Context and the Simple Truths of Scripture.

Published in

The Flower Falls

14 min readApr 23, 2019

Most Christians are familiar with the third chapter of the gospel of John. This is the chapter where Jesus spoke with Nicodemus about the need to be born again. It’s the chapter where he spoke of being lifted up so that everyone who believes in him would have eternal life. And it the chapter where he spoke how God loved the world so much, “that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life”(John 3:16). Many believers in Jesus can recite John 3:16 from memory, but few of us remember that this chapter also speaks of John (the Baptist)baptizing people, and even fewer realize that it says Jesus was also baptizing people. Verse twenty-two tells us, “After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing.”

Wait, Jesus was baptizing? Yep, that’s what the Scriptures say. In fact, just a few verses later, John’s disciples seemed to confirm that. John 3:26 records their words, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him”(vs.26). It’s not clear whether John’s disciples were excited, surprised, or jealous when they told him about Jesus baptizing people, but John the Baptist seemed neither threatened nor surprised. In fact, beginning in verse twenty-seven and continuing throughout the end of the chapter, he spoke about his role in comparison to Jesus’ saying, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

The context of John 3 clearly says that Jesus was baptizing, and the first verse of chapter 4 seems to confirm it: “Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John.” Here we see that the text says three different times within 16 verses that Jesus was baptizing. Yet, if we read John 3:1- John 4:1 and conclude that Jesus was baptizing we would be absolutely wrong. How can that be? Because John 4:2 records this important clarification, “(Although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were).”

This simple example is a reminder that a proper consideration of the context is essential if we hope to correctly interpret any words — whether written or spoken. We are all aware of the harm sound bites can cause in the political arena and of the confusion that can result when a word or phrase is used out of context. Much damage has resulted from such practice, not only in the political arena, but also in the business world, organized religion, and even in daily family life. When a word or phrase is taken out of context, it can be used to say almost anything — often to the detriment of the speaker or author.

Words taken out of context not only have the potential of harming the reputation of the person who innocently spoke them, damage is often done to the undiscerning listener or reader. And, not surprisingly, the damage often remains long after the truth is revealed. Though the error may be corrected later, and the person cleared of any wrong doing, the hearer of the erroneous statement may never view those involved in the same way. This reality certainly applies in the realm of Biblical interpretation. Many have witnessed the destruction that can result when Scripture is used out of context. Some people may even have the boldness to categorize those who use Scripture out of context as belonging to cults. Yet, often these are sincere and zealous people who have been taught a misinterpretation of Scripture from their youth and, being deceived, continue to propagate the erroneous message.

People have different ideas about how much context is necessary. Some use a 20/20 rule believing that reading twenty verses before and twenty verses after the text in question is usually enough context to correctly interpret it. Others suggest reading a chapter or two before and after the text in question. Both seem reasonable. However, as we’ll see later when looking again at the gospel of John, even this is not enough. There we’ll see that statements made in chapter six cannot be properly understood until chapters seventeen and eighteen.

As it is with every piece of literature, a consideration of the author’s entire flow of thought is crucial if we hope to accurately interpret a passage. Therefore, we need to read the entire context of the biblical book or letter from which it is taken. Furthermore, because each of the individual books contribute to the story of redemption, we must be careful to interpret each book in light of the other books, each sentence in light of the other sentences, and each word in light of the other words.

Beyond this, determining the correct interpretation of any word demands that we have a proper understanding of its definition. With this is mind, Biblical scholars have taken great pains over the years to translate the Bible from ancient to modern languages. However, because languages are fluid and words can have a broad range of meaning, sometimes the original meaning of a word is lost in the translation. After all, though most Christians agree that the original manuscripts were inspired by God, this is not necessarily true of its many translations. This reality creates the potential for problems because most people today don’t read or speak ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, or Koine Greek. Therefore, they may hesitate to examine the original language of the texts. But not speaking these languages is not an insurmountable barrier to a proper understanding of the Scriptures. By the grace of God, modern readers of the Scriptures have access to Greek and Hebrew dictionaries as well as exhaustive concordances. Careful use of these tools not only provides us with the definition of a given word at the time it was written, it reveals how that word was translated in other passages. And, with just a bit more effort, we can sometimes find out how it was used in extra-Biblical writings of the ancient world. This helps us avoid interpreting ancient words and ideas through our modern-day vernacular and pushing them beyond their original, commonly understood meaning.

Knowing the context and definition of words is vital in helping understand the texts, but proper interpretation also demands that we consider how each word or phrase relates to the others in the sentence. This may sound intimidating for those who hated grammar in school, but it is often as simple as determining whether the word in question a noun, verb, or adjective and seeing if there are any modifiers or prepositional phrases. A proper recognition of pronouns and their antecedents is also key, because, while Scriptures provide glimpses into God’s character, nature, and dealings with mankind. And, while they may encourage us, instruct us, convict us, and even speak about us, they were not written to us. You may wonder how that affects our interpretations — or if it even does. Be assured, it absolutely does. Allow me to explain.

