DISCOVERING CHRIST: Know what the Bible says! A four-week study on how to interpret Scripture! by Chris Lazo - February 13, 2014

PREPARED BY CHRIS LAZO FOR REALITY SANTA BARBARA PAGE 1 Why Discovering Christ?! Do you ever feel like the Bible is difficult to understand? Or do you want to go deeper in your knowledge of God's Word? This is a four-week lecture series by pastor Chris Lazo on how to understand and interpret the Bible. Dates | Wednesdays starting February 19th - March 12th (4 weeks) Location | Center Stage Theater at the Paseo Nuevo Mall, Santa Barbara Time | 7:00pm-8:30pm Connect on facebook.com/realitysb

Nehemiah 8:8! They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read. Luke 24:27! Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted for them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. Acts 8:30-31! When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” 2 Timothy 2:15! Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

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A four-week study on how to interpret Scripture! Table of Contents (series outline)! Introduction (wk 1 - February 19)! The terms of interpretation: God’s knowability and Scripture’s clarity. The means of interpretation: Hermeneutics. The importance of interpretation: God’s condescension to humanity. The Holy Spirit’s role in interpretation: embedding and illuminating the meaning. The problems with interpretation: relativism and ethnocentrism. The 3 gaps of interpretation: language, cultural, and literary An introduction to : our primary tool (to bridge the gaps) The 3 gaps…! Language gap (wk 2 - February 26)! I. The problem of language and grammar II. Questions to ask the text III. A basic process IV. Homework Cultural gap (wk 3 - March 5)! I. Types of cultural gaps Literary gap (wk 4 - March 12)! I. Basic literary styles II. A treatment of genre Tools for study! I. General context (cultural) II. Specific context (intent) III. Immediate context (grammatical)

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A four-week study on how to interpret Scripture (1 of 4)!

Vision: going deeper. Discovering Christ is a series of lectures where we endeavor together to deepen our understanding of . The first class is about knowing who Jesus is through the Bible. The Old Testament are the writings of the prophets that Jesus himself authenticated and validated; the are writings from Apostles that Jesus himself authorized to speak on his behalf.

Jesus once said, "the Scriptures testify about me" (John 5:39). So the primary way of knowing Christ is through the Bible. Illust: abby feeding herself (takes discipline & persistence, but you can do it!) Text in questions for Q&A

Introduction (wk 1 - February 19)! How does God reveal Himself?! God created language and rationality to convey meaning. He condescended into our world to speak. Presuppositions: We believe that God can be known, and has revealed himself to us in Scripture. We also believe that Scripture can be understood (clarity) Hermeneutics: the art and science of interpretation! An area of study that deals with “how we read, understand, and handle texts, especially those written in another time or in a context of life different from our own.”1

• It's a science because “in that there are methods that can be applied to the text”2 • It's an art “because communication is flexible, and therefore a mechanical and rigid application of rules will sometimes distort the true meaning of a communication.”3 Why interpret? Some might say, “All I need is the Holy Spirit! I don’t need to interpret.” Actually, if you are reading a Bible in English, you are already using several levels of interpretation, such as from the now extinct Koine Greek into modern English (Hence, multiple translations4 ). The second you extrapolate meaning from a text, you've interpreted again! So the question is not if you should interpret, it’s “are you interpreting well?”! This is what we want to do: interpret well! But we must realize…

1 Anthony C. Thiselton. Hermeneutics: An Introduction. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2009) p.1 2 Darrell L. Bock and Buist M. Fanning. Interpreting the New Testament Text: Introduction to the Art and Science of Exegesis. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2006) p.24 3 Henry A. Virkler. Hermeneutics: Principles and Processes of Biblical Interpretation. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007) p.16 4 John H. Walton observes that the Bible “is in a language that most of us do not understand, and therefore it requires translation.” The Lost World of Genesis One. (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2009) p.7

