New Hope Christian Fellowship

The rational for this five-part Bible study series is to counter our natural human tendency of reading our own prejudices and/or understanding into the verses of the Bible by presenting valid and time-tested Biblical interpretation principles. Last week we highlighted 9 basic fundamental principles and examined three advanced techniques – objectivity versus subjectivity; historical context of a passage; the difference between a proverb and eternal law. This week we’ll cover three more advanced concepts.

The term genre means simply "kind," "sort," or "species." Genre analysis involves the study of literary forms, figures of speech and style. Failure to make these distinctions when dealing with the Bible can lead to a host of problems with interpretation. That's because the Bible contains many forms of literary styles within its pages. It contains history (narrative), wisdom sayings, poetry, parables, letters, Gospels, and Apocalyptic writings.

The key is that each style of literature cannot be read in the same manner. We usually read prose in a straightforward manner as opposed to poetry. But when we read poetry, we approach it with a different frame of mind. We realize we can't read poetry with a strict literal approach so we come prepared looking for figures of speech and other poetic devices. However, many of the older Bible translations (King James and American Standard for example) didn't indicate which verses were poetry, so we couldn’t make those mental adjustments.

And so we often tended to read these poetic passages as prose and often misunderstand what the author was trying to get across because we interpret it too literally. This is especially true of the first two chapters of Genesis, as well as many sections of the Major and Minor Prophets, Job and Ecclesiastes. Apocalyptic writings such as Revelation and sections of Daniel simply can't be read as prose and taken literally either. That’s because they are written in highly figurative and symbolic language.

Theologian and author George Eldon Ladd wrote that the images of Revelation are “not meant to be photographs of objective facts; they are often symbolic representations of almost unimaginable spiritual realities.” And so we find that the imagery of colors is very important in the Book of Revelation. White is the color symbolizing righteousness: the 24 Elders are dressed in white; the white robes of the saints; the white horse carrying the King of Kings; the angels of heaven are dressed in white; and the great white throne of final judgment. Red symbolizes evil whether it’s the red horse of war; the color of the devil or the 7 headed and 10 horned dragon. Numbers also have powerful symbolic meaning -- especially the number 7: the letters to 7 churches; 7 lamps around God’s throne; the 7 stars in the right hand of God; a scroll with 7 seals; 7 angels blowing 7 trumpets; the dragon with 7 heads; the beast with 7 heads; the pouring out of 7 plagues from 7 bowls by 7 angels.

Let’s look at Revelation 1:12-16 and see how the symbolic language is used. "I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among them the lampstands was someone 'like a son of man' dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance" (NIV).

The phrases concerning his head, hair, eyes, feet, voice and a sharp double edged sword coming out of his mouth are symbolic alluding to his pre-existence, his sinlessness, his power, and his authority as the final judge of humanity. While many Christians will acknowledge that these verses use symbolism to describe the characteristics of Jesus Christ, they will also tell you that these same verses are to be taken literally when it comes to understanding what God looks like.

Many Christians are convinced that God's spiritual form is like that of a human being. That God has eyes, ears, a face, two arms and hands, two legs and feet just like we do. This concept is called anthropomorphism. But these verses in Rev. 1 can't be interpreted two different ways. They're either understood as being symbolic or literal, but not both. The correct answer is that these verses were written in symbolic language and should only be interpreted or understood that way.

Christians who believe in anthropomorphism also misunderstand and misapply the poetic verses of other scriptures such as Psalm 34:15-16, "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth."

In these verses, King David wrote in poetic language to describe how our compassionate God is consistently sensitive to the needs of his people and will confront those who try to harm them. David never intended for to think of God as some super-human spirit being – David knew better.

In discussing this subject, we need, first of all, to answer the question whether we, as a denomination and you, in particular, as a Christian, believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible or a figurative/symbolic/spiritual interpretation. And the answer is yes, most definitely! So how can that be?

We believe that when passages in the Bible are written to be understood literally, we should take them literally. And those verses that are written in figurative language should be taken figuratively. However, we should look for a literal interpretation first. We presume the literal until the genre of the text or the grammar directs, guides or even forces us to the figurative or symbolic.

