An example of the common sense principle is illustrated when the Lord Jesus says Christians can have anything for which they ask.

If you remain in me
and my words remain in you,
you may ask what you will
and you shall get it. - John 15:7 -

Common sense tells us that there must be some limitation on this statement because we realize that Christians in fact do not have whatever they would like, provided it is in accordance with God's will.

We are quite confident that if we ask him for anything,
and it is in accordance with his will,
he will hear us:
and, knowing that whatever we may ask, he hears us,
we know that we have already been granted what we asked of him. - 1John 5:14-15 -

In fact, using the common sense principle in this way can be dangerous because it could become an excuse for cutting out any portion of Scripture we do not happen to like and want to hear or listen. But if our common sense is gifted with God's grace and controlled by God, it is a valid principle of interpreting the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible.

The primary rule of biblical/scripture interpretation is "context". This cannot be emphasized too strongly. If the reader would merely let a passage speak for itself within the context of the paragraph, chapter, or books, the majority of all errors in interpretation would be avoided.

The problem is our bias or our subjectivity. Many times we approach a passage thinking we already understand it. In the process we read our own meaning into the passage. This is called 'eisegesis'.(Eis is a Greek preposition meaning "into") Therefore, interpreting the Scripture/Bible correctly demands that we listen to what the text itself is saying and then draw the meaning out of the passage. This is called 'exegesis'.(Ex is a Greek preposition meaning "out of")

If we let a passage be defined by what it and the surrounding verses say then we have taken a large step toward interpreting the Scripture/Bible properly.( meaning as a WHOLE ) Only by watching the context carefully and by letting the passage speak for itself do we give Scripture the respect it deserves.

Of Course, it is impossible to dismiss totally our own bias and subjectivity. Our interpretation will always be coloured by our culture and our opinions about the passage or perhaps by our theological beliefs which are partially based on the passage. But this should not discourage our attempt to let the passage speak for itself as freely as possible without being weighed down with our personal opinions and views.

Observation, Interpretation, Evaluation and Application are the heart of all approaches to finding out what the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible means.

In the meantime, brothers and sisters, we wish you happiness; try to grow perfect; help one another. Be united; live in peace and the God of love and peace will be with you. - 2Cor. 13:11 -
                                                                     
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Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -