The Language of the Word: Context

This discussion will be brief, since most of the material is covered in detail in the 1986 Rio de Janiero statement.

It is possible to study the Bible in many ways which do not lead to true understanding. This has lead to a host of incorrect beliefs, many of which we will study in future installments. A few key points must be remembered as we study.

The Bible is the inspired word of God (2 Tim 3:16). Because God is truth, and cannot lie (Titus 1:2), all of the Bible will be true. This means that the Bible will speak with one voice on any topic, regardless of where you look. Any apparent differences in passages are typically the result of our failure to properly understand the social context and mindset of the author, or of translation problems. It is our duty as students to resolve these differences by reference to passages which we do understand. If this is not possible, it may be necessary to set the question aside, secure in our knowledge that a resolution exists, even if we are unable to find it at the moment.

We must always remember that the purpose of the Bible is to reveal Jesus. To this end, we must begin our study in prayer, calling on the Holy Spirit to aid our understanding. As eager students, we must always be willing to learn what God placed in the word (exegesis), even if it seems different from what we thought we understood before. If we begin our study with the clear words of Christ (John 17:17), then the Holy Spirit will (John 14:26) guide our study.

In study, we must recognize that there are certain scriptural statements which, if taken in isolation, could be misinterpreted. Jesus' statement that we should hate our parents in order to love Him is just such a statement. It comes from a cultural perspective foreign to us. Semitic peoples tend to think and speak in bold extremes, stark black and white forms which seem outrageous to westerners, who think and speak in politically correct shades of gray. Jesus is simply using native idioms to illustrate that love for Him must come first, and love for your family must be subordinate. Any other interpretation would have Jesus contradicting Himself. This shows our first difficulty.

If we were to take Luke 14:26 literally, we could "prove" the opposite of what Jesus taught. This proof-text method must be condemned. When we study a text, we must look at the cultural context. This will illuminate the scripture. Failure to do this has led to tragic consequences. At least one person has taken the statement in verse 27 to require being crucified as a criterion of entry into heaven. Clearly, this is not what Christ meant there, either. Similar horrifying consequences are found in Matt 18:8-9.

The social context is also important. In turning the other cheek (Matt 5:39) Jesus gives reference to a common manner of insult, the slap with the back of the hand. The proper understanding is to avoid reacting to insults, not any other conclusion which might be made while ignoring the social context.

Textual context is the other major concern. Luke 14:26-27 are part of a longer discussion, where Jesus expands on His statements to explain them. Ignoring such context leaves out important information.

The final form of context is scriptural. Since all statements in scripture on a single topic will be in agreement, it is important to look at what other writers say on the same topic. These statements will likely be made using other words, and will allow slightly different perspectives to illuminate a central theme.

When all of these concerns are addressed, we have the only acceptable method of exegesis: the historical-grammatical method. This means that we understand scripture by examining the historical (social & cultural) setting, as well as the grammatical forms (poetry, apocalyptic, hyperbolic, parabolic) to learn the intended content of the statements. We confirm our conclusions by examining the context of the immediate statement scripturally, as well as the global context of other statements on the same topic.

Any other method allows us to intentionally or unintentionally read into the text our preconceived ideas (eisegesis). This is to be condemned.

A text without its context is a pretext.