Principle 10
HERMENEUTICS
PRINCIPLE 10
Aim for One Interpretation with Many Applications
In order to practice good hermeneutics, we must be careful not to confuse interpretation with application.
- When we interpret a passage of Scripture, we seek to answer the question, “What did it mean when it was given?’
- When we apply a Scripture, we ask, “How does it relate to us today?”
A passage of Scripture may have many applications for different situations, but there’s only one correct interpretation. In other words, saying a Scripture has one meaning for me, another meaning for you, and a third meaning for someone else, is bad hermeneutics. There’s only one correct meaning or interpretation, but that one interpretation may have many applications. Let’s look at some biblical examples where this principle was used.
Romans 10:14-15
“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!””
In this passage Paul, a New Testament writer, used this only-one-meaning principle to interpret an Old Testament Scripture.
In the original context of Isaiah 52, the good news was the announcement that Jewish people who had gone into captivity under the Babylonians would one day return. That was good news! However, when Paul quoted this verse he applied it to the good news of Jesus Christ. Thus this passage is a biblical example of this principle. Paul aimed for one interpretation with many applications. We should do the same.
Matthew 18:20
“For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”
The context of this verse (beginning in verse 15) is discipline in the church setting. Thus the proper interpretation of this verse is that the Lord will be present with the elders of a church when they are making a decision about church discipline, and church leaders can have confidence that the Lord’s authority is backing up their decisions.
But this verse can certainly be applied to any situation where two or three people are gathered together in the name of Christ. The Lord is in our midst during the Lord’s Supper, or at a small group Bible study, or when Christians are having dinner together. There are many applications for this encouraging Scripture.
Jeremiah 21:8
“Tell all the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: Take your choice of life or death!”
This sounds like a great text for a gospel sermon! It can certainly be applied to the gospel, but what is its proper interpretation? This was a message from the Lord to the people of Jerusalem in Jeremiah’s time. Soon the city would fall, and Nebuchadnezzar and his armies would take the people into captivity in Babylon (vv. 7-9). Submission to the Babylonians would result in the “way of life” (their survival). Fighting to defend the city was the “way of death” (their destruction). Thus, preaching the gospel from this text would be an application, but not the proper interpretation, of the passage.
Perhaps you’re wondering how far we can carry the application of Scripture. There must be some limits or guidelines, or we might stretch the applications to lengths God never intended. There are two main guidelines for limiting the application of Scripture:
Any application must be in line with, or agree with, the rest of Scripture. If our application is contrary to the interpretation of another Scripture passage, we’ve taken our application too far.
We must strive for some common ground between the interpretation and the application.
What common ground is there between Jeremiah 21:8 and the gospel? The Bible teaches that God always gives people enough evidence and information so they can make the right choices. No one has an excuse because of ignorance. So here, whether it’s the Jews facing the Babylonians, or an unbeliever facing a lost eternity, God shows the way of life and the way of death. Each person then has the responsibility to respond to the truth that God has revealed, and to choose the right way on the basis of that revealed truth.
Romans 1:16
“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.”
Consider the following three possible applications of Romans 1:16:
You should have courage to preach on a street corner, because you should not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
You should openly pray before a meal in a restaurant, because you’re not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
If you’re writing a paper in a philosophy course at college, you should not be ashamed to write a paper defending the Christian worldview, because the Christian worldview can stand up against any other worldview.
All three are valid applications, but which one do you think is the best? The third application is the best, because it has the most common ground with the original occasion. In this text, Paul’s point was not that Christians should have courage to preach the gospel. His point was to show that the Christian worldview was superior to any other worldview—Greek, Roman, or Jewish being the predominant worldviews of his day. The Christian faith can answer any question, and the gospel of Christ can save anyone who believes. You don’t have to apologize for being a Christian, and you don’t have to be ashamed. The gospel of Christ and the Christian worldview will measure up to and exceed all other philosophies.
Numbers 32:23
“But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.”
What’s the interpretation of this verse, and what’s the best application for today?
In the context, we see that Moses was addressing this statement to the two-and-a-half tribes of Israel: Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. These tribes had promised to cross the River Jordan with the rest of the tribes and help fight the Canaanites. After the fighting, they wanted to return and settle on the east side of the Jordan. Moses told them that they could have their wish, but that they would suffer consequences from both God and their fellow Israelites if they failed to follow through on their commitment. In other words, “You can be sure your sin will find you out!”
Which is the best application of “Be sure your sin will find you out” for today?
If you steal things from other people you’ll eventually get caught.
or
Take any responsibility you assume in Christian ministry very seriously, because you will be held accountable for it by both the Lord and your fellow-workers.
Both of these applications are valid, but the second one is the better application because there’s more common ground with the meaning in the original Old Testament setting.
From this principle we’ve learned not only to aim for one interpretation with many applications, but also to aim for the best applications of that one interpretation. Let’s pursue applications that are line up with the rest of Scripture, and applications that relate best, or have the most common ground, with the interpretation.