Sunday: Presupposition
Read Luke 24:36-45. What prevented the disciples, who were very familiar with Scripture, from seeing the true meaning of the Word of God, even when events predicted in it had unfolded before them?
No one comes to the text of Scripture with a blank mind. Every reader, every student of Scripture, comes to the Bible with a particular history and personal experience that inevitably impacts the process of interpretation.
Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com
Even the disciples had their own particular ideas of who the Messiah was and what He was supposed to do, based on the expectations of their times. Their strong convictions prohibited a clearer understanding of the biblical text, which helps explain why they so often misunderstood Jesus and the events surrounding His life, death, and resurrection.
We all hold a number of beliefs about this world, about ultimate reality, about God, etc., that we presuppose or accept — even unwittingly or unconsciously — when we interpret the Bible. No one approaches the biblical text with an empty mind. If, for instance, someone’s worldview categorically rules out any supernatural intervention by God, that person will not read and understand Scripture as a true and reliable report of what God has done in history, but will interpret it very differently from someone who accepts the reality of the supernatural.
Interpreters of the Bible cannot completely divest themselves from their own past, their experiences, resident ideas, and preconceived notions and opinions. Total neutrality, or absolute objectivity, cannot be achieved. Bible study and theological reflection always happen against the background of presuppositions about the nature of the world and the nature of God.
But the good news is that the Holy Spirit can open up and correct our limited perspectives and presuppositions when we read the words of Scripture with an open mind and honest heart. The Bible repeatedly affirms that people with vastly different backgrounds were able to understand the Word of God and that the Holy Spirit leads us “into all truth” (John 16:13).
| What are some of your own presuppositions regarding the world? In what ways can you surrender all of them to the Word of God so that the Word itself can reshape your ideas to be more in harmony with the reality that the Bible teaches? |
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Couldn't I agree with that more and something I'm constantly reminding people of when studying scripture that they cannot take their own preconceived ideas and perceptions into what they're speaking of scripture. We have to pray for truth, all truth, not our truth but the truth of God. That's what the Holy Spirit was given for to bring us to ALL truth and why I believe most denominations including the sda's don't have all the truth but only parts and pieces of it. The major part that most do not focus on is Christ and him crucified and everything around that doctrine first above all else. I attend an SDA Church and fellowship with those who study scripture butI do not believe in replacement theology, I believe Christ came for Israel and for the gentile world which has been grafted into the true vine. With that context in mind we should be studying scripture for all events taking place today and why I believe that SDAs are stuck in the past of prophecy,not current truth. May God continue to work in the hearts of those seeking for his way,truth and life,his kingdom and his righteousness to lead them in HIS way .
Writing sometimes does not always communicate what we really wnat to say, but we try. In my entire life I've never seen anything more present, regarding what we believe and study in Scriptures regarding the prophecies than what's going on right now in the world! And it is going fast! I'd say that today is the opportunity we have to get more and more prepared for what's ahead yet! And thank God for that!
This week's lesson will raise several vital points that are inherent to sound bible interpretation - some of which unfortunately typically receive insufficient attention.
The role of presuppositions are one of these. In the name of cognitive efficiency and within the realm of the subconscious (which is vast in its processing capacity - even under a sin-infected state), our mind will 'prefill' background data in order to help us more quickly read and comprehend. Because it is more cognitively efficient to integrate data into our existing framework of understanding (our existing world-view), our mind's default tendency is to assume that a word means what we have always understood it to mean.
And here is the problem - all our background experiences from birth have shaped the presuppositions we bring to scripture because our background experiences pre-dated our exposure to scripture. So, our concepts of what constitutes 'justice', 'judgment' and so on are already shaped by experiences from this world. This is why Paul says in Romans 12:2,3 that we not continue being conformed (Greek tense of the verb) to the pattern/s of this world, but to be transformed (also an ongoing and repeated and progressive process in the Greek verb tense) in the renewing of our mind. It is not until we are renewed in our presuppositions that we will be able to clearly see God's will/ways because our original presuppositions lead us to see things as the world sees (which has been influenced by the prince of this world). this renewal process, under the guidance and empowering of the Holy Spirit, involves consciously and intentionally seeking to identify and examine our existing presuppositions.
