BASIC HERMENEUTICSA Short Course on Hermeneutics

Dr. Jerry F. Smith

Training in Ministry Essentials

Jerry F. Smith, Doctor of Theology (ThD) & Ministry (DMin) ● Missionary ● Pastor-Teacher ● Evangelist ● FaithMissionary Church World Outreach Ministry ● jfrsmth@gmail.com ● http://pastorjerrysblog.blogspot.com/ ●http://c-ed.blogspot.com ● http://fmcoutreach.blogspot.com/

ORIENTATION

“It was very good.”

Genesis 1:31

And God saw every thing that he hadmade, and, behold, it was very good. Andthe evening and the morning were thesixth day.

What does this statement tell us about God’s Creation?

Did Adam and Eve eat an “apple?”

Genesis 3:6

And when the woman saw that the tree wasgood for food, and that it was pleasant to theeyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise,she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, andgave also unto her husband with her; and he dideat.

How do we know?

Jesus fed five thousand “men”

Matthew 14:21

And they that had eaten were aboutfive thousand men, beside womenand children.

Did Jesus feed 10,000 -- 15,000 people?

“As A man thinks in his heart so is he”A proverb often used for positive thinking

BUT, is this an accurate interpretation?

Proverbs 23:7

For as [HE] thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat anddrink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

Proverbs 23:6-7

6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evileye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: (7) For ashe thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink,saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

It is a reference to beware of people who flatter you; NOT positive thinking

Psalm 12:2

They speak vanity every one withhis neighbour: with flattering lipsand with a double heart do theyspeak.

Where Two or Three Are Gathered … Does this refer to PRAYER?

Matthew 18:20

For where two or three are gatheredtogether in my name, there am I inthe midst of them.

Matthew 18:15-2015 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go andtell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hearthee, thou hast gained thy brother.16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or twomore, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every wordmay be established.17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church:but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as anheathen man and a publican.18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shallbe bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earthshall be loosed in heaven.19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earthas touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done forthem of my Father which is in heaven.20 FOR where two or three are gathered together in my name,there am I in the midst of them.

The CONTEXT of this verse is CHURCH DISCIPLINE

That God would be present with CHURCH MEMBERS they sought to make matters

right and restore a fallen member.

God is as much with ONE praying Christian as He is with MANY

GrammarMatthew 18:20

FOR where two or three are gathered togetherin my name, there am I in the midst of them.

We also need to consider the GRAMMAR of the text

The conjunction FOR is joining this thought with the previous (context) . . .

“Eye of a needle”Rich people cannot be saved?!

Matthew 19:24

And again I say unto you, It is easier for acamel to go through the eye of a needle,than for a rich man to enter into thekingdom of God.

Here you must consider the EXPRESSIONS of that time

“When pigs fly!” - It’s impossible!

A similar English expression is: “When pigs fly.”

Example: He’ll get a perfect score on his test whenpigs fly.

In the same sense, the Lord was speaking aboutthose who trust in their riches. Of course theyCANNOT enter heaven, because they won’t TRUST inChrist.

Remember, the Lord was speaking to the rich youngruler prior to that statement (context).

The KEY point is what the Lord said next:

Matthew 19:25-26

25 When his disciples heard it, they wereexceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can besaved?

26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them,With men this is impossible; but with God allthings are possible.

NO ONE can be saved without Divine intervention!

“Touch not the Lord’s anointed!”

Psalm 105:13-15 “When they went from one nationto another, from one kingdom to another people;(14) He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, hereproved kings for their sakes; (15) Saying, Touchnot mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.”

Many church leaders will use this verse to warn and intimidate brethren not to challenge their authority.

But is that an accurate interpretation?

CONTEXT is everything

Psalm 105:8-12 “He hath remembered hiscovenant for ever, … (10) And confirmedthe same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israelfor an everlasting covenant: (11) Saying,Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan,the lot of your inheritance: (12) When theywere but a few men in number; yea, veryfew, and strangers in it.”

Touch not the Lord’s anointed

This is NOT speaking about pastors, but speaks ofGod’s people, Israel. The they in this passage is areference to the Lord’s people, the nation ofIsrael.

God is warning other nations not to hurt His people.

“Anointed” is a reference to “they,” the people ofIsrael – God’s people … NOT ONE MAN

In the New Testament, EVERY believer is "anointed."

2Corinthians 1:21

“Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ,and hath anointed us, is God”

No one believer can claim any special status as God's "untouchable anointed" over other

believers.

In the NT, ALL believers are “anointed.”

Believers DON’T SIN??

1John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God dothnot commit sin; for his seed remaineth inhim: and he cannot sin, because he is bornof God.

But what about . . .

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned

Galatians 3:22 But the scripture hathconcluded all under sin

Compare Scripture with Scripture

1John 4:17

Herein is our love made perfect, that we mayhave boldness in the day of judgment: becauseas he [Christ] is, so are we in this world.

How IS He [Christ]?

1John 3:5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

I can do all things through Christ …Can I use this verse to assure victory in a

sporting event? Other situation?

• What was the CIRCUMSTANCE surrounding Paulwriting this text?

• What was he speaking about?

• What was the CONTEXT?

– Was it a sporting event?

– Was it a new job?

– Was it a break up with your girlfriend/boyfriend?

CONTEXT is EVERYTHING when interpreting Scripture

Philippians 4:10

10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the lastyour care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye werealso careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned,in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how toabound: every where and in all things I am instructed bothto be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to sufferneed.

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengthenethme.

Paul wrote this letter to the church in Philippi

• To let them know that God has taught him to becontent in times of plenty and in times ofdesperation (he’s writing this letter in prison).

• Whatever came Paul's way, he handled with faith. Itcould be stoning, prison, shipwreck, beatings, etc.

