Literary context

In the previous post, I argued that properly understanding any portion of Scripture requires knowing its context, and that most of our errors in interpreting Scripture would be corrected simply by being aware of context. In this post, I want to begin to look at specific ways in which context aids us in biblical interpretation. Or to put it another way, I want to begin to look at specific kinds of contextual tools.

One helpful way to understand context is to understand in what kind of book the passage of Scripture sits – the genre. We need to know the literary context of a passage. We do this automatically in our everyday lives. Take the words, “Toilet paper.” If those words occur on a grocery list, we respond to them differently than if they occur in a short story or newspaper advertisement. We read a grocery list differently than we do a personal letter, and both of those differently than a novel, and all of those differently than an essay in a journal. The kind of material determines how we read it.

The same thing is true in the Bible. When reading a letter, we will want to see how each passage is developing the writer’s argument, and application will often be more direct. When reading a narrative, we need to keep in mind elements such as plot, character development, and conflict when understanding the themes the writer is developing; application may be imitation of behaviors in the story, but may not be since narrative is fundamentally descriptive. And Hebrew poetry is organized around imagery, meter, and parallelism. It does not flow as a letter or a story, so it needs to be handled on its own terms. And there are other genres as well: legal material, apocalyptic, and so on.

Examples are always helpful, so we will look at Luke 15:11-32, commonly called the Parable of the Prodigal Son, to get a feel for the importance of literary context. Parables are short stories, which means they contain the elements found in narratives such as plot, character, theme, and conflict. In addition, parables describe everyday realities in order to make a moral or spiritual point. On the lips of Jesus, parables describe the kingdom of God.

I have heard Lk 15:11-13 used to illustrate the need for wisdom in parenting and in sharing wealth with children. No doubt many a father needs such wisdom, but using those verses to make that point takes them out of their literary context. A parable is a narrative, and we will not understand the role these sentences play in making Jesus’ intended point until the narrative is concluded and plot, character, and thematic development have been analyzed.

Later in the passage in Lk 15:22-24 the father calls for his restored younger son to be given a robe, a ring, and shoes, and for a fattened calf to be slaughtered for a feast. I remember a Bible study in college in which the leader went to great lengths to connect each of those gifts to an Old Testament passage to show what the gift represented (see for example Hag 2:23 or Isa 61:10). Although the effort was well-intentioned, it was also misguided. If a narrative is going to function as an allegory, with each and every element having a deeper meaning, there are typically clues in the narrative (see for example the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:1-20). While the mistake in the previous paragraph underanalyzes the narrative, this mistake overanalyzes it to find meanings that are not there.

The title “Parable of the Prodigal Son” obscures the reality that the father in the parable has two sons, one who has lived a profligate life but then repented, and one who has lived such a moral life that he does not realize his need for repentance. The parables of Jesus use earthly stories to tell us about the kingdom of God; this parable tells us how God relates to the unrighteous and gently challenges the self-righteous to self-examination, an interpretation the previous two parables confirm (Lk 15:1-10).

Perhaps Tim Keller has a better title for this parable: The Prodigal God. Attention to literary context helps us understand what Jesus meant when He spoke, and what Luke meant when he wrote it down.

Context and reading the Bible

What is the Bible about? Are there central storylines or themes that tie each book of the Bible together? That tie the whole of Scripture together? And does recognizing such storylines and themes aid us in properly interpreting a given passage of Scripture that we come across during devotional reading, Bible studies, or sermons?

I think that the intuitive answer to each of those questions is “yes.” Most of us have had the experience of having something we have said taken out of context. Just a couple of days ago I was speaking with a friend, and one of us described a headache as “feeling like someone kicked you in the head.” A third person approached us just at that moment and heard nothing but “kick you in the head.” He correctly inferred that he must have missed the context. But had he taken it out of context, he could have come to some awful conclusions about the speaker’s character and intentions.

