The L*I*G*H*T of Scripture*
2 Timothy 2:15
Sermon Objective: A sermon in response to Family Radio’s (Harold Camping) prediction of the end of the world, it gives five key principles that will help us “correctly handle the word of truth”
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15, NIV)
So, you are all still here!!!! Somehow I am not surprised even though a self-proclaimed “Expert” on Biblical Eschatology said that Jesus would come back on May 21 (yesterday).
You may remember that in February I told you about Family Radio’s founder, Harold Camping, using his forum to tell the world that Jesus was coming back on May 21, 2011 – at 6 p.m. It angered me (still does) because of the abuse it puts some weaker Christians through and because of the disgrace it casts on Jesus’ church. Seriously, such nonsense makes the faith look foolish … it gives the Gospel a black eye!
This silly group put up billboards and sent out “missionaries.” Some even went on Caribbean Cruises to tell the vacationers to repent and be ready because Jesus was coming. Heh; even I might have been tempted to volunteer for that duty. Interesting enough, there message and ministry was only focused on the U.S. – I guess the rest of the world could just go to hell on that day.
Camping was called out by many people. One gentleman even told him to put his money where his mouth is and sign over his assets to him as of May 22. Can you believe it? Camping didn’t do it!
Seriously -- I feel sorry for the weaker saints who have been emotionally and spiritually traumatized by the fiasco. They have been led astray. A Fresno, California newspaper has a report of one man in New York who spent his entire life savings to tell people of the coming eschaton. He’s a pauper now and he’s not alone. Others quit their jobs and lived in sub-standard conditions over the past few months, going from place to place warning people.
And today … well what do you suppose those frail saints are thinking today? Do you think their faith is in a tail spin? I suspect it is.
The Camping fiasco reminds me of the words of Proverbs 30:4-5 -- “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar."
I made a promise to you that Sunday in February. I told that once the day had passed I was going to preach on Biblical hermeneutics for apocalyptic literature – how to responsibly interpret, understand, and apply the Scriptures. This seems very apropos to me since I am also preaching through The Revelation, a book which many people think is about future end time events more than it is about the life you are living here and now.
I intend to keep my promise today.
For the past couple of years I have been modeling for you what I taught you in a Biblical Hermeneutics class last summer (“Pastor Ken’s Top 20 Rules of Thumb for Life Long Bible Study”). I have been modeling, to the best of my ability, principles and skills of interpreting the Bible in a manner that is responsible and transferrable.
Today, I want to boil those 20 principles down to five. I must confess that the acronym I am going to use today is not original with me. I am borrowing it (with some modification) from Hank Haanegraff’s book on apocalyptic hermeneutics titled “The Apocalypse Code.” In that book he gives six guiding principles that, when applied responsibly and faithfully, will equip Christians to properly understand Bible Prophecy – or any Bible text for that matter. The {modified} acronym that I will use has five: L*I*G*H*T.
Just as miner’s helmet light assists him/her in discovering gold beneath the surface of the earth, so the acronym L*I*G*H*T will aid you in drawing out of Scripture what God intends you to understand regarding the end times.
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There are certain “rules” that one cannot neglect or violate if they want to live very long or very comfortable. Take gravity for instance. If you choose to ignore it – you will do it at your own peril. The rule will not bend just for you. Ignore it and you can die!
In similar fashion, there are certain principles/rules that must not be neglected or violated if you want to properly understand and apply the Scriptures too. If you do … the outcome will be dangerous error. They may not be as high profile as the Camping fiasco but they will be just as severe. You will embrace false doctrine and live a life on false premises. However, if you will apply a few simple rules when you study the Bible your doctrine will be sound.
If there is one area where Loving God with all your mind should be evident and demanded by God’s people it should be in relation to “rightly dividing the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:25, KJV). Failing to be disciplined or to take it seriously is lazy not holy. It is foolish not spiritual. Understanding the Word of God is challenging and demands your best energy and effort.
Are you ready?
