When we write a letter, or a paper, or a note, or a journal entry, we are communicating or recording information and concepts that have specific meanings. As such, we chose words that best represent the ideas we want to share and to convey to our audience. Though the final product may be interpreted in a variety of ways by different readers, most generally start with the assumption that the author did in fact have a specific meaning or message in mind as they wrote.
Let's assume, in a similar fashion, that when the authors of Scripture wrote, they were trying to communicate an actual specific message to their audience. Better yet, let's imagine that God actually had a specific message He was trying to communicate through the human authors when He spoke by them through His Spirit. Let's not assume that this meaning is open to interpretation. I think these are fair and fairly non-relativistic assumptions.
Now, let's assume that (given the above arguments) we, as readers, ought to seek to understand that specific meaning when we read a passage of Scripture. We are human. We have limited understanding and limited knowledge. Therefore, when we read a passage, let's also assume we can't truly grasp the perfect meaning in a single, simple reading.
In fact, not only are we limited, but our understanding of Scripture is colored by what we ourselves bring to the text each time we read:
- previous understandings of theology/doctrine
- Cultural assumptions/worldviews
- moods/emotions
- experiences
- philosophy/worldview
Each of these (and many more factors), influence the way we understand and interpret passages of Scripture as we read them. As serious and honest students of the Word, we must take these things into account, recognizing that we are not free from bias as we approach each text.
If you have read and re-read much Scripture, you have probably experienced the phenomena of seeing things in a familiar text that you never noticed before in previous readings. This experience, of course, does not result from a change in the text itself. Most of us take for granted that each new detail we happen to notice was actually there all along. In other words, they didn't miraculously appear on the page sometime since the last time we read it. The argument may seem silly, but if the text didn't change, why do we see continue to see new details as we re-read it?
The answer is that we, the readers, change. Life experiences, personal growth, newly acquired knowledge, relationships... we are affected on multiple levels. Each time we read a particular passage, we are a slightly (or drastically) different person than we were before. In fact, even the simple practice of reading a passage of Scripture changes us and our understanding of it. Thus, when we return for a second reading of the same passage, we are actually a different individual than we were the first time we read it, even if the changes are miniscule.
The Hermeneutical Spiral says that the more times a person reads a specific passage of Scripture, the closer they come to a (theoretical) perfect understanding of it.
Each time an individual reads a text, they learn from and are changed by it. They bring this learning and this change to every future reading of the text. Though the text itself doesn't change, the reader notices more details with each subsequent reading as they continue to learn from and be changed by the text. This process of learning and change brings the individual closer and closer to a theoretical perfect understanding of the text the more they read and re-read it.
Of course, in order for this process to work, the reader must be open and teachable as they seek the specific meaning of a given passage. They must begin with the assumptions at the beginning of this post, since simply interpreting the text based on preconcieved notions and ideas will skew the reader's perception of the its content and meaning. Instead, readers must approach the text with a recognition of the personal biases they may carry, and a willingness to set them aside. This attitude allows the text to speak for itself and brings the reader closer to the author's intended message.
If all that makes logical sense, and is indeed true, then serious students of the Word ought to take note. A better understanding of the Bible may always be just one more read away, and for those of us who truly desire to know Him and His Word, this provides more than enough motivation to pick up and read that passage "just one more time."Labels: education, journal/quiet time