Certain segments of the global church, particularly the Renewal Movements, have gone wrong about interpreting Scripture. Can we bring some parameters to our Bible reading and teaching? Included in this post is four characteristics of Scripture and then how to interpret It.

Let’s begin.

I.. Introduction

A.. Hermeneutics = Interpretation

The word interpretation comes from Latin, and hermeneutics comes from Greek, but they are synonyms.

But before we begin learning how to interpret Scripture, let’s talk about the biblical canon and Scripture’s four main characteristics. They lead us closer to the definition of Scripture.

B.. Canon of Scripture

“Canon” in Greek means measuring stick or yardstick (a meterstick!). It is the norm or standard by which we measure or size up all ideas. The canon of Scripture is the measuring stick by which we measure all other doctrines and truths flooding society, right now with the web.

In this series I won’t discuss how we got the canon. I accept that they are the 66 books in the Bible, 39 in the OT and 27 in the NT. Nor do I discuss the apocrypha or the deuterocanonical books. I don’t consider them God-breathed or inspired by the Spirit.

For this series (and me), it is all about the Bible. It fills my plate with plenty of work and divine truths to study.

Here they are:

Source: Google AI (I didn’t want to write out all the books!)

The recognition of the canon did not happen in an historical vacuum. What were the competing writings and genres in the second to third centuries? We can even look into the first century in some cases.

• Historical writings (Josephus)
• Philosophical writings (Stoics, Philo, Epicureans)
• Biographies (Plutarch, Parallel Lives, Philostratus the Life of Apollonius of Tyana, without a Jewish context in Israel and other major differences. Go here for a good list and here).
• Gnostic texts (many of them, all bizarre)
• Satire (Lucian)
• Greek novels (entertaining writings but are intended to be fictional. Intention matters)
• Speeches by moralistic pagan orators (Dio Chrysostom)
• And so on

The point to this list: in the early church the writings of the New Testament were easy to contrast with the above list. Spotting the differences did not even need a special council, nor special knowledge to see them. The authors lived later and had different intentions in the writings. And so the New Testament canon clearly presented itself, particularly in contrast to the Gnostic texts. Everyone could see it, just like we can today. The competing texts were and are easy to deny for canonicity.

Gnosticism: An Introduction

Ancient Heresy of Gnosticism and Its Postmodern Teachers

For a good offsite resource about the development of the canon, please go to this link:

Michael J. Kruger, The Complete Series: 10 Misconceptions About the NT Canon, 24 Aug. 2012.

C.. Four characteristics of Scripture

1.. The authority and inerrancy of Scriptures

We look into this topic in the next post.

2.. The clarity of Scripture

This is also called perspicacity or perspicuity. The Bible is clear on how we can know God through his Son, how to experience salvation, how we can live a life of godliness, or how we can live moral lives in society, to name only those areas. Other passages may be difficult to understand because of the cultural distance between us and the Bible. But hard work can often bridge the cultural gap. Right relationship with God and our fellow humans are not so difficult to grasp.

We will look further into clarity, below.

3.. The necessity of Scripture

It means that without it we would be lost in our Christian faith. We would not know who Jesus was except for a few aspects here and there. Is he just a moral teacher and good example? Or is he the mighty Son of God? We would not know what the gospel is without it. Is it anything goes? Sloppy grace? We would not have the Ten Commandments. Maybe we should commit adultery! We would not know God’s will for our lives. We might get into a complicated marriage with an unbeliever.

And so we need Scripture for the foundation of our faith and relationship with God.

4.. The sufficiency of Scripture

It contains all we need to live in right relationship with God and other people, in other words, salvation and social righteousness or right behavior. We don’t need other holy books like the Quran or the Buddhist scriptures. We don’t even need wholesome books that expand on Scripture, like an exposition of the Ten Commandments. These books may be edifying, and you can read them for your learning and edification, but they are not authoritative or inerrant. Only Scripture has those doctrines that provide for us all we need for faith and practice. And we don’t need an infallible interpreter of Scripture, like a magisterium. The sufficiency of Scripture is sola scriptura  (Scripture alone).

Now let’s dig into the interpretation of Scriptures.

II.. Context Is King

A.. Grammar and syntax

Those two terms bring us down to the basic elements of scriptural language.