PREPARED BY CHRIS LAZO FOR REALITY SANTA BARBARA PAGE 4 The Bible is both a divine and human book ! These both affect how you interpret it 2 Peter 1:16-21 [READ] 1. eyewitness testimony (human element) 2. inspiration of the Spirit (divine element) Therefore, the Bible is embedded in specific ancient contexts, and is entirely trustworthy.! The Holy Spirit embeds meaning in the context of people's lives, not apart from it. He chose 1 c Israel. We could say that Scripture was written for us, but to them. Question: what did it mean to them? Problems (of disregarding context): 1. “What it means to me” (relativistic hermeneutic) Revelation 3:20! !!e.g., inserting meaning into a note Bri left for me, “I need you to meet me at home” 2. Taking the Bible “literally" (ethnocentric hermeneutic) e.g., sports: the heat devoured the bobcats, or sunset vs. earthset e.g., Jesus is the Shepherd (Jh 10:11), the door (10:7), the bread (6:35), the light (8:12) !!Class discussion: shellfish (Lev 11:10)! Question: can we eat shrimp today? Discuss your reasons. Differences? Answer: The Old covenant made a distinction between God's people and those outside of it for the setting apart of God's people. The principle remains: we are to be set apart as a community of believer’s, not through abstaining from foods, but rather through being corporately conformed to Jesus (Col 2:16-23) The problem of the shellfish law, and many of the so-called “problematic" scriptures... 3 gaps 5 • Language • Cultural • Literary

6 Exegesis (a branch of hermeneutics that helps bridge these three gaps )! Exegesis: “out of”7 Our task (this month) is not to read meaning into the Scriptures, but to pull the meaning out. This is the expectation of the Bible itself…

5 For more on the gaps, check out Roy B. Zuck’s Basic Bible Interpretation: A Practical Guide to Discovering Biblical Truth (Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries, 1991) p.76-142 6 There are seven branches that make up the art and science of hermeneutics: Canon of Scripture (studying how all the books of the Bible were assembled, and knowing what belongs and what doesn't), (studying the available manuscripts in hope of restoring the original meaning of the author), historical criticism (asking questions about the date, authorship, etc), exegesis (pulling out the meaning of the text), Biblical Theology (studying the unity of the whole Bible), Systematic Theology (studying the doctrines that result from the previous areas of study), Practical Theology (the study of applying the meaning of the text to every day life, ethics). Henry A. Virkler. Hermeneutics: Principles and Processes of Biblical Interpretation. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007) p.17 7 “The term exegesis has its roots in the Greek term exegeomai, which means ‘to lead out of’ and so it means to ‘read out’ the meaning of the text. It is to explain or interpret a text.” Darrell L. Bock and Buist M. Fanning. Interpreting the New Testament Text: Introduction to the Art and Science of Exegesis. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2006) p.23

PREPARED BY CHRIS LAZO FOR REALITY SANTA BARBARA PAGE 5 Nehemiah 8:8 They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read. Luke 24:27 Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted for them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. Acts 8:30-31 When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” 2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. The way we do this is by jumping over the gaps into the world of the original listeners (language, culture, literary), to hear what the author intended, and what the audience received. In this way, we are being faithful to the Holy Spirit's purpose, and we are tapping into the power of God. This is what we will do for the next three weeks! Homework: Jeremiah 29:11 What does this passage mean? You should have two answers: 1) The text means ______. 2) The text is calling me to respond in this way ______. How did you get to these conclusions? We will meet next week, and start of by discussing. Q&A with Chris Lazo and Britt Merrick.!

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A four-week study on how to interpret Scripture (2 of 4)!

Any questions from last week? Language gap (wk 2 - February 26)! Words matter God chose to communicate through human words. The problem: language gap (idioms, sentence structure)! Example: KFC’s ad in a Chinese market, “Finger-lickin’ good” was mistranslated “Eat your fingers off”8 There are gaps between languages, cultures, eras. We’re going to look at 1. words (meaning) 2. sentences (main point) Basics of hopping the language gap = asking the right questions9 Let’s start from the smallest unit to the broadest and work our way out… Questions to ask of the text! • What does the word mean? (word-study) • We’re not looking for the meaning of every word, e.g, “the.”10 e.g., love, covenant, justification, etc. Eph 6:15 “Peace” How does Paul use it? • cf. 1:2; 2:14–2:15; 2:17; 4:3 • Finding word usage: http://www.blueletterbible.org/ (see tutorial at the end of lecture) • What does the word mean in this sentence? (syntax) 11 illust: “trunk” 1. grab the trunk (unclear) 2. go to the zoo and grab it by the trunk (context - more clear) 3. pack your suitcase; put it in the trunk (very clear!) a) bad: if you decided “trunk” meant the nose of an elephant in #3? b) that would be eisegesis: reading meaning into text, instead of out. (1) Silly?

