Scriptural Hermeneutics by Robert Alan Balaicius
Scriptural Hermeneutics by Robert Alan Balaicius
Order his books from http://sacredtruthministries.com/
[Any spelling errors are likely my fault from typing it up incorrectly.]
Rule #6 Sine God cannot contradict Himself or change His mind, what God says first sets the STANDARD by which other things that He says are to be interpreted. If God calls something sin, it can never not be sin. That which is immoral can never become “moral”. While people can be converted from being wicked to being righteous (morally obedient to God), wickedness never becomes “goodness”. Darkness can never become “light”. Darkness flees from the light.
Rules #1-6 will clear up the majority of confusion.
Rules #7-12 will help “fine tune” our understanding of other passages.
Order his books from http://sacredtruthministries.com/
[Any spelling errors are likely my fault from typing it up incorrectly.]
Okay, we will now consider what I will call Roberts Rules of Biblical Interpretation. They are very simple. These rules are to be applied to every single Bible verse.
[Understand. I did not ”invent” these rules. I have simple discovered them, based upon what the Bible says and based upon the rules of Logic. The rules of Logic derive from Christ Jesus Himself, Who is the Truth and also Who called the “Word” and “the Word of God). [See John 1:1 and Revelation 19:13.] This English word “Word” that is used as another Name for Christ Jesus, is translated from the Greek word Logos. Logos is pronounced with two short o’s as in hop. You can tell by looking at it that this is from where out English word logic is derived. It is the same word that is translated as “Sayings” in John 14:24. It does not refer to the babbling nonsense that some people speak. It refers to truth; rational, logical, intelligent words. Words are either written or spoken, but words are also thought in the mind. Poor thinking results in poor speaking or writing.]
Rule #1 God is IMMUTABLE. This means He does not change – ever! “For I am YAHWEH, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6)
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with WHOM is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)
Rule #2 God is Holy and Perfect and Immutable. God therefore cannot change; He cannot lie, cannot “change His mind”, cannot be confused or forgetful.
“…the Strength of Israel [God] will not lie nor repent: for He is not a man, that he should repent.” (I Samuel 15:29)
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19)
“HE [God] that [WHO] sweareth HIS own hurt, and changeth not.” (Psalm 15:4)
“My Covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My Lips.” (Psalm 89:34)
[Understand. I did not ”invent” these rules. I have simple discovered them, based upon what the Bible says and based upon the rules of Logic. The rules of Logic derive from Christ Jesus Himself, Who is the Truth and also Who called the “Word” and “the Word of God). [See John 1:1 and Revelation 19:13.] This English word “Word” that is used as another Name for Christ Jesus, is translated from the Greek word Logos. Logos is pronounced with two short o’s as in hop. You can tell by looking at it that this is from where out English word logic is derived. It is the same word that is translated as “Sayings” in John 14:24. It does not refer to the babbling nonsense that some people speak. It refers to truth; rational, logical, intelligent words. Words are either written or spoken, but words are also thought in the mind. Poor thinking results in poor speaking or writing.]
Rule #1 God is IMMUTABLE. This means He does not change – ever! “For I am YAHWEH, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6)
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with WHOM is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)
Rule #2 God is Holy and Perfect and Immutable. God therefore cannot change; He cannot lie, cannot “change His mind”, cannot be confused or forgetful.
“…the Strength of Israel [God] will not lie nor repent: for He is not a man, that he should repent.” (I Samuel 15:29)
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19)
“HE [God] that [WHO] sweareth HIS own hurt, and changeth not.” (Psalm 15:4)
“My Covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My Lips.” (Psalm 89:34)
Rule #3 Since God cannot change, His Word cannot change. His Word is perfect and that which is perfect has no need of changing. God’s Word is His Thought revealed to others. God’s Word is His Will. His Word an extension of His Nature or Being. He speaks or writes His Word, not for Himself, but for us. His Word is the only way that we can know Him because that is the way that He determined to reveal Himself to us.
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but MY Words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)
“…The Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever …. The Word of Yahweh endureth for ever…” (I Peter 1:23,25)
“Till heaven and earth pass, not one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:18)
“The Law of Yahweh is perfect…” (Psalm 119:7)
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but MY Words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)
“…The Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever …. The Word of Yahweh endureth for ever…” (I Peter 1:23,25)
“Till heaven and earth pass, not one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:18)
“The Law of Yahweh is perfect…” (Psalm 119:7)
Rule #4 Since God cannot change and His Word cannot change and since God cannot lie or make a mistake, then His Word cannot contradict Itself.