The Bible is written mainly in two languages (Hebrew and Greek), plus a few sections in a third one (Aramaic). God used ordinary human languages to communicate to us. We need to read them in their normal sense as the words come at us one at a time. This is where grammar and syntax (sentence structure) and original meaning can guide us.

Fortunately, if you do not understand the original languages, then many published translations can take you indirectly back to the original languages, certainly adequately enough for pastors and teachers to teach Scriptures. Combined, the translations coming out of reputable publishing companies and done by a team of scholars are accurate to the original languages.

B.. The immediate context

So many confusing interpretations can be avoided if we read each verse in its context, that is, in light of the surrounding verses. One example is Matthew 7:1-5. One verse says not to judge. If we stop there, then it seems Jesus is teaching us not to evaluate anyone. A teacher cannot test her students, and a manager cannot correct an employee. However, the rest of the verses go on to say that after we take the beam out of our own eye (note the hyperbolic, metaphorical language), then we can take the speck out our brother’s eye. So the passage is actually teaching us to first examine our own life; then we can help someone else in need, without a superior, judgmental attitude.

C.. The Scriptural context

This involves looking at the entire chapter, or even the whole book. Daniel is prophetic and apocalyptic in some places, yet the kings in his book are literal. Their dreams use commonly known images (feet of clay or iron, or a leopard or bear), but we have to be judicious in our interpretation of the book. The context of the chapters, plus the entire book, can help us to interpret each passage. Then, what does the rest of Scripture say on the topic?

Scripture must interpret Scripture. The interpretation that there is a literal thousand year reign of Christ is found only in a few verses in the Revelation, the most symbolic book in the Bible (see the genre of Scripture, below). The Gospels, Acts, and epistles are silent about a literal millennium. Therefore this doctrine is on thin ice. Don’t be dogmatic about it.

D.. The historical-cultural context

The OT was written in the ancient Near East, and the NT was written in the Roman empire. For the OT, we can see how the Babylonians lived; then we can understand Daniel. The kingship of Cyrus is the background to Ezra and Nehemiah.

For the NT, the four Gospels and many chapters in Acts are written in a Jewish context, specifically in Israel and Jerusalem. Jesus spoke to the religious leaders of his day, and two Roman rulers during his trial. The apostles defied the Jewish rulers in Jerusalem. Paul preached in synagogues and sometimes addressed Roman rulers, in Israel, but also in the provinces, and in Rome itself. The epistles reflect a larger context that Israel and Jerusalem.

These various contexts can also determine our interpretation. Another obvious example: we should not expect the Bible to mention cars or airplanes. We should expect it, however, to mention chariots and wagons and carts and horses, particularly in the history books. Don’t unfairly impose modern things on the Bible..

Next, it is a good idea to ask how the original audience would understand the verses. For example, any interpretation that leaps over and ignores the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 in their original context is moving too fast. It is better to ask how they would have understood the signs and symbols in the book. However, we must not over-emphasize the cultural-historical context and let it run over the plain meaning of the text.

Wesley Huff on his facebook page lists these five questions we should ask of the test in its historical context.

1.. Who is speaking or writing?

2.. To whom is it spoken or written?

3.. From where is it spoken or written?

4.. When was it spoken or written?

5.. Why was it spoken or written?

It seems to me that those questions could also apply to the immediate context.

E.. Progressive revelation

This is another interpretive key to address the differences in the books, from Genesis to Revelation. Sometimes the progress is seen within the same book. One example comes from the Torah. In the last chapter of the book of Numbers, Mr. Zelophehad had four daughters but no son before he died. If nearest relatives inherit the deceased father’s land, where does this leave the girls, if they marry outside of their local clan? Moses asked God about this, and God said the girls have a strong point. They are to marry within their own tribal clan, so every Israelite can keep the patrimony within the clan (Num. 36).

In effect, the Old is authoritative and inerrant, but it is also incomplete. This incompleteness is especially true of the Torah. We must not apply its civil laws (e.g. capital crimes for private sins or various religious taxes or bigamy or slavery) to modern society, as some teach. Nor should we apply its ancient “science” to our world, like its cosmology or global geography. The Old must have the New to clarify it.

