BSM 2.6
Interpret Based on Context
This principle is based on the fact that every word, sentence, or verse in the Bible has information preceding it and following it (except the very first and the very last word, sentence or verse). This principle pays careful attention to the physical location of each word and verse and the relationship to other words and verses. God sheds light upon a subject either through passages that are nearby - that establish the theme for that section - or through passages that are similar in subject in another part of the Bible.
We should never take a verse out of its contextual setting and give it a foreign meaning. Using verses out of context is a deceptive way to try to prove one’s own ideas and promote personal agendas. This incorrect practice is a form of allegory, which we discussed in Section II Lesson 4.
Contextual interpretation basically means that readers determine who is speaking, who is the audience, what is the main theme of the passage, and in what time frame and place the teachings are valid. (The student may need to review Section I Lesson 5, "Preparing To Study The Bible.")
THREE TYPES OF CONTEXT:
1 THE NEAR CONTEXT.
The Near Context includes verses within the same paragraph. For example, Galatians 5:1 tells us, "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." We might have a tendency to apply the term "slavery" to a particular culture in a particular place and time, since "slavery" frequently refers to being physically under the domination of a person or political entity. In context, however, we see that this verse refers to a kind of slavery that is spiritual. The passage refers to those who are enslaved by the rituals of The Law - specifically circumcision - and are not "free" to "serve one another in love" (Gal 5:13).
2 THE INTERMEDIATE CONTEXT.
The Intermediate Context includes those verses found within the same book. An example of this is found in Matthew 24:40, which says, "Then there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left." The context concerns the subject of the "last days." The question involves who will be taken and who will be left behind? Will the righteous be taken and the wicked left, as at the Rapture of the Church; or will the wicked be taken and the righteous be left, as at the Second Advent when Christ establishes His literal Millennial Kingdom? The Near Context does not answer the question.
Matthew 13:49, however, gives the answer. In a passage also dealing with the "last days," we are told that the "wicked will be taken out from among the righteous." Thus the Intermediate Context has answered the question of who will be taken and who will be left behind. The passage is referring to the Second Advent.
This Intermediate Context informs us of the importance of studying verse by verse through a book in order to understand and maintain the context. If a student went first to Matthew 24, the answer to the above question would be difficult to find. But, if the student had read the entire book up to Matthew 24, the answer would have already been given.
3 THE REMOTE CONTEXT.
The Remote Context recognizes the internal consistency of the Word of God. It includes passages from the whole of the Bible that have a bearing on a particular passage under consideration.
A study of the Remote Context considers that a passage might be clarified by another distant portion of the Bible. Studies of a selected word, such as "grace," "faith," or "love," by means of a concordance, for example, lead to other, more remote passages containing that particular word. A concordance is a book that lists - by individual word -verses in which a given word may be found. An "exhaustive" concordance will give a list of every verse containing that word. See Lesson 5, Section III for more information about concordances.
Often times the Remote Context must be consulted for more advanced principles, such as the interpretation of prophecy, or the understanding of "types" and "symbols." For example, the Veil in the Tabernacle (Ex 26:31-35), which separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, is interpreted for us in Hebrews 10:20 to have represented the flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Interpreting contextually is extremely important in our quest to "handle accurately the word of truth" (2 Tim 2:15). When we make "doctrinal" statements, we must be able to prove them from Scripture to demonstrate that the Bible is harmonious in terms of its Near, Immediate and Remote Contexts. If our beliefs are not in harmony with all of Scripture, then the "doctrine" resulting from our study is questionable.
FOR PERSONAL STUDY
# What is meant by "context"?
# What are the three different kinds of context that we are to consider?
# Will God’s Truth violate any of those contexts?
# Why would you never want to take a verse out of its context?
# List as many qualities as you can find of a "model" or "example" church in 1 Thessalonians 1.
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