Now some may worry that if certain verses are interpreted figuratively, it means that the truth of God will be either watered down or distorted. As we shall see, nothing could be farther from the truth. Literal refers to what a word or phrase means in its ordinary, customary usage. Yet each language contains expressions that make no sense when translated literally word for word into another language. For example, the phrases “I’m under the weather,” Don’t let the cat out of the bag,” or I’ve got an ace up my sleeve” can’t be translated literally because they are “figures of speech” – that is they are written in figurative language. Therefore, they must be translated as to what thought they convey.

Now the word figurative refers to a meaning of a word beyond its original or literal meaning. It usually represents one concept in terms of another, or compares one concept with another. It’s a more powerful way to describe concepts than in literal terms. The first of these literary devices we'll look at is called personification. In personification, personal qualities are given to an inanimate object or idea. Personification makes an abstract concept come alive.

Proverbs 1:20-21 (NKJ), "Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voices in the open squares. (21) She cries out in the chief concourse, at the openings of the gates in the city." Is wisdom a literal woman? Well, let's read further. Proverbs 3:13-15, "Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; (14) For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. (15) She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her."

Another literary device that's found in the Bible is one of irony or sarcasm where the author pokes fun at or ridicules someone or a particular situation. A good example is found in the account of what the Prophet Elijah said to the priests of Baal during his confrontation with them on Mount Carmel . "And so it was, at noon , that Elijah mocked them (the priests of Baal) and said, 'Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.'" (1 Kings 18:27 NKJ) It's obvious that Elijah doesn't believe that Baal really exists or that he is actually preoccupied. Elijah is merely ridiculing or taunting his adversaries.

Another example of irony we'll take a look at is found in Amos 4:4. Now if we take everything literally that we read in the Bible, how do explain what Amos wrote? "Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years" (NIV). Amos knew that Bethel and Gilgal were centers of Israelite pagan worship. But did he really encourage his fellow countrymen to continue to sin? No, he was being sarcastic about what they were doing!

Now let's take a look at a major technique of figurative language that we encounter when we read the Bible. It's based on the principle of comparison. Comparison helps us transfer the meaning from one level of understanding to a higher level. A simile uses the words "like" and "as" to convey comparisons.

Jesus taught the truth of God through the imagery of similes. When Jesus sent out the 72 disciples in Luke 10, he told them exactly what to expect. (3) "See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves." (NRSV) Jesus obviously didn’t transform his disciples into sheep. In Matthew 23:37, Jesus looked over Jerusalem and said, "How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!" (NRSV) Here Jesus compares his love for his own as a mother hen would for her chicks.

Another technique of comparison is the metaphor. The metaphor is an implied comparison given in the form of a direct statement rather than using the words "like" and "as". Jesus used the language of metaphors in describing himself to us. He said in John 6, "I am the bread of life;" In John 10, he said, "I am the door. " In John 15, he said, "I am the true vine." Now most of us usually don't take these statements literally. Jesus doesn’t really resemble a piece of bread, a door or a giant green plant.

Jesus also taught using metaphors because they paint powerful, vivid word pictures. We read in Matthew 5, “You are the salt of the earth” (13). “You are the light of the world” (14). We understand that we as followers of Jesus are not literal grains of salt or flaming torches.

The 4^th technique we'll address is hyperbole. Hyperbole is an expression of exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis. Hyperbole abounds in most languages. Even Jesus taught spiritual lessons using hyperbolic language. Matthew 5:29-30 quotes Jesus as saying (NRSV), "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell."

Was Christ teaching us the doctrine of self-mutilation? Of course not. Using deliberate exaggeration, Jesus showed us the seriousness of sin and that we, too often, take a very caviler attitude about sin. How do we know that's what Jesus meant? All we have to do is look at what Jesus taught in other scriptures where he showed that sin doesn't originate in the eye or in the hand--but elsewhere--in the heart.

Mark 7:18-23 (NKJ), "So Jesus said to them, 'Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, 'because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated (thus purifying all foods)? And He said, 'What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 'For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 'thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 'All these evil things come from within and defile the man.'"

Accurate communication and clear understanding are difficult when the same word has different meanings, which can only be discerned by how the word is used in context of the sentence or thought. Here are a few examples in English. “The bandage was wound around the wound.” “The insurance was invalid for the invalid.” “Upon seeing a tear in the oil painting, I shed a tear.”