An avid reader, at twelve years old, my son Justin read a condensed version of War Letters by Andrew Carroll. Beginning with the Civil War and continuing through to current conflicts in the Middle East, War Letters is a compilation of extraordinary correspondence from American wars. Whether from ambulance driver George Ruckle describing a failed German offensive, 2nd Lieutenant Richard Wellbrock chronicling his remaining days as a prisoner of war, Captain Molton A. Schuler Jr. describing to his wife the makeshift church where he and his friends worshiped, nurse Clara Barton writing to her cousin on the eve of a the Battle of Fredericksburg, or Lieutenant Commander Paul E. Spangler giving an eyewitness account of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, reading these letters not only gives insights into the details of the battles that history books may not reveal. It also provides a glimpse into the plans, hopes, dreams, desires, fears, and cares of each of the authors.

Interestingly, some of the authors wrote of those who would benefit from their valor on the battlefields. I am one of the beneficiaries of their bravery. Indeed, I dare say that all who live with the political freedoms we enjoy in the United States have benefited. However, though you and I may be able to learn about the character, nature, and thoughts of those who wrote; though we may be able to read details of the battle, and even be mentioned as beneficiaries of their sacrifice; we cannot read the letters from these men and woman and rightly insert our names every time a writer used second or third-person pronouns. Reading a letter from Captain Schuler to his wife and interpreting it as if it was addressed to us would cause all kinds of confusion. In the same way, when Ernest Uno wrote of “they” who warmly welcomed him and his fellow soldiers as they liberated their town from the occupying Germans during World War II, you and I cannot consider ourselves the “they” he wrote about.

The same holds true for the Scriptures. While the Bible is uniquely inspired, like War Letters, it is a historic document. The message and truths within are timeless, but the various books and letters were written to and about particular people at particular points in time. And each was written with a particular purpose in mind. When reading the Bible, we can gain great insight into the lives and times of both the people who wrote and those to whom they wrote. We can see the incredible grace, love, compassion, and justice of our Almighty God. We can benefit greatly as we apply its principles and commands to our lives. And we can see that we are spoken of as beneficiaries of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus. However, just as we cannot insert our name in place of the pronouns used throughout War Letters, neither can we rightly apply the first and second-person pronouns used throughout the Scriptures to ourselves.

One place this is evidenced is in God’s words to Jeremiah as recorded in Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Some people claim that all believers can apply this passage to themselves. Thus, they consider themselves consecrated by God before they were born. However, Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12:27–30 should make all of us think twice before doing so. There he wrote:

Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?

God told Jeremiah he had consecrated and appointed him a prophet to the nations, but Paul’s words imply that not all in the church are prophets. How are we to reconcile these two passages? The answer is simple. We need to recognize that God’s words to Jeremiah were just that; they were words to Jeremiah, not to us.

A recognition of the pronouns and the reading the entirety of the text are both essential to interpreting the Scriptures, but accurate interpretations are also dependent on something that may not be written or spoken at all — the historical context. Each of these concepts can be seen in this simple note I wrote to a friend:

Dear Tim,

I am thrilled to rejoice together with you for all God is doing in your life, and in the life of Michael. God truly is worthy to be praised.

We are doing well and are rejoicing in our Lord in the midst of a busy baseball season which has been filled with both excitement and great sorrow. We are thankful to have an incredible God to instruct us and teach us in the way we should go; one who comforts us in all of our afflictions, strengthens us in our weaknesses, and in whom we can take refuge.

We have had plenty of opportunities in these last few weeks to remind our boys not only of these things but also of the importance of exercising self-control and making good choices despite circumstances. Jim and I are ever thankful for our sons, and desire that they always walk in the wisdom and way of the Lord.

I pray for you and your family and hope to see you soon.

In love, Patti

The statements made here about the Lord’s character and nature are always true. Similarly, the statements about those who are in Christ are true for all who are in Christ throughout time. However, the specifics of this letter certainly cannot be applied to all people. Though I didn’t preface my usage of pronouns with their proper antecedents, the pronouns we, us, and our used in the second and third paragraphs were not referring to Tim and me, or to all believers. They were referring to me and my family. This is only made evident, however, by the fourth paragraph. Other people may be able to identify with the words I wrote, but I was writing them to Tim. Therefore, some of my statements were exclusively about Tim and his family, and some were exclusively about my family and me. Only Tim, who knows me and my family well, would know what I meant by the great sorrow associated with our baseball season that year. Those who don’t know me, or who might read the note years later, would need to know the historical context of my note to properly interpret it.

The same is true of Scripture. Though God’s nature and character do not change, and the truths and principles of Scripture are timeless, God chose to reveal himself to real people who lived in real geographical locations, political situations, and cultures different from our own. You and I must take these things into consideration if we hope to properly interpret the truths God wished to convey in his inspired word.

