The First Rule of Hermeneutics
Right and Wrong
Though society loves to swim in the sea of uncertainty, God does not rule that way. He declares what is right and wrong (Gen. 2:9; Ex. 15:26; Isa. 5:20), abhors chaos and confusion (1 Cor. 14:33), and will judge all based on his objective and righteous standard (Rev. 20:13). While people may use the excuse of interpretation now, that will not stand in the end, a reminder that hermeneutics is not just an academic subject but crucial to rightly understanding the truth and to living a life that pleases God.
For this reason, the Lord has not stayed silent on the issue of interpretation. Even in biblical times, false teachers were already appealing to the supposed subjectivity of interpretation, and God declared that Scripture is of no private interpretation (2 Pet. 1:20). The God who revealed his word also revealed how to study it and how all things should be understood. This should come as no surprise, as his word subjects all areas of this world to the lordship of Christ (2 Cor. 10:3–5). This hermeneutical standard revolves around three ideas: literal, grammatical, historical interpretation. Though some may argue that these ideas are late developments or simply insufficient, authorial intent expressed by the rules of grammar and in light of the facts of history is the way God wrote his word and demands it to be read. There is a standard for interpretation, and one can and must abide by it.
So instead of letting hermeneutics undermine sola Scriptura, sola Scriptura must capture hermeneutics. The meaning of Scripture is not lost in uncertainty and pluralism. God’s word is the final authority on all that it decrees, including its own interpretation, and going back to Scripture provides clarity that the interpretation of everything is not just a matter of interpretation.
Think Biblically
John MacArthur, Abner Chou
With new chapters on hermeneutics, mental illness, complementarianism, and more, these essays, edited by John MacArthur and Abner Chou, guide readers in cultivating a biblical worldview on a wide range of issues.
Literal Interpretation
In the midst of interpretative confusion and convolution, God clearly decrees that the point of biblical interpretation is to determine the author’s intent. Second Timothy 3:16 establishes that the text of Scripture is God breathed, God’s very intent. God himself is the author, even as he worked through human authors. The biblical writers introduced Scripture with “Thus says the Lord” (Isa. 43:1; Jer. 49:1; Zech. 1:16), describing it as that which the prophet spoke (Matt. 2:17; 3:3; 15:7; John 1:23; 12:41) and that which came by “the word of the Lord” (Gen. 15:1; 1 Kings 6:11; Isa. 2:3; Zech. 1:1), declaring that the meaning of the Bible comes from God. They also called Scripture the “word of God” (1 Thess. 2:13), asserting that its meaning belongs to God. The apostles affirmed authorial intent as they confirmed that their writings were “as” (Rom. 11:26) and “in accordance with” (1 Cor. 15:3–4) what was revealed in the past by God through his prophets.
In addition to the prophets and apostles, Christ himself also insisted that the meaning of Scripture is what the author intended, describing it as “all that the prophets have spoken” (Luke 24:25). He declared that Scripture is fixed to this meaning and cannot be changed by the reader (John 10:35). To that end, the Lord showed that one cannot even use the Scripture in a way that God did not intend, condemning Satan when he tried to do so (Matt. 4:5–7). The Lord Jesus demonstrated that the only legitimate meaning of Scripture is that which the author willed, and God warned that those who twist this meaning do so to their own destruction (2 Pet. 3:16). While a text could have many potential meanings, God is unequivocal that a literal reading, one that aims at authorial intent, is the standard, a standard backed by God’s own authority. For God, hermeneutics is a moral issue.
The Lord not only established authorial intent as the standard for interpretation but also ensured that this intent was accessible. Some have argued that understanding authorial intent is an impossible task. After all, authors can miscommunicate, texts can be ambiguous, and readers cannot look into the mind of the author. Scripture reveals, however, that God ordained an unbreakable chain of communication. The doctrine of revelation shows that God purposed to make his message plain to his people (cf. Job 12:22; Isa. 45:18–19). To accomplish this, the doctrine of inspiration describes that God used human writers in their own speech to write down exactly what he meant (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:19–21). Being guided by the Spirit, they spoke from God (2 Pet. 1:21), such that their intent is his intent and their words are his words. This ensures that divine truth is conveyed in human language, language that people can understand. Furthermore, what was written is inerrant (Ps. 19:8; John 17:17), demonstrating that human fallibility did not contaminate any expression of these truths in any way. Every word of Scripture, then, is divine communication, and God guaranteed that his people can understand it. The Lord regenerates people such that those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18) become those who embrace it (Jer. 31:31). The Spirit, the very author of Scripture (2 Pet. 1:21), dwells in the hearts of believers, guiding and convicting them of all truth (Eph. 1:17; 5:18). So the God who purposed to make his truth known has not failed. He supernaturally ensured that his intent was preserved by the author through the text to the reader. Because of this, while clarity should not be confused with ease (cf. 2 Pet. 3:15), a believer who demonstrates hard work and follows the rules of language can access what the author intended.