Taking things out of context can lead to interpretations and conclusions that fall wide and short of the mark. That much appears obvious from everyday experience. So why would we make the same mistake when interpreting a text in the Bible? A paragraph surrounds every sentence. An epistle or gospel or some other genre of literature surrounds every passage. The Bible, the grand story of God working in history to redeem humanity and restore His creation in Jesus Christ, surrounds every book in the canon.

We cannot properly understand any portion of Scripture without placing it in its immediate textual context and its context within its book. Otherwise we will miss what the human author intended. And ultimately we need to understand texts in their context in the whole of Scripture. Otherwise we will miss what the Divine Author intends.

That is a fine sounding idea. In principle I agree. But what should I do when confronted with a particular text? There are several tools we can use to help us, tools we will think about in subsequent posts. But in my estimation (though admittedly limited and fallible), most of our goings astray in interpreting Scripture would be corrected merely by being aware that there is a bigger context into which each passage fits. That may sound oversimplified, but it seems to me to be true. The matter of context seems to be where many a Bible study, sermon, or book goes astray. So just being aware of context is helpful.

God's glory and our joy

Last night, on the final evening of Vacation Bible School at Adirondack Bible Chapel, I spoke to 20 or so teenagers for about a half-hour on Matthew 13:44.

I hoped they would understand that in Jesus Christ there is more joy to be found than in anything else or anyone else we might desire. We started by thinking about what is most valuable to us, whether a possession, a relationship, or an aspiration. Whatever it is, what is so valuable to you that if you lost it, you would be devastated? And I went on to suggest that there was something to be found -- or someone -- still more to be treasured.

This very brief parable of Jesus has at its center a treasure for which a man sells everything he has. I asked why the man did that. The text tells us: the Greek can be translated "in his joy" (NIV, ESV) or "out of joy for it" (similar to NASB). The point is the joy. He wanted the treasure because of the joy it brought him.

So often when talking to teenagers -- and to adults and children for that matter -- we speak of spiritual matters as if rules and living righteously were at the heart of Christianity. I do not mean to suggest that rules and righteous living are unimportant; but if we think they are the heart of our faith then we find ourselves in agreement with the Pharisees and Judaizers. Or we try to scare kids into the kingdom of heaven through threats of hell. I do not mean to suggest that the threat of hell is unimportant; but the Scriptures present us with more than the option of torment versus non-torment. Or we beat teens over the head with truth. I do not mean to suggest that absolute truth is unimportant (ask someone who has disagreed with me on a point of theology or philosophy about that); but there is a Person behind truth who is Himself Truth.

Ultimately we all do what we desire to do. I think this is a reality Jesus recognizes throughout His teachings and especially in this parable. We all ultimately pursue what we think will make us happy. And that is not necessarily wrong -- in fact I would argue that it is part of how we are made. The issue is not whether to pursue joy and happiness or not; rather the issue is what will actually give us lasting, strong, unshakable, and eternal joy. What I wanted desperately, what I was praying that these teenagers would grasp as the Spirit of God quickened their hearts, is that pursuing joy is okay. But the only place to find the deep joy that our hearts yearn for is by knowing God. God Himself is the treasure for which we joyfully sell everything we have.

But there is a problem. We cannot come up with the payment due to purchase the joy God offers. The price He requires is wholehearted, every-moment devotion to Him. And I cannot pay that price -- none of us can. Not only so, but I am already in debt beyond my ability to repay because of my sin, because I continually look in other places to satisfy the craving in my soul for happiness and satisfaction, thereby alienating the God who created me and earning His wrath. Everyone finds themselves in the same state. None of us can buy the field.

So someone else will have to buy it for us. The Father sent the Son to become a man named Jesus. He lived the perfect, wholehearted life for God that I have not lived. By dying as my substitute, as the substitute for all who turn from their idolatry and turn toward Him in faith, He satisfied God's wrath. He rose from the dead. He paid my debt and credited me with His perfect life. Now the treasure is mine. God's Spirit is now at work in me making me more like Christ and enabling me to know increasingly the joy and love that exists between the Father and the Son.

