Category Archives: Bible

How (not) to interpret the Book of Revelation

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I’ve suggested before that some of Hugh Ross’ attempts to harmonise science and Scripture are unconvincing.

In my view, he threatens to brings the Bible into disrepute by imposing interpretative schemes that are untenable.  He writes:

‘My interpretative approach is to identify a passage in Revelation…as symbolic only if its implied symbol is used and defined elsewhere in the Bible or if certain words within the context clearly indicate that the author intended something other than a literal meaning.’

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On spiritualising

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To ‘spiritualise’ is to assign a unwarranted spiritual meaning to a biblical text.

Graeme Goldsworthy gives, as one example, the following anecdote, in which a Christian teacher was attempting to expound 1 Samuel 17:40-51 (the story of David and Goliath):-

‘The fellow dressed up as Goliath had progressively revealed a list of childhood sins by peeling card-board strips off his breastplate one by one, as the speaker explained the kind of ‘Goliaths’ we all have to meet. 

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1 Peter 3:18-20 – Christ ‘preached to the spirits in prison’

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1 Peter 3:18-20 – ‘Because Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring you to God, by being put to death in the flesh but by being made alive in the spirit.  In it he went and preached to the spirits in prison, after they were disobedient long ago when God patiently waited in the days of Noah as an ark was being constructed. In the ark a few, that is eight souls, were delivered through water.’…

The sufficiency of Scripture

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Three lines of argument converge to persuade us of the sufficiency of Scripture:-

(a) Jesus Christ. As Heb 1:1-2 asserts, the previous, and partial revelation of God is completed by the final and perfect revelation in Jesus Christ. And the Bible is the divinely-inspired testimony to the person and work of Christ.

(b) Salvation history. All that God has to do, and say, in connection with the bringing of salvation to the world, has been done and said.…

Quotes on the Bible

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1. Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself but because it contradicts them.

2. The Bible was the only book Jesus ever quoted, and then never as a basis for discussion but to decide the point at issue. (Leon Morris)

3. When you are reading a book in a dark room, and find it difficult, you take it to a window to get more light. So take your Bible to Christ. (McCheyne)

4.…

Five rules of biblical hermeneutics

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According to E.J. Carnell, in The Case for Orthodox Theology, pp 53-65, the following five rules govern Biblical hermeneutics.

1.  The New Testament interprets the Old Testament.

The relationship between the two Testaments is that of preparation and fulfilment.  The old is a ‘shadow of things to come’, Heb 10:1.  Therefore, in no case does the Old Testament enjoy supremacy over the New Testament.  ‘Moses is a servant in the house, while Christ is the Son.’ …

How our view of the gospel affects our reading of Scripture

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Chris Tilling puts it well, I think: our understanding of what Scripture means is very much influenced by our understanding of what the gospel is.

If, for example, we think that the gospel is primarily about how individuals get saved from their sin, enter into a personal relationship with Jesus and go to heaven when they die, then this becomes the lens through which everything else is seen.  So,

If Paul speaks about ‘new creation’ in 2 Cor 5, this must be another way of speaking about something that happens to me in my relationship with Christ.

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On loving the person and propositions of Jesus

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In chapter 3 of Why we’re not emergent (by two guys who should be), Kevin DeYoung explains why he loves ‘the person and propositions of Jesus’.  What follows is based on part of that chapter.

All Christians claim to have a high regard for the Bible, and emerging Christians are no different.

Brian MacLaren says:

‘I believe [the Bible] is a gift from God, inspired by God, to benefit us in the most important way possible: equipping us so that we can benefit others, so that we can play our part in the ongoing mission of God. 

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Applying Old Testament law today

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[The following is based on: Hays, J. Daniel (2001) Applying the Old Testament Law Today.  Bibliotheca Sacra 158: 629: 21-35.  The article is available here.]

Christians uphold some of the OT laws (such as the Ten Commandments), but violate others (including those relating to food, hygiene, and clothing).  We tend to judge their validity on their apparent relevance, but this is abitrary.

How then might we proceed?

The traditional appoach

The traditional approach is to distinguish between moral, civil and ceremonial laws. …

Problems with inerrancy

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I’m sorry that Michael Pahl is taking a rest from blogging at the moment.  But his blog is still worth visiting.

Particularly interesting are some of Michael’s thoughts on inerrancy.  I must emphasise that he affirms inerrancy.  As a kind of self-criticism, however, he notes the following:-

The first criticism of a doctrine of inerrancy as it is often formulated is its relevance or usefulness. How helpful is a doctrinal formulation which depends on elusive concepts such as “in the original autographs” (a past-focused elusion), “when correctly interpreted” (a present-focused elusion), or “when all the facts become known” (a future-focused elusion)?

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