Pastor Luther Walker discusses principles of proper biblical interpretation (bibliology). Scripture must be interpreted literally using the normal, common meaning as understood by original readers, treating it like any other literature without imposing personal or spiritualized meanings. The original autographs are inerrant, not any specific translation like the King James Version. Koine Greek is praised as a precise, frozen language ideal for preserving meaning.
Key hermeneutical rules include:
Literal interpretation accounts for figures of speech (idioms, metaphors, similes) but does not add hidden/allegorical layers.
The translator’s task is to convey the original author’s intent without adding or subtracting.
Clear passages govern unclear ones; Scripture interprets Scripture.
Similarities are not equivalencies (e.g., Kingdom of the Heavens vs. Kingdom of God are distinct).
Context is essential: historical, immediate, book-level, and canonical. Chapter/verse divisions are artificial and can mislead.
Passages must be applied only to their original audience (e.g., Beatitudes in Matthew 5 addressed to Jews under the Kingdom of the Heavens offer, not the Church; contradictions arise when misapplied to Christians).
Who is addressed matters greatly (e.g., Sermon on the Mount to Jews, not Church-age believers).
Examples include: John 8:32 (“the truth will set you free”) clarified in Romans 6 as freedom from the sin nature; 1 Corinthians 13:10 (“that which is perfect” = teleios = mature/complete) refers to the completed testimony/revelation of God (Scripture), not resurrection or Christ’s return, ending the need for prophecy in the Church age.
Avoid manipulating original languages to fit theology.
Word studies are crucial; Scripture sometimes redefines terms (e.g., “Christ” shifts post-resurrection in Acts 2; “grace” in John 1:17 differs between Old and New Testaments).
Patience (hupomone = holding up under) differs from endurance/perseverance/steadfastness; modern translations sometimes blur these distinctions.
Do not add to unclear passages (e.g., incorrect inferences about the serpent eating “death” in Genesis 3; Shroud of Turin contradicted by John 20 linen cloths).
When Scripture is unclear, admit uncertainty rather than force meaning.
Literal interpretation removes apparent contradictions (e.g., salvation requirements differ across dispensations because revelation is progressive).
The lecture emphasizes honest, contextual, literal study to avoid contradictions, personal “truth,” or eisegesis.
