1.1 The Purpose of this Text

© 2017 Christ Revealed Bible Institute

The Purpose of this Text. The largest thing held in common by all Christians is the Bible, a compilation of 66 books written and compiled over a time-period of around 1600 years by many different authors, some whose names we know and others whose names we do not know. And most of the writers or speakers of this Bible were of the same small tribe of people, the children of Israel, living on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea (though not Balaam or Nebuchadnezzar whose words are also in the Bible). The other thing all of these writers held in common is that they each believed that the God of Israel, the Creator of all things, was speaking directly through them to His people. Yet these many writers were all utterly human.

Seeming Contradictions. As we read through the Bible, we find that, although the basic themes remain the same, there is a great variety of focus, style, and topic from one writer to the next. An honest appraisal of the Bible admits that it is an extremely complicated book, with many seeming contradictions. Different groups of Christians can find Biblical backing for practicing very different ways of thinking and living.

A charge leveled against the Bible is that you can find support in it for just about any “belief” you want. And we must admit, even if we know the Bible well, that every one of us puts an emphasis on some passages or verses and leaves other passages or verses completely alone.

Two Approaches. There are two larger approaches to interpreting the Bible in Christianity; most differences of interpretation can be found in one or the other of these two approaches. The purpose of this course on Hermeneutics, the study of how we interpret the Bible, is to lay before you as a believer in Jesus these two approaches to Biblical interpretation as clearly and succinctly as we can. Although many Christians attempt to approach the Bible through both of these methods of interpretation, an honest understanding of them shows how impossible that is. For us, it really is one method of interpretation or the other. In treating you, the learner, with integrity, we want to give you a clear choice.

Two Texts. In order to provide you with such a clear presentation of these two approaches to Bible interpretation, this course includes two differing texts, Knowing Scripture by R.C. Sproul and Knowing God by Scripture by Daniel Yordy. Knowing Scripture by R.C. Sproul presents the more common approach to Bible interpretation in a gentle and clear manner. This text, Knowing God by Scripture, presents the other approach to Bible interpretation, less common, but still used by millions of Christians of many different persuasions. It is not the intention of this text to “find fault” with Sproul’s approach to the Bible, but simply to lay beside it a different view of Bible interpretation for you to compare for yourself.

Knowledge or Life. The larger view of Bible interpretation we will call “knowledge,” a fair term, as it is backed by Sproul’s own stated definitions. The view of Bible interpretation presented in this text we will call “life,” again, a fair term considering the one verse through which we receive the entire Bible and every verse in it.

Both of these views of Bible interpretation are rooted solidly in Scripture itself.  This is a bit disconcerting, for, in fact, we are choosing to interpret the entire Bible by one or the other of two seemingly opposing methods found in and supported by the Bible itself. As Jesus said, we find what it is we seek.

The Knowledge Verses. Here are the verses for the knowledge approach to the Bible.

From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

Here is what Sproul says about our knowledge of the Bible. “The Bible is addressed primarily, though not exclusively, to our understanding. That means the mind. – Christianity is supremely intellectual, though not intellectualistic” (Sproul 32).

Knowing Right and Wrong. Now, I appreciate the way Sproul balances the understanding of our minds against intellectualism. Yet something is missing in the entirety of Sproul’s book. You see, Sproul, using his mental understanding to know the Bible, finds there God’s wisdom and instruction. He uses his mind, then, to direct his steps in accordance with the instruction he reads in the Bible. Thus Sproul lives and teaches a life of knowing what is right and doing it and knowing what is wrong and avoiding it. Because Sproul knows the Bible only with his mind, he uses God’s instructions to live by the knowledge of good and evil.

The Life Verses. In contrast, here are the verses for the life approach to the Bible.

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life (John 5:39-40). – It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63).

It is the contention of Christ Revealed Bible Institute at every point that John 6:63 is the only lens by which we must read the Bible, the only true way of interpreting Scripture.

Knowing or Knowing About. As you read carefully through Sproul’s Knowing Scripture, you will not find mention of either of these statements of Jesus, nor anything inside their sphere.

You see, Paul said that the Scriptures will make you wise and instruct you regarding righteousness and correct living. Jesus did not disagree, but He pointed out that there is no life in the Scriptures themselves. Life is found only by coming to Jesus. Jesus said, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). Life is knowing God, not knowing about God.

A Choice between Two. Now, I am not trying to trick you, and neither is God. Yet God always sets a choice between two before every human being. That choice is between knowing about God, that is, knowing His instruction that we might direct our own steps by God’s wisdom OR knowing God, that is life, that God Himself might live in us. And the majority of Christians, though they do love Jesus – that is not in question – yet they use the Bible as an instruction guide to know how to make the right decisions and how to live and walk as a good Christian.

And this is why the Bible is so very dull to most.

No Life Found. Life is something entirely different.

And the New Testament is filled with life verses, verses that never seem to find their way into most Christian discussion. Consider again these words: It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are Spirit, and they are life.  Your ability to understand God’s instructions in the Bible with your mind and to follow those instructions as a guide for your life profits nothing. Why? Because there is no life found in that way of living.

Life is something entirely different.

A Different Way. The purpose of this text, Knowing God by Scripture, then, is to set before you as a student of the Bible a different way of interpreting Scripture than what you will find in Sproul’s Knowing Scripture. It’s not that we can’t gain many excellent and useful pieces of knowledge from Sproul’s book, we certainly can. It’s that we will not find life anywhere in that approach to the Bible.

The purpose of this text is to set forth the experience in our lives of Jesus’ claim – “The words that I speak to you are Spirit and they are life.” That is, we want you to know God’s full choice between knowledge and life, that you might live and not die.