This table provides only a few examples of progressive revelations, among many, in relationships, rituals, moral laws, outreach, and punishments:

Examples of Progressive Revelations
	Earlier	Later
1	5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.  (Matt. 10:5)	19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations […]  (Matt. 28:19)
2	3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.” (Luke 9:3)	36 He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.”  (Luke 22:36)
3	10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. (Gen. 17:10)	2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. (Gal. 5:2)
4	24 […] eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, (Exod. 21:24)	38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’  39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. (Matt. 5:38-39)
5	8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. (Exod. 20:8)	8 “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” (Matt. 12:8)
6	33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. (Exod. 34:33)	And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:18)
7	6 “Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household. (Lev. 16:6)	27 Unlike the other high priests, he [Jesus] does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. (Heb. 7:27)
8	34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. (Exod. 40:34)	16 Don’t you [the church] know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? (1 Cor. 3:16)
9	If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house […] (Deut. 24:1)	7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” 8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. (Matt. 19:7-8)

The OT needs the NT to clarify the it. However, some liberal Christians believe that even the NT needs an update too. One example is same-sex marriage. The prohibitions against it in Romans 1, to cite that one section, needs to be improved. But this quest for updates and novel interpretations is dangerous. For us, as we will see in the next post on the authority and inerrancy of the Bible, the whole Bible is inerrant and authoritative, but only the NT authors can add and improve on the Old. We do not have their authority, and our ideas of improving things are not inerrant, particularly “improving” on the NT. No. The NT is the final word because God appointed the apostolic generation to set the church’s theological and moral DNA, so to speak.

F.. Keep the plain truths the main truths.

A huge number of distractions keep the church misinformed and non-informed about the central doctrines of the Bible, like salvation, redemption, holiness, righteousness, reconciliation, mercy, praise, wisdom, and so on. Instead, certain teachers obsess over things like the Jewish calendar or the year, like 5786. These teachers tell us that we have to combine or subtract the four digits and reshape them in other ways to reach certain interpretations.

Another example: the shape of Hebrew letters, which, these teachers claim, has secret significance. These teachers assert that when these letters are placed next to each other, they tell a story. However, the true experts in Hebrew tell us that this is nonsense. The Hebrew letters have ceased being pictographs for many centuries.

I have also seen youtube teachers latching on to verse numbers and claiming the verses have a deeper meaning. Example: 2 Chronicles 20:20 lines up with the years 2020. What does the verse say? “Have faith in his prophets!” Who is guilty of these arbitrary verse interpretations? Prophets! So now their interpretation becomes self-interested and self-promoting. However, they missed their predictions that assured us Trump would win in 2020 and serve two consecutive terms.

Novelty and peripheral issues are fatal to growth in Christ, growth that should be rooted in the clear teachings of Scripture. We must set all the wildness aside and interpret Scripture more calmly. Most of the church and all of humanity do not understand the basic themes and truths of Scripture, so let’s focus on them, keeping the plain truths the main truths, and the main truths at the forefront of our sermons. Teaching Psalm 23 plainly, though understanding the metaphors of shepherd and sheep, for example, would help millions of people to remain calm during trials. God guides us and is with us even in bad circumstances. We can enjoy a fellowship meal with him in the presence of our enemies.

Let’s not get distracted with obscure ideas and novel and weird interpretations.

G.. Clarity of Scripture

As noted above, the Bible is not always clear in everything, and some parts are clearer or more opaque than others. This is why we need commentaries and study Bibles. However, the verses that lead to salvation are plainly known to the simplest reader. The Ten Commandments are clear, and they are designed to be followed without confusion. Two of them: “You shall not commit adultery.” “You shall not steal” (Exod. 20:14-15). They also point out our sins, so that we may call out to God for our salvation and forgiveness of sins.

These verses are about repentance and salvation and eternal life. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). “But these are written that you may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). The jailer in Philippi speaks to Paul and Silas: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved—you and your household’” (Acts 16:30-31). “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9). “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13).

It is true that commentaries and study Bibles could clarify the important words in those verses, like “Lord,” “believe,” “salvation,” “repent,” and “the kingdom of God.” But the illuminating presence of God can clarify these basics, as well. People know what their sins are. People know that the Lord is the ruler of all. They know how to repent by confessing their sins to God and turning away from them. Those verses are certainly clearer than many other verses that require knowledge of ancient cultures (e.g. ancient slave laws and greeting people with a holy kiss).

So the Bible is sufficient in itself to guide the readers towards a clear understanding of who God and humankind are, in relation to each other.