The need to intentionally identify and re-examine our presuppositions matches the point made in Isaiah 55:8,9 that God's ways are not our ways. When we have views of aspects of God (such as justice, judgment, vengeance, etc) that mirror human/worldly manifestations and expressions of these concepts, that is indication of areas that we need to go beyond our 'default' presuppositions to instead begin to learn how those concepts are manifest and expressed in God's higher ways.
I welcome any feedback regarding what I have outlined.
Phil, I would say that if we have a view of God that mirrors that of humans but conflicts with the Word of the LORD then we should re-examine them.
Thanks Shirley.
I am not advocating for any views that are not in harmony with the Word of God. What I am proposing is that the true interpretation of God’s ways as portrayed in the Word of God will be less like our human ways - in keeping with the principle summarised most succinctly in Isaiah 55:8,9 but also reflected repeatedly in Jesus NT teachings (eg Sermon on the Mount). Many of the current understandings of God’s ways that people believe are portrayed by God’s Word are instead reflections of human ways. One key example that relates to many aspects is that God’s justice is also contingent upon punishment - hence the various penal-based views of atonement/salvation. The idea of punishment-based justice is at the core of our human ‘justice’ systems that reflect our very human desire for retribution.
If I have misunderstood your comment, please let me know.
Phil, you didn't misunderstand me, however my understanding of the character of God is different to yours, I believe that God's justice includes love and punishment and the two are not conflicting aspects of His character.
Just because humans believe in punishment and God's ways are higher than ours does not automatically mean that God's way does not include discipline, judgement and punishment.
If His ways do not include discipline, judgement and punishment why did the Holy Spirit inspire the New Testament writers and especially John in the Revelation - the final revelation of God's character - to include these aspects.
Thanks again for taking the time and effort to respond Shirley - it is appreciated.
You ask a very valid question: "If His ways do not include discipline, judgement and punishment why did the Holy Spirit inspire the New Testament writers and especially John in the Revelation - the final revelation of God's character - to include these aspects?"
I absolutely agree with you that these aspects/concepts are included. What I am proposing, therefore, is not that these concepts don't exist - they do. But, discipline, punishment and judgment etc as applied to God's expression of these aspects are radically different to our typical and default understandings of these concepts (that have come about via our background human experiences that have shaped our human-influenced presuppositions that then colour what we conceive of when we read the words of scripture). Some examples of this are reflected in the misunderstanding the disciples jumped to when Jesus said that Lazarus was "asleep" (in the first death). Or the misunderstanding that Nicodemus jumped to when Jesus was trying to explain that he needed to be "born again". Or the misunderstanding that the Samaritan woman jumped to when Jesus offered her "living water"... and so on. This is what Jesus was doing with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. He was opening their eyes to different presuppositions that then enabled the disciples to see the same terms/concepts completely differently - to see from heaven's perspective rather from this worldly perspective. Thus the disciples began to see the same concepts in a radically different light.
Hi Shirley - Do you refer to God's moral character "to include these aspects?"
His son Jesus Christ was given to mankind to show us the moral character of God. He empowers us through the Faith of Jesus to walk in this new life, His Image. We are hid in Christ.
I can not find any malice in this image of God as portrayed by our Savior Jesus Christ. God opened our eyes to see who HE is and who the real source of destruction is - His adversary, the impostor - Lucifer.
In God's creation presently sustained by His Grace, the effects of 'negative' actions will be felt by those who committed them whiles working outside of His Will of Love and compassion.
Remember: GOD IS LOVE
Phil, isn't this a simple problem with an equally simple solution? Throughout scripture we are told how we will understand truth, know the doctrine, see God, etc.
Open mind, willing heart, obedient to God's will, serve God via our fellow man, faith in God's promises and humble opinion of self. Knowing and doing God's will brings the light of heaven into the soul.