(a) e.g., Amplified Bible12

8 Henry A. Virkler. Hermeneutics: Principles and Processes of Biblical Interpretation. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007) p.19-20 9 Gordon Fee. How to Read the Bible for all it’s Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. 1993) p.22 10 We’re looking for words that may be unclear, foreign to us, or seem appropriate to explore. 11 “Words only have meaning in sentences, and for the most part biblical sentences only have meaning in relation to preceding and succeeding sentences.” Gordon Fee. How to Read the Bible for all it’s Worth. p.23 12 An example would be Romans 12:1. Amplified suggests two possible meanings for the word “holy”—devoted or consecrated. But those can be very different meanings. Is it our devotion being called into action, or our are we called to be set apart? Context suggests that it is the latter, to be consecrated.

PREPARED BY CHRIS LAZO FOR REALITY SANTA BARBARA PAGE 7 • e.g. (Gal 2:16/Jam 2:24) What does “faith” mean? • Words carry meaning when plugged into sentences. • Paul is speaking about necessary faith, James about accompanying faith (2:17) • What does this sentence mean? ! What’s the point? What’s being proclaimed? Taught? Rebuked? ❖ CONTEXT! 1. Parts of speech (subject, object, verb, voice) ! • Look at how the words are in relationship to each other 1. Ephesians 5:18-21 2. Ephesians 5:27 (did what?) 2. Paragraphs (“never read a Bible verse”)! • Look at the verse’s surroundings B. 1 Corinthians 3:2…what is “milk" C. Luke 6:38…what is ”it” [group discussion]! 3. Narratives (when all else fails, read even more broadly!)! II. Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. III. Mark 11:1-25 - Fig tree vs. religious IV. Matthew 13:18-50 “The Kingdom of heaven is like…” V. Mark 9:30-42 - be like a child not a cutthroat VI. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV) If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 4. BOOK (read the whole book)! • Luke 1:1-4 So much clarity can come when you simply broaden your field of reading! This makes sense—books were meant to be read from beginning to end. Try it! You’ll be surprised at how much clarity it brings. 5. BIBLE (Biblical theology….someday!)! Main thrust of today: 1. Read the text widely 1. Read the surrounding context 2. Interrogate the text (ask the right questions) 1. What do the words mean? 2. What do the words mean in this sentence? 3. What does this sentence mean in context? Why study at all? Can’t we glean by just reading? I can have a sense of Brianna's beauty by looking at her (which is inherently good!). But I can experience a depth of her beauty by listening to her.

PREPARED BY CHRIS LAZO FOR REALITY SANTA BARBARA PAGE 8 An example of the basic process (some of this taken from Roy B. Zuck13 ) I. Examine original meaning of any significant words (bible dictionary, lexicon) A. John 2:4 “And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.’” II. Discover usage of the word! A. By the same writer in the same book 1. John’s “hour” = death B. By the same writer in other books III. Consider the contexts! A. The immediate context 1. John 2: wedding B. The context of the book 1. John 20:31: to show that He is the Messiah C. The context of the entire Bible (next week) 1. Revelation 19:7 (HCSB) Let us be glad, rejoice, and give Him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has prepared herself. IV. Decide which one of several possible meanings best fits the author’s thought! A. Jesus is stressed because this wedding in Cana is reminding Him of His own. ! ! Homework: Read Romans 8:8 “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (ESV) What does “flesh” mean? (sinful nature) How is one “in” the flesh? (habitual sin) What is the meaning of the text? (one cannot gratify the flesh and God simultaneously) (Anything else you came up with!)

13 Roy B. Zuck. Basic Bible Interpretation.

PREPARED BY CHRIS LAZO FOR REALITY SANTA BARBARA PAGE 9 How to find the author’s intended meaning behind a word based on his vocabulary and usage (based on question #1) 1. Go to blueletterbible.com, and search a verse (e.g., Eph 6:16)!

2. Click on tools next to your selected verse. It should open up.!

PREPARED BY CHRIS LAZO FOR REALITY SANTA BARBARA PAGE 10 3. Select “tools” next to your desired verse. Click on Strong’s #!

4. After clicking Strong’s, read word meanings, then scroll down.!

PREPARED BY CHRIS LAZO FOR REALITY SANTA BARBARA PAGE 11 5. You know have a list of uses of that word in the entire book.!

Look at all the occurrences of the word "peace", and examine the context in which it is used. If there is a common theme, you may be able to determine that author's usage of the word. For example, most of Paul's references to "peace" have to do with reconciliation. Then, you take that regular usage and see if it matches the context of the original verse you were studying. This is the basic way we can know for sure how the original author intended to use the word.

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A four-week study on how to interpret Scripture (3 of 4)!

Cultural gap (wk 3 - March 5)! Proverbs 22:28 (NASB) Do not move the ancient boundary Which your fathers have set. Which of the following sentences best conveys the true intent and meaning of this verse in its context? a) Do not make changes from the way we have always done things b) Do not steal c) Do not remove the guide posts that direct travelers from town to town d) Do not disregard the wisdom of your parents e) None of the above f) All of the above !!!Class discussion: boundaries (Prov 22:28)! (Give the answer) Some cultural gaps (reading by Virkler) 1. geography - the “green pastures” of Psalm 23 2. economy - the flow of water to Laodicia in Revelation 2 3. social structure - slavery in Ephesians 5 4. culture norms - Jesus intentionally sought out the woman (John 4) 5. genre (week 4) Many of these you get from the text itself. Ask questions: who? what? why? where? how? We are seeking to understand the author’s intended meaning to the intended receivers, in a specific time and setting, because Scriptural meaning is determined by the author. Sometimes, you need outside help…

PREPARED BY CHRIS LAZO FOR REALITY SANTA BARBARA PAGE 13 Tools for study! Below are some study tools that may be necessary for studying the grammatical, cultural, and literary gaps after your own faculties have carried you as far as possible. (Reading by Virkler, 82-90) NEED THE RIGHT TRANSLATION I. General context (cultural context) I. tools… I. bible dictionary (word study) II. encyclopedia III. study bible (comprehensive) IV. commentaries (2 types) I. exegetical II. pastoral I. Important! A good commentary will include the available perspectives and let you decide after surveying them all. II. Specific context (author’s purpose) I. tools... I. textual cues, 85 II. summarize book. This comes from reading the whole book, and outlining it! I. (class discussion? - Jonah) III. Immediate context (grammatical) I. tools… I. grammar and flow (context) Homework: Read Philippians 4:13. This has been quoted by athletes before games, insinuating that Christ in them is going to help them win the game (what if both opposing athletes/teams are quoting the same verse??). Is this verse about sports? Or is it about something else? Read the whole book this week, and allow the background of the text to illuminate it’s meaning. Try to guess from what the text provides what situating Paul might be addressing. What does “all things” refer to? We’ll go through it next week!!

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A four-week study on how to interpret Scripture (4 of 4)! Philippians 4:13 homework! Literary gap (wk 4 - March 12)! Intro: Bri likes romantic comedy, I like suspense or action. But both can tell the same thing about love. What's the difference? Genre. Types of genre (the beauty and the beast in each) 1.Epistles (straightforward letters) a. Written to people(s) in certain situations (often addressing problems) i. Epistles will follow basic logical argument i. That’s why asking “why?” helps a lot. 1. Pay attention to flow or argument, detail, CONTEXT! (paragraphs) 2. Main point is in the flow of the argument! 2.Historical Narrative (account of connected events) a. 40% of the OT; 60% of the NT are narrative b. BEAUTY: the story!