All of this may seem enough to help us rightly interpret a passage, but there is at least one more thing to consider before we begin: the law of non-contradiction. Simply stated, the law of non-contradiction says that two antithetical propositions cannot both be true at the same time. In other words, if an assumption (or in this case an interpretation) leads to a contradiction, then the assumption is proven false and its negation is true. For example: two statements are made in the Scriptures about how Judas died. Matthew 27:5 says that he hanged himself, and Acts 1:18 says he fell, his body burst open, and his intestines gushed out. It’s not possible that Judas hanged himself and did not hang himself because the two are antithetical. For the same reason, it’s not possible that he fell, and he did not fall. However, it is possible that Judas hanged him, then fell from the tree and his intestines gushed out.[1]

Most followers of Jesus Christ agree that there are many ways we can apply biblical passages in our lives, but there is only one correct interpretation. Considering the many genres and literary devices used throughout the Scriptures, it is true that you and I may not always be able to discern the correct interpretation of a passage. However, the law of non-contradiction makes identifying interpretational errors easy. Not knowing the correct interpretation of a text is fine, but we must never be content with interpretations that contradict the context of the passage or the greater context of the Scriptures.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we do not have the right to make up own our rules and guidelines. Nor are we free to come up with definitions of words outside of the commonly understood original meaning. If we disregard proper bounds when interpreting the Scriptures, we leave ourselves wide open for a variety of interpretations which can lead to confusion, division, false teaching, and possibly even cults.

Sadly, though we may be quick to hold others to basic guidelines of interpretations, too often, and maybe without even realizing it, we don’t hold ourselves to the same standards. Jesus said to treat others the way we want to be treated, but who among us likes it when someone adds to our words? Do you like it when people practice “selective” hearing and don’t consider the greater context of your words? It is okay when, after you’ve carefully chosen your words and conveyed them precisely, your child, spouse, friend, or boss tells others what they think you intended to say rather than what you actually said? I dare say none of us would appreciate these things being done to us. Therefore, we should be careful not to do this to others — especially the people and authors of the Bible.

God inspired two kings and a prime minister to record amazing glimpses of himself and his sovereign dealings with mankind. He also inspired Paul and Luke who may have received the finest education of their time. However, much of the Scriptures were written by ordinary men like fishermen, shepherds, a tax collector, a fig farmer, and a cupbearer to the king. And, lest we forget, they were recorded for the benefit of ordinary people like you and me.

Admittedly, we have obstacles to overcome in our attempts to interpret them through the linguistic and historical lens through which they were written. This may be the reason many followers of Jesus have become accustomed to relying on educated scholars or pastors to interpret God’s word for them rather than following the example of the Bereans who examined the Scriptures daily to see if what they were being taught was true. God has indeed given some people the gift of teaching, but it is also true that, like the Bereans, ordinary people like you and me are capable of understanding the Scriptures with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Input from educated, studied, godly men and women can be useful when attempting to understand and rightly apply the Scriptures, but those who find themselves dependent on biblical scholars are in danger of returning to the mindset that dominated and devastated the church during the many centuries that people depended on Catholic priests, bishops, and the Pope to explain God’s word to them — the very thing early reformers stood against.

Those who know the term exegesis know that it summarizes everything I have attempted to say in this chapter. Taken from a Greek word meaning “to lead out” exegesis means that we are to draw meaning out of the text rather than reading our own ideas and preconceived notions into it (eisegesis). Sadly though, too often, rather than drawing meaning from the text, we have relied on what we “know” or what we’ve been told by others instead of what the text says. It seems that we might benefit from the encouragement of my sons’ former art teacher, Mrs. Garver. Each week during their drawing lesson she encouraged them, “Draw what you see, not what you know.” They eventually caught on, and the results were beautiful.

As we begin looking closer at the ideas of Calvinism and the passages used to support it, let us be careful to take the Scriptures and our Lord at their word by interpreting what we read, rather than what we “know” or have been told by others. In doing so, I am confident that beautiful things will follow.

Ephesians 1 contains important words about people being chosen and predestined by God. Verse 4 says, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,” and verse 5 says “In love he predestined us to adoption as sons.” These two sentences are foundational to Calvin’s claim that God unconditionally chose and predestined people to eternal life, but let’s take a closer look at their context to see if it supports his claim. Join me here where we’ll look at Paul’s letter to the Ephesians together. After that, you can join me here where we’ll take a closer look at what Paul said about redemption, adoption, and the seal of the Spirit. Or, if you prefer to see what he said in Romans 8 says about those who were foreknown and predestined, you can join me here. Other options are below.

You can connect with me on Twitter, or email me at patti@theflowerfallsoff.com

To read more, return to the homepage or follow one of the links below.

Preface

Reformation Truth and Error

The Illusionary Truth of Calvinism

Ephesians 1, Chosen and Predestined

Ephesians- Redemption, Adoption, and the Seal of the Spirit

Romans 8, Foreknown and Predestined

Romans 8:33, A Charge Against God’s Elect

Romans 9- Love & Hate, Potter & Clay

Romans 11, The Chosen Remnant

1 Peter, Chosen According to Foreknowledge