The greatest roadblock to understanding is disobedience. This is defined by any action that runs contrary to a conviction from God's word. By such an act we close the door to the help of the Holy Spirit for advancing in our understanding. Whatever we know or are when coming to the Word will be exposed by the Truth if we have not yet rejected its convictions. Remember that we are talking about a "living and powerful" word of God which is "sharper than any two-edged sword". We cannot hide from the convictions, but we can resist them to the point of being left to our own wisdom and end up believing lies.
What I bring to the word of God is less important than what I bring from it. It is the lamp for our feet and light for our path, and only by ignoring/rejected it will we lose our way in the great darkness rejection of truth brings in its wake(ignoring is rejecting).
What we are when coming to the Word we cannot change, but that word can change(sanctify) us if receiving it by faith. Ask any who have had this experience. Nothing else will work.
The gospel writers were not exempt from presupposition
“Matthew wrote primarily to the Jews, and so he emphasizes Jesus as the Messiah. Mark wrote to the Romans, and we see Jesus marching across the land with the news about the kingdom. John was a deep thinker, and in his Gospel emerges Jesus the Word, the Creator, the Son of God. But Luke writes with an eye on the Gentiles. To them, he presents Jesus, the Son of man, as the Savior of the world and Friend of humanity.”
https://ssnet.org/lessons/15b/less01.html
Does presupposition shape your thinking?
Can presupposition be overcome?
It is a useful exercise to put on a different pair of glasses when reading scripture. I have a number of unchurched friends and as I read something, or listen to a sermon, I often ask myself what they would think about what I am reading and hearing.
One idea I keep coming back to is that we Christians think about the supernatural quite a bit and that does not make any sense at all to the modern rational mind. This has led me to the notion that if we are to make any sense at all to our unchurched friends we are to think of God as the God of both the ordinary as well as the supernatural. C A Coulson, one of the significant scientists of the 20th century (He is responsible for much of the development of molecular orbital theory), and a committed Christian, speaks of God being visible in and through the natural world.
In view of this, rather than trying to justify our belief in the supernatural to our rationalist friends, we should concentrate on living a saved Christian life in such a way that they will notice "the miracle" of a transformed life. At the root of this whole discussion about the interpretation of Scripture is the practical application of our belief on the lives of others.
Hi Maurice -
How dark is the darkness that the lost consider it to be light!
Do any of your friends know or are friends with a person that has truly experienced the darkness and lostness that has manifested itself in the darkness' deeds perpetrated on others and has come to see the Light? Have they themselves experienced this darkness and have received the Light?
Unless someone works with or has fellowship with the redeemed that come from such a walk in darkness to the light through God's Grace, we, the 'normal' Christian can not truly appreciate the transformation that has taken place in this person's life.
I am sure that most of us who are now believers were quite comfortable with our lives before we came to believe and can, therefore, not merely by our acts demonstrate "the miracle" of a transformed life. I wish it were that easy! Most of the lost consider themselves 'good' as well.
Error is present in every layer of society. Everyone, no matter where he/she finds herself at the time of awakening to the saving Light, has a testimony that can be expressed with words this transformation as well as with the resulting deeds.
I mentioned this before to you. Most of the lost, that were educated by the light of this world, seek through engaging in the Social Gospel instead of studying the Scriptures, the affirmation of the 'goodness' residing in themselves; to make them feel or believe that they are good people.
We understand that the Gospel is not given to us to help us 'feel' good in this way, though. It is very important that we also expose our friends and neighbors to the Power of the Word of God - if they let us. Many of them want to remain in the 'darkness' - that's what they are used to to calibrate their balance in life.
But allowing the Scripture to shine its light into their lives, something extraordinary will happen.
Heb.4:12 - speaks of the Power of His word and what it accomplishes, ...dividing asunder of soul and spirit...discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The Power being released by the Word of God to transform the heart and mind of men is indispensable to our testimony alongside our walk in "the practical application of our belief."
“At the root of this whole discussion about the interpretation of Scripture is the practical application of our belief on the lives of others.”
I wholeheartedly agree with you Maurice. The reason I raise matters regarding what we believe (which is an outcome of what/how we interpret Scripture) is because our interpretations and associated beliefs directly impact how we live our life and how we interact with others.
