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Going Where the Text Leads You
One of my responsibilities at Baptist Bible Seminary that I greatly
enjoy is reviewing video tapes of the sermons our students preach
while on their internships. Time and time again, I am struck with
the importance of carefully studying the Word of God and faithfully
bringing out the meaning of the text.
Charles Simeon (1759-1836), the well-known British clergyman and
author, wrote concerning the interpretation of Scripture, "My
endeavour is to bring out of Scripture what is there, and not to
thrust in what I think might be there." His was a worthy goal
and remains a worthy goal for everyone who interprets the Bible.
There are two basic principles which help us discover the author's
intended meaning in a passage: context and content. Context refers
to both the historical situation in which an author wrote a book
(the when and why) and to the literary surroundings of a passage
within a book (the how). Content refers to the words which an author
wrote (the what).
Context
Historical context involves who wrote it, to whom it was written,
when it was written, from where it was written, and why it was written.
Each of these informs interpretation. Literary context focuses on
the meaning of the entire book and provides the larger context which
influences the interpretation of the smaller passages. Also, by dividing
an entire book into paragraphs and giving them titles, we can better
understand the author's main argument.
When we interpret a passage, we also need to consider genre since
it is one of the aspects of context. Genre refers to the type of
literature which the author wrote. Writers wrote narratives, poetry,
prophecy, gospels, epistles, and other genres which each require
different interpretation methods. If we interpret all genres alike,
we will encounter difficulty.
Content
Once we know the meaning of the entire book, we are ready to interpret
a passage in that book by studying the content of the passage. We
may do this by asking and answering two questions. What is the writer
talking about (main idea)? What is the writer saying about what he
is talking about (details relating to the main idea)?
We answer these two questions by noting the words and their relationship
to each other in the passage (syntax). Meaning comes from the relationship
of words to each other. We understand the content of a passage by
studying the words which the writer uses and the way he connects
them.
Application
We can apply this principle in Philippians 4:13 where Paul writes
that he can do all things through Him (Christ) who strengthens
him. What does “all things” refer to in this verse? The context
of this verse (4:10–20) indicates that Paul wrote to the Philippians
to thank them for sending him a financial gift. As part of his thanks,
he tells them that he has learned the secret of getting along when
he has an abundance of funds and food and when he lacks funds and
food (4:12). This context limits the “all things” (4:13)
to these two circumstances, “having much” and “having
little.” Consequently, Paul is saying that he is able to “live” when
he has much and when he has little through Christ who strengthens
him.
Conclusion
Going where the text leads you requires attitude, attention, and
analysis. We must have the attitude of seeking the author's meaning,
we must pay attention to the context, and we must analyze the content.
If we do this, we will go where the text leads us and follow its
meaning to a correct application. May God bless you as you go where
the text leads you.
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Dr. Bill Arp (Th.D.) is Professor of New Testament, Greek, and English
Bible and Director of the Th.M. program. He has taught at BBS since
1988. Before teaching at the Seminary, he taught in the Bible department
at BBC for eighteen years. He has written two Sunday School quarterlies
as well as several journal articles.
