Lesson 4: Understanding the Context
Review
Primary Principle: The Bible expects us to interpret it within its historical-cultural context.
Unpacking the Principle
- The Bible was not written directly to us. But it was written for us.
- The biblical authors were people of the Book. Thus, the Bible itself is the major part of its own historical-cultural context.
- We must measure the distance in order to bridge the gap between the historical-context of a Bible passage and our own context. (See the process below).
- We offer two cautions to ensure biblical balance in this interpretive principle: (a) What we suppose about the context should never negate what the text plainly says; (b) The Bible itself is sufficient to provide us with all that we need to interpret it rightly. We must not look for ultimate interpretive keys outside the Bible.
Lesson Resources
1. The Biblical Timeline Reference Page
Biblical History: A Printable ReferencepdfThis one-page reference provides a helpful overview of the biblical timeline. It provides dates for important people and events in the Bible. Finally, it places all 39 books of the Old Testament within their proper era.
2. A Process for Measuring the Distance
- Identify any unknown background details stated in the text (places, names, historical events, figures of speech, cultural practices, etc.).
- Search for any other biblical references to the same (or closely related) details.
- Supplement your study with historical/cultural background resources.
- Describe how the original readers/hearers would have understood this text.
- Assess the cultural differences. What has changed across cultures? What has stayed the same?
- Discern the timeless truths the passage communicates. (Think especially with reference to the nature of God, man, sin, salvation.)
- Examine your own cultural context. What related cultural assumptions and beliefs do we hold?
- Apply the theological principles across the cultural gap to our contemporary lives.