GUEST POST: Understanding Scripture

Seven Keys to Understanding Scripture, by Tremper Longman III, Longman says: Everyone who reads the Bible interprets the text. Unfortunately, however, the Bible is not always easy to understand. Even when the text seems straightforward, we may feel uncertain that our interpretation is right. All of us want to treat the Word of God with the respect it deserves, and we certainly don’t want to read into it things that are not there. For these reasons, we need to apply the basic principles of hermeneutics—the science of interpretation—as we read the text. In the short article Seven Keys to Understanding Scripture; Longman gives seven simple guidelines to help the reader of the Bible to comprehend what God’s Word is saying. These keys help the reader to think through important factors of Biblical interpretation like the author’s original intended meaning, the context of the passage, the literary genre of the passage, the historical and cultural background of the passage, the grammatical structure of the passage, interpreting experience in light of scripture, and looking at the Bible as a whole. The seven keys to understanding scripture are:

• Principle 1—Look for the Author’s Intended Meaning.
• Principle 2—Read A Passage in Context.
• Principle 3—Identify the genre of the passage you are reading.
• Principle 4—Consider the historical and cultural background of the Bible.
• Principle 5—Consider the grammar and structure within the passage.
• Principle 6—Interpret experience in light of scripture, not Scripture in the light of experience.
• Principle 7—Always seek the full counsel of Scripture.

Recognizing that the Bible is a gift to us from God, we should give the Bible the prayerful respect it deserves in reading, interpreting and applying it to our lives.  We should avoid the extreme of prideful and passive self-service in our reading and the prideful extreme of arrogant elitism. May we choose the third way, reading our Bibles responsibly, reading them with discernment, and reading with thoughtful consideration and research, while taking comfort in what Longman asserted, “The God who gave us His Word longs for us to understand it even more than we do.” Prayer of Saint John Chrysostom Before Reading Sacred Scripture: O Lord Jesus Christ, open the eyes of my heart, that I may hear Your word and understand and do Your will, for I am a sojourner upon the earth. Hide not Your commandments from me, but open my eyes, that I may perceive the wonders of Your law. Speak unto me the hidden and secret things of Your wisdom. On You do I set my hope, O my God, that You shall enlighten my mind and understanding with the light of Your knowledge, not only to cherish those things which are written, but to do them; that in reading the lives and sayings of the saints I may not sin, but that such may serve for my restoration, enlightenment and sanctification, for the salvation of my soul, and the inheritance of life everlasting. For you are the enlightenment of those who lie in darkness, and from You comes every good deed and every gift. Amen. Bibliography Seven Keys to Understanding Scripture, by Tremper Longman III: http://www.cosnet.org/media/docs/community-life/articles/Seven%20Keys%20to%20Understanding%20Scripture.pdf Prayer of Saint John Chrysostom Before Reading Sacred Scripture: http://saintnicholasraleigh.org/prayer_before_reading_scriptures   About Robbie Pruitt: Robbie Pruitt is a high school Bible teacher in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Robbie loves Jesus, ministry, the great outdoors, writing poetry and writing about theology, discipleship and leadership. He has been in ministry more than 17 years and graduated from Trinity School for Ministry with a Diploma in Christian Ministry and from Columbia International University with a B.A. in Bible and General Studies and a minor in Youth Ministry. Follow his blogs at RobbiePruitt.Blogspot.com and RobbiePruitt.com, connect with him on Facebook and Twitter.]]>