H. Exegesis v. eisegesis

Exegesis means to lead something out of a text (ex- = “out of”). Eisegesis means to lead something into a text (eis- = “into”). The first method is better because it honors the other above points. We let the text speak to us on its own terms. Eisegesis is deficient because the interpreter inserts his own system and conclusion into the text. It is a sure thing that when someone comes at the text with a complicated system, he will use eisegesis at times.

One example: In Revelation 4:1 a voice invites John to come up to heaven through an open door. Interpreters who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture say that this is the rapture of the church because it must not be on earth when God pours out his wrath on unredeemed humanity in subsequent chapters. But this is eisegesis to support a complicated system. It is clear from the context and the verse itself that John alone was invited through the door. There is no rapture of the church here. It also contradicts this clear verse:

An angel is speaking and describing for John an uncountable mass of humanity:

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Rev. 7:14).

Those who do not teach a pretribulation rapture believe God will preserve his people through any tribulation, just like he protected the ancient Israelites when he inflicted the ten plagues on the Egyptians. God will preserve those who will go through the great tribulation in Revelation 7:14. They are not destined for his wrath (1 Thess. 5:9).

III.. Genres

A.. Brief intro.

Genre means “type” or “kind” of writing. Many genres are embedded in the Bible. Here are a few samples.

B.. Literal or plain interpretations in literal genres

These are further examples of the clarity of Scripture. When you read a narrative like Genesis 12-50 or the rest of the Torah or the history books, it is best to take the verses literally. Abraham literally married Sarai (Sarah) as his first wife, and then he had two secondary wives, Hagar and Keturah. God literally promised him the land of Canaan. Abraham really did go into Egypt. The Ten Commandments should be obeyed, as written. The sacrifices and sexual prohibitions in Leviticus are literal. Elijah and Elisha really did perform their miracles. David killed Goliath. King Solomon literally built and dedicated the temple.

In the NT literalism also applies in the right genre. Jesus performed his miracles literally, and so did the apostolic community in Acts. Jesus’s teaching should be obeyed, as written in his sermons. The epistles are to be taken literally.

C.. Poetic or metaphorical

However, numerous passages are not literal and are not even intended to be interpreted literally.  Psalm 23 describes God as a shepherd. This is a (beautiful) figure of speech. God is a shepherd, and he guides David to peaceful pastures and still water. The context teaches us that this is poetic imagery. A shepherd guides, and so does God. A shepherd cares for his sheep, and so also God cares for his people. The sheep must follow their shepherd, and David should follow God.

When God is said to have hands or eyes, this is called anthropomorphism (the long word means “human form”), but God is Spirit, so he cannot literally have those human appendages. The Bible is written in languages and imagery that humans can understand. This is called accommodation.

Even in the NT, some passages are not literal. One example is that a thousand years are as a day in God’s sight, and a day is like a thousand years (2 Peter 3:8). So a thousand years just means a long time (see Ps. 90:4).

The parables of Jesus have literal elements in them (wheat, seeds, a sower, soils, weeds, sheep, shepherds, watchmen, common laborers, coins, harvesting, lights, and so on), but the moral and spiritual meaning is drawn from those literal, physical elements.

D.. Prophetic and apocalyptic genres

In the OT some passages tell us that God split the earth in two or the stars fell from the sky, or the sun went black, when he judged nation-states, like Babylon or Edom. These cosmic disasters did not happen literally, or else molten magma would have dripped out of the earth, and even one star, like the sun, would have consumed the earth without landing on it.

Another example of the prophetic and apocalyptic genre is the Revelation, which is modeled on OT apocalyptic and prophetic writings. John himself says that this is his genre in Rev. 1:1-2. In those verses he says that the imagery signifies signs. So one must be very discerning in sorting out the literal and symbolic. Once John is invited up into a heavenly realm, the imagery becomes symbolic. Signs signify … what?

The example I wrote about above is the literal interpretation of a thousand-year reign of Christ, a literal millennium. Be careful about this interpretation, for the Revelation is the most symbolic book in the Bible. The four Gospels and Acts and epistles are silent about a literal millennium, and some passages teach against it, as it is popularly taught by Bible prophecy teachers today.

E.. Reports

Sometimes the Bible does not endorse an activity because it is sinful. The Bible merely reports what happened.

Two examples:

One, Jephthah made a rash vow that said he would sacrifice the first thing coming out of his house. Since houses were designed with a courtyard in the center which contained animals, he may have thought a farm animal would come out. But it was his daughter. He regretted his rash vow but went through with it (Judges 11:29-40). However, Jephthah was ignorant of the law which would have permitted him to redeem his daughter (Lev. 27:1-8). He did not have to sacrifice her, after all.

Two, the worst example is a gang rape and dismemberment of a man’s concubine (Judges 19). The law forbad these atrocities, but in the book of Judges, the people were ignorant of the law. So the purpose of the book of Judges is to show what happened to a nation that got degraded by not following righteousness. So the Bible did not endorse the acts, but reported it forthrightly and tragically.

IV.. Interpreting the Old Testament in Light of the New Testament

A.. The New Testament fulfills the Old Testament

Narrative means story. The three-year (or more) ministry of Jesus Christ, culminating in his death and resurrection and his establishment of his church, makes all the difference in the transition from the OT or Covenant to the NT or Covenant. In those three short years he ushered in a new era of salvation, although the old era contained the seeds of the new.

That story is complex. Christians are commanded to read the OT and are allowed to benefit from it, but they do not take everything in it as final. Christians honor the OT as the word of God, just as Jesus did. But they read it, ultimately, through the vision of Jesus and the Spirit-inspired authors of the NT books and epistles.

Matthew 5:17-19 indicates that the Old Covenant is to the New Covenant what promise is to fulfillment. How did, does, and shall Jesus Christ fulfill the promises of the Old Covenant?

This passage is important to distinguish between fulfillment and retention on the one hand and destroying the law on the other. It appears at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry:

¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. ¹⁹ Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  (Matt. 5:17-19)

Fulfills means that he interpreted and lived it out in its fullness. Matthew is writing the life of Christ in narrative or story form. Matthew quotes many OT references to Christ throughout his narrative. We should therefore understand the word “everything” in that light. Jesus Christ fulfills the Hebrew Bible at his birth. He fulfills it during his life and ministry. He fulfills it especially in his death on the cross and his resurrection because these two events ratify and confirm all else that precedes them. Next, he fulfills the promises in the Hebrew Bible in the new age of salvation, through his church and through historical events (though this last category is harder to detect). He will fulfill everything in the Hebrew Bible at his Second Coming. Finally, the OT will become completely null and void only when God himself will wrap up the universe like a mantle of clothing, and re-create it.

One interesting teaching says that “fulfilled” means that Jesus was interpreting the OT authoritatively. This is thought-provoking.

In verse 19, this does not mean that the entire OT has been canceled, abrogated, annulled, demolished, dismantled, or destroyed (English words that translate the Greek word kataluō in v. 17). Not “until heaven and earth disappear” and not “until everything is accomplished.”

Maybe an analogy or illustration will help. Let’s suppose that an Old House represents the Old Covenant Scriptures, and a New House represents the New Covenant and Christ’s ministry and the NT. Christ does not demolish the Old House, but he keeps it intact. Instead, he builds his New House next to it or even connected to it, sharing the same divine foundation. Christians live in the New House, which is grander and taller and has newer furnishings. They are allowed to visit the Old House. That is, they may read Psalms, Proverbs, the prophets, histories, the Torah, and so on. They may be edified by the stories and promises found there, just as a visitor to the grand Old House can learn a lot from and enjoy the old furnishings and old-style architecture. But the Old House does not hold them in. They live in the New House.

Fulfillment means to complete a promise or a prophecy or a prediction. The Old Covenant is to the New Covenant what promise is to fulfillment. The OT contained types and shadows, which find their full meaning and substance in Christ. Jesus is the fulfillment in his very being and in his coming to earth.

The Old House is still standing without one piece missing or taken from it. All the items and furnishings are still in it. Rather, Jesus lifts our vision to the New House and calls us into it. Every commandment that is contained in the OT can still be read, taught, and practiced for edification and blessing. But they must now be read through the fulfillment process and through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Luke 24:44-47 says that at the end of the story about Jesus, all things in the law of Moses, the Prophets, and Psalms are fulfilled in him.

⁴⁴ He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.  ⁴⁶ He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  (Luke 24:44-47)

In v. 45, he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and v. 46 indicates that he was to suffer and rise from the dead. The law and prophets have been fulfilled in him now because of the resurrection.