c. Things to look for…14 • Scenes • these are like paragraphs 1. identified by a change in time or place • Plot • look for climactic end • Point of view d.Main point is in the plot and development of the narrative! i. Context is key i. BEAST: read David and Goliath like a logical argument (1 Sam 17:40) Five stones? “Our name, 5 Stones is taken from The Holy Bible, 1st Samuel 17:40..."David chose five smooth stones." Young David the Shepherd chose 5 stones from the Elah stream, located today between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Israel. Those stones, prior to being in David's hands and directed by God's Divine Providence, were just merely stones...likewise, those who serve within 5 Stones intelligence have surrendered their lives to God and seek to serve Him, "for such a time as this." Collectively, 5 Stones intelligence provides extraordinary Commitement, Loyalty and Specialized Skill-sets, seeking "Excellence in All Things, and All Things to God's Glory.”"15

14 This is from Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Preaching and Teaching from the Old Testament: A Guide for the Church. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003) p.64-77 15 http://www.5stonesintelligence.com/OurPassion/

PREPARED BY CHRIS LAZO FOR REALITY SANTA BARBARA PAGE 15 3.Gospels 1. similar to narratives (account), but also epistles (teachings)! Except… 1. It includes the author’s point of view, not the main character's 2. the imperatives are not always straightforward (e.g., Mark 7:15) 1. BEAUTY: a story from their perspective—fly on the wall 4.Parables (an illustrative comparison 16) 1. BEAUTY: simple and charming—it either pricks the heart, or comforts it

b. Forms…17 a. True parable a. Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-35) b. Similitude! a. Figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing to another a. e.g., a little yeast leavens the whole batch (1 Corinthians 5:6) c. Metaphor a. a figure of speech in which a word is applied to an object that is not literally applicable a. e.g., I am in a glass case of emotion! b. e.g., You are the salt of the earth (Matt 5:13) c. Question to ask: a. What is main point of parable?! 1. context is key d. Things to look for… 1. Repetition (like using bold type) 2. Change in voice (1st person to 2nd) 3. Reversal of expectation (Good Samaritan) 1. BEAST: read it like a proverb…v33 Be like the Samaritan!!

16 Michael Lawrence. Biblical Theology. p.46 17 These examples from Gordon Fee. How to Read the Bible for all it’s Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. 1993) p.137

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!!BEAUTY: Poetry evokes emotion, and is easy to remember19 -“It’s a small world”!

! !Parallelism…20 ! a. Synonymous (an idea is repeated for emphasis) Isaiah 44:22 I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. b. Synthetic (one idea builds upon the other) Obadiah 1:21 Saviors will ascend Mount Zion to rule over the hill country of Esau, but the kingdom will be the Lord ’s c. Antithetical (one idea is contrasted with another) Hosea 7:15 I trained and strengthened their arms, but they plot evil against Me. Figurative images, irony, euphemism, etc. ❖ Remember that its a poem (i.e., not always literal) 6.Wisdom (general, practical descriptions about godly decisions 21) !!BEAUTY: catchy! a. Forms… a. drama b. sayings (cynical, figures of speech, etc) c. autobiographical confession or admonition b. Things to keep in mind…22 a. These are not promises b. These are not stand-alone (context is still important) c. These are not literal !!!BEAST: if you read it like a proverb! Example: Read Ecclesiastes 6:2 like an inspirational Psalm! a. How thing are, and how things are supposed to be!

18 Michael Lawrence. Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A Guide for Ministry. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010) p.46 19 Gordon Fee. How to Read the Bible for all it’s Worth. p.179-180 20 Michael Lawrence. Biblical Theology. 46-47 21 Gordon Fee. How to Read the Bible for all it’s Worth. p.206 22 Ibid, 220-224

PREPARED BY CHRIS LAZO FOR REALITY SANTA BARBARA PAGE 17 7.Prophecy (commentary on Israel’s history 23) Problem: we think of “prophesy” as always predictive of Jesus or a future event. But less than 2% of prophesy is about the Messiah; less than 5% is fulfilled in

the NT age; and less than 1% is fulfilled in our time.24

The majority of Biblical prophesy has to do with Israel’s immediate future25 Prophets are covenant enforcement mediators (blessings/curses) !!!!! BEAUTY: move to action, repentance! a. Forth-telling (they are looking forward, but we are looking back) i. Example: i. The prophetic books written in 8th, 7th, and early 6th Century are dominated by “curses” because of 722 B.C. (N), and 587. B.C (S). ii. After the exile of 587 B.C., the prophets speak more blessings. BEAST: if you read Micah 1:16 like a proverb!