In addition to ensuring the accessibility of authorial intent, God demonstrated that what the authors said is all-sufficient, for the writers of Scripture are nothing short of profound. Fundamentally, God, the author of all sixty-six books, knows all things (Ps. 139:3–4), making Scripture the source of the highest truth. Moreover, the men whom he used to write his word were also exegetes and theologians in their own right. The prophets and apostles knew their Bibles well, in both depth and breadth, constantly alluding to other parts of Scripture to develop the theology of earlier revelation. They addressed the current issues of their times by expounding universal truths, giving a theology that they knew would have implications beyond their time (Pss. 22:30–31; 102:18; 1 Pet. 1:10–12). As opposed to the viewpoint of higher criticism, which maintains that the scriptural writers knew only limited sources, were fixated on their present moment, and wrote limited theology insincerely with political aims, Scripture presents a completely different picture. The biblical writers were, under inspiration, foremost theologians who knew God’s word and whose mission was to declare its theological message not only for their time but for all time.
When people truly tremble before God, they become wise because they listen to the only one who knows what he is talking about.
The prophets’ and apostles’ theological purpose can be especially observed when one considers that they not only wrote information but wrote with intent—and this covers what they said, why they said it, and the “so what” of these truths. That the authors wrote with intent is why Jesus can claim that the law not only concerned adultery but lust (Matt. 5:27–28), why Paul stated that muzzling the ox related to paying one’s pastor (1 Cor. 9:9–10), or why the same apostle declared that narratives had theological ideas (Gal. 4:21–31). To be sure, the biblical authors wrote stories, laws, and poetry. But while that is what they wrote, that is not all they purposed or meant by it. The reason why they wrote these things was to declaretheological truth set by context for the instruction and hope of those whowould read it (Rom. 15:4).
Thus, to any who wonder if Scripture can really address the complexities of life, it is designed for that very purpose. Its stories weave together the reason that things are the way they are, its prophecies reveal the goal of history and life, its theology categorizes all existence, and its imperatives articulate the right way to live in light of the truth. All these components formulate a complete worldview, demonstrating that Scripture supplies all one needs for life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). While humanity has come up with reasons—from inaccessibility to irrelevance—to disregard authorial intent, the way God has ordained his word leaves us without excuse.
Why do people so oppose the demand to read the Bible in light of the author’s intent? Inherent in the word authority is the word author, which reveals the heart of the issue. People resist authorial intent in order to resist divine authority. From the Jews of the Old Testament who misrepresented God’s promises (Jer. 7:4) to the Judaizers of the New Testament who twisted God’s law (Matt. 15:3; Gal. 2:11–14), people have constantly attempted to add or subtract from Scripture (cf. Deut. 4:2). Humanity’s interpretative philosophies and creativity are efforts to justify breaking free from the authority of Scripture and live the way they want. These efforts to undermine authorial intent go back to Genesis 3:1 and the serpent’s question “Did God actually say . . . ?” While humans, however, have persistently attempted to reshape God’s word into their own image, God has never accepted such reformulations. As for Adam and his wife, who doubted and disobeyed his word, God cast them out of the garden (Gen. 3:24). As for the Israelites who misapplied his promises, God taught them never to presume on his grace (Jer. 7:12–15). As for the Judaizers who perverted God’s law, the Lord judged the entire nation (Luke 23:28–29). Those who twist the Scriptures do so to their own destruction (2 Pet. 3:16), a reminder that God not only says he defines the meaning of Scripture but takes the matter seriously.
So the first rule of hermeneutics is that humanity does not have hermeneutical freedom. God is not ambiguous about his interpretative standard but has revealed truth that is to be heard and done on his terms (James 1:25). As opposed to ignoring, talking over, or adding one’s own commentary over Scripture, the saint is simply to hear and obey. That is why God constantly calls his people to listen to his word (cf. Josh. 3:9; 1 Kings 22:19; 2 Chron. 18:18; Isa. 1:10; 28:14; Jer. 2:4; Ezek. 16:35; Acts 15:7; Rom. 10:17; Rev. 1:3). Hermeneutics is all about surrender. And that pertains not only to Bible interpretation but also to the rest of life. There is a reason that one is not to lean on one’s own understanding (Prov. 3:5–6) and that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 1:7; cf. Job 28:28). When people truly tremble before God, they become wise because they listen to the only one who knows what he is talking about. There is a fundamental rule, established by God, for interpreting Scripture and life. Properly understanding the text is not a matter of thinking about what it could mean, what one desires it to mean, or what a community assigns it to mean. It is about surrendering to what the author meant—that is, to what God meant through his inspiration of the biblical writers. If one desires to study Scripture and all of life rightly, he or she must master this discipline.
This article is adapted from Think Biblically: Recovering a Christian Worldview edited by John MacArthur and Abner Chou.
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