[This is really pretty easy to understand isn’t it? It is what is known as “simple logic” or even “common sense”. Why then do so many “Christians” believe something other than what the Scriptures say, very often believing the opposite of what it says?
There can be many reasons:
1. They do not have common sense.
2. Others whom they believe have led them astray. By believing those persons, they have violated II Timothy 2:15: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth”. By believing those who taught them error they have not been like the honorable Christian believers of Berea (Acts 17:10,11) who compared what they were taught to what the Scriptures actually say, to see if what they were being taught was true.
*The word “shew” is simply an older English form of the word show.
3. They don’t really care about the Truth or obeying God; they only care about what they want, and therefore, they twist the Word of God to make it seem as if that is what the Word of God says, when it does not.
4. God has blinded their eyes, stopped up their ears, shut their minds, and hardened their hearts and wills so that they do not believe the Truth.
5. All of the above, or any assortment thereof.]
Rule #5 Therefore, if ever there “seems” to be a “contradiction” in the Scriptures, there is not. It is a mis-reading, a mis-interpretation. When you have been walking along somewhere and realize that you have dropped something, you trace your steps back to where you started, in order to find it. So it is with understanding the Word of God.
[This is really pretty easy to understand isn’t it? It is what is known as “simple logic” or even “common sense”. Why then do so many “Christians” believe something other than what the Scriptures say, very often believing the opposite of what it says?
There can be many reasons:
1. They do not have common sense.
2. Others whom they believe have led them astray. By believing those persons, they have violated II Timothy 2:15: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth”. By believing those who taught them error they have not been like the honorable Christian believers of Berea (Acts 17:10,11) who compared what they were taught to what the Scriptures actually say, to see if what they were being taught was true.
*The word “shew” is simply an older English form of the word show.
3. They don’t really care about the Truth or obeying God; they only care about what they want, and therefore, they twist the Word of God to make it seem as if that is what the Word of God says, when it does not.
4. God has blinded their eyes, stopped up their ears, shut their minds, and hardened their hearts and wills so that they do not believe the Truth.
5. All of the above, or any assortment thereof.]
Rule #5 Therefore, if ever there “seems” to be a “contradiction” in the Scriptures, there is not. It is a mis-reading, a mis-interpretation. When you have been walking along somewhere and realize that you have dropped something, you trace your steps back to where you started, in order to find it. So it is with understanding the Word of God.
Rule #6 Sine God cannot contradict Himself or change His mind, what God says first sets the STANDARD by which other things that He says are to be interpreted. If God calls something sin, it can never not be sin. That which is immoral can never become “moral”. While people can be converted from being wicked to being righteous (morally obedient to God), wickedness never becomes “goodness”. Darkness can never become “light”. Darkness flees from the light.
Rules #1-6 will clear up the majority of confusion.
Rules #7-12 will help “fine tune” our understanding of other passages.
Rule #7 Some things that God says are conditional, while other things that He says are unconditional. God promised to never utterly forsake us His people. However, He also promised and warned us that if we sinned, He would use our enemies to chasten (oppress) us to the point that we repent. In so doing, God indeed gives us up (for judgment). Even though many Israelites in Scripture died and were taken into captivity, God never utterly gave them up. God always delivers His people once they truly repent (and then He will destroy our enemies instead of using them to destroy us). Some things in God’s Word are to be understood like a “flow chart”. Maybe you have seen or heard of flow charts. They are like a “map” to direct us in thinking. A flow chart may look like this:
If you call a doctor’s office during nonbusiness hours
the answer service may ask you
“Is this an emergency?”
the answer service may ask you
“Is this an emergency?”
The person at the answering service has a “flow chart” in front of him with pre-written answers, based upon how you answer that question:
If you answer No, he will answer:
“Would you like to make an appointment to see the doctor?”
if you answer Yes, he will answer:
“Please hang up and call the hospital.”
“Would you like to make an appointment to see the doctor?”
if you answer Yes, he will answer:
“Please hang up and call the hospital.”
Rule #8 Some things that God reveals are progressive. If you are in Florida and God wants you to move to Montana, He may not tell you “Move to Montana”. He may tell you to move to Georgia. After you are in Georgia, he may tell you to move to Iowa. Once you are in Iowa, He may tell you to move to Minnesota. Once you are in Minnesota He may tell you to move to Montana. The time interval in each place may be long or short. God has numerous things that He wants you to do in each place. However, part of the test of faith is obedience. Also, part of God laying down His Law is based on the principle of time. When parents have a new baby, the father does not sit the infant down at one-day old and lay down all the riles of the house, rules about bedtime, homework, chores, courting* members of the opposite sex, use of the family car, college and career plans, etc. All those things will be revealed when the time is right. So it is with God in revealing His Will and Plan in Scripture. However, to a person who does not realize that the destination had been Montana all along, it may seem as if Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, etc., were “change”, when they were not. It may have been change for that person, but not for God. Furthermore, God’s Will did not change because its revelation to man was a progressive unfolding. For decades a father may tell his children, “You may not court”. The father did not change. Like a flow chart concerning the father’s plans all along, once the child reached a certain age (and if the father believed that the child was mature and that his obedience warranted this privilege) the child then qualified for the next stage of the father’s plans.
