The Golden Rule of Interpretation

[Joseph Gill]

THE GOLDEN RULE OF INTERPRETATION

by David L. Cooper



"When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other
sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual
meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in light of
related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly
otherwise."

[Hezekiah Ben Israel]

2 Peter 1:19-21 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

[James Pierce]

Gill,

I agree with that. If the P'shat(plain sense text) gives all the meaning, then we should seek no other sense, unless the text calls for deeper interpretation.

[Joseph Gill]

Of course, by "plain sense" I am not suggesting a "wooden literalism" that fails to recognize figures of speech, euphemisms, symbolic language, or the like. Just that to move away from a literal interpretation, there must be compelling biblical evidence that another interpretation is merited.

[James Pierce]

Gill,

Do you have some scriptural examples?

[Joseph Gill]

There are too many to know where to properly begin.

When the disciples James and John approached Jesus about having positions of prominence in the kingdom of God, Jesus responded, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" [Mark 10:38] I suppose we all agree that drinking of the cup [c.f., Matt. 26:42] and being baptized [c.f., Rom. 6:3] are euphemisms for having to die as the Christ is using them here.

As we are informed of John the Baptist's ministry, we are told how "all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins" [Mark 1:5]. Taken literally, this verse would mean John baptized every single man, woman, and child in the region. We know this to be hyperbole... elsewhere in scripture it is clearly illustrated how John ridiculed the Pharisees, for example, who came out only to spy on what he was doing [Matt. 3:7-10].

In describing how the times of apostasy are coming upon the Church, Paul described some false brethren as "having their conscience seared with a hot iron" [1 Tim 4:2]. Obviously, conscience is not made of metal, and so cannot be welded... this metaphor is meant to give a picture of how obdurate the apostates will become in their error.

The examples could go on and on.