I need to process Scriptural meaning. I think the reason I’m thinking in this space is to reaffirm and maintain ideological humility – I struggle to say, “This is what it is.” And this whole concept here is one of the reasons I struggle in that way!
But, that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t say, “This is what it is.” I need to make some statements; I need to take some positions. But in that, I need to guard my humility and my dogmatic absolutism. One of my favorite statements was made by Dr. Gerry Breshears, who said, “I’m fairly sure 15% of my theology is wrong – I’m just not sure which 15%!” There’s an open-handedness and a humility I always wish to have.
My theological dogma is developed from Scripture. I’m sure I’ll continue to write on canonicity, translation, transmission, errors, systematic vs biblical theology and more throughout this space, but I want to briefly dip my toes into hermeneutic meaning right now. In this, I am seeking to refine a concept of revelation by threading God’s immanence (His present, willful action in creation) together with His transcendence (His existence and perfection that reaches far beyond creation). I currently think of three words, which I want to use with consistency, to talk about biblical truth: A passage’s meaning, interpretation, and application.
Meaning – This is the fundamental, specific, purposeful meaning of a text, defined by God’s illocutionary intentionality. Because the Bible is a source of perfect revelation, meaning is not found first in the human author’s intention but in the divine author. The meaning is often reflected in the human author’s intentionality, but may grow beyond that.
The meaning of a passage is absolutely fixed – God meant a specific and precise something when He inspired each text to be written. “It is the glory of kings to seek [out the meaning]” (Proverbs 25:2). Reality is defined and shaped by the Word of God, and the Bible is full of God’s Word.
But, because meaning emanates from God, it should reflect God and so will often have dimensions, qualities, and contexts that reflect God’s eternality, infinite reality, and divine complexity. I believe that full biblical meaning is often far richer and far more complex than we give it credit for; it is inexhaustible, because it reflects an inexhaustible God. When we’ve been there 10,000 years we’ll have no less God to yet discover, and the exact same opportunity to explore Scripture – we will not have scratched its infinite meaning.
Interpretation – An so, interpretation is our attempt to describe or define the meaning of a text. Interpretation is our human attempt to describe and put into words God’s meaning. But it is a step removed from meaning, and should always be subject to a certain level of scrutiny and guardedness.
Meaning is not secret or hidden, but it is revelation – that is, God does not create and embed a “secret” knowledge in His texts that we have to snuff out like a National Treasure movie, but instead communicates infinite, God-sized realities and truths using finite language, culture, mediums, and moments. We, in turn, need to systematize, translate, understand, and ultimately interpret that meaning in order for it to be actionable. Therefore, an interpretation will also seek to have a fixed, precise declaration – something that should be true for all people across all time, because it describes eternal meaning. But humility also demands we hold our interpretation with humility.
Take, for example, the biblical concept of Trinity. This is a systematic concept seeking to explain the very nature of an infinite, virtually indescribable, eternal God. The concept of Trinity, and the language we use to describe the trinitarian nature and action, is our interpretation of the biblical texts. But in acknowledging that any biblical description of the Trinity we make will necessarily be interpretation means that we need to allow true Trinitarian meaning to be broader, richer, more complex, and even at times indescribable.
Or, take Luke 24. On the Emmaus road, Jesus offers a reinterpretation of the Old Testament, revealing himself and His purposes by reading passages in ways they had not been read before. Had the meaning of those passages changed? No. Had the previous interpretations been rendered obsolete? Not at all, where those interpretations were accurate. But a dimensionality of interpretation was being introduced that better encapsulated the passage’s meaning.
In interpretation, we seek the incarnation of transcendence.
Application – The final step is application, which takes a careful interpretation of biblical text and brings it to bear on real life situations. This is an attempt to live biblically, and should be done carefully, with wisdom, and with humility. Where an interpretation is less clear, dogma should be more graciously held. Where meaning is more obscure – and in particular, where faithful Christ-followers have disagreed over interpretations – positions should be applied cautiously. But, they should still be applied.
At the end of the day, application is the goal; it’s the only goal. We cannot live biblically if we are unwilling to apply passages. And we cannot – should not – expect complete confidence in every interpretation before moving to application; too much of Scripture is too obscured for that. But we must do careful interpretation work before application – and in that, we should attempt to define meaning, holding an open hand that we may not be fully right.
I will attempt to use these terms consistently. As I talk about my beliefs – especially in regards to polity – I’ll hold these distinctions in my mind and continue to refine them. Ultimately, it’s the revelatory nature of meaning that makes me cautious in application.