[*Most modern parents don’t raise their children, but let their children raise themselves and doing whatever they want to do; and that is one major reason why the family and the church and the nation have been destroyed. Most modern parents do not supervise their children in courting. In courting, when a boy or girl reaches a certain age, the parent will then allow the child to spend a few hours under the loose supervision with someone of the opposite sex in whom their child is interested for a potential future spouse. Instead, modernly, young people “date”, in which they run all over the city, unsupervised, doing whatever they want, and they are subject to unknown dangers and also almost always falling into sin.]
God, His Word, His Plan do not change, though there are different stages of it. Also, if we obey God will bless us; if we sin He will chasten us. This is not change on God’s part: for He promised to do so (like a flow chart). However, what God declared to be evil, wickedness, sin, and abomination never change. True morality does not change. True morality has only one source and that source is the Word of God and it never changes.
Rule #9 Some things that God reveals are circumstantial and therefore are based upon other specific factors, and therefore, the general command, likewise, follows a flow chart based upon circumstances. God commands, “Thou shalt not murder” any Adamite. However, if someone violates that command under normal circumstances, God says that his blood is to be shed by man; that is, that murderer is put to death. Likewise, God often commanded His people to go to war against other peoples (and even their own people, at times) and war involves killing. This is not a contradiction. God expects us to use the brains that He gave us and based upon logic (like a flow chart) properly understand the whole. Therefore, in other words, God commanded,
“No person shall murder another Adamite based upon his own reasons or passions and accidental killing or deaths from negligence still incur guilt. Some crimes warrant the death penalty and certain criminals are put to death. At times wars are to be carried out to kill large groups of evil people. However, the execution of criminals and carrying out of wars are to be governed by other specific commands that I give you.”
Rule #10 That which is figurative should not be interpreted literally. Clearly, some things in Scripture are figurative and some things are literal. Gross errors are made when the two are confused. Christ said that we are the salt of the earth and that we shine in the world as lights; and that He is the Bread of Life, and the Living Water. Clearly all of these statements are figurative. While that which is physical may most often have “a spiritual lesson” to teach us, the spiritual lesson never cancels out or replaces that which is real. Would you ever allow the “thought” of hamburger and french fries to replace a real one at lunch time? Neither should you do so with the Word of God. To do so, as most Christians do today, results in spiritual malnutrition and starvation.
Rule #11It is also of paramount importance to properly identify exactly what is being discussed. In this book I highlight in FULL CAPS those pronouns in verses of Scripture that refer to God or Christ, to make it easier for the reader to understand. Many passages of Scripture can be confusing if you think that the words, “you”, “they”, “them”, “he”, etc. are referring to one person, when they are actually referring to someone else. To whom these words refer can easily be figured out by remembering the first 6 Riles and also by going back (retracing your steps to see what you lost and where you lost it) and re-reading an entire chapter or even the beginning of the book itself (and remembering that God will not contradict what He established in previous books). Similarly, many common words such as “people” or “law” can apply to dozens of different peoples or laws. Again, the solution is to apply rules 1 through 6 and go back through Scripture to see what first God commanded in regard to the topic in question. Then, apply rules 7-10 to see if anything that God said had been conditional, or it was based upon some time frame, etc.
Rule #12 Logic is logic and what would not be logical in any other area of our lives is not a logical way to interpret Scripture. To do so is not merely an insult to God, but it is rebellion.
Never discard all that you do know in favor of what you do not understand. If 50 verses clearly say one thing while a few other verses “seem” to say something else, why on earth would you base truth upon those those verses (or mere phrases) that are in the minority? If the many verses are things that God declared from the very beginning and those few seemingly contradictory verses appear much later in Scripture, why would you discard the many foundational truths in favor of a few “seemingly” contradictory newer ideas that you clearly do not understand? Furthermore, never base what you believe on what the Bible does not say, but only upon what it does say. When Scripture says one thing, sometimes its opposite or inverse can be deducted; but sometimes it is invalid. For example: Scripture says to love Yahweh is to hate evil. However, the inverse of that statement, “to hate evil is to love Yahweh” is not valid. Why? – because God is not the by-product of our hate and there can be many reasons why someone may hate evil that have nothing to do with loving God. However, when Christ says, “If ye love Me keep MY Commandments”, the opposite of that is true: “If ye do not keep My Commandments ye do not love Me”.
