Principle 5
HERMENEUTICS
PRINCIPLE 5
Remember the Basic Unit of Scripture
In the previous principles we’ve discussed, we learned that it’s important to look at the context, or the verses that surround the passage we’re studying. That’s how we gain a better understanding of the author’s intent or reason for writing a chapter or book.
When the New Testament writers originally wrote the books, they didn’t break their letters or accounts into chapters and verses. For convenience and ease of finding passages, divisions into chapters and verses were established hundreds of years later!
So the basic unit of Scripture is the book. That’s why studying the Bible book-by-book is usually the best approach.
In order to get started with the study of a book, it’s helpful to know four things about it. You can remember it as the “SOAP” of the book:
Structure
Occasion
Argument
Purpose
The more we understand about these four elements of a book of Scripture, the better we’ll be able to interpret and understand a verse or passage within that book.
Structure of the Book
When we refer to the structure of a book, we’re essentially referring to its outline. Some books have a more obvious structure than others. Understanding the structure will not only help us in interpreting the book, but also in making proper applications for today.
Genesis
Several structures can be seen in the book of Genesis. The simplest structure would be:
Chapters 1–11: Primeval History
Chapters 12–50: Patriarchal History
A pattern can also be seen as one character’s faith is highlighted in contrast to another character’s lack of faith. For example:
Abel versus Cain
Noah versus the rest of mankind
Abraham versus Lot
Isaac versus Ishmael
Jacob versus Esau
Joseph versus his brother Judah.
It’s also interesting to read the book of Genesis noticing the twelve occurrences of the phrase, “These are the generations of . . .” Read the book of Genesis noticing the twelve occurrences of the phrase, or the nine occurrences of the phrase “The account of . . .” These phrases certainly add to our understanding of the structure of Genesis.
1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians is a good example of a simple structure of a New Testament book. Apparently, the Corinthian Christians had written to Paul with several questions (see 1 Corinthians 7:1). So in this book / letter, Paul responds to their questions one by one. This pattern gives us a nice question-and-answer structure for the book.
Occasion of the Book
Every book of Scripture has an “occasion” - or a particular situation that existed when the book was written. Where was the author when he wrote the book? What was going on in the lives of the author and his readers? Was there a special problem that needed correction? Was there a particular person or group of people that the author had in mind? Was there a significant event that prompted the writing of the book? Knowing the occasion of the book often gives us a better understanding of the difficult passages within the book. Let’s look at two examples from the book of Philippians.
Philippians 2:12
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” (NIV)
What does “work out your own salvation” mean? We know for certain that it doesn’t mean you have to work your way to Heaven, or earn salvation through good works (see Ephesians 2:8-9 and Titus 3:5). Understanding the situation that existed in the young church at Philippi will help us to see what the phrase “work out your own salvation” means.
In our previous Principles, we learned that Philippians is one of the “prison letters.” It was written while Paul was under house arrest in Rome. One reason for writing this letter was to thank the Philippians for a monetary gift they had sent. Epaphroditus, who brought the gift, also carried some disturbing news. In the time since Paul had visited Philippi, a rift had developed in the church. It appears that this rift did not involve doctrine, but rather it was a lack of unity. We’re not told the source of the disunity, but throughout the letter, Paul urges the believers toward unity. Notice in Philippians 4:2, for example, where Paul urged two women, Euodia and Syntyche, to live in harmony. This is the occasion of the book (see Philippians 1:27; 2:2-4).
With this in mind, we come to Philippians 2:12. Paul urged the believers to “work out” their salvation in the matter of unity. A word study of the term “salvation” will show us that its use in the New Testament is not limited to salvation from sin and eternal destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:9); it can also mean deliverance or salvation from any pressing situation (compare Philippians 1:19, where the same Greek word is used). Paul was emphasizing their need to come to unity and work out the solution to this problem. Paul couldn’t provide a magic cure for them. The Philippians needed to work out their own deliverance from this problem of disunity. And as they worked it out, they could be sure that God was working in them to give them the will and the strength to achieve Christian unity. This would be pleasing to God and provide a shining testimony for all the world to see (2:13-18).
Philippians 4:8
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
This verse has often been quoted in reference to entertainment choices, and there’s definitely truth to that application! However, with the occasion of the book in mind, we see that this verse is actually another exhortation to unity. In other words, when bad feelings arise between believers, don’t fixate on the faults of fellow believers! Instead, think positive thoughts about one another! Focus whatever is honorable and admirable about the brother who may be irritating us. Think about whatever is pure and lovable in the sister who talked behind our back. Everyone (including you) has their own weaknesses as well as strengths. If we focus on the positives and not the negatives, it will be much easier to live in unity with fellow believers.
