What's going on here?

Now we have an idea of determining the literary context of a verse or passage. We need to understand the little picture and the big picture, the trees as well as the forest. This means we have to read more than just our verse or passage. We need to read the entire book it is in, and really, the entire Bible as well. Just a suggestion, don't try to read the entire Bible in one sitting. :) Remember, as far as discipleship goes, we are still working on determining what Jesus believed. So we are sticking to the idea of interpreting the Bible for a couple more weeks, and then we will look further into the six areas of transformation!

So what if we understand exactly what the literary context is, the themes that are present in the writing, and the way the words affect each other? How can we be sure we are getting at what the author intended to mean? Is there only one "author's intended meaning?" I am going to leave that one hanging there for a while. Feel free to comment your thoughts, and I will tell you what I believe.

Well, if we are going to understand the author's intended meaning, we need more than just what they wrote. We need to attempt to understand the situation for which he was writing as well. Who was the author? When did he write it? What was going on in the time and place of writing? What was the culture like? What language was used? Where was the author and who did he intend to read his writing? These are excellent questions to answer in order to grasp the situational context. If we do not grasp this, then it is likely we will not grasp what the author really intended to mean.

For example...In Colossians 2:8-15, the apostle Paul tells the church in Colosse to stand firm on the teaching they had already received and not to fall prey to Jews telling them they need to become Jews before they can be saved. It doesn't actually say that in the text, but we can understand that from the historical context. In that day, it was customary for a gentile who was to become a Jew to do three things: males were to be circumcised, they were to participate in a ritual washing called a mikveh and they were to bring a sacrifice to the temple. Based on this information, you can tell that Paul is rebutting each of these steps because they have already been done through the Holy Spirit entering them (circumcision made without hands), baptism, and the offering of Christ was made for all people already. The situation definitely shapes the meaning of the text!

Because of this fact, it is very important that we do not rely solely on inductive Bible study. Using secondary sources such as commentaries, word studies, historical books, and dictionaries are very helpful to setting the scene for which the passage must be set up against in order to properly understand what the author intended to communicate. So...what thoughts does this spark in your mind?

• How can we better understand the book of Revelation if we understand the historical and cultural setting that John's original audience was in?
• How can the prophetic books of the Old Testament come alive if read in the situational context?
• What do you think about all of this?