Understanding the bible session 4

Understanding the Bible
Session 4: Interpreting the
New Testament
Mark E. Hardgrove, PhD, DMin, MDiv
2019
Grace Baptist Church

Foundational Interpretation Principles
• One interpretation, with many applications
• Authorial intention is the starting point
• Discern between descriptive and prescriptive texts
• Every text has a context – historical, cultural,
grammatical, etc.
• Every text is but one piece in the beautiful picture – never
lose sight of the “big picture”
• Scripture does not contradict itself

New Testament Books of the Bible
•27 Books
•Gospels:
•Matthew
•Mark
•Luke
•John
{Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke}
•Acts of the Apostles (historical narrative)

•Pauline Epistles
•Romans
•1 Corinthians
•2 Corinthians
•Galatians
•Ephesians
•Philippians
•Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
COLLECTIVE DESIGNATIONS
OF PAUL’S EPISTLES:
Prison Epistles:
Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians, Philemon
Pastoral Epistles:
1 Timothy, 2 Timothy,
Titus

•Hebrews - Why not Paul?
Compare: Galatians 1:11-12 with Hebrews 2:3
Gal. 1:11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which
was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither
received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the
revelation of Jesus Christ. [Claims direct revelation]
Heb. 2:3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which
at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to
us by those who heard Him, [Is a second generation Christian]

•General Epistles
•James
•1 Peter
•2 Peter
•1 John
•2 John
•3 John
•Jude
• Revelation

Genres and why they are important
A literary genre is defined as a kind of writing. Poetry,
narrative stories, legal literature, prophecies are simple
examples of different literary genres.
Why is it important to know the genre you are reading?
The New Testament contains four main genres of literature:
gospel, narrative, epistle/letter and apocalyptic. In
addition, there are other genres such as parables, hymns,
and prophetic material.

What is unique about the “Gospels”?
They are written by four different authors, with four
different audiences, for four different purposes.
They are all written as historical narrative, but constructed
with a purpose. (See Luke 1:14, and John 20:30-31)
Jesus did much more than is recorded, so what is recorded
was selected by God through the author for specific
purposes. Each story is significant to the audience to which
the gospel is written.

Matthew, for example, writes to a predominately Hebrew
audience, and therefore cites many OT passages to confirm
that Jesus is the Messiah.
Mark writes to a predominately Gentile audience, and
gives a fast paced account that offers little overt theology
or OT confirmation. The acts of Jesus confirm who He is.
Luke is commissioned by Theophilus to confirm the
accounts of Jesus that were circulating.

John was written to a mature audience who were familiar
with the synoptic story, and were ready for deeper
theological reflection with respect to Jesus as Messiah.
Probably as predominately Gentile audience as John often
explains Jewish customs to the reader.
Though Matthew, Mark, and Luke provide a very similar
view of Jesus, all four Gospel writers include material that
is unique to each and at times is difficult to harmonize with
the others. What do we make of that?

Imagine four explorers on four different sides of the same
great mountain. Each side of the mountain has unique
terrain, and each provides a description of the mountain
from his or her vantagepoint. All are describing the same
mountain, but each provides descriptive language that is
unique to his or her perspective.
Are they contradicting one another?
Who is right?

Guidelines for Interpreting the Gospels
1. Don’t harmonize the Gospels. Let each author speak
for himself. Matthew 8:28-34 says two demoniacs,
Mark 5:1-20 and Luke 8:26-39 say one. It’s not a
contradiction, let each tell their story.
2. Do not try to force first century concepts, descriptions,
and languages into twenty-first century understanding.
3. Jesus did and said many things He did not explain. You
can’t force meaning onto text where no meaning is
given.
Ten Guidelines for Interpreting the Gospels. (May 30, 2018). Internetmonk.com

Guidelines for Interpreting the Gospels
4. We first need to hear the text the way the original
audience heard it, without the benefit of a
concordance to search out every other use of the word
in the NT.
5. Beware of taking an obscure passage and turning into a
key theological dogma. (Eph. 5:19, Mark 16:18)
6. Remember the big idea that dominates the Gospels is,
“Who is Jesus?” Smaller ideas are less certain.

8. Most of the Gospels, with the possible exception of
Mark’s Gospel, were written latter than Paul’s early
epistles. Paul knew the core teachings and the account
of Christ before the Gospels were written.
9. The study of Jesus is important. Let the life of Christ
transform you.
10. You could take a lifetime studying only one of the
Gospels. Read as much as you can. You can be a
scholar on at least one of the Gospels.

What is unique about the “Gospels”? - Parables
Approximately a third of the teaching of Jesus are in the
form of a parable. A parable uses concrete examples from
life to illustrate an abstract idea.
Many people struggle to interpret parables properly. Some
miss the point entirely and substitute their own “moral of
the story,” while others pick apart every detail and fill it
with allegorical significance.
Here are some principles for interpreting parables:
Principles for Interpreting the Parables (2019) http://www.biblicalexpositor.org/default.asp?sec_id=180007636

1. A parable uses analogy to place an understandable
concept beside another more complex concept to bring
clarity to the complex.
2. The writer of Matthew (13:10-17) says that Jesus used
parables to conceal truth from those who reject it, and
at the same time reveal truth to those who believe.

