Rightly Handling Scripture: Methods for the Biblical Counselor

Rightly Handling
Scripture:
Methods for the
Biblical Counselor
Introduction
As we begin, I want to express a level of
concern about how we as biblical counselors
often treat the Bible in our counseling.
counseling.
As I have listened to counseling and counselors,
I am increasingly alarmed at the number of times
I’ve heard the Scripture being interpreted
incorrectly, and sometimes alarmingly so!
Therefore, I want to make a case in this
workshop for a “get
“get--backback-to
to--basics” lesson in
hermeneutics..
hermeneutics
And if I could recommend just one book on
the subject which you could profitably use
in your desire to become a better
interpreter of the Bible in your counseling
role, it would be this one:
one:
Grasping God’s Word:
Word: A HandsHands-On
Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and
Applying the Bible,
Bible, by J. Scott Duvall &
J. Daniel Hays (Grand Rapids:
Rapids: Zondervan,
2nd edition, 2005
2005)).
The Importance of Choosing a Good
Bible Translation
We cannot overestimate the importance of
choosing a good Bible translation
translation.. A key question
however, is:
is: What is a “good” translation as over
against a “bad” one?
An answer to this question is found in the
difference between translation theories
theories..
More or less, Bible translations can be divided
between two general theories, what some have
called::
called
(1) The formal approach and (2) The functional
approach;; or sometimes referred to as
approach
as::
(1) word
word--forfor-word/essentially literal and (2)
thought--forthought
for-thought/dynamic equivalence.
equivalence.
We would propose that as a biblical counselor—
counselor—
indeed for anyone who is regularly using the
Bible in a “teaching” or “discipling” capacity—
capacity—
should use a translation which is more formal in
its translation theory, and therefore which
adheres to a more wordword-forfor-word, essentially
literal approach.
approach.
The following translations fall somewhere in the
broad spectrum of the aforementioned category:
category:
The King James Version (Authorized
Version)
The New King James Version (NKJV)
The Holman Christian Standard Bible
(HCSB)
The New American Standard Bible (NASB,
1995 Updated Edition)
The English Standard Version (ESV)
The New English Translation (NET)
The Importance of Seeking the
Proper Context
Interpretive Method #1
Just as realtors are famous for saying that the
three most important factors in selling are
are:: (1)
Location,, (2) Location
Location
Location,, (3) Location
Location;; for biblical
interpreters (counselors), the three most important
factors in interpreting Scripture are
are:: (1) Context
Context,,
(2) Context
Context,, (3) Context
Context!!
The greatest danger for any student of the Bible,
especially preachers and teachers, as well as
biblical counselors, is the failure to recognize the
proper context of a passage of Scripture
Scripture.. What
however, do we mean by “context?”
Contextual PrePreunderstandings
The context of all our own pre
pre--understandings
which initially we can and do bring—
bring—even if we’re
often unaware—
unaware—uncritically and unconsciously to
the biblical text, will include
include::
(1) How we were raised and in what way we were
first
taught biblical passages by others, or
whether in
our youth, for instance, we were
taught biblical passages at all
all;;
(2) How and to what degree we’ve been unduly
influenced by our culture and how this
influence colors our view of any given biblical text;
text;
(3) Our view of Scripture and its authority
authority;;
(4) Our view of the Holy Spirit and His
illumination of our understanding of the
text;;
text
(5) Our dedication and desire to study in
order
to grasp the meaning of the text
text;;
(6) Our assumed familiarity with the text
text;;
(7) Our knowledge of biblical history and
culture;;
culture
(8) Our knowledge and understanding of how
language works, especially biblical
languages..
languages
(9) Our calling, gifts, and abilities which are
given to us by God in both the
understanding and communication of the
text
to others
others;;
(10
10)) Our daily battle with sin which limits and
obscures our ability to “hear” and
“discern” what the text is saying to us
and through us to others.
others.
Once we acknowledge
acknowledge—
—as best we can
can—
—
these pre
pre--understandings, we are ready to
move to some contextual keys to
understanding God’s Word
Word::
Contextual Keys
Contextual Key #1
#1—
—The
Historical/Cultural Context
Duvall and Hays suggest (p.
(p. 100)
100):
“Historical--cultural context relates to just
“Historical
about anything outside the text that will
help you understand the text itself.
itself. . . .”
Who was the biblical writer?
Who was the biblical audience?
What tools can I use in grasping these
things?
Read! Read! Read!
Bible Handbooks
Old Testament and New Testament
Introductions and Surveys
Old Testament and New Testament
Commentaries
Old Testament and New Testament Histories
Bible Atlases
Bible Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Bible Background Commentaries
Contextual Key #2
#2—
—The Literary Context
Duvall and Hays (p
(p.. 120)
120) write:
write: “Literary
context relates to the particular form a
passage takes (the literary genre)
genre) and to
the words, sentences, and paragraphs that
surround the passage you are studying
(the surrounding context)
context).”
What kinds of literary genre might we find
in the Bible?
Old Testament:
Narrative
Law
Poetry
Prophecy
Wisdom
New Testament:
Gospel
History
Letter
Apocalyptic
Old and New Testaments:
SUBGENRES:
Parables
Riddles
Sermons
Duvall and Hays (p.