Probably the greatest advantage in Biblical research that we have seen in the past 50 years has been the ability of scholars to better convey the meaning of Greek and Hebrew words found in the Bible. This is especially true of certain Biblical words that have multiple meanings. The word "justify" is a very good example. In Romans 3:28 Paul says, "For we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the Law." (NKJ) Yet we read in James 2:24, "You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone." (NKJ)

If the word "justify" means the same thing in both cases, we have an irreconcilable contradiction between two biblical writers that concerns our eternal destiny. The meaning of justification and the question of how justification is applied to a Christian’s life is obviously very important.

To make matters worse, Paul insists in Romans 4 that Abraham is justified when he believes the promise of God before he is even circumcised. Paul has Abraham justified in Genesis 15:6, “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness’ (Rom. 4:3 NKJ). But James wrote in James 2:21 , "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered Isaac his son on the alter?" (NKJ) That example is found in Genesis 22.

This question of justification is easily resolved if we examine the possible meanings of the term "justify" and apply them within the contexts of the respective passages. Both writers use the same Greek word Dikaioo which has several meanings. The term 'justify' may mean (1) to restore to a state of reconciliation with God those who stand under the judgment of the law or (2) to demonstrate or to vindicate.

Jesus said in Luke 7:35 , "But wisdom is justified of all her children." (NKJ) What did Jesus mean? Other translations put it this way, "Wisdom is proved right." (NIV); "Wisdom is vindicated." (NRSV). Here Jesus is speaking in practical terms, not theological terms. The plain meaning of his words is that a wise act is demonstrated or vindicated by producing good results.

So how did Paul use the word in Romans 3 and 4? Here there is no dispute. From the context, we see that Paul is clearly writing about justification in the ultimate theological sense. But what about James? If we examine the context of James, we'll see he's dealing with a different perspective than Paul. James wrote in 2:14, "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says (claims) he has faith, (intellectual belief) but does not have works (fruit of the faith)? Can faith save him?" (NKJ)

What James is beginning to discuss here is that true or living faith brings forth a new birth or spiritual transformation in the individual. This new birth is then demonstrated by a change in the believer's life i.e. how he/she acts and treats others. James shows this in verses 15-17, "If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace, be warm and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works (of God) is dead [barren]."

James then wrote about those who claim to have faith. "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead [barren]" (James 2:19 -20).

What James is writing about here is that it takes more than intellectual knowledge about God to have true saving faith. The demons know who God is yet they continue to refuse to submit to him and continue to serve Satan.

Scholars feel that James was writing against the teaching known as antinomianism. Those who followed its tenants argued that faith in God involved only the mind and spirit and whatever you did to others and how you physically lived your life was inconsequential. And so, in this 2^nd chapter, James, shows that this teaching is false by stressing that true saving faith is vindicated, proved or justified when appropriate Godly actions (which are a result of spiritual re-birth) are demonstrated.

The apostle James' examples are in agreement with Paul's statement in Ep. 2:8-10, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

Those, who try to say that James is teaching that a person becomes righteous in God's eyes through his own works or efforts to fulfill the Law, do not understand how James is using the word "justification." From the surrounding verses, it's obvious that James understood works in only one sense--as the action of faith or the fruit of our spiritual transformation by the Holy Spirit. We need to realize that James also wrote in verse 23 of chapter 2, “And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God.” The OT verse James quoted was from Genesis 15:6 just as Paul had done in Romans 4:3.

1. Could the letter of James nullify and contradict Paul’s numerous plain statements about salvation through grace and not by works (Romans 3:21 -26)? Does God’s Word contradict itself?

[Next week we’ll examine three additional Biblical interpretation principles: the need to compare translations on pivotal verses, always interpret unclear/ambiguous scriptures in light of clear and concise scriptures, and always interpret scripture in context of surrounding verses.]

"New International Biblical Commentary" Edited by W. Gasque; Hendrickson Publishers, 1988

*"The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible" General Editor, Merrill C. Tenney; Zondervan, 1976

*"Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words" by W. E. Vine, Merrill Unger, William White; Thomas Nelson, 1985

*"How to read the Bible for All It's Worth" by Gordon D. and Stuart Fee; Zondervan, 1982

"Taking the Guess Work out of Applying the Bible" by Jack Kuhatschek; InterVarsity Press, 1990

"Understanding Scripture: How to Read and Study the Bible" by A. Berkley and Alvera M. Mickelsen; Hendrickson Publishers, 1992

Sharpen Your Bible Study Skills

Part 2 of a 5 Part Series