We were made for joy. Those who trust in Christ have been redeemed and re-created for joy (see for starters Ps 27:4; 37:4; 42:1-5; 63:1-3; 73:25-26; 84:10; Hab 3:16-18; Jn 10:10; 15:11; Gal 5:22; Phil 2:1-3; 4:4-6; I Pet 1:3-9). When we rejoice in God, we declare Him to be that which is most valuable, most lovely, most praiseworthy, most glorious, most satisfying in all the universe. Ultimately God's glory in us and our joy in Him through Jesus Christ are one and the same. Christians have known this through the ages. Augustine said, "Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You" (Confessions I.1). The 17th century pastor Jeremy Taylor once said, "God threatens terrible things if we will not be happy." The Westminster Shorter Catechism states, "The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever" (WSC 1). John Piper has said it so many times: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."

This is the type of faith that endures when houses, friends, family, jobs, and even churches are lost. This is the type of faith that does not need to turn to sin for happiness, but rejoices in obedience to God regardless of circumstances. Joy is not optional. God demands it of us for our own good. This is the faith toward which He has been drawing me again over the past two months up here in the mountains. It is the faith I desire for those teenagers. And it is the faith for which I hope you, dear reader, yearn as well.

The gospel and counseling

In the three weeks we have been in the Adirondacks, we have had the wonderful opportunity to slow down and rest. Marveling at the beauty of these mountains while hiking has itself been a means of God's grace for us. Michelle has already read four books, and if I could ever finish The Death of Death I would also have read four. The people of Adirondack Bible Chapel have been overwhelmingly generous and welcoming, and the staff have been generous with their time in meeting with us for encouragement and counseling.

During our time here I have been reflecting on the relationship between the gospel and counseling. I have long been convinced of the sufficiency of Scripture in the context of Christian community to bring healing and maturity (Deut 8:3; Ps 119: 97-104; Eph 4:7-16; 2 Tim 3:14-17; 2 Pet 1:3-4). But this is a conviction that ministries such as CCEF have been exploring and developing far longer than I. So I have no new or profound insights to offer.

But this central conviction has deepened: whatever the struggle for which the child of God seeks counsel, if the gospel is not central to the solution offered, then it is not a real solution. If the cross is not allowed to critique us and show that we are much worse sinners than we ever thought; if the Savior's death is not presented as the Father's final word about our guilt, forgiveness, and adoption; if the power of the resurrection does not form the foundation of our hope for a transformed life; if the risen Christ is not the reason for our confidence and His Spirit not the source of our power; if the Word of God is not our final measuring line; if God's glory reflected in Christlike character is not our goal -- if those things are not present, then counseling cannot properly be called Christian, no matter what the counselor and the one counseled may profess as their creed, no matter what methodology is applied, no matter how many Bible verses get batted about.

The gospel is my only hope. It does not merely make solutions possible -- it is the solution. It is not a first step on the path to wholeness -- it is the means of wholeness. I must constantly relearn such lessons, consistently preach this gospel to myself, and frequently be reoriented away from other "solutions" to God's solution. I need the cross and the empty tomb -- or rather I need the One who died on the cross and walked away from the tomb who purchased God's grace for me.

On the road again...

...but this time not on a roadtrip. A Free church in the Adirondacks has opened their hearts and their homes to us for the summer. So we are moving to the mountains of upstate New York to stay with our new friends at Adirondack Bible Chapel.

This summer will give us opportunities to rest, heal, and receive mentoring as we seek God and look forward to His provision for us. There will be opportunities for lots of reading, lots of hiking, and lots of ministry. Our prayer is that by the end of the summer, the Lord will provide sufficient wisdom to know what the next steps are for us in ministry. Please join me and my family in thanking God for His wonderful provision for us through Jesus Christ!