(p. 121)
121) state:
state: “Genres shape our expectations
about how to approach a particular text.
text. The form or genre of
the text really is connected to the context of the text and, for
this reason, we should take literary genre seriously
seriously.. The very
meaning of the Bible is at stake!”
Contextual key #3
#3—
—The Context of Word Usage
Duvall and Hays speak of the importance
understanding biblical word usage (p.
(p. 132
132)):
of
“Words are like pieces of a puzzle.
puzzle. They fit together to
form a story or a paragraph in a letter (i
(i..e., the big
picture).. Until you know the meaning of certain words,
picture)
you will not be able to grasp the meaning of the whole
passage.. Not knowing the meaning of certain words in
passage
a passage of Scripture can be compared to the
frustrating discovery that you don’t have all the pieces
to your puzzle.
puzzle. Like individual pieces of a puzzle,
words bring the larger picture to life
life.. Words are worth
studying!”
Look for words:
That are crucial to the passage;
Repeated words;
Figures of speech;
Words that are unclear, puzzling, or
difficult
Concordance Word Study
Goodrick/Kohlenberger Number (GK)
Strong’s Number (S)
Contextual Word Study
Context determines word meaning!
Common Word Study Fallacies:
English-Only Fallacy
English Don’t base your understanding of a
particular English word rather than the
Hebrew (Aramaic) or Greek word which
underlies it;
it;
Root Fallacy
Don’t always assume that the meaning of
a word is found in its original root (i.
(i.e., its
etymology);;
etymology)
Time-Frame Fallacy
Time Don’t take a current word meaning and read
it back into the Bible’s world of words
words.. It may
not have had the meaning we attach to it at
all!
Overload Fallacy
Don’t take a word which may have multiple
meanings—
meanings
—depending upon the context
context—
—
and assume that you can attach every
meaning to it
it..
Word-Count Fallacy
Word Don’t assume that a word has the same
meaning every single time it occurs.
occurs. Again,
the context must determine meaning, not how
many times a word occurs in each text
text..
Word--Concept Fallacy
Word
Don’t assume that a certain word contains an
entire concept
concept.. A concept (like the church),
has more that one word which Scripture uses
to describe it
it.. A concept is bigger than any
one word.
word.
Selective-Evidence Fallacy
Selective Don’t attempt to interpret with only
selective evidence.
evidence. You must accept all
the interpretive evidence which a passage
yields..
yields
The Importance of Observing
Everything You Can Possibly See
from the Passage
Interpretive Method #2
Duvall and Hays (pp.
(pp. 47
47--58
58)) suggest
several things to look for in and around a
passage of Scripture:
Scripture:
Any general statements
Any specific details
Any questions and answers
Any dialogue
Any purpose statements
Any means (by which something is
accomplished)
Any conditional clauses
The Actions/Roles of People or
Actions/Roles of God
Emotional Terms
Tone
Look! Look! Look!
Repetition of words
Contrasts
Comparisons
Lists
Cause and Effect
Figures of Speech
Conjunctions
Verbs
Verbs—
—I would contend that this will usually
be the controlling idea of the passage
Pronouns
Look for connections between paragraphs
and episodes
Look for story shifts:
shifts: major breaks and
pivots
Look for interchange
interchange:: contrasting or
comparing two different stories in order to
show major similarities or dissimilarities
Look for chiasm
chiasm:: a,b,c
a,b,c,, d c’,b’,a
’,b’,a’’
The Importance of Clear and
Compelling Application
Interpretive Method #3
Before we can even begin to apply the Bible’s
message to counselees, we must have
worked our way through these prior steps in
the interpretive process! But once we do, we
are on the road to becoming the best student
of Scripture we ourselves can become, as
well as being able to help them apply the
Scripture to their own situations
situations..
Putting the Truth to Work!
Duvall and Hays (pp.
(pp. 215
215--223)
223) give 4 steps in the
process of applying the text of Scripture to the current
lives of God’s people:
people:
1. Grasp the text by summarizing the original situation
and the meaning of the text for the original biblical
audience;;
audience
2. Determine the differences between the biblical
situation and (your/their) situation;
situation;
3. List the theological principles communicated by the
passage;;
passage
4. Observe how the principles in the text were applied in
the original situation;
situation; seek to discover any parallels in
our own contemporary context;
context; and make various
applications to today by being very specific.
specific.
Conclusion
Duvall and Hays have sought to make their book as clear and
compelling as possible
possible..
In addition, they have also compiled a separate Grasping
God’s Word (also 2nd edition) workbook with homework
assignments and even an additional website for more help
(www..zondervan.
(www
zondervan.com/graspinggodsword).
com/graspinggodsword).
If someone simply can’t stomach working through their 462
462-page book, the authors have also condensed it into a 160
160-page book entitled, Journey into God’s Word (Grand Rapids
Rapids::
Zondervan, 2008)!
2008)!
And if that’s still not sufficient, they have also provided a
Study Guide called Grasping God’s Word Laminated Sheet
Sheet,,
which condenses everything down to principles contained on
connected front and back laminate sheets for ease of
reference and learning! There really is no reason not to be
able to grasp a greater understanding of God’s Word!