interpretations of a passage must be consistent with the rest of Scripture.
  3. Scripture interprets Scripture. 
  4. The goal of interpreting Scripture is not to discover hidden truth. We should not seek after a unique interpretation. The Bible is God’s book of self-disclosure, and He is clear. 
  5. Words and Definitions MATTER. The meaning of a word is derived from its context.
    • One of my favorite examples of this guideline comes from Dr. Elizabeth Inrig who has begun a series for the online Proclamation! on how to read the Bible. She has often used the example of the word “trunk”. If she were to ask us to “go and bring in the trunk from outside,” we would rightly assume that she was referring to a traveling trunk as opposed to the trunk of an elephant or the entire back end of a car. While a word can have different meanings, the context determines which one the author intended.
  6. Interpret Scripture literally unless the genre gives ample evidence that it’s meant to be read figuratively. Why?
    • Because Jesus did. (Mt 13:35; 25:34; 24:38-39; 10:15; Mk 10:6; Lk 17:26-27; 17:28-29)
    • We don’t have an example of Jesus or of His disciples giving allegorical or spiritualized interpretations of the OT (this is a good example of the rule of precedent). 
    • Allegory is unverifiable. 
    • Spiritualizing the Scriptures means the message is no longer authoritative. 
  7. Grammar and Grammatical devices are IMPORTANT 
    • The Bible contains: similies, personification, metaphors, symbolic language etc. (ex. 1 Pt 5:8 is a similie, and Jn 15:1 is figurative)
    • When reading these figures of speech, let the text make its own point, and don’t push the grammatical device beyond the author’s purpose. If you push a metaphor too far, it will fall apart. 
    • ALL SCRIPTURE is authoritative and tells us the truth. This fact means the tenses matter to us just they did to Jesus (again, the rule of precedent). 
  8. A text cannot mean what it never meant to the first audience. The meaning is fixed by the author and is not subject to alteration. 
  9. Do not interpret Scripture in light of personal experience. Interpret personal experience in light of Scripture. 
    • A personal example of this principle which I shared on the podcast was that as an Adventist I wanted to know God. From the time I was a child I wanted to know and be loved by Him. When I read that no one sought for God, I thought either it wasn’t true or that it was too strong a statement because I only ever remembered wanting to know Him. I was interpreting this text through my experience and rendering it false or lacking. When I was born again I came to interpret my life experiences according to the Word. It was then that I realized that in fact I did not seek after God; what I remember feeling was only the longing He put in me as one of His chosen. This understanding was supported by other texts which say that no one comes to the Son unless the Father draws them (Jn 6:44), and so forth. 
  10. The clear interprets the unclear, and we shout where Scripture shouts and whisper where it whispers.

My Sources:

  • https://alwaysbeready.com/hermeneutics-rules-and-guidelines/ Hermeneutics 101 
  • Various authors and teachers including (but not limited to): Colleen Tinker and Life Assurance Ministries contributors, Gary and Elizabeth Inrig, Steve Lawson, Justin Peters, Phil Johnson, John Piper, and John MacArthur.
  • The faithful discipling of Christians who have invested in my life. 
Nicole Stevenson
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