Interpreting the Letters of the New Testament (part 2)

Applying 1st century letters to our 21st century lives

Principle #1 for applying letters: A text cannot mean for us something it could not have meant
to the author or the original readers.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: although He was rich, for your sake He became
poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich. (2 Cor 8:9)

Some prosperity teachers use that verse to claim Jesus came to make Christians rich, spiritually and
materially. Are they right?

When applying a passage from a letter, we must first determine what the writer was saying to the original
audience. Then, we need to determine if there are ways our situation is comparable to the original
situation. “Whenever we share comparable particulars (i.e., similar life situations) with the first century
hearers, God's Word to us is the same as God's Word to them.” 3
1
Does any of you who has a complaint against someone dare go to law before the unrighteous, and
not before the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is
judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest cases? 3 Do you not know that we will judge
angels—not to speak of things pertaining to this life? 4 So if you have cases pertaining to this life,
do you select those who have no standing in the church to judge? 5 I say this to your shame! Can it
be that there is not one wise person among you who will be able to arbitrate between his
brothers? 6 Instead, brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers! 7 Therefore, it
is already a total defeat for you that you have lawsuits against one another. Why not rather put up
with injustice? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you act unjustly and cheat—and this to
brothers! (1 Cor 6:1-8)

But, what about when our situations are different?

Step 1: Try to find what principles are taught in the text or form the basis of the text. But, the
principle can only be applied to modern situations that have relevant similarities.

Let's consider an example from Colossians.

Slaves, obey your human masters in everything; don't work only while being watched, in order to
please men, but [work] wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.... Masters, treat your slaves justly and
fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. (Col 3:22; 4:1)

What are the principles?

a) Workers work for the glory of God (3:17, “Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.”)
b) All Christians are brothers and sisters in Christ (3:11, “Here there is not Greek and
Jew...slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.”)

We don't have slavery in our culture. But, in the situation Paul addressed, there were people working under
the authority of bosses, and there were bosses exercising power over other people. Are those particulars
comparable enough to be applied to employees and supervisors today?
So, workers today should work as if they are working for God. They shouldn't work only when they're
being watched. And supervisors should treat everyone with respect and fairness.

Step 2: Be to sure to consider what the New Testament treats as a moral issue and what is a
cultural issue.

Look for issues where the New Testament is consistent. 1 Cor 6:9-10; Romans 1:29-30; 1 Cor 5:11; 2 Tim
3:2-4 list sins that are always wrong. They are sins that can be understood and seen in every culture.

Step 3: When evaluating cultural contexts, consider what options were available to the
New Testament writers.3

In Philemon, Paul seems to accept slavery.

• But, in the ancient world, slavery was often used as a means of paying off debt.4 Is it better that
Christian Europe replaced that practice with debtors' prison?
• Slavery in the ancient world was also used to make criminals repay victims for crimes. The ancient
world did not have a large prison system. In America today, by contrast, 2.3million people are in
jail or prison. And we spend $55billion per year imprisoning people.7
• It's also important to note that Paul did say it is a sin to kidnap people into slavery (1 Tim 1:10),
and he insisted that slaves be treated respectfully as people who God values as much as freemen
(Eph 6:9; Col 4:1).
• In the ancient world, Paul's ideas on slavery were as revolutionary as possible without actually
causing a revolution.4

In conclusion:
a) The New Testament letters were not written to us, but they are God's Word to us.
b) Because they were written in a different time and culture, we need to read them with an
understanding of their historical context.
c) The letters were intended to teach how the gospel applies to everyday issues.
d) We must read the letters through their literary context. Each word fits into a sentence; each
sentence fits into a paragraph; each paragraph fits into a topic and each topic fits into the entire
letter.
e) When we apply a letter, we need to find where we are basically the same was the original
recipients.
f) And, when we apply a letter, we need to consider what principles are being taught that can be
applied to our situations.

1
Thomas Schreiner. (1999). “Interpreting the Pauline Epistles,” Southern Baptist Journal of Theology. p. 4.
2
“Introduction to Colossians.” (2008). ESV Study Bible, Crossway.
3
Much of the material in this study (with the exception of examples of 1 Corinthians and places otherwise noted) is
largely taken from Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart's How to Read the Bible for all its Worth. Zondervan. (2003).
4
The Holman Bible Dictionary is available online for free. http://bible.lifeway.com/. A Bible dictionary can also
provide information on people (e.g., Sadducee) and issues (e.g., propitiation or slavery) in the Bible.
5
Adapted from George Guthrie's “Literary Context” lecture in the Inductive Bible Study course, available at
http://biblicaltraining.org.
6
Adapted from Robert Stein's Hermeneutics course at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Available at
http://biblicaltraining.org.
7
N.Z. Aizenman. “New high in U.S. prison numbers.” Washington Post. Feb 29, 2008.
 Your mission, should you choose to accept it

During the next week, try your interpretation techniques with the book of Ephesians.

Begin by reading an introduction to Ephesians from either a Bible dictionary, commentary or study Bible.
I have posted the “Introduction to Ephesians” from the ESV Study Bible online. And the Holman Bible
Dictionary is online for free.

Then, read through the entire letter in one sitting. And try to jot down notes to answer these questions:

a) What do you notice about the recipients themselves?

Are they Jewish or Greek or both?

What problems are they facing?

What are their attitudes?

b) What is the writer's attitude toward the recipients?

c) Are there any specific references to the occasion of the letter?

d) What are the letter's natural, logical divisions?

Finally, if you have time, list any words or phrases that are repeated in the letter. They might provide more
information for interpreting the letter.

Handouts from each week of this study are available at: http://kbcstudies.blogspot.com/

“Introduction to Ephesians” from the ESV Study Bible can be viewed at the blog or at:
http://tinyurl.com/intro-to-eph

The Holman Bible Dictionary is available at: http://bible.lifeway.com/

Look at the menu on the left and click the plus sign next to “Dictionaries.” Then, click
“Holman Dictionary.” There are two other dictionaries on the site, but Holman is the best of
the three.

If you have any problems with these, send me at email: bruce@brucesabin.com