To sum up this section, Christ fulfilled or paid off your debt to the Law. It’s paid in full. He accomplishes this by fulfilling the holiness demand in the law and the fullest revelation of God’s character. In fact, he has fulfilled, is fulfilling, and shall completely fulfill the entire OT.

All you have to do is follow him as you live in the Spirit after Pentecost (Acts 2). But if people get confused about it, the moral law, which is everywhere in the NT, is still valid.

B.. The New Testament Filters the Old Testament.

This means that we do not retain many of the verses in the OT for us New Covenant believers today.

As to the wrong way to interpret the Old, in this diagram, next, the lines represent biblical themes, like sacrifices, covenants, the building of the (third) temple, whether in this age or the new millennium (assuming millennialism is right), salvation, redemption, commanded Sabbath keeping, celebrating the commanded festivals (e.g. Passover, booths / tabernacles), and so on. Let’s not focus on the number of lines with mathematical precision. They merely illustrate the main point. The main point here is that the NT is not allowed to do its job of filtering the OT. And this is wrong.

Wrong:

The NT should act as a filter; however, in the above diagram the themes circumvent or go around the NT. Therefore the major themes of the OT do not get filtered or reinterpreted through Christ. Our interpretation must be Christo-centric.

Some even teach that there is a double fulfillment in OT prophecies: (1) historical fulfilment and (2) later fulfilment even to our times. Sometimes this interpretation is legitimate when dealing with human nature, for example. In the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21), Jesus predicted before the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. He also said false messiahs and prophets would emerge at that time. But this can be true in all generations. God’s judgment is another example. They can happen in various generations all the way until the Final Judgment. But if we take dual or multiple fulfillments too far, confused teaching ensues, because this interpretive theory must still be filtered through the NT, but the theory is not.

So many themes do not in fact get filtered through the NT in the confusing mishmash of popular Bible teachings. Further, the NT themes are indeed built on top of the OT, but the OT themes must still be filtered, though often they are not. (We will look at more examples, below.)

No, this post does not dismiss the OT, nor does this chapter “unhitch” the NT from the OT. Jesus and the apostolic generation, some of whom he called to write Scripture, would strongly object and call such a separation “false doctrine.” But they would likewise object when modern interpreters teach the Bible as if the NT does not exist and so the themes get transferred to our own times today willy-nilly, ad hoc, without the NT filtering them.

Confusion reigns throughout the American church at large, broadly speaking, and confusion reigns in any churches that the American church influences around the globe.

Now for the right way to interpret the Old and New. In this diagram, the NT does filter the OT, and this is the right hermeneutic.

Right:

The number of lines should not be pressed too hard with mathematical precision. They merely illustrate that many themes do not get carried forward or they get transformed as they get filtered. All OT themes must be filtered through Christ. All OT themes must be carefully checked through the NT. Some of them we scrap–at least the command to follow them non-voluntarily, is to be scrapped. Note the question mark on the right. We need to ask the question: do the themes really apply to us today?

D.. Three examples of wrong interpretations and replies

Some points may be controversial because they have been steeped in American Christianity. But let’s proceed.

1.. A third temple must be rebuilt

Some interpreters read Ezekiel 40-48 which describe a new temple in the future, whether in this age or in the millennium (if one believes in a literal millennium). This next verse also says that Solomon’s temple is everlasting: […] “I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there” (1 Kings 9:3). But now we know that Solomon’s temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, so the “forever” promise was conditional. Undeterred, however, and combining Ezekiel’s promise and the rebuilding of Solomon’s temple, some interpreters say that a third temple, probably located on top of Herod’s broken-down temple, will be built in the new millennium (assuming that a literal thousand-year reign is the only and correct interpretation).

