HERMENEUTICS: the science of never doing it

From the Greek ερμηνευτική

The branch of knowledge that explains how to disregard Scripture without guilt

An elephant in chains, Kerala, India

---

Introduction to Biblical Interpretation

Klein Blomberg Hubbard

How much more effective we could be—how much more Christ-like—if we would make Bible study and application integral parts of our lives.

How much more effective could you be if you didn’t make Bible study an integral part of your life? Do you know any examples of people who "make Bible study and application integral parts of our lives" and do anything with it? Do you plan to study to do it, or just to know more?

What if, instead of studying one hour a day, you did it on hour a day? But you be behind those who study or ahead?

The claim is that the reason people are not more effective is because they don’t study the Bible enough. And conversely, people who do study the Bible are more effective.

The question must be put to anyone studying the Bible: Once you understand it, will you do it? More often than not, understanding does not result in action. The simple truths that everyone understand do not motivate, so why would understanding the more difficult ones end differently? How does learning more change anything? If we don’t do what we already know, why would knowing more make us do anything?

The reason Christians are not more effective is they approach the word of God as a buffet. If something looks good they put on their plate; if it doesn't look good, they pass it by. It is not the difficult passages that are the problem: it’s the simple ones.

There is no evidence that learning more leads to more involvement. If you have already decided to not take a heaping spoonful of “consider the lilies”, then just be honest and admit you're never going to do it. Scripture says there is a time for milk and there is a time for meat, but there is no time for cheesecake.

To execute the task of correct biblical interpretation, we must first understand what biblical interpretation is. Thus, in Part l we define hermeneutics and demonstrate the crucial need for careful and valid hermeneutical principles. To understand how to interpret the Bible today requires an appreciation of our predecessors in the biblical faith. So we investigate the various approaches and techniques people have employed to understand Scripture throughout history. We want to learn from them— appropriating what is valid and valuable while avoiding their mistakes and pitfalls.