Matthew 5:18 ; Revelation 20:12 ; Psalm 12:6-7 ; 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Historic Baptists believe the Bible is inspired and is the final authority for faith and practice. This authority comes from the Word of God, in written form, and it gives us instructions on the most important issues of life. Therefore, we read the Scriptures with a desire to understand and properly interpret the text. Our readings above are just a sampling of the many verses that deal with the subject of Biblical Authority.
To properly understand the Bible, we must learn to bridge some of the gaps in our study. Although the Scriptures are totally accurate and authoritative, the information God gave us is selective. In other words, God only gave us what He wanted us to have, but we can supplement our knowledge by bridging the Historical Gap. That involves placing a biblical story in its proper historical setting, i.e. what was going on in the world around Israel that might give us historical insight to the text? We need to bridge the Cultural Gap, too. This means we should rightly interpret the verses by observing the cultural setting of each text. We must understand the cultural issues the biblical people were practicing. Then we should bridge the Geography Gap. This means we should know and value the locations and geography of the lands of the Bible. Finally, it is important to bridge the Grammatical Gap. This requires us to read the words and try to understand the nuances of the original languages for us to grasp each insight into God’s authoritative communication to mankind.
Upon reflection, answer the following questions:
- To properly understand the Bible, we must put things in their proper hermeneutical context. What does that mean?
- Why is it important to ask, “What did God say to the people He communicated with in the biblical period, and how does that information apply to us today?”
- Why should we approach that question in the order stated, rather than go right to application of a text?
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