However, in reply to this interpretation, it is better if we filter these disparate verses through the NT. The writers of the NT clearly teach that the church is the new temple. In his church God has placed his name–forever–thus fulfilling 1 Kings 9:3. In no place do they clearly teach: “Look for a newly rebuilt temple two thousand years from now!” Instead, Jesus through Luke predicts the destruction of Herod’s temple (Luke 21:21-24). For more Scripture references which say the church is the temple where God’s presence dwells, please see this link:

Further, there is a heavenly temple / tabernacle where Christ entered by the authority and power of his own sacrifice:

¹¹ But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. ¹² He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. (Heb. 9:11-12)

And John saw one in heaven:

⁵ After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple—that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law—and it was opened. […] ⁸ And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power […] (Rev. 15:5, 8)

I do believe that when Christ returns, it will be to Jerusalem (Acts 1:11; Luke 21:24), but once this and other kingdom business are done, God will recreate the heavens and the earth by eliminating or redoing the surface of this earth and heaven or by some powerful, fiery cataclysm, whose description goes beyond our words (2 Peter 3:10). All churches–even the Medieval cathedrals and St. Paul’s cathedral in London, St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and the national cathedral in Washington–the temple in Jerusalem, synagogues, mosques, Hindu temples, Shinto shrines, LDS temples, Buddhist shrines, American mega-churches, and small, store-front churches in the inner city–will be destroyed in the fiery cataclysm. God will have no more use for any of them anymore, for he will dwell among his people, and they will be his new kind of living temple (Rev. 21-22).

Remember: if Moses lived, say, in 1400 B.C, then the Israelites followed his temple religion from then until the temple was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70 (with a gap during the Babylonian exile). Jesus predicted its destruction.

Matthew 24:4-35 Predicts Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple

Mark 13:5-31 Predicts Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple

Luke 21:5-33 Predicts Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple

And thus, from A.D. 70 to right now adds up to about 2,000 years, without any temple religion. There is no theological or biblical reason to reinstitute the temple and its religion. We have lived for 2000 years without it. Most importantly, biblically speaking, everything is fulfilled in Christ and everyone in him, his church.

By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear. (Heb. 8:13)

And so Hebrews 7-10 teach the teachable that there will absolutely be no future sacrifice in a third temple because there will be no temple, whether in this age or in some sort of literal millennium. Most importantly, Jesus already told us how to honor his sacrificial death: through the Eucharist or communion.

And we will not have to be purified by Mosaic sacrifices done for this purpose; instead, the Spirit of God living in us will continuously purify us.

Therefore, now we have clarity about the (supposed) third temple and any and all OT tabernacles or temples because we have filtered the OT verses through the NT. Simplicity leads to clarity.

2.. The temple religion and festivals

Some claim that they must be reinstituted to fulfill OT prophecies about the temple religion and festivals.

Here is a sample verse:

¹⁶ Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. (Zech. 14:16)

In reply to the error, Zechariah was speaking from his own limited perspective. For him, the ultimate sign of peace after war was for nations, like Egypt, in his (small) world to go to Jerusalem and celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. They had to submit to the Law of Moses. He saw something of the future, but God was speaking to him with a picture that he could understand from the now-obsolete, old law. God momentarily accommodated his prophet’s limited perspective.

Further, the previous point answers this unfiltered interpretation. We have no need to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles around a new temple in Jerusalem. The call of the gospel is to go into all the world and preach the simplicity of Christ, not an (American) obsession with these festivals. Moreover, how many people would exist in the new millennium (assuming a literal thousand-year reign of Christ is the right viewpoint)? A hundred million? Five hundred million? One or two billion? Whatever the number, the nations could never fit around Jerusalem in the first place because of the logistical nightmare. Not enough port-a-potties and food for distribution!

We celebrate Christ, not by carrying out the details of Passover or the Festival of Tabernacles or any other festival, but by worshipping him. The NT writers were emphatic about streamlining everything down to Christ and conspicuously omitted commands to keep the festivals in the law of Moses.

And so we now have clarity because we have filtered Zechariah 14:6 (and many other verses about the temple and tabernacle) through the NT.

3.. The Sabbath

Some Torah observant Christians tell us that keeping the Sabbath is in the Ten Commandments, after all (Exod. 20:8-11; Deut. 5:12-15). So has God changed his mind? Is he a liar?

In reply, no, he is not a liar, but we have noted that progressive revelation is a fact of the Bible. Christ has freed us from the command to keep the Sabbath (Luke 6:5; Rom. 14:5-6; Col. 2:16-17). But if Christians wish to keep it voluntarily, they may do so, but not by command so that they may get stoned to death for breaking it, as it happened to one man (Num. 15:32-36). In Christ, there is liberty.