Never discard the substance in favor of the vehicle in which it is delivered. If Christ is telling a parable, the parable is the vehicle. The facts are to be found within what the elements of the parable symbolize. The facts are not discarded in favor of keeping a nice little story that does not help you live a godly life. That would be like someone bringing you a bad of hamburgers and French fries and you throwing the food out and eating the bag. Christ gave the parable of the sower and the seed. The meaning of the parable is not to be careful to sow your seed in the good soil of your literal garden – which, though it is a good idea, Christ is not teaching you to be a good gardener. Christ explained what the seed symbolizes and He explained what the other elements represent.
God is not illogical. His Word is not illogical. Though there may be many things which we don’t understand in God’s Word, that does not mean that they are illogical, but that our minds do not understand the logic – or at least, not with our first attempt. God hid Truth in His Word like treasure in the earth – and treasure is found by those who dedicate themselves to find it (which rarely occurs overnight). What is “common sense” in one area of life is “common sense” in another area of life. The logic that determines the interpretation of Scripture is the same logic that applies to any other area of life. All true logic can be reduced down to an algebraic equation, such as (in its most-simple terms), “A + B = C”.
[For example (and this will combine the logic of Rules #10 and #12): Numerous passages in Scripture talk about “love”. Those without understanding think that love is a mere emotion or a “gushy feeling”. But it is not. Gushy feelings and emotions may accompany true love, but they are not love themselves. Scripture clearly tells us that love is obedience and self-sacrifice. Yahshua said,
“If you love me keep MY Commandments”.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
(John 15:13)
Scripture tells us,
“…God is Love…” (I John 4:8, 16)
“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that HE loved us, and sent HIS Son to be the propitiation [legal satisfaction of Judgment] for our sins.” (1 John 4:10) “And this is love, that we walk after (follow, obey) HIS Commandments. This is the Commandment, That as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in [obey] it.” (II John 1:6)
Those Christians who are without spiritual understanding think that “love” (which they cannot define) replaced God’s Commands. It does not. Love is the motivational force that causes us to want to obey. Yahshua said that the First and Greatest Commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind; and that the Second Great Commandment is to love your kinsman-neighbor as yourself. How is that love shown? It is shown by not violating what God commanded. We show God that we love Him when we obey Him.
[*Most modern parents don’t raise their children, but let their children raise themselves and doing whatever they want to do; and that is one major reason why the family and the church and the nation have been destroyed. Most modern parents do not supervise their children in courting. In courting, when a boy or girl reaches a certain age, the parent will then allow the child to spend a few hours under the loose supervision with someone of the opposite sex in whom their child is interested for a potential future spouse. Instead, modernly, young people “date”, in which they run all over the city, unsupervised, doing whatever they want, and they are subject to unknown dangers and also almost always falling into sin.]
God, His Word, His Plan do not change, though there are different stages of it. Also, if we obey God will bless us; if we sin He will chasten us. This is not change on God’s part: for He promised to do so (like a flow chart). However, what God declared to be evil, wickedness, sin, and abomination never change. True morality does not change. True morality has only one source and that source is the Word of God and it never changes.
Rule #9 Some things that God reveals are circumstantial and therefore are based upon other specific factors, and therefore, the general command, likewise, follows a flow chart based upon circumstances. God commands, “Thou shalt not murder” any Adamite. However, if someone violates that command under normal circumstances, God says that his blood is to be shed by man; that is, that murderer is put to death. Likewise, God often commanded His people to go to war against other peoples (and even their own people, at times) and war involves killing. This is not a contradiction. God expects us to use the brains that He gave us and based upon logic (like a flow chart) properly understand the whole. Therefore, in other words, God commanded,
“No person shall murder another Adamite based upon his own reasons or passions and accidental killing or deaths from negligence still incur guilt. Some crimes warrant the death penalty and certain criminals are put to death. At times wars are to be carried out to kill large groups of evil people. However, the execution of criminals and carrying out of wars are to be governed by other specific commands that I give you.”