Waiting tables

After a car trip from New York to Chicago and back that lasted a little over two weeks, and a similar two-week long car trip in December from New York to Florida, my wife and I agree on something: the quality of service at restaurants has definitely declined. Now without a doubt there are plenty of restaurant waitstaff who work hard and try to do right by their customers. We encountered a few of them during those two trips. But on the whole we encountered poor service: indifferent service, extra long delays, significant mistakes made with meals with no offer to make things right.

Those experiences prompted me to reflect on my own attitude about service. It is not a big jump -- the most common word in the New Testament for "service," the word from which we get the term deacon, is used in Acts 6:2 of waiting tables. My initial response to the poor service we received was frustration and irritation. But further reflection led me to wonder: Am I so different? When I am called upon to serve, what is my own attitude?

This reflection was God's grace to me, for I fear that much of the time my attitude is poor, especially when such service is inconvenient or unpleasant. But surely this does not reflect the attitude of our Lord, who gladly served and sacrificed (Phil 2:1-11; Heb 12:1-3). And I have concluded that my poor attitude can only come from loving myself and thinking more highly of myself than I ought -- I value my own comfort and pleasure more than I value others, and particularly more than I value and delight in Christ.

A waiter's motivation for good service is a tip. It is external. And while Christ offers us rewards for faithful service (Lk 19:17), those rewards have their greatest value if we already value the one who gives them. "Well done, good and faithful servant" is most meaningful if we highly esteem the One who speaks the words. And that means that something has to change on the inside, that what I love, value, and esteem has to shift away from me to Someone Else. A tip will not do the trick. My heart must change.

But thanks be to God! He has given us the resources we need through His power by His great and precious promises (2 Pet 1:3-4). He has given me a new heart that wants to serve. He has given me food for my soul in His Word. He has sent His Spirit to dwell in my heart and progressively conform me to Christ's image.

Part of my plan for the summer is to dwell on the excellencies of Christ, and to spend some time in introspection asking God to help me see the idols of my heart, that I might turn from them and exult more fully in Christ. And in doing so, my hope is to become a better servant, someone who gladly waits tables.

Go (mid)west, young man

With my pastorate at Bethel EFC drawing to a close, my family and I are headed to the Midwest for a couple of weeks. We will see family and friends, and will also attend the Gospel Coalition conference outside of Chicago.

There is something symbolic about this roadtrip. As we literally drive west, we are also driving spiritually into the unknown. Where will I minister next? How long will the Lord have us wait? Will it be an associate or senior role, and if it is an associate then how long before I regularly step into a pulpit again? If there is a long delay before my next pastorate, how will I support my family? Lots of unanswered questions.

But the God whose power and might raised Jesus Christ from the dead is the same God who governs all the days of our lives. In the past few weeks, that has not been merely a pious platitude for us. Today on Easter it is the truth that will sustain us through a painful goodbye with our church of three years. And in the weeks to come it will be the bedrock reality that we will likely cling to for life and sanity.

He is risen! And His Father works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Rom 8:28), even if my idea of "good" does not always resemble His.

Where O Death Is Now Thy Sting?

Heavy-laden weary soul, bearing up a heart of stone;
His Spirit comes to dwell in you, and Christ the weight of sin assume.
All my guilt is cast on Christ,
and His righteousness is mine.
What guilt should weigh upon my head?
For Christ has cleared it all!

The sum of all my sacrifice, though joyful fails to justify.
I cannot pay for grace that’s free, nor add to work that is complete.
Jesus paid it all for me:
This my ransom and my plea
What debt I labor to repay?
For Christ has paid it all!

Through the law comes sin and death, but faith is counted righteousness.
So I will trust in Christ alone, my debt to pay, my sin atone.
And I’ll stand in confidence,
covered by His righteousness.
What shall become of boasting tongues?
For Christ has done it all!

Where O death is now thy sting? Swallowed up in victory!
The Lord of Glory reigns on high, sovereign over earth and sky.
Yes He triumphed o’er the grave,
and He comes again one Day.
What lesser name shall draw our praise?
For Christ has conquered all!