To correctly handle the word of truth we must use the:
L: LITERAL PRINCIPLE
The L in L*I*G*H*T will serve to remind you of the Literal Principle of Exegetical Eschatology. Simply put, this means that we are to interpret the Word of God just as we interpret other forms of communication -- in the most obvious and natural sense. You see, the plain and proper meaning of a biblical passage must always take precedence over our theological persuasions, presuppositions, and paradigms. If you choose to interpret a passage (or symbol in the Bible) in a willy-nilly fashion (even if you have prayed about it and God has told you that a locust equals a helicopter) then you set yourself up as the chief interpreter. I know, some people say God showed it to them but the Bible says, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (1 Peter 1:20-21) I don’t care who the “prophet” (spokesman) for God is if it comes from their imagination it is very very dangerous.
You can make the Bible say anything you want (especially apocalyptic literature) if you neglect the literal principle. When our fertile imagination becomes the source of interpretation we are in dangerous territory. Let the Bible speak for itself and just admit up front that there is some you may not fully understand. That is no shame. Even the apostle Peter did as much: “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:15-16).
To correctly handle the word of truth we must never violate:
L: Literal Principle
I: ILLUMINATION PRINCIPLE
The I in L*I*G*H*T represents the “Illumination Principle of Exegetical Eschatology.
Instead of our own fertile imagination, one of the sources we must rely heavily upon is “The Spirit of Truth.” 1 Corinthians 2:12 says, “We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.”
Clearly, however, the Holy Spirit does not supplant the disciplined study of Scripture. Rather, He provides us with insights that can only be spiritually discerned. Put another way, the Holy Spirit illumines what is in the text; illumination does go beyond the text.
To assume the ancient writers of the first 1900 years were not illumined and have nothing of substance to teach us is short sighted and even arrogant. In fact, our understandings of Scriptures should withstand the test of what the church through the ages has declared.
Let me be clear about what I am saying here. If you, or anyone else, comes up with some “new” meaning of a text (not application—those are fluid and determined by life situations) then the burden of proof is on you; and the church should not be expected to simply believe you because “God told you.” When people like Harold Camping say that God’s people (for the last 2000 years) have not correctly understood the Bible or that God has given them new or “special” insight they are wrong. That’s not only arrogant – it’s sinful and that’s exactly how false cults get started!
God’s church has always had His divine presence guiding them as they interpreted Scripture and I dare say that the meaning of the text – the real meaning of the text – has been understood for millennia.
Beware of new meanings and “new discoveries” about what a scripture passage (or apocalyptic symbol) actually means. I welcome with open arms new insight (you know I do, I am an academic and I thrive on research) but new insight into a text is not the same as new meaning of a text. If we are not careful, or if we refuse to check our insights against the insights of the Saints of the past, then we become vulnerable to “auto-propaganda.” We will indoctrinate ourselves with our own ideas and amplify our desire for things that are familiar; never realizing how close to spiritual inbreeding such activity comes.
To correctly handle the word of truth we must never violate:
L: Literal Principle
I: Illumination Principle
G: GRAMMATICAL PRINCIPLE
The G in L*I*G*H*T represents the Grammatical Principle of Exegetical Eschatology.
As with any literature, a thorough understanding of the Bible cannot be attained without a grasp of the basic rules that govern the relationships and usages of words and what type of literature those words are used is. In fact, one of the most useful books you could read in order to learn how to read the Bible is Mortimer Adler’s little treatise titled “How to Read a Book.”
Hear me closely folks. People like to neglect this one a lot but if you do you will misunderstand the Bible.
The books of the Bible were written to be understood. Even the apocalyptic books. Just like any book you read they have main thoughts and trajectories that run through them. THERE IS NO BOOK IN THE ENTIRE BIBLE THAT IS NOT MEANT TO BE UNDERSTOOD.
And the first step to understanding a book is to read it like any other book.
As an example: You must know what type of literature it is! That tells you a lot about how to interpret it.
Genres (literary types) matter. As an example, I have three books with me this morning: A History book on the American Revolution, A Time Life “How To” Book on Basic Wiring, and a book of poems on loving chocolate (came from my wife’s library obviously).
• If I try to read the poetry book like the history book I strip the book of its basic dimension. I make it “flat.” It loses its symbolism and figurative nature and its emotive quality … I will also find the reading very very strange because I am looking for literal transference (i.e. God having wings).
• If I try to read the “How-to” (think instruction/teaching/law/”torah”) book like poetry I miss the instruction within its pages – the cause effect, the blessing and consequences, the black and white expectations.
• If I try and read the history book like the “How-to” book I end up making things into “law” that are not expected to be. I turn illustrated principles into hard and fast rules.