• This passage does NOT say that I can accomplishgreat feats of strength, but a reminder to exercisefaith and trust God in the midst of the ups anddowns of a life given fully to the cause of Christ.

TithingIs it a New Testament Practice?

The ONLY verses in the ENTIRE King James NT that mention the word “tithe” or “tithing” are:

Luke 11:42

But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue andall manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the loveof God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave theother undone. (Also, Matthew 23:23)

In BOTH cases, the Lord was rebuking Pharisees for their failure to exercise justice and love

BOTH cases were regarding the Law of the OT

Can a believer’s name be blotted out of the Book of Life?

Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall beclothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out hisname out of the book of life, but I will confess hisname before my Father, and before his angels.

Revelation 22:19 And if any man shall take away fromthe words of the book of this prophecy, God shall takeaway his part out of the book of life, and out of theholy city, and from the things which are written in thisbook.

Can we LOSE our salvation?

Hebrews 6:4-6

4 For it is impossible for those who were onceenlightened, and have tasted of the heavenlygift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

5 And have tasted the good word of God, andthe powers of the world to come,

6 If they shall fall away, to renew them againunto repentance; seeing they crucify tothemselves the Son of God afresh, and put himto an open shame.

Other interpretations we will discuss:

• Are believers KNOWN for loving PEOPLE or loving EACHOTHER?

• What SIN keeps us from Heaven?

• Does God PUNISH countries for their sins?

• “You’re NOT a Christian if …”– Is this an accurate statement from Scripture?

• What does it mean to OUTLINE a book of the Bible?

• When should I use commentaries and Hebrew & Greek?

gods??Psalm 82:6

I have said, Ye are gods; and all of youare children of the most High.

BUT what about . . .

Isaiah 45:5I am the LORD, and there is none else,there is no God beside me:

Scripture tells usJohn 10:34-35

34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in yourlaw, I said, Ye are gods?

35 If he called them gods, unto whom the wordof God came, and the scripture cannot be broken…

This text means that the Jews were like godscompared to those who were without the law;They were the people of God in the Old Testament

BE CAREFUL: Don’t make a doctrine on a single verse

Here is an example used by the “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints”

Psalm 82:6I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

• There is nowhere else in the Bible that suggests thatman is a “god.”

• But this single verse is used to support the Mormondoctrine that man has the capacity to become a god.

Comparing Scripture with Scripture: Internal evidence

There are abundant verses that demonstrate that this is in no way true:

Deuteronomy 4:35 Unto thee it was shewed, that thoumightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none elsebeside him.1Samuel 2:2 There is none holy as the LORD: for thereis none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.2Samuel 7:22 Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God:for there is none like thee, neither is there any Godbeside thee …Isaiah 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and hisredeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am thelast; and beside me there is no God.

Scripture must agree with itself

To AVOID ERRORS, Scripture must agree with any doctrine drawn from a

single passage.

FALSE TEACHING: MOST if not ALL cults deny that JESUS is GOD

You need to be able to defend your belief that JESUS is GOD

Can you PROVE that JESUS is GOD from the Bible?

John 1:1 & 14John 8:58 & Exodus 3:14

John 20:28Colossians 2:9

1Timothy 3:16; Titus 2:13; 1Peter 1:1 Revelation 1:17-18 & Isaiah 44:6

Beliefs of some CULTS

Islam: “Jesus was no more than a mortal whomAllah favored and made an example to theIsraelites” (Sura 43:59).

Jehovah's Witnesses: Jesus, one who is an angelwho became a man

Mormons: “That Lucifer, the son of the morning,is our elder brother and the brother of JesusChrist.”

Kenneth Copeland: “Jesus has a beginning and anend.”

Benny Hinn: “Have you been begotten? So was He.Don’t let anyone deceive you. Jesus was reborn.”

Iglesia Ni Cristo: “If there is any verse which peopleclaim proves the alleged deity of Christ, this versehas been wrongly interpreted by the people.”

Bro. Eddie Soriano: “The Jesus and Christ of theBible is not God the Father.”

The Lord commands us to check things out before we just embrace them

1John 4:1

Beloved, believe not every spirit, buttry the spirits whether they are ofGod: because many false prophetsare gone out into the world.

GOD teaches us to . . .

SEARCH the Scriptures

Acts 17:11

These were more noble than those inThessalonica, in that they received theword with all readiness of mind, andsearched the scriptures daily, whetherthose things were so.

STUDY the Scriptures

2Timothy 2:15

Study to shew thyself approvedunto God, a workman that needethnot to be ashamed, rightly dividingthe word of truth.

COMPARE Scripture with Scripture

1Corinthians 2:13

Which things also we speak, not inthe words which man's wisdomteacheth, but which the Holy Ghostteacheth; comparing spiritual thingswith spiritual.

Without proper hermeneutics, everyone can make up their own ideas about what

God says

Studying the Bible without properhermeneutics leads to a PERSONALIZATIONof the text's meaning that IS NOT alwaysappropriate nor accurate.

There may be MANY applications of Scripture, but only ONE interpretation of Scripture

When we say Hermeneutics, we mean the study of interpreting the Bible

There are many things that can affect a proper interpretation of the Bible:

Knowledge of God (His attributes)

Bible versions

Understanding of Bible Cohesion

Context

Culture

Grammar

Figures of speech

Theological approach

(Covenant, Dispensational, New Covenant)

Approaches to study

(exegesis or eisegesis)

Methods of study (inductive or deductive)

Study Aids

Knowledge of the Scriptures (comparing)

Ignoring time-tested interpretations (interpretations throughout history)

Our course

• This is a short course on Basic Hermeneutics

• We will discover how to interpret the Bible usingITSELF

• We will look at various ways that can help usunderstand the Bible more accurately

NEXT LESSON:Which Bible Version?