E.. More examples of fulfillment and filtering

They are fulfilled or not retained in the New. They have been filtered out:

• Old Sinai Covenant (Heb. 8-10, all the next points come from it)
• Harsh punishments for private sins, for Jesus took the penalties of sins on the cross (1 Cor. 6:9-11; some of those sins listed in the three verses required the death penalty in the OT, but Christ is sanctifying those sinners)
• None of the curses embedded in the Sinai Covenant with Israel for those in Christ (Gal. 3:13)
• Rituals and ceremonies (yes, Sabbath is a ritual and we are free from it; Luke 6:5; Rom. 14:5-6; Col. 2:16-17)
• Jesus fulfills Yom Kippur
• Exclusive class of priests (we are all priests, even women; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9)
• Kosher food laws (Mark 7:19; Col. 2:16; 1 Tim. 4:3; Heb. 13:9-10)
• Circumcision (Rom. 2:25-29; 1 Cor. 7:19; Gal. 5:2-3; Col. 2:11)
• Theocratic religious taxes (e.g. the tithe. Click here for more information: Why Tithing Does Not Apply to New Covenant Believers)
• Animal sacrifices (Heb. 7-10)
• Festivals (1 Cor. 5:8; Col. 2:16)
• The Jewish calendar and years

What is retained from the Old in the New?

• Moral law (e.g. many throughout the Torah and the Ten Commandments, in case Christians get confused)
• Wisdom literature (e.g. Job and Proverbs)
• Devotional literature (Psalms)
• Prophecies (Messianic or otherwise)
• Stories and principles to teach life lessons (e.g. Genesis and parts of the Torah and the histories and the Prophets, and so on) (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:6, 11)
• Universal revelations about who God is (e.g. he is loving and gracious and a judge, and the other attributes and titles)
• All of the promises, e.g. salvation and redemption and blessings and love (2 Cor. 1:20)
• Anthropology, that is, who we humans are in relation to God and each other.

V.. Application

A.. Simplify

If Christians want to practice the commandments in the OT, they should learn from Christ’s wisdom revealed in Matthew 22:24-40. As noted in the analysis of Matthew 5:17, the Pharisees wanted to trap Jesus with words, so one of them, an expert in the law, asked him which commandment was the greatest.

³⁷ Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. (Matt. 22:37-40)

Jesus boils down all the commandments in the OT to these two. They are the best way to obey all of them. Jesus’ followers should live a life of divine love through the power of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name.

Paul is in agreement with his Lord and Savior, using the key words “fulfilled” and “fulfillment” (Romans 13:8-10):

⁸ [F]or he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. ⁹ The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself. ¹⁰ Love does no harm to the neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. (Rom. 13:8-10)

B.. Love through the Holy Spirit

Only the life and love of Jesus Christ that he sends into our hearts through the Holy Spirit can enable us to walk in divine love. Our love for God cannot be self-initiated. God draws us to love him by his Spirit. This is the first great commandment. Only as we love him, we love others. That is the second greatest commandment. As for righteousness coming from keeping the two greatest commandments, only his righteousness that he offers us freely after his death on the cross and resurrection can save us. Our own righteousness cannot.

We must trust in Jesus Christ and receive the Holy Spirit and his righteousness in his name.

C.. Honor the Old Testament

We Christians honor and revere the OT, but we interpret it through Jesus Christ and the new era of salvation and fulfillment that he ushered in on the day he was born.

Christ paid off your debt to the Law. It is paid in full. Do not send in any more payments. Just live life in the Spirit. But if you get confused, then the moral law still applies, especially the moral law that was transferred from the Old into the New. Therefore, we should never unhitch the OT from the New. The New flows out of and is built on the Old. The better way is to interpret the Old correctly by comparing it to the New.

D.. Wise saying

It has been wisely said:

The New is in the Old concealed, and the Old is in the New revealed.

The Old Covenant is to the New what promise is to fulfillment. I add: The Old is in the New but filtered.

Jesus ushered in the new era of salvation in the flow of God’s plan of salvation that had begun in the OT. All the promises of God are absorbed in Christ’s life and being. He becomes the fulfillment of the OT without destroying it. He and the NT filters out many themes in the OT. Jesus has fulfilled, is fulfilling, and shall completely fulfill the entire OT.

Therefore we must not unhitch the New from the Old. We keep both, but the Old must be interpreted properly through the New. Remembering this simple truth, we will live the Christian life in balance and not lurch over into extremes and strange ideas.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Works Cited