Love, Game, Set, Match: 6 Rules For Scriptural Interpretation

 

I spent my youth on a tennis court.  Racquet in hand, I would go out there after school, on weekends and during summer/winter vacation practicing.  This is often the life of a child of a tennis professional.  So, it wasn’t long before I was teaching lessons, clinics, camps and hosting tournaments.  One thing that is the same for every person learning tennis is that there are certain rules for the game, strokes hit and embellishments you can make on your shots (from slices to top spin.)  These things are taught consistently to each learning generation to give a proper foundation and avoid future problems.  We do the same with interpreting Scripture.

In 1994, Roy B. Zuck edited a book called A Biblical Theology Of The New Testament consisting of contributions from the Dallas Theological Seminary Faculty that explained the 6 principles of the Holy Spirit’s role in interpreting Scripture.  We can think of each as our faith’s forehand, backhand, overhead, volley, serve and approach shot.  Each of them are vital and lack of any of these make your game and interpretation flawed…hence the reason to have this structure firmly in grasp.  You can always try to avoid hitting a backhand but it means you need to cover twice as much court trying to run around that weakness.  That usually means you will tire easily, your opponent will soon notice that you are covering a weakness and attack it.  So to avoid weaknesses in our own Scriptural interpretation, let’s go over our 6 principles.

It is hard to interpret anything you haven’t read or don’t believe.  So, the first of these principles is that the Holy Spirit helps those who are born again to understand Scripture.  One can tie this to the new heart we gain as we are born again and the Holy Spirit fills us.  In John 3:3, Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”  This moment you are joined by the Holy Spirit.  It is further explained that those who receive the Spirit and submit to God and His Word will understand Scripture in a way that non-Christians will never know.  As mentioned in 1 Corinthians 2:12, “We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.”

Giving someone a racquet doesn’t make him a pro and you don’t get better without practice.  So, the second principle is that The Holy Spirit helps believers as they study the Scriptures.  We don’t stop studying and doing so often find ourselves making strides in different areas of our faith.  Paul would urge his protege in 1 Timothy 4:13-15,  “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.”  Children of the faith are only that of maturity and will be so as they continue to study and add to their understanding.

Just as trying to avoid one weak backhand was a problem, your overall game and strokes are connected.  The Holy Spirit guides us to interpret one Scripture in ways that the others confirm.  In 2 Timothy 3:16 Paul says, “All Scripture is God-breathed.”  We need the Bible as the complete reference to all Scripture because God doesn’t contradict himself.  If you think you found a contradiction, it’s time to start digging and find out what you are missing.  The Holy Spirit will guide you towards clarity in that one verse in the light of all other verses.

You don’t start at the net ready to volley and you can’t make that distance before another stroke heads your way.  In this way, your approach shot and volley are linked, connected and confirm each other.  The Holy Spirit guides us to interpret Scripture in ways that others confirm.  There is a deeper resonance to this than the prior mention of a single Scripture being solidified by others.  This is our interpretation of Scripture finding resonance and confirmation in ways our brethren are led by the Holy Spirit.  If I discovered some new stroke on the tennis court, discussing it with 2 or 3 others as dedicated to the sport as I am, would confirm or deny its viability.  Followers have been studying Scripture for thousands of years, so there really shouldn’t be new findings led by the Holy Spirit unless others studying as much as you have must be able to confirm it.  Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:29, “Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.”  This is how we keep ourselves in check and on the right path.  Paul had that moment with Peter when dealing with applying Mosaic Law on the Gentiles in Galatians 2:11, “When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.”  This is how we avoid contradiction and truly follow the Holy Spirit and The Word.

As a tennis player, 50% of your match starts with your serve.  If you have an outstanding serve, you have half the game won as your talented serve will shine intimidatingly throughout the game.  The Holy Spirit shines more light on some passages than He does on others.  There are many reasons for that.  You are being guided.  If you were being guided somewhere and were told every direction is important (because they are), you wouldn’t be guided.  At that moment, one direction is more important than another and that is why the Holy Spirit illuminates some passages more than others.  In 2 Peter 3:16, Peter mentions that Paul’s letters “contain some things that are hard to understand.”  The Holy Spirit may not have thought those parts were specifically as important to him at the time.  But what I do know is that God doesn’t waste his time communicating with you through the Holy Spirit and what is needed will stand out when called for.

Teaching anything helps the teacher as much as the student.  It forces you to digest and reframe what you learned to make it understandable to others.  It is why my father taught us to teach tennis as it made us more aware of the thought processes we had of the game.  The Holy Spirit uses teachers to help believers interpret Scripture.  In Ephesians 4:11–12, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”  I believe some of this also delves into Spiritual Gifting but why wouldn’t you seek someone that has looked at a passage several different ways than you have for several years more than you have for input.  The Holy Spirit works through us as much as he does through them and will use the right tools for the right job.  Seeking him also includes fellowship as we aren’t meant to take our journey alone.

This is not to equate the sport of tennis to the Holy Spirit in any way but another way to bring input from another believer and throw a different top spin on things.  I will say that both players start a tennis game with a score of Love-Love…so how more appropriate can that be?  Keep seeking him my friends and remember rules keep us from going astray and from battles we don't need.