The pattern of the parable:
•It is presented in narrative format – a story.
•It is true to life –something they could visualize happening
•It is told with a specific point in view
•It conveys knowledge from what is true in one known
realm, to what is unknown in another
•It relates in some way to the kingdom teaching of Christ

3. Understand the historical context of the parable. These
are illustrations from the everyday life of the people.
4. Determine the specific question/problem/need/situation
which elicited the telling of the parable.
5. Determine the true-to-life meaning of the story in the
parable.
6. Determine the central point of the parable as it relates to
the to topic/question Jesus is addressing.

7. Understand that not every detail in the parable has
special significance.
8. Seek to determine the main point of the parable. Some
are clearly stated by Jesus (Ex. Parable of the Soils)

What is unique about “Acts”?
The early Greek title was “Praxeis,” which means “acts”
Early on was titled “The Acts of the Apostles,” but really
only two apostles are highlighted, Peter in chapters 1-12,
and Paul in chapters 13-28.
Some believe a better title would be, “The Acts of the Holy
Spirit,” because the key Person throughout is the Holy Spirit
who empowers the apostles to be witnesses.

Interpreting narrative literature:
1. As with the Gospels, through the Holy Spirit Luke choses
what to include and what to leave out. We should
always read with the understanding that what is
included is signally important for the church.
2. It is written as history, and at times, Luke appears to
have been a primary witness to the things he writes
about, using the first person pronouns “we” and “us.”

3. It is not true that narrative literature is devoid of
theological importance. It is history, but it not “just”
history, it is salvation history, it is God at work through
the church and giving an example of how He can and
will work in the church to expand His kingdom.
4. We should always ask what the significance is of the
actions of the apostles and what it teaches us about
how the church can expand the God’s kingdom.

What is unique about the “Epistles”?
An “epistle” is essentially a letter, but it is inspired by the
Holy Spirit through the human author to address specific
issues in a local church, or areas, or individual.
It is like hearing one side of a phone conversation and a key
to interpretation is to try to comprehend the issues being
addressed. Are they local or general?

•In the first century church, epistles substituted for
personal interaction between the writer and the recipient.
•Epistles served do the following:
1) to provide information or instruction
2) make requests or issue commands
3) to make or maintain relationships

Standard letter writing format in the first century
•Name of writer
•Name of recipients
•Personal greetings
•Personal prayer, wish, or expression of thanks
•Body of letter
•Final greeting and farewell

Principles for interpretation:
•What do you notice about the people being addressed?
Are they Jews, Gentiles, (or both) a group, an individual?
•What was the writer’s demeaner toward them? Was he
correcting, chastising, encouraging, providing instruction?
•Can you ascertain why the letter was written? What
event or issue precipitated the letter’s composition?
•How does the letter logically unfold?
Bradshaw, R. (1996). How to read NT letters. Robert Bradshaw.

Applying the letters:
• A text cannot mean something to us that it did not mean
to the original readers. (Ex. 1 Cor. 13:8)
• Where we share similar life situations with the original
readers, God’s Word means the same to us as it did to
them.
• When our situations are different, we look for universal
truths or principles that apply to us.

Principles for interpretation:
•Is there direct or indirect application for today?
•There are some texts that do not have direct application
for today. For example, Paul told Timothy to fetch his
cloak. We cannot fetch Paul’s cloak, but we certainly
could use this text to think about ministry to people in
prison.

Interpreting the Book of Revelation
The setting of the book is the persecution of the saints at
the hands of Rome. John himself had been exiled to the
Isle of Patmos for his faith in Jesus.
The book is not intended to scare believers, but to instruct
and to encourage believers.
The key chapter is chapter 5 which assures believers that
God has a plan which Jesus has unfurled, and that plan is
right on track, ending in the ultimate defeat of Satan, the
victory of the church as God restores all things.

This is a class all by itself. However, in summary,
1. Revelation is a type of literature called “apocalyptic”
which is from the Greek word apokalupsis (ἀποκάλυψις)
meaning “revelation”, “an unveiling or revealing of things
not known apart from the unveiling”.
2. It uses highly symbolic language intended to conceal
meaning from some, but to reveal meaning to others.
3. Try to distinguish what is literal and what is symbolic.

4. Read it with great humility. Beware of those who
dogmatically insist that they have it all figured out.
5. Try to understand what it would have meant to the
original readers. We need to understand what it meant
in the first century, to understand what it means today.
6. The chronology does not always follow a strict linear
progression.
Gundry, R. H. (2017). 7 Tips for understanding Revelation. https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/how-read-revelation/

7. Symbolism is intentional in apocalyptic literature. Be
careful not to take the symbolic literally, or the literal
symbolically.
8. Pay attention when John identifies the meaning of a
symbol. For example, in 1:20, the golden lampstands
are the churches.
9. Pay attention to OT symbolism used in Revelation.
Gundry, R. H. (2017). 7 Tips for understanding Revelation. https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/how-read-revelation/

In the end, the Book of Revelation brings the believer full
circle. Satan who appears to win in Genesis, is defeated
once and for all.
The Paradise that was lost along with the Tree of Life is
restored.
The close and personal fellowship of the creature with the
Creator that was forfeited by sin, is restored.
And it is all because the Lamb has prevailed to take the
book and to loose the seals thereof.

Understanding the bible session 4

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