Argument of the Book
The word “argument” usually refers to a heated discussion or debate. However, in reference to a book of Scripture, the argument is the overall subject matter, or the line of reasoning. In some books of the Bible, the author is trying to prove a particular point. The argument of the book must be kept in mind for interpretation, since the verses will often be related to the argument in some way.
Galatians
An excellent example of this is the book of Galatians. Galatians 3:28 says, “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” This verse is often quoted by Christians who believe that the role distinctions between men and women in the home and in the church should be eliminated. However, looking at the argument of the book of Galatians will help us properly understand this verse.
The problem in Galatia was much more serious than the question of gender roles in the church. They had a serious doctrinal problem concerning salvation. The believers were mixing law and grace. In this book/letter, the apostle Paul “argued” that salvation is by grace through faith - not by doing good works or good deeds.
When the Jews of Paul’s day were exposed to the gospel of salvation through Christ’s work on the cross alone, they reacted in varied ways. Some embraced the new freedom they had in Christ and turned from the legalism of Judaism. Others, called Judaizers, were still strongly influenced by Judaism and put a great emphasis on following the Law of Moses. This was the situation in Galatia, where Judaizers were mixing faith with works and law with grace. This critical problem affected the whole issue of salvation (see Galatians 2:11-16; 3:1-3).
So when we come to Galatians 3:28, Paul was speaking about salvation in Christ, not about gender roles. With regard to salvation, there’s no difference between Jews and Greeks. There’s no difference between a slave and a free person. There’s no difference between male and female! Paul’s argument was that, in reference to salvation, no group has an inherent advantage. Every believer’s spiritual position in Christ is equal, because believers are all one in Christ Jesus. Understanding the argument of Galatians protects us from an incorrect interpretation of Galatians 3:28.
Ecclesiastes
Let’s look at an Old Testament example of the importance of “argument.” Christians who read Ecclesiastes might come away feeling depressed because of the repeated theme that “all is meaningless.” However, Ecclesiastes has so much to say about happiness and delight in life. In fact, the theme of Ecclesiastes could actually be, “the joy of living.”
While Ecclesiastes is not the easiest portion of Scripture to understand, the main point of Ecclesiastes is: Without God in the picture, life is meaningless; with God in the picture, there can be joy in living. If God is not acknowledged and taken into account, then life “under the sun” is empty. Ultimately, without God, all life is vanity, or in vain. It’s empty, futile, and meaningless.
But there’s another side of the argument of Ecclesiastes. When God is acknowledged, honored, and obeyed, life becomes meaningful. A believer can find happiness and enjoyment in living. Ecclesiastes tells us that joy is one of God’s gifts to man from His own hand, a reward to those who fear the Lord. (See Ecclesiastes 2:24-26; 3:12-13; 5:18-20; 9:7-9.)
When we understand the theme or argument of Ecclesiastes, we have insight into an otherwise confusing book. It’s not wrong to laugh, have fun, and to enjoy life, as long as God and His guidelines for happiness are the focus of our lives.
Purpose of the Book
Suppose an unbeliever agreed to read one book of the Bible with you. What book would you choose? Leviticus? Romans? Song of Solomon?! For a variety of reasons, those would probably not be the best choices. Why? Because of the purpose of the book, the gospel of John might be the best choice. The apostle John clearly stated that his purpose for writing his account of the earthly life of Jesus Christ was to lead an unbeliever to Christ: “But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him you will have life by the power of his name” (emphasis added). Let’s look at a couple other examples.
1 John
In contrast, the purpose of John’s first epistle (letter) is quite different from his gospel. 1 John 5:13 says, “I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life” (emphasis added). John’s purpose in writing this letter was not evangelistic - he was writing specifically to believers. His purpose was to give his Christian readers assurance of their salvation - both in AD 90 and today.
Jude
This example shows a change of purpose for a book. Verse 3 says: “I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.”
Jude’s original purpose was to write to the believers about the salvation they shared, but after he heard that false teachers were influencing the church, he changed his purpose. Instead, he wrote to urge them to fight for the faith.
The purpose is not so clearly stated in every book of the Bible. However, studying the whole book will generally reveal the purpose the author/Author had in mind for that book.
Remember the basic unit of Scripture is the book. Understanding the basic elements of each book - the Structure, Occasion, Argument, and Purpose - will help you interpret any verse within that book.