Principle 6
HERMENEUTICS
PRINCIPLE 6
Let Scripture Interpret Scripture
Whenever we properly interpret any part of Scripture, we can be sure it will never contradict other Scripture. 2 Timothy 3:16 states that all Scripture is inspired by God. The Bible is the Word of God, and God doesn’t lie or make mistakes. So one inspired writer cannot contradict another inspired writer, because both are inspired by the Holy Spirit. If we have two Scriptures that seem to contradict each other, our interpretation of one or both of these Scriptures must be incorrect!
Let’s look at a biblical example of this principle, and then we’ll move on to three sub-principles.
Luke 4:9-12
“Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
Jesus used this principle in response to Satan’s temptations. When Satan challenged Jesus to jump off the highest point of the Temple, he quoted Psalm 91:11-12. In essence Satan was saying, “When people see You fall from a great height and are not injured, they will worship You” (Luke 4:9-12). Jesus responded to Satan’s challenge with another Scripture: “You must not test the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 6:16).
With this quote, Jesus was saying that we should never have the audacity to presume upon or “test” the goodness of Almighty God. Yes, God has promised to protect us, but we should never behave in foolish or senseless ways to test His protective power! No one should leap from the pinnacle of the Temple (or any other significant height) and presume that God will prevent injury. This would contradict a clear law of God given in Deuteronomy 6:16. Jesus responded to Satan’s improper interpretation of Psalm 91 with Deuteronomy 6, and showed that Scripture does not contradict Scripture.
The Obscure Is Subject to the Clear
Sometimes a Scripture is obscure and seemingly could have many interpretations. In these cases, we should go with the interpretation that harmonizes with other Scriptures whose meaning is clear. In other words, let the obscure Scripture be subject to the interpretation of the clear Scripture.
1 Corinthians 15:29
“If the dead will not be raised, what point is there in people being baptized for those who are dead? Why do it unless the dead will someday rise again?”
This is definitely an obscure Scripture! It talks about “baptism for the dead.” What does that mean? Could it mean that believers can be baptized for unbelievers who have died? We know it can’t mean that, because that would contradict other clear Scriptures.
Look at the clear teaching in the account of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16. After a person dies, it’s too late for him to be saved. There’s no second chance. Furthermore, the clear teaching of Scripture is that baptism can’t even save a living person. We are saved through faith in Jesus Christ, not through baptism. Commentators give a number of possibilities for the interpretation of this very obscure passage. In any case, the correct interpretation cannot contradict other Scripture. The obscure must be subject to the clear.
The Narrative Is Subject to the Didactic
Narrative portions of Scripture describe an event. They record something that happened in history. Didactic portions of Scripture are direct doctrinal or teaching passages.
We could restate this sub-principle another way: “Bible stories are subject to Bible teaching.” The interpretation of Bible stories depends on the teaching passages of Scripture.
Also, in studying narrative passages, we need to distinguish between what did happen and what should have happened. Sometimes the events that took place are clearly wrong and contrary to the teaching portions of the Bible. Let’s look at two examples:
2 Samuel 11
This sub-principle can be clearly seen in the example of David. David had many admirable qualities that believers would do well to imitate. Look at the courage David showed when he fought Goliath. Courage is a principle taught in teaching passages as well as what we see modeled in David’s life.
However, in 2 Samuel 11, we find the narrative account of David’s adultery with Bathsheba. Is the Bible teaching we should follow David’s example here? Of course not. Why? Because the interpretation of the narrative (the story) is subject to the didactic (the teaching). Clear teaching passages of Scripture forbid adultery (see Exodus 20:14 and Galatians 5:19).
Joshua 2
We find a more difficult example in the life of Rahab. When the Israelites were preparing to conquer Jericho, Rahab, a Gentile harlot, hid two Israeli spies who were on a reconnaissance mission in the city. Officials from Jericho came to search her house, but she lied to them, saying the spies were not there. When the city was destroyed, Rahab and her family were spared from death.
From this story, some people feel that the Bible teaches “wartime ethics” or “situational ethics.” They say that in some difficult situations it is permissible to lie, cheat, or steal - if it’s for a very good reason, or if it’s the “more loving” action. But the Bible never teaches that it’s permissible to lie! Remember, the narrative is subject to the didactic. Clear teaching passages of Scripture state that lying is a sin (Exodus 20:16). It’s wrong to lie or deceive in any situation. Furthermore, when Rahab is mentioned in the New Testament, she’s commended for her faith, not for her lies (Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25). Our all-powerful God certainly could have saved the lives of the spies without Rahab’s lie!
The Partial Is Subject to the Complete
Question: What looks like a square and a triangle at the same time?
Quick wrong answer: Nothing, because such a thing is impossible!
Thoughtful correct answer: A pyramid! Viewed from the side, from ground level it looks like a triangle. Viewed from above, from the air it looks like a square. The two do not contradict each other when you look at the complete picture.
James 2:17, 24, 26
“Faith without works is dead.” What does this well-known sentence mean? Does is mean that we are saved by good works? Does it mean we are saved by faith plus good works? To interpret these verses, we must take every Scripture addressing faith and works and look at the complete picture. The interpretation of any one of these Scriptures must harmonize with the rest. The partial is subject to the complete when we let Scripture interpret Scripture.
When we look at all the Scriptures dealing with faith and works, we see clearly that the passage in James cannot mean that you’re saved by good works or that you’re saved by faith plus good works. Take a moment to also look at the following Scriptures:
Ephesians 2:8-9
Titus 3:5
Romans 3:28
Romans 4:1-5
Romans 5:1
When harmonizing all of these Scriptures, we put a special emphasis on the Romans passages. Why? Because of the principle that we already studied: the Basic Unit of Scripture, and the sub-point, the Purpose of the Book. The purpose of the book of Romans is to teach the gospel, whereas the purpose of James is to show how to live out the gospel in everyday life.
So when James says that faith without works is dead, he’s talking about the kind of faith that saves (see James 2:18). The kind of faith that saves is demonstrated by a Christ-like lifestyle. Saving faith doesn’t just profess to believe, or just say “I’m a Christian,” with no evidence of Christian life. Saving faith will demonstrate itself outwardly, even though the good works themselves are not what saves the person.
At first glance it seems that James and Paul are saying contradictory things, but looking at the whole picture, and letting the partial be subject to the complete, we see that there’s no contradiction. Remember the illustration of the pyramid! Let Scripture interpret Scripture.