(by Lorie Codispoti)
No bible verse should be interpreted in isolation. Each one has a context that must be considered if we are going to rightly divide the word of truth.
A wise teacher once noted that: “Before we ever get to the here & now of a text we have to get to the then & there of a text.”
Unfortunately, what often times happens is that we isegete (put into) rather than exegete (draw out of) a biblical text. Instead of interpreting biblical passages through the lens of the author, his audience, & the culture of his day, we look at everything from our own feelings & experience. This is bad hermeneutics.
As a young believer I adopted some spiritually unhealthy norms when interacting with Scripture. I took my cues from a few unstable influences, & those influences shaped a lot of wrong thinking about who God is & what His word is all about.
Thankfully God didn’t leave me in that sphere. Learning how to rightly interpret Scripture has changed everything from the way I read it to the way I share it with others.
No one wants to see us walk in truth more than our loving Heavenly Father. When we’re diligent to ask & seek, He promises we will find. I needed rewiring (transforming) & God graciously provided the schematic (His word with His Spirit) to assist me in tearing down an unstable foundation so that He could begin the process of rebuilding my faulty thinking.
After a recent teaching I was asked about my process of studying, interpreting, & communicating Scripture. I found the question hard to consolidate into a simple answer. For one thing I still feel like a novice & there’s so much more to learn. And second, because it has become a lifelong endeavor to develop a solid hermeneutical practice. While I have added valuable tools to my interpretation belt - tools that have helped me to understand the blueprints better, construct a solid foundation, & add one story at a time to my house of faith - I’m convinced that this construction will be an ongoing project until I breathe my last breath.
While that may be discouraging to some, I’ve found there to be tremendous joy in the journey. So much so that I want to continue exegeting Scripture like I’m building a skyscraper. Each new floor added enables me to see things more clearly, whether I’m looking up or looking down. I’ll leave the finishing to the Master Builder, who can be fully trusted to finalize the project & call it done.
In the meantime, why not grab your hammer & join me in the building process? It's hard work, but it sure is rewarding.
“A wise woman builds her house…” (Prov.14:1)