I find a different dynamic with the ‘non-churched’ people I interact with in that everyone I have come across so far has a personal ‘sense’ of the existence of what they term/describe as ‘evil’ because they have encountered it - but they don’t know it’s context. This is the typical ‘door’ that opens conversations about ‘what if there is more to the picture than what we see with our everyday eyes?’ because these people are wanting to know more about what they are encountering and their options for dealing with it. The reason people are open to having such conversations with me is because they trust me - that I am genuinely interacting with them for their best interests. Which goes to your point about the practical application of our belief in the lives of others... (It is likely that you and I see different dynamics due to each of us moving within different population groupings).
The reason I raise this is so people don’t mistake where I am coming from when I raise points that can be mistaken as theoretical or overly semantic. Theory and practice are intimately related. And the most seemingly minor of differences in belief often underpin major differences in real world application.
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the council of the ungodly, not standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Ps 1:1
Blessings- The Presupposition before studying the bible and the church. Many heard about God and about the church and thought Christians should be the richest people in the world. They say, if their God owns the cattles on a thousand hills, how is it that many christians are so poor? If a christian is poor then something must be wrong. The numbers does not add up.
Blessings- Many people, church or unchurch have different presupposition for the meaning of that word. But many people think Blessing means having a lot of, plenty of, in abundance of money or material wealth. If someone goes to church and say the Lord really bless me today, others thoughts are, or they would say- then how much money you got? or what did someone gave to you; food stuff, a vehicle, school stuff, or any other seen things. Blessings to most people is always about something tangible.
According to the true meaning of blessing in the bible which many might not agree with-- it is God unmerited favor to the human race. Humans did not do anything to merit God's blessings, even the greatest blessing of sending his only begotten, beloveth son to die for sinners. Throughout the bible we see God blessing the human race. The fact we are alive today is a blessing. Age is a blessing, gray hair is a blessing, disappointment is a blessing, failing an exam is a blessing. Cant pay your bills is a blessing. The bible says 1 Thess 5:18 The giving of thanks for everything, for this is God's will for us.
Then if riches(material things) are a blessing, poverty also is a blessing. If someone had told me this years ago I would have done the same with my presupposition thought about what blessing should be, or look like. Getting to understand the bible more, the Lord allowed the rich and the poor to live and dwell together for many reasons. Both literally and figuratively. The rich cannot say, remove from me I have no need of you, visa versa. The church is one body, composed of rich and poor. Prov 30:7-9. The words of Agar- give me neither poverty because I will beg, nor riches lest he be full and forget God.
The poor will always be with us, but it is how we deal with the poor will bring a blessing to us. Deuter 15:11.
Text to remember- Prov 22:2; 2 Cor 8:9.
Exactly,though God does bless physically as well, but that should never be focused upon or sought after. Abraham was blessed both spiritually and physically, yet what I find is people focusing on the physical rather than the spiritual and when you try to reason that the spiritual is the thing that needs to be sought after not the physical, they have difficulty with that. It's something I can am constantly having to focus upon with the church that I attend and it's something I do not understand because they're missing the mark.
It is interesting to notice that the lesson writer chose to only refer to Luke 24:36-45 when asking for an answer to the question: 'What prevented the disciples, who were very familiar with Scripture, from seeing the true meaning of the Word of God .....
Actually, the only correct answer to this question is given in v. 49. I do not understand why the writer did not want to include this very important verse in his bible reference.
v. 49 - "And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high." The needed God's Holy Spirit to bring its light to their understanding.
The Holy Spirit is the 'power from on high'.
Knowing this undisputed fact should bring this influencing source and power to the table of interpreters.
Reading part of the lesson writer's last paragraph:
" But the good news is that the Holy Spirit can (WILL) open up and correct our limited perspectives and presuppositions when we read the words of Scripture with an open (WILLING) mind and honest heart."
John 16:7-16 v.8 - And when he is come, HE WILL reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of Judgment: ....
v. 13 - He is the authoritative interpreter, the Spirit of Truth.
As long as the translation we use when studying the Word of God is true to the original source - Hebrew and Greek, I suppose - the truth-seeker can always rely on the Power of the Holy Spirit to reveal the proper meaning of the text.
