Hermeneutics: A Foundation
Hermeneutics is the art and science of biblical interpretation. Dane C. Ortlund, writing for Crossway, says, “think optometry … hermeneutics is the pair of glasses … [it’s] not what you look at but what you look with.” Before any serious study of the Bible or theology, your goal is to hone your skills in interpreting the Bible. What do you need to do this? In short, having the right pair of glasses. Familiarize yourself with both the art and science (philosophy and method) of doing proper exegesis (exposition or explanation of the text) and, at all costs, avoid eisegesis (interpreting the text in light of only one’s presuppositions, see 2 Corinthians 2:17 and 4:2).
What Does the Bible Say?
When people ask what the Bible says about "x," often what is required of the Christian is to understand the meaning of the text and the application if he or she wants to give a meaningful and relevant answer.
In hermeneutics, we ask specific questions about the text and seek to resolve them according to the text itself. To "apply" the Bible, in general terms, is to use the Bible to answer our questions and govern our thoughts and actions. Finding the meaning of a text is one kind of application. Theology is practical and theoretical; in each instance, the student of the Scriptures seeks biblical answers to human questions.
The Importance of Bible Study
Hermeneutics is key to understanding the Bible, using the right methods, principles, and approaches (Klein et al., Introduction to Biblical Interpretation 2020). We need to discover that crucial one single (not multiple levels of) meaning though applications may vary (Downing, An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics: he issues, History, and Principles of Biblical Interpretation, 2020). To help us properly interpret scripture and, as much as possible, maintain fidelity to truth, a number of exegetical principles have been devised over time.
The Context of the Bible
In his 1958 Fundamentalism and the Word of God, J.I. Packer wrote,
“The Word of God is an exceedingly complex unity. The different items and the various kinds of material which make it up—laws, promises, liturgies, genealogies, arguments, narratives, meditations, visions, aphorisms, homilies, parables, and the rest—do not stand in Scripture as isolated fragments, but as parts of a whole. Therefore, their exposition involves exhibiting them in the right relation both to the whole and to each other. God’s Word is not presented in Scripture in the form of a theological system, but it admits of being stated in that form, and, indeed, requires to be so stated before we can properly grasp it—grasp it, that is, as a whole. Every text has its immediate context in the passage from which it comes, its broader context in the book to which it belongs, and its ultimate context in the Bible as a whole. It needs to be rightly related to each of these contexts if its character, scope, and significance [are] to be adequately understood.”
Resources to Help You Go Deeper in Your Studies.
Hermeneutics: An Introduction by Anthony C. Thiselton
Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics: Foundations and Principles of Evangelical Biblical Interpretation by Graeme Goldsworthy