Christ Has Conquered All, Kristie Brasleton

The image of God redeemed

Although I have not posted on the image of God in some time, more recent developments with embryonic stem cell research, and continuing concern regarding the Freedom of Choice Act, prompt me to take up the thread again.

In the first post in this thread, I attempted to defend biblically the proposition that all homo sapiens, from conception to the grave, bear the image of God. In the second post, I briefly described what it means for human beings today to bear the image of God, differentiating between structural and functional understandings of the image and pointing to the explanatory power of this portrait of human beings.

In this post, I would like to examine one way that the Bible describes salvation. Although the mirror that is human being has been shattered, God does not intend for it to remain that way. All human beings possess the image of God structurally; none of us fully possess it functionally. Through the cross of Christ, God intends to restore His image in human beings.

Notice that I did not say that no human being possesses the image of God functionally. On the other side of humankind's rebellion against God, there is one who perfectly and fully reflects the glory and being of God: Jesus Christ. This truth lies implicit in the biblical teaching that Christ is fully human but wholly without sin (Jn 8:46; Heb 4:15; 9:14; I Pet 1:19). His nature is as our nature, but without sin; Jesus bears the image as we bear the image, but without the mirror being broken. But Christ as the image of God is not only implicit, but Scripture also teaches it explicitly (II Cor 4:4; Col 1:15). Christ fully possesses the structural and functional dimensions of the image of God.

Why is this reality so important? To cite the popular paraphrase from Athanasius' On the Incarnation 54.3, "The Word was made like us so that we could become like Him." Athanasius himself made clear, as John Piper has helpfully pointed out, that we do not assume God's nature in the same way that the Son assumed human nature. Rather, it is a reference to the image of God that all human beings bear. In becoming one of us, and providing justification for us, Christ removes the obstacles of guilt and wrath (Rom 8:3; Phil 2:7). Having forgiven all believers our sins and credited us with Christ's own righteousness, God now looks upon His people with favor and works on their behalf. Through the work of the Spirit He transforms each of His children so that they are not only credited with righteousness, but also live in righteousness, progressively becoming increasingly able to obey God and display His character. In other words, the mirror is being repaired (II Cor 3:18; Eph 4:24; Col 3:10; II Pet 1:4). And at the end of history, when Christ returns and makes all things new, the mirror will be fully restored and we will perfectly image God even as the man Jesus Christ images Him (Rom 8:29; I Cor 15:49).

This teaching of Scripture on the restoration of the image of God should encourage greatly Christ's followers. Everyone who trusts in Christ is a new creation (I Pet 1:3-5; II Cor 5:17) with new desires to please and glorify God (Rom 7:22; 8:5-11). Yet as Scripture and experience attest, we consistently fail to obey Him perfectly (Rom 7:13-20; I Jn 1:8-10). But the image is being restored and will be fully restored. For someone who wants to honor God, that promise gives much hope. It should also help us see that God's purposes cannot be thwarted. God created everything good, including human beings (Gen 1:31). Human and demonic rebellion may have marred what God has created, but it has not undone His purposes for His world. He will remake human nature not only into something that may not sin, but ultimately that cannot sin.

And it reemphasizes the importance of the image of God for our view of human nature. One approach to undermining the dignity of all human life is to find a basis for human personhood not related to the image of God. But that is not an approach that any Bible-believing Christian can take. The image is so important to God that He describes salvation as its restoration, not just in one or two passages, but throughout the New Testament. Christians need to keep God's image front-and-center in our understanding of human beings. It is that important to God.

Five Questions for Evaluating Spiritual Growth

In his book Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, Mark Dever shares five questions he asks when he visits with members of his church to help evaluate their spiritual growth (p. 212). We discussed these questions during an adult Sunday School class this morning, and it was a fruitful discussion. So I am posting them here as well.

• In what particular way have you grown in your understanding of the Christian life since we last met?
• In what particular way have you grown in your practice of the Christian life since we last met?
• In what particular way do you feel that you need instruction?
• In what particular way are you disappointed in your own pursuit of holiness?
• How specifically can I pray for you?