A truly enlightened heart generates boldness in believing. On this ground believers become a witness to the testimony of Christ. Bible studies that are academic lack the believer’s testimony; for testimony is speaking of the things God has done for us (our shared testimony) and for me (my personal testimony). The knowledge of Christ is practical. His story is meant to be shared, embraced, internalized, celebrated, and enjoyed in relationship with God and with other believers. If your heart is enlightened, then you are equipped to embark on the most enriching adventure ever.
When I lived in Maine, locals used to joke: “You can’t get there from here.” That is true with Bible study as a predominately academic and rule making undertaking. This route seems to be the road most travelled, and it leads to a landfill of religious garbage – self-righteousness, self-exaltation, passing judgment, favoritism, and sectarianism. The path least walked is difficult, but worth it; for in this way there are many manifestation moments in which Christ shows himself, and the believer is inspired with awe and praise (John 14:21). The enlightened heart sees Christ in every moment, even if at first his presence and sovereignty are hidden, and later discerned in reflection. However, manifestation moments open the believer’s eyes to wonders about Jesus that can only be appreciated by experience. The most enriching adventure ever is to grow more and more in your grasp and attainment of the immense significance, presence, influence and sovereignty of your Lord Jesus Christ.
If your hermeneutics or interpretation of the Bible does not lead you to see what heaven saw and appreciated in Revelation 5, then you are on the wrong road. I urge you to turn away from promoting the landfill of sectarian garbage as if it were a sight for sore eyes, rather than an eye sore. Sectarian hermeneutics will always exalt the glory of the sect and diminish the glory of Christ and his body by which he has filled and is filling the whole earth with himself (Read Ephesians).
In Ephesians 1 the Apostle Paul left us a record of his prayer for the church. Paul planted the church in Ephesus and he spent much time teaching the whole counsel of God and nurturing church leadership in Ephesus (Acts 19-20). Paul wrote his letter, known as Ephesians, to the church during the time of his imprisonment in Rome (approximately 61 A.D.). The prayer encompasses the great need for Christ’s church to be enlightened to its wealth, position, power and mission in Christ. All God’s promises were made and all scripture was written with this end in mind, the eternal purpose of God in Jesus Christ, the firstborn and goal of all creation (Read Colossians). I grieve when linear, incomplete and constrictive methods of interpreting scripture entangle Christ’s body in disputes that lead us away from this wonderful panoramic vision to the sectarian landfill.
Although Ephesians is not a letter of instruction on how to interpret the scriptures, no understanding of scripture is complete without an answer to the prayer for God’s revelation to enlighten our hearts of His inheritance in us and His riches for us in Christ Jesus. The things of God can only be known in our hearts as a result of God’s gift of the Spirit of wisdom and understanding. This kind of seeing enables us to live, reign, fellowship, love one another, build up one another, work together and fight together with Christ in the heavenly realms. Have you read all of Ephesians yet?
I am presently in my church office with access to many resources. I scanned the table of contents of several different books on the marks of the New Testament church. The chapters provide a window into the result of two centuries of traditional interpretation. The chapters disclose the doctrines and practices that define and identify, dealing with steps, methods, key disputes and organizational matters. I’ve read the books and think there is correctly interpreted truth, but also scriptures misused out of context as proof texts for traditional doctrinal arguments. In no chapter of any of those books is the most prominent, defining mark and identity of Christ’s church prominent. It must be discussed somewhere, but it clearly is not prominent. To the contrary, from different Bible teachers who have promoted a return to sound doctrine based on these books, I have heard this plea: “The church needs less preaching on