Lesson 3: The Contextual Horizon (1)
The Five Horizons
Before we look more closely at using commentaries, let’s step back and look at the process of interpreting Scripture to preview where we’re going in the remaining lessons of this course. There are five horizons we must keep in our gaze as we interpret any passage of Scripture.¹ Each horizon corresponds to at least one lesson in this course.
You should explore each of the Five Horizons only after you have finished an arc, bracket, or phrase of the passage. But even after you finish the first step of Bible study, don’t stop engaging with the text! Both steps of Bible study should be taken for each of the Five Horizons. But since this isn’t a course on interpretation but on using extrabiblical resources, our focus from this lesson onward will be on the second step.
The Contextual Horizon
The horizon that considers the historical and literary context of a passage.
When studying a passage of Scripture, we need to start by analyzing the text itself, including its historical and textual context.
This relates to exegesis, the careful reading of the text, our focus in Lessons 3–4.
The Covenantal Horizon
The horizon that interprets each unit of Scripture as part of God’s unfolding plan of redemption in Christ
Each book, chapter, paragraph, and verse of Scripture is located somewhere within the story of redemption. And every page of Scripture leads us to Christ. We must keep our eyes on this horizon lest we turn our interpretation into mere moralization, isolated from the story of the Bible as it unfolds.
This relates to biblical theology, which we will study in Lesson 6.
The Canonical Horizon
The horizon that summarizes each major doctrine of Scripture in light of the whole testimony of Scripture
When we bend over a passage of Scripture with a magnifying glass, we must be careful to straighten up and interpret it in the light of the entire testimony of Scripture.
This relates to systematic theology, which we will study in Lesson 7.
The Confessional Horizon
The horizon that studies the history of Christian interpretation of Scripture
Since we live some 2,000 years after the coming of Christ, we are the heirs of a rich tradition of theological meditation, deep thinking, and careful writing within the church. Thus we would be wise to bring the history of Christian thought to bear on the text we are studying.
This relates to historical theology, which we will study in Lesson 8.
The Contemporary Horizon
The horizon that applies the exegesis of Scripture, as shaped by biblical, systematic, and historical theology, to the life of the church
We have not finished studying any text of Scripture until we apply it to our lives. The goal of Scripture is not merely to inform our heads but also to stir our hearts and propel our hands to action (see 2 Tim 3:16–17).
This relates to practical theology, which we will study in Lesson 9.
We can picture how the Five Horizons relate to the text of Scripture like this:
The Contextual Horizon looks into Scripture, focusing on its historical and textual details.
The Covenantal Horizon looks along Scripture, focusing on the Bible’s storyline that culminates in Christ.
The Canonical Horizon looks across Scripture, focusing on a systematized understanding of each biblical doctrine.
The Confessional Horizon looks back at how others interpreted Scripture.
The Contemporary Horizon looks ahead at how to apply Scripture to our lives.
(If you have taken our Interpretation course, you will remember that we cover biblical theology, systematic theology, historical theology, and practical theology in Lesson 6. While that lesson lightly touched on these disciplines, we will go into more detail on them in this course, in particular with regards to using extrabiblical literature in Bible study.)