Frameworks Of Interpretation

A few notes on interpreting Scripture:

Take a look at the following verse:

"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." ~Matthew 18.20~

I want to ask you a question: "Is God Omnipresent?" Or to the contrary, are there certain conditions to where God shows up or to whom God is with? Do you have to have two or more people with you in order for God to be present in your life?

Now of course, God IS Omnipresent and He is with you whether you are by yourself or if you are in the presence of others...So what's my point? Well many times, the aforementioned verse and a host of others, are taken way out of context. For instance, read alone and without a proper framework in which to understand it, Matthew 18.20 is sometimes used to say that we must have two or three gathered in order to know that God is with us...this is not in line with what the passage actually teaches, nor with what The Bible as a whole teaches. So what do we do?

To start, we must read in terms of a framework instead of simply pulling a verse out in isolation. Scriptural references and verse numbers are great, but think about it, in our own day-to-day conversations, we don't speak in sentence-by- sentence manner...we have a context of person, place, and time in which we say certain things.

In the same manner, when reading Scripture, we must read with the proper framework, and this framework is based around certain understandings of context, genre's, observations, etc.

In terms of context, we have the context of content and the context of culture. With content, we must read the surrounding paragraphs in order to understand the verse at hand. Our minds work in a whole-parts-whole manner, so we need to interpret the part in light of the whole. In terms of culture, we need to know the who, what, when, where, and why of the passage.

So going back to Matthew 18.20 noted above, we need to, at the very least, start at verse 15 and see that Jesus is speaking about a situation where a brother in the Church may need to be ex-communicated due to non repented sin and unchanging behavior. In this process, there needs to be two or three witnesses, and so Jesus is saying, if these witnesses and the Church are in line with Biblical teachings and find that this particular brother is turning his back on such teachings, then Jesus will agree with the two or three witnesses and "will be among them" in this ex-communication process.

In conclusion, here are a few more frameworks that anyone can implement in order to better understand The Scriptures:

> Use the two types of context: content and cultural

> Use OIA
• Observation (ask who, what, when, where, why?)
• Interpretation (what is going on then and there?)
• Application (How do we apply it here and now?)

> Understand the proper Genre of Scripture - just as we read newspapers, magazines, ads, announcements, articles, etc, we need to know Biblical genre's as well...is the genre historical narrative, law, wisdom, psalm, prophecy, apocalyptic, Gospel, or epistle (letter)?

> We need to interpret the New Testament in light of the Old Testament

> Be objective instead of subjective: Never ask, "what does this verse mean to you?" The better question is "what does this verse mean?"

Here are two really good books for gaining proper insight into God's Word:

How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart

Never Read A Bible Verse - by Greg Koukl (FREE 20 page book from Stand To Reason)

The Fourth Dimension

In mathematics the fourth dimension, or a four-dimensional space, is an abstract concept, obtained by taking the rules of our three-dimensional space and generalizing them to a space with one more dimension. It has been studied by mathematicians and philosophers for almost two hundred years, both for its own interest and for the insights it offered into mathematics and related fields.*

But for me, 1 Corinthians 2.9-10 gives a better definition of the fourth dimension, a more applicable definition:

But, as it is written,"What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him"—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God (emphasis added).

You see, there are believers and there are skeptics in almost all areas of life, specifically when it comes to belief in God and belief in Jesus Christ. The problem most skeptics and at times, even immature Christians (myself included) have, is that they are only using "three dimensions," that is, only using the aforementioned "eye," "ear," or "heart." In other words, we try to reason everything out or want some sort of physical proof of seeing, hearing, or feeling. But God takes us to the next level, He gives us the "X" factor...the Fourth Dimension. God gives all believers of Jesus Christ The Gift of The Holy Spirit, and it is when we have The Spirit living with in us, this amazing gift of "the fourth dimension," that we can know "even the depths of God"

...I am all for questioning, all for seeking and research, all for a lifetime of studying, because this is what brings us closer to truth...closer to God...

...and in all reality, the mere fact that we have questions, that we need to seek, actually proves the point that God does exist and that He cares...our inability to know everything from a human perspective proves that we are not God and that we desperately need God...that we desperately need The Holy Spirit teaching us...and the fact that we are finite points to God being infinite...(what is created has a cause, we are created with a cause and need a creator = God...God is infinite and therefore does not need a creator, He is The Creator...but this is for another topic for another day!)

So how do we tap into this fourth dimension and take our life to the next level? It's all about having "The Mind Of Christ." It's what will take us from milk to solid food, (see 1 Cor 3) or as I like to say, from "milk to meat"...can't wait to cover this next topic!

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it (1 Cor 3.1-2)....

For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.(1 Cor 3.9)

*Sources
wikipedia.org (The Fourth Dimension)
http://acm.pku.edu.cn/JudgeOnline/problem?id=1022 (Graphic)

6 + 0 = 7

Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy,
as the Lord your God has commanded you.

Deuteronomy 5.12

Here is a simple rule that will remind me to Trust God more:

6 + 0 = 7

God can do more through us in six days

that we can do without Him in seven days.

The Holy Scriptures are loaded with God's wise principles and life-changing commandments...and the above reminder is the simple principle of less equals more. God gives us commandments to make us better. He gives us a day of rest to make us more efficient. This is just one example of His Strategic Intent in our lives...we simply need to follow His Plan...look through out The Bible and apply His principles to life...and the more counter to culture they are, the better they will allow you to become!

"If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says God,

"I'll get you out of any trouble.

I'll give you the best of care

if you'll only get to know and trust me.

Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times;

I'll rescue you, then throw you a party.

I'll give you a long life,

give you a long drink of salvation!"

~ Psalm 91.14-16 ~