Principle 8
HERMENEUTICS
PRINCIPLE 8
Never Determine Doctrine from an Illustration
Think about the following two sermon illustrations about driving a car:
The first illustration emphasizes God’s control of my life. “The Christian life is like driving a car. I like to let the Lord be in the driver’s seat while I sit by His side and let Him have control.”
The second illustration discusses the decision-making process in the Christian life. “Making decisions in the Christian life is like needing a good navigator when you’re driving. I imagine myself as the driver, and I turn to the Lord sitting next to me for directions.”
Is only one illustration valid because they have contradicting views of the Lord’s role? One scenario has Christ as the driver, and in the other He’s the navigator. Is that a problem? No, it’s simply two similar illustrations used for different purposes.
Now let’s look at the following examples in Scripture.
Ephesians 6:14 and 1 Thessalonians 5:8
“Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14).
“But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8).
In Ephesians 6 we read about the armor of righteousness. But in Thessalonians the armor is faith and love. Is this a contradiction in the Bible? No at all. These are simply two illustrations in two different contexts.
1 Corinthians 3:11 and Ephesians 2:20
“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).
“Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself” (Ephesians 2:20).
This example is a little more tricky. Is Christ the foundation - or is He the cornerstone? Answer: He’s both. He is the foundation and the cornerstone. These two passages are just two different illustrations. In Ephesians the foundation is the apostles and prophets, and in 1 Corinthians the foundation is Christ. These are simply two illustrations which demonstrate different aspects of the doctrine of Christ.
Philippians 3:20 and 2 Corinthians 5:20
“But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior” (Philippians 3:20)”
“So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’” (2 Corinthians 5:20)
Should Christians vote? Most Christians believe that voting in line with their consciences and biblical values is their privilege and responsibility in a free country. But some believers use these passages to support the idea that Christians shouldn’t vote. They would say that our citizenship is in heaven, and we are simply ambassadors here on earth. An ambassador votes in his home country, and our home country is heaven, so Christians should not vote. Are they right? No, that’s bad hermeneutics! This approach takes an illustration and makes a doctrine out of it.
1 Corinthians 15:52 and Revelation 11:15
“It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed” (1 Corinthians 15:52).
“Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).
This example is more in-depth. In 1 Corinthians 15 we read about “the last trumpet” sounding at the time of the rapture, when Christians are taken up from the earth to be with the Lord. Revelation 11 speaks of the seventh angel sounding “the seventh trumpet.” Some Christians have built a doctrine by assuming that the seventh trumpet of Revelation 11 is the same as the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15. Since Revelation 11 is referring to the mid-point of the seven-year tribulation, they argue that the rapture must occur at the middle of the tribulation. This is definitely bad hermeneutics! They’re determining a doctrine from the illustration!
In Revelation 8-11 the trumpets are symbols of judgment. In 1 Corinthians 15, the last trumpet is alluding to a military signal for troops to move out. (Believers may or may not literally hear a trumpet blast when we move out at the time of the rapture!) There’s no hermeneutical basis for equating the trumpet illustration in 1 Corinthians with the symbolic trumpets of judgment in Revelation. Remember that illustrations illustrate doctrinal truth. Never determine your doctrine from an illustration!
Types and Parables
A final note should be made about types and parables.
A type is an Old Testament person, place, event, or other item that pictures a New Testament truth.
A parable is a word picture that Jesus gave to illustrate His teaching.
We should be careful not to determine doctrine from Old Testament types or New Testament parables. Consider the following examples concerning the doctrine of the rapture.
Genesis 24:63-67
In Genesis 22-24, Isaac is a wonderful type (or picture) of Christ.
Isaac was the only begotten Son of the Father (Hebrews 11:17).
Isaac willingly went to the place of sacrifice and was received back in resurrection (Hebrews 11:19).
The unnamed servant (a type of the Holy Spirit) went to seek a bride for the “resurrected” (Isaac Genesis 24).
Rebekah (a type of the Church) responded by faith to the invitation to marry Isaac.
Rebekah and the servant traveled home together (a type of the Church’s present position).
When Rebekah and the servant drew near home, we read that Isaac went out to meet Rebekah and brought her into his tent. So… is this a type of the rapture?
It may be hermeneutically correct, but we must establish the doctrine of the rapture from the New Testament, like all the other doctrines illustrated in this wonderful extended type. We don’t determine the doctrine of the rapture from the Old Testament type, but once the doctrine of the rapture is soundly established from New Testament Scriptures, we can safely say that the rapture may be illustrated or pictured in Genesis 24.
Matthew 25:1-13
Here we have the parable of the ten virgins. This parable illustrates the kingdom of heaven as it is now.
The Lord is the bridegroom who is returning at an unknown time.
The wise virgins are true believers waiting and watching for the Lord’s return.
The foolish virgins are not true believers.
When the shout is heard at midnight, the wise virgins go out to meet the bridegroom and He brings them into the wedding feast.
Is this a picture of the rapture? Here again, it may be, but we shouldn’t establish the doctrine of the rapture based on this parable. Parables don’t determine doctrine; they illustrate doctrine. Only when we have the doctrine of the rapture solidly based on New Testament teaching passages can we see the rapture in the parables of the kingdom.
Remember, types and parables are illustrations of doctrines that are taught in teaching passages of Scripture. Don’t use parables to determine doctrine that is not supported or taught by the rest of Scripture.