Each genre has truth but the truth is embedded within the rules of the genre. It is important to know the rules (and the purpose of the genre) in order to properly mine the gold within.
In other words – Meaning is Genre-Dependent. A serious student of the Bible must find out what kind of literature he is reading and read that book with that in mind. You would not read the comic strips in a newspaper the way you would read the front page. And you do not read Daniel or Revelation the same way you read the Psalms or Genesis. All the books of the Bible are authoritative and filled with truth but the type of literature within which truth is found defines the guidelines or rules (equipment) for mining that truth.
Way too many people want to read everything as if it is law.
Many others want to read it all like its poetry.
Still others want to read it all like it is all history.
If you do that – you will come to erroneous conclusions. To read a proverb as if it is law gives you wrong conclusions. And to think it can all be read according to your “inclinations of the day” (i.e. “today is a wonderful day – everything is poetic” or “today is a lousy day! I need more ‘ought’ in my life – everything is law”) is guaranteed path to error and destruction!
To correctly handle the word of truth we must never violate:
L: Literal Principle
I: Illumination Principle
G: Grammatical Principle
H: HISTORICAL PRINCIPLE
The letter H in L*I*G*H*T represents the Historical Principle.
The Christian faith is historical and evidential. Thus, the biblical text is best understood when one is familiar with the customs, culture, and historical context of biblical times. We all understand this to some degree. When we try to explain certain passages we are prone to say something like “back in Biblical times …”
Failing to recognize this sets you up for error. But it can be hard work to understand the history behind a text. You’re going to have to do some reading and prep work that the original hearers did not have to do. They knew what was going on around them – we must rely on their records to help us grasp some of it.
I know some people who say things like “I only read the Bible.” I understand what they are saying (i.e. “The Bible is our primary source for faith and living. It’s all I need.”) but even the writers of the Bible had other books they read. Paul even tells Timothy to bring him some of them in 2 Timothy 4:13.
Understanding the Bible requires work and discipline. I understand that anyone can grasp much of the content. It does not take a Ph. D. in theology to understand James when he says “be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.” But when it comes to difficult texts and genres (like apocalyptic literature) you need more input. If you do not take the time to learn about apocalyptic literature’s role in Second Temple Judaism, for example, you can come to … well … what Harold Camping has done is an extreme example but he is not the only one guilty of using a fertile imagination, pre-suppositions, and an agenda to interpret such books.
Suffice it to say that an understanding of the days and cultures of the Bible is your friend and gives you a deeper grasp of what the authors were talking about.
To correctly handle the word of truth we must never violate:
L: Literal Principle
I: Illumination Principle
G: Grammatical Principle
H: Historical Principle
T: TEST OF HARMONY PRINCIPLE
Finally the T in L*I*G*H*T represents The Test of Harmony Principle.
Simply stated, this means that the whole of Scripture is greater than the sum of its individual passages. You cannot comprehend the Bible as a whole without comprehending its individual parts, and you cannot comprehend its individual parts without comprehending the Bible as a whole.
Scriptural harmony demands that individual Bible passages may never be interpreted in such a way as to conflict with the whole of scripture. Nor may we assign arbitrary meanings to words or phrases that have a clear referent in biblical history. The biblical interpreter must keep in mind all Scripture, though communicated through various human instruments, has one single Author. And that Author does not contradict himself, nor does he mischievously confuse his servants.
WRAP-UP
To correctly handle the word of truth we must never violate:
L: Literal Principle
I: Illumination Principle
G: Grammatical Principle
H: Historical Principle
T: Test of Harmony Principle
A proper understanding of the Bible shows it to have a divine author and to be reliable for faith and practice. It guides us into all truth and that truth sets us free. That is why you are told to “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15, NIV)
My life’s work – my heartbeat – is for those who read and listen to the Word of God to be on solid spiritual footing afterwards. I live for this! It is a calling.
If you will apply these principles to your Bible reading – you will handle the Word responsibly, grow very deep in your faith, know God more fully, love Him more completely and follow Him more effectively.
You also won’t live in fear and dread or be led astray.
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* Special thanks to Hank Haanegraff’s book on apocalyptic literature titled “The Apocalypse Code” for the acronym idea (L*I*G*H*T).
This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
