Reading with Meaning
Some Methods of Biblical Interpretation
by Pastor Larry Carr
EIBC Associate Pastor
Hermeneutics is the science and methodology of interpretation, more specifically the interpretation of the Bible.
There are several schools of interpretation that exist and are used for interpreting the Scriptures; however, for
this article we will limit our discussion to four of the main methods.
The Liberal Method
The liberal method is probably one of the oldest schools of interpreting the Bible. It rejects the teaching of
the Bible when human reasoning or popular culture is at odds with Scriptural teaching. As a result, human science
always takes precedence over the supernatural power of God. God's Word is always in question with this method.
This is the method that Satan used in the Garden of Eden when he tempted Eve. He said, "Yea, hath God said ye
shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" Satan brought into question the authority and accuracy of God's Word.
I heard the atheist, Madeline Murray O'Hare say one time in a television interview that an atheist questions
everything. She lied in that statement. An atheist doesn't question atheism or the tenants that supposedly give
credibility to atheism. The atheist simply accepts those tenants as fact. The liberal method of interpretation has
a bias against God. The liberal places his opinion, without question, above the Scriptures. The end result of the
liberal's view of God is not far from that of the atheist's. Both positions are from a heart of unbelief.
The liberal method of interpreting the Bible is biased with unbelief.
The Neo-Orthodox Method
The second method of interpretation that we will consider for discussion is the New-Orthodox method. This
method teaches that the Bible is not the Word of God, but only contains the Word of God. There are several
mysterious variations to this method of interpretation, but the basic premise is that only those parts of the
Bible that inspire you are the Word of God. They may not inspire someone else, therefore, it cannot be the
Word of God to them. This school of interpretation tries to bridge the gap between the liberal method and
more conservative methods of interpretation. It is an attempt to accommodate the liberal's position, which
is to deny the supernatural work of God, while at the same time trying to give the appearance of being a
little more orthodox. This is why it's called "New-Orthodoxy." There is however nothing orthodox about this
position.
In fact, the Word of God in this view can be anything that inspires you: a day in nature, a song, a poem,
even a news story. This school of interpretation is in many ways similar to the way the Saducees rendered
the Scriptures. It denies the power of God and places the opinions of men above the Word of God. For example
with this method the doctrine of the resurrection is unnecessary--even unbelievable and therefore doesn't
need to be accepted because it does not inspire the reader. Both the Liberal and Neo-Orthodox methods place
man's opinion above God's Word. This is cold-hearted unbelief that leads to everlasting destruction in the
lake of fire.
The Allegorical Method
The third method of interpretation that we will discuss is the Allegorical method. This method assumes that
there are multiple meanings to any given passage of Scripture. Because these meanings are numerous, the
interpreter never can be sure that he has discovered all of the "layers" that may be contained in a passage.
As a result of using this method of interpretation, the Bible is open to being twisted and manipulated. Instead
of reading out of a passage what is written, the allegorical interpreter must read his own ideas into the
Scriptures and rearrange the meaning of the text to fit his own ideas.
Because of the insistence that there are multiple meanings to every passage in the Bible, the allegorical
method will never find the same interpretation for the same passage among a plurality of interpreters. This is a
dangerous way to study the Bible, which often creates strange and heretical doctrines. For example, the reader
that is a disciple of the allegorical method will obscure the plain meaning of a passage with secondary and
tertiary meanings and beyond. The plain and simple meaning of the Scriptures is rejected for these more
obscure renderings.
The Liberal, Neo-Orthodox, and Allegorical philosophies of interpretation all have one characteristic in common.
Each method exalts the opinions of man above the explicit teaching of God's Word. So far, all of the methods
of interpretation that we have examined are not suitable for gaining a serious understanding of the Bible.
The Grammatical-Historical Method
The fourth method of interpretation that we will look at is the Grammatical-Historical method. Those of us
who hold to this method of interpretation make some assumptions too. First of all we believe that God's Word is
His written revelation, communicated to us in understandable literary form within the context of actual
historical events. The Bible was not written in a vacuum. The events that are recorded in the Scriptures
require consideration of the historical context in which they occurred to gain a proper understanding of
the passages. For example, you should not interpret the passages of a book such as Isaiah without the historical
reference that God was about to judge the nation of Israel for their sin by using Assyrians to accomplish His
purpose. Many errors are made about passages of the Bible because the historical context of the passage is
overlooked or neglected or allegorized into something that is really not in the passage.
The grammatical context is also important in order to come to a correct understanding of what is being
communicated. When it comes to reading the Bible we should stay within the plain sense of the words and ideas
being conveyed unless the context requires us to consider other literary devices that are figurative in meaning.
Someone has said that when we interpret the Bible, "if the plain sense makes good sense then we should
seek no other sense." That is a good principle to use when you study the Bible. When we say that God has
communicated His Word to us in understandable literary form, we do not mean that we understand everything
that is written in the Bible. Even in His written Word, God has chosen to wrap some of the most awesome mysteries
of Himself in some of the most beautiful and wonderful literary styles that exist. However, God has also
revealed His commandments to us and His will for us in passages that are literal and plain.
Using the Grammatical-Historical method, we read the passages of Scripture in their context, not just a verse
here and another one from over there to make the Bible say whatever we want it to say. When we take verses out
of their context we then have a pretext to making a proof text. That is dishonest. You can make the Bible say
whatever you want it to say when you pull Scripture out of its context. This is what Satan did when he tempted
the Lord Jesus.
Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels
charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against
a stone.If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning
thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Matthew 4:5-6
Satan took these verses out of their context to misapply them to the Lord in order to tempt Christ. Jesus'
response to Satan's misuse of the Scriptures was the proper use of God's Word quoted in its context from
Deuteronomy 6:16.
Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Matthew 4:7
You may notice that Jesus' response to Satan's misuse of the Scriptures, is taken from the verse,
Deuteronomy 6:16. If you will go back and read the passage of Scripture around that verse, you will learn that
Jesus quoted that verse within its context. The application of the verse agreed with its context as well.
Conclusion
The Bible is not a book that is just piecemealed together. It is God's Word. The methods of interpreting
the Scriptures in such a way as to blur the context or meaning of what God clearly communicated are nothing
more than the continuation of Satan's deception. The Liberal and Neo-Orthodox methods of interpreting the Bible
are nothing more than systems devised by unbelieving elitist to propagate their unbelief in the supernatural,
redemptive, work of God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
To the saved child of God, the admonition applies to each of us as it did to the preacher Timothy to whom it was
written. "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed,
accurately handling the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15 NASB
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