b.Look for a pattern…26 ! a. Identify Israel’s sin or God’s love b. A prediction of curses or blessings But if this is merely commentary on Israel’s history, is there any value for us today? Yes! Gordon Fee: “What is God’s Word to us through these inspired poetic oracles, spoken in another time to God’s ancient people?…Once we hear what God says to them, even if our circumstances differ considerably, we will often hear it again in our own settings in a rather direct way.”27 Example: Micah 1:5; 2:12; 4:2 (7th Century) 8.Apocalyptic (having to do with the end times) a. A sub-genre of prophesy a. Difference… a. more symbolism than prophecy b. While prophecy “castigates the nominal…apocalyptic comforts the righteous”28 b.Main point is clear: God’s people can endure because God wins!

23 Thomas R. Schreiner. The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013) p.420 24 Gordon Fee. How to Read the Bible for all it’s Worth. p.166 25 Walter C. Kaiser Jr. Preaching and Teaching from the Old Testament. p.111 26 Gordon Fee. How to Read the Bible for all it’s Worth. p.169 27 Ibid, 180-181 28 Henry A. Virkler. Hermeneutics: Principles and Processes of Biblical Interpretation. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007) p.177

PREPARED BY CHRIS LAZO FOR REALITY SANTA BARBARA PAGE 18 Recap! Daniel 1 John 2 Psalm 74 John 2:4… I. Examine original meaning of any significant words (bible dictionary, lexicon) A. John 2:4 “And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.’” II. Discover usage of the word! A. By the same writer in the same book 1. John’s “hour” = death B. By the same writer in other books III. Consider the contexts! A. The immediate cultural context 1. John 2: wedding B. The context of the book (Genre: Gospel) 1. John 20:31: to show that He is the Messiah C. The context of the entire Bible (next time) 1. Revelation 19:7 (HCSB) Let us be glad, rejoice, and give Him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has prepared herself. IV. Decide which one of several possible meanings best fits the author’s thought! A. Jesus is stressed because this wedding in Cana is reminding Him of His own. ! !

PREPARED BY CHRIS LAZO FOR REALITY SANTA BARBARA PAGE 19 Miscellany! The importance of the Holy Spirit in interpretation • Doctrine of illumination: a point driven home • What separates a believer’s hermeneutic from everyone else. John Calvin …the office of the Spirit promised to us, is not to form new and unheard-of revelations, or to coin a new form of doctrine, by which we may be led away from the received doctrine of the gospel, but to seal on our minds the very doctrine which the gospel recommends. Hence it is easy to understand that we must give diligent heed both to the reading and hearing of Scripture, if we would obtain any benefit from the Spirit of God…and, on the contrary, that any spirit which passes by the wisdom of God’s Word, and suggests any other doctrine, is deservedly suspected of vanity and falsehood…what authority can the Spirit have with us if he be not ascertained by an infallible mark? (Institutes of Christian Religion)29 The importance of application (James 1:21-25)

30 Revisit Leviticus 11:10 Other doctrine classes?? Recommended for reading! For more on the “gaps” in interpretation! Roy B. Zuck. Basic Bible Interpretation: A Practical Guide to Discovering Biblical Truth. Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries, 1991. For a good look at genres! Gordon Fee. How to Read the Bible for all it’s Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. 1993 For questions on the Bible’s origin, reliability, and meaning! Wayne Grudem, C. John Collins, and Thomas R. Schreiner. Understanding Scripture: An Overview of the Bible’s Origin, Reliability, and Meaning. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012.

29 John Calvin. Institutes of Christian Religion. 1.9.1. 30 This passage is about the holiness of God. Israel was commanded to be distinct from the rest of the nations, and this was a one of many strenuous demarkations they were called to obey in order to portray God’s “otherness” among the sinful nations. The reason we can eat shrimp today is two-fold: 1) Israel was during a different covenant age, and a different epoch, and 2) Christ has fulfilled the law on our behalf (in this case, what the “no-shrimp rule” stood for: being set-apart. ILLUMINATION: I am trying so hard to be a part of the culture, that they can’t tell I’m a Christian. Lord, I repent!

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