Both, heart and mind are involved in the quest to discover the mysteries of God's transforming power invested in His word. After all, it is a matter of life or death!
Very reluctantly do I use interpretations. But, the more I realized that even my beloved King James version is using words that are not correctly translated from the original language, I seek clarification from other sources.
Uriah Smith's interpretation of prophecy, given to us in his book 'Daniel and the Revelation', is very inspiring. I believe that his explanations are based on the Light that God's Holy Spirit will give every truth-seeker.
He has come to the conclusion that we presently live in the time revealed in the 6th scroll - Rev.6:13,14 - "There, as already shown, is just where we now stand."
Because the interpretation of words has the power to correctly lead and also to miss-lead the reader, we need to always consider the source we use to lead us to our understanding of Scripture. Actually, not just the Scripture but anything we read should be read with this in mind.
It is time that we wholeheartedly engage in giving to our communities and to the world our testimony and explain the reason why we believe what we believe.
We can start by speaking about the seal of God - Rev. 14:7-12 - the three angels message.
If not now, when?
The Holy Spirit worked in and through the disciples during their time with Jesus. They were given power to heal and teach and preach before the Holy Spirit came in power. Yet, they still had misconceptions of truth.
Peter, prior to the vision of the sheet and animals, was still prejudiced towards Gentiles to some extent, even falling back into it after the vision (as per Paul's rebuke of him later). The Holy Spirit doesn't "fix"our notions of truth instantaneously.
We are all a work in progress as God works through all of our presumptions and preconceived notions of what constitutes truth.
Why refer to the Holy Spirit as”it” and as the”power on high”?
Hi Otieno -
John 16:13 mentions the Spirit of Truth and clearly states what 'he' does. I do not believe that 'he' is a person like Jesus is, though.
The pronoun 'he', as I understand it, refers to a spiritual power (the power from on high Luke 24:49) that God promised Jesus' followers would take the place of the teacher Jesus after He left this earth.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, which is God's Spirit, all are now able to 'learn' just as the people 'learned' that had joined Jesus and continued with him during his ministry.
The Holy Spirit is now the Light we are using which will lead us into all Truth as we walk by faith.
It truly is the 'Power from on High'! Luke 24:49
From "Lift Him Up" pg 130,
"The Bible was not written for the scholar alone; on the contrary, it was designed for the common people. The great truths necessary for our salvation are made as clear as noonday, and none will mistake and lose their way except those who follow their own judgment instead of the plainly revealed will of God".
Doesn't this raise the question of why do we need to interpret what is "as clear as noonday"?
If it wasn't so clear, would 2 Tim 3:16 be true?
Robert, I couldn’t agree more. I am not what some might call “an intellectual “ by any stretch of the imagination. I used to feel like I had to be to really understand scripture. Over the past several years, I have had a burning desire to understand scripture for myself. It’s so easy to be lead in the wrong direction if I rely on someone else’s interpretation of what scripture says. I have been so blessed by prayerfully going through scripture, and it’s rewarding to come to a deeper understanding of it. EVEN in the book of Leviticus, I was able to see a deeper meaning of what seems to be bloody and brutal offerings and ceremonies. It’s all in there for a reason, and if we keep moving forward in obedience to what we learn, we’ll be able to understand more and more of what scripture is pointing us to.
It could be said, that there might be a new 'ruling class' in the form of Theologians and learned men that would like to keep the right or privilege to disseminate 'insight' or 'understanding' of the word of God to only the initiates.
Laypeople would have to reference their expositions, writings, interpretations or explanations in order to be vested in the 'class of the privileged' when sharing scriptural truth.
Does this remind you on the strangle hold the Roman Church held over the common believer by allowing the Scripture to be translated into Latin only?
Thank God for the Reformers and the liberation from this noose.
Faith is the 'simplest', most receptive state of the mind that is being educated.
God's Holy Spirit uses it with joy and the Pharisees and Seducee frown.
