CONTEXT: How to Understand the Bible

 

CONTEXT: How to Understand the Bible
by James L. Nicodem
Moody Publ. 2013, 152pp

(Book #3 in the Bible Savvy Series)

--Without context any text can become a prooftext for a pretext!--

The Bible can be difficult to understand but every believer can learn to read it with confidence once they know the ground rules. That's what this little book is about—the principles that must be applied to interpret the various genres of Scripture accurately. In my opinion this topic is essential for every believer to understand, and Nicodem tackles it in such a user-friendly down-to-earth way! He breaks the study of context down into four aspects of setting that must be considered to properly understand any text: The historical setting, the literary setting, the theological setting and the immediate setting.  Then for each he suggests two or three guidelines to follow in interpreting each.

Historical setting is important because the Bible is based on objective historic facts. Knowing the 'who, what, when, where and why' of the cultural setting is the starting point for getting the most out of any passage.

Noting the literary setting is the second factor. It makes a difference whether we are reading laws, history, poetry, proverbs, prophecy or epistles. Each is governed by different principles. For instance reading a figurative passage of poetry will require different skills than deriving a lesson from a historical account. Making sense of Old Testament laws will be easier when you recognize some are civil, others are ceremonial while others can be classified as moral laws applicable for all time. And realizing the nature of a Proverb is to show how life generally works will keep us from 'claiming' Proverbs as though they were promises with guarantees attached.

Pastor Nicodem does an exceptional job of presenting a few basic rules for each genre. But this is not dry theoretical reading. He gives clear examples throughout, humorous anecdotes and even a chance to practice with the study questions that follow the chapter!

His discussion of theological setting is essential reading! Following this principle would prevent so much bad teaching from being propagated. Essentially the point is that any truth gleaned from one verse must be supported by the rest of Scripture. We are not free to interpret verses randomly without reference to the rest of Scripture. Because the Bible is inspired by God we can expect it to be consistent with itself, or as Nicodem says repeatedly: "the Bible must always agree with itself because it all comes from the same Mind." This chapter includes a careful explanation of progressive revelation with the great example of polygamy vs. monogamy in Scripture. He then demonstrates letting the Bible interpret itself with three topic overviews: prayer, hell and baptism. He's not afraid to step on toes here or expose teaching that does not follow this principle!

The final setting to consider is the immediate context. Words may have multiple meanings and should always be understood in their contexts. The larger context of sentence, paragraph, chapter and even book may need to be considered as well. In this chapter Pastor Nicodem gives some common sense cautions regarding word studies and choosing a balanced Bible translation. His strong preference is the NIV Study Bible, but he recognizes other legitimate and excellent choices. Once again his illustrations are compelling and will challenge the reader to consider whether he may have disregarded the context in his own understanding of various texts.

I highly recommend this short but comprehensive book for every believer who has not been specifically taught principles of Bible interpretation. Knowing and practicing these principles will safeguard the reader from deceptions and confusion of all sorts that pass as 'Bible truth'. New believers or old-timers will find great profit here! Too often people assume pastors and teachers are the only ones who need to know this 'stuff'. Not so. In my opinion, this is the most crucial book in this series. Don't miss it!

--LS