Rule #10 That which is figurative should not be interpreted literally. Clearly, some things in Scripture are figurative and some things are literal. Gross errors are made when the two are confused. Christ said that we are the salt of the earth and that we shine in the world as lights; and that He is the Bread of Life, and the Living Water. Clearly all of these statements are figurative. While that which is physical may most often have “a spiritual lesson” to teach us, the spiritual lesson never cancels out or replaces that which is real. Would you ever allow the “thought” of hamburger and french fries to replace a real one at lunch time? Neither should you do so with the Word of God. To do so, as most Christians do today, results in spiritual malnutrition and starvation.
Rule #11It is also of paramount importance to properly identify exactly what is being discussed. In this book I highlight in FULL CAPS those pronouns in verses of Scripture that refer to God or Christ, to make it easier for the reader to understand. Many passages of Scripture can be confusing if you think that the words, “you”, “they”, “them”, “he”, etc. are referring to one person, when they are actually referring to someone else. To whom these words refer can easily be figured out by remembering the first 6 Riles and also by going back (retracing your steps to see what you lost and where you lost it) and re-reading an entire chapter or even the beginning of the book itself (and remembering that God will not contradict what He established in previous books). Similarly, many common words such as “people” or “law” can apply to dozens of different peoples or laws. Again, the solution is to apply rules 1 through 6 and go back through Scripture to see what first God commanded in regard to the topic in question. Then, apply rules 7-10 to see if anything that God said had been conditional, or it was based upon some time frame, etc.
Rule #12 Logic is logic and what would not be logical in any other area of our lives is not a logical way to interpret Scripture. To do so is not merely an insult to God, but it is rebellion.
Never discard all that you do know in favor of what you do not understand. If 50 verses clearly say one thing while a few other verses “seem” to say something else, why on earth would you base truth upon those those verses (or mere phrases) that are in the minority? If the many verses are things that God declared from the very beginning and those few seemingly contradictory verses appear much later in Scripture, why would you discard the many foundational truths in favor of a few “seemingly” contradictory newer ideas that you clearly do not understand? Furthermore, never base what you believe on what the Bible does not say, but only upon what it does say. When Scripture says one thing, sometimes its opposite or inverse can be deducted; but sometimes it is invalid. For example: Scripture says to love Yahweh is to hate evil. However, the inverse of that statement, “to hate evil is to love Yahweh” is not valid. Why? – because God is not the by-product of our hate and there can be many reasons why someone may hate evil that have nothing to do with loving God. However, when Christ says, “If ye love Me keep MY Commandments”, the opposite of that is true: “If ye do not keep My Commandments ye do not love Me”.
Never discard the substance in favor of the vehicle in which it is delivered. If Christ is telling a parable, the parable is the vehicle. The facts are to be found within what the elements of the parable symbolize. The facts are not discarded in favor of keeping a nice little story that does not help you live a godly life. That would be like someone bringing you a bad of hamburgers and French fries and you throwing the food out and eating the bag. Christ gave the parable of the sower and the seed. The meaning of the parable is not to be careful to sow your seed in the good soil of your literal garden – which, though it is a good idea, Christ is not teaching you to be a good gardener. Christ explained what the seed symbolizes and He explained what the other elements represent.
God is not illogical. His Word is not illogical. Though there may be many things which we don’t understand in God’s Word, that does not mean that they are illogical, but that our minds do not understand the logic – or at least, not with our first attempt. God hid Truth in His Word like treasure in the earth – and treasure is found by those who dedicate themselves to find it (which rarely occurs overnight). What is “common sense” in one area of life is “common sense” in another area of life. The logic that determines the interpretation of Scripture is the same logic that applies to any other area of life. All true logic can be reduced down to an algebraic equation, such as (in its most-simple terms), “A + B = C”.
[For example (and this will combine the logic of Rules #10 and #12): Numerous passages in Scripture talk about “love”. Those without understanding think that love is a mere emotion or a “gushy feeling”. But it is not. Gushy feelings and emotions may accompany true love, but they are not love themselves. Scripture clearly tells us that love is obedience and self-sacrifice. Yahshua said,
“If you love me keep MY Commandments”.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
(John 15:13)
Scripture tells us,
“…God is Love…” (I John 4:8, 16)
“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that HE loved us, and sent HIS Son to be the propitiation [legal satisfaction of Judgment] for our sins.” (1 John 4:10) “And this is love, that we walk after (follow, obey) HIS Commandments. This is the Commandment, That as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in [obey] it.” (II John 1:6)
Those Christians who are without spiritual understanding think that “love” (which they cannot define) replaced God’s Commands. It does not. Love is the motivational force that causes us to want to obey. Yahshua said that the First and Greatest Commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind; and that the Second Great Commandment is to love your kinsman-neighbor as yourself. How is that love shown? It is shown by not violating what God commanded. We show God that we love Him when we obey Him.
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