INNOVATION IN BIBLE INTERPRETATION IS A NO-NO

By Akin Ojumu

Scripture is sacred. It is the reason we call it the Holy Bible. We must endeavor, at all times, to keep it holy and pure, and not defile it with strange fire of the imaginations and lofty opinions that proceed from the human mind.

2 Corinthians 10:5-6

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”

Innovation in the interpretation of Scripture is totally forbidden by God. Using creative and human ingenuity to discover the meaning of Bible texts is prohibited. It is a grievous sin to take the Word of God, twist and distort it, just so to make it fit our lived experiences. What the Bible commands is that we fit our daily realities within the boundaries of God’s Word.

2 Peter 1: 20-21

“Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

When it comes to interpreting Bible texts, the “what you see depends on where you are standing” mantra is off limits. It’s important to understand that Bible passages do not have multiple meanings, and the interpretation of a text of Scripture is not subject to each interpreter’s state of mind, socio-cultural background, or preferences. 

What a Bible text meant to the original recipients is what it is supposed to mean to us today. How a particular Bible passage was understood by those to whom it was written is how it is to be understood at any other time the passage is read. The responsibility of the reader of Scripture is to invest the time and effort to interpret it accurately and precisely by applying the principle of hermeneutics and exegesis.

While Bible texts have only one interpretation, however, the text may contain multiple implications and applications. Again, it’s crucial to understand this to avoid the abuse and misuse of Scriptures.

Titus 1:9

“He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”

God’s mandate to all pastors, and by extension, all Christians and anyone proclaiming the Gospel, is that they must hold firm to the trustworthy Word as taught. This is the divinely ordained and acceptable standard for handling the Scripture. Pastors and preachers of the Gospel must hold firm to the trustworthy Word as taught. 

In order to hold firm to the trustworthy Word as taught, the pastor must know how it has been taught by the founding Fathers of the faith in the First Century. It is only when the preacher understands how the trustworthy Word was taught by Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ that he would be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and to rebuke those who contradict it.

Titus 1:10-11

“For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.”

For any Bible text to be effectual, it must be interpreted perfectly. The transforming power of the Word of God in our lives comes only when Bible passages are properly understood and precisely applied. Erroneous interpretation, understanding, and application of Scriptures will bring nothing but ruination and devastation to the soul. Without an accurate interpretation and sound understanding of the Bible, our faith in God shrivels and our love for God becomes lukewarm.

Seeing how important Scripture is to our spiritual well-being, it’s incumbent on the Believer to study it properly and understand it correctly. To derive the benefits from Scripture, we must handle it accurately. And this is the subject of this commentary.

2 Timothy 2:15

“Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.”

Hermeneutics, exegesis, eisegesis, and narcigesis are theological lingos I have become familiar with over the past few years as I seek to enrich my understanding of Scripture. As mouthful as they may sound, these are simply terminologies that describe the methods of interpreting Bible texts.

For the benefit of those who may not be familiar with these words, below are their definitions, courtesy of Grace Theological Seminary and Got Questions.

1) Hermeneutics

Generally, hermeneutics is a branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation. The word most often refers to how to interpret the Bible or other sacred texts from other religions.

There are four major types of biblical hermeneutics that have arisen throughout history, although only the first is widely accepted today amongst evangelical churches.

Literal Interpretation

This approach seeks out the “plain meaning” of a biblical text. This is not to imply that every passage of Scripture should be interpreted literally, but rather the plain meaning be accepted as truth. For instance, when Jesus said the Christians are the light of the world, we don’t believe we are literally a 100-watt light bulb. We do believe that Jesus was telling us plainly that it is our role to showcase the love of God to everyone around us.

Moral Interpretation

Originally practiced by Jews who believed their laws, poems, and historical narratives had multiple layers of meanings, this approach supposes to reveal the ethics behind any text.

Allegorical Interpretation

Closely associated with moral interpretation, this type of hermeneutics viewed the biblical narratives as having a secondary level of meaning. Most often this meant interpreting people and events in the Old Testament as only foreshadowing people and events in the New Testament.

Anagogical Interpretation

Defined as mystical or spiritual, this approach sought to interpret Scripture in view of the life to come. Relying significantly on numerical values of Hebrew letters and words. The focus here was on Messianic prophecies and the study of the last days. Similar to moral and allegorical interpretation, importance was not given to the actual story but to a perceived deeper meaning behind the story.

 

2) Exegesis

Whereas hermeneutics refers to deciding which principles we will use in order to interpret the text, exegesis is the interpretation of a specific Biblical text.

Exegesis is the critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of Scripture. Put simply, it is the process of discovering the original and intended meaning of a passage of Scripture.

The word exegesis literally means “to lead out of.” That means that the interpreter is led to his conclusions by following the text. To exegete, therefore, is to draw out the meaning from the Bible text being interpreted. Exegesis is critical to understanding Scripture. It’s the most reliable approach to discovering the truth of Scripture.

3) Eisegesis

Opposite of exegesis is eisegesis, which literally means “to lead into.” Eisegetical preaching is when the interpreter injects his own preconceived ideas and opinion into the text, thus ensuring that they find what they are looking for in the text. This often leads to making the text of Scripture say pretty much whatever the preacher wants it to say.

4) Narcigesis

Recently coined by combining the words narcissism (“excessive interest in or admiration of oneself) and eisegesis (interpretation of a text by reading into it one’s own ideas), narcigesis is when one interprets a Bible text by making it all about oneself.

In those early days, when I was just an impressionable wet behind the ears Believer, I idolized and hung onto every word spoken by the God’s Generals and super apostles of the Pentecostal/Charismatic/Word of Faith Movements belief systems like everybody else. Back then, I considered men like Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, K.C. Price, T.D. Jakes, Creflo Dollar, Enoch Adeboye, David Oyedepo, etc., as spiritual rockstars.

Shockingly, though, at no time did any of these people, who I erroneously believed were heavyweights of the Christian faith, teach us any of the terms I just described above. In fact, I don’t recall any of these supposedly highly gifted teachers of the Word ever mentioning them at all.

But glory be to God Almighty, who by His grace rescued me from under the influence of these false teachers and heretics of the Pentecostal/Charismatic/Word of Faith Movements. In my quest for a deeper knowledge of His Word, God showed me mercy. He led me to gifted theologians who are theological pure and doctrinally sound.

I’m talking about gifted teachers like John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, Voddie Baucham, Tim Keller, Chris Rosebrough, Justin Peters, etc. These men are unknown to many of you who read this commentary. But it through them that I came to discover the teachings of early Church fathers such as Polycarp of Smyrna, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyon, and Augustine of Hippo, as well as the champions of the Protestant Reformation like Martin Luther, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, and Charles Spurgeon.

As a result of what I’ve learned, and continue to learn, from the teachings of these great theologians, the scales of ignorance are gradually falling from my eyes, and I’m starting to have a clearer view and more accurate grasp of Scripture.

My prayer for anyone who reads this commentary is that their eyes be opened so that they too may discover the same truth as I did. I pray that the LORD will deliver them from the clutches of the false teachers of the Pentecostal/Charismatic/Word of Faith/NAR Movements.