Sunday's lesson:
No one approaches the biblical text with an empty mind. If, for instance, someone’s worldview categorically rules out any supernatural intervention by God, that person will not read and understand Scripture as a true and reliable report of what God has done in history, but will interpret it very differently from someone who accepts the reality of the supernatural.
So true.
slowly but surely Adventist are being influenced by "world view." we just seem to like what others are doing even when it contradicts the biblical view.
I see more and more wedding rings and all sorts of jewely.
I see more and more christmas trees.
i see more easter eggs
I see more pastors who think if the church wants to do it, and the pews are filled do it.
It all depends what you look for.
I see ad hoc Bible study groups.
I see an Indian cooking group - which is an excuse to care and share.
I see families sharing food with those who are struggling.
I see folk checking to see that other folk are ok in this CORVID-19 crisis.
I see someone running a fitness class for older folk.
A piece of oval shaped chocolate pales into insignificance against that background.
yikes!
that is my point.
As long as we see some good, we turn our back to the evil
Perhaps someone can help me with this. I cannot think of a single time in the Gospels that Jesus lays it on someone for believing and practicing religious myths common at the time. But he seemed to have continual issues with the religiosity of the religious, even to where he used a commonly held religious myth, that on death, the righteous are carried to the “bosom of Abraham” to illustrate the fate of the "ultra-righteous" (the rich man).
Jesus seems to have this intense focus on the importance of how we treat each other, but not on how religious we are. Would carob Easter eggs and bunnies be kosher if they are given with love?
I am not sure what you mean about coming to the verse with an "empty mind." That isn't truly possible. We cannot but come to Scriptures with a mind conditioned to think in certain patterns, even unconsciously. The best we can do is be aware of our cognitive biases and do the best we can in a teachable spirit to seek to know what is truth.
The more we stay in Scripture as one who is always learning our views indeed can and will change. It is a constant work. A daily work. It isn't so much emptying the mind as leaving the mind open to God's "transformative" power to work upon it and bring every thought into obedience to Christ. It's the best we can do.
This week we will be exploring the realities of how all of us come to the Scriptures "tainted" from out own personalities, experiences, cognitive ability, academic influences, personality preferences, and so forth. The lesson invites us to be aware of this each time we do come to Scripture.
I try to visit the Word of God every day, preferably early mornings. I like to journal. I am in the process of printing out a couple of years worth of journaling and what I have found fascinating so far, is how my attitude really affects my study. I have found how I would begin with a particular attitude and they have it change after the study. I have found my attitude or experience of the day worked against my study.
I would suggest that if you are not currently doing so, do keep a journal as you take time with God and His Word. Over the arch of your journey you will see how the points in this week's lesson really stand out.
The story of the woman with the adulterous husband in this Sabbath’s lesson of the quarterly was interesting. When her husband left for another woman, the wife “got great assurance when she found the following text: ‘And I will put enmity between you and the woman’ (Gen. 3:15, NKJV). She was convinced, based on that verse, that her husband’s affair would not last!”
It brought to mind another related misuse of the Bible, which I call the Bible Quija Board. A person I know makes decisions by first praying to God and then making her decision or taking an action based on a word or phrase she finds (or God “gives” her) when she opens the Bible at “random.” This in her mind is God speaking to her. She often says, “God told me…” based on this method of Bible (mis)use.
I am now never amazed at how often God’s will aligns with hers.
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This is so true, and for that reason, it is imperative to have a living connection with our Heavenly Father, so that we can understand the word spoken to us by his Son. In his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 2), the apostle Paul explains the importance of connecting with God through his Spirit.
The wisdom of God is a mystery to all who do not see his love as revealed through Jesus (verses 7 & 8). That revelation comes to each one who receives God’s Spirit, because the Spirit knows the heart of God and it knows what is in each heart (verses 12 & 13). It is the means by which God’s heart and my heart are connected, making us capable of knowing the things of God (verse 11). Spiritual discernment can only come from having a mind like Jesus’ (verses 15 & 16).
Without the mind of Christ, which comes only through his Spirit connecting heart, soul and mind with his, we will never understand his word in a way that reunites us or others to our Heavenly Father, because we will never know him as he truly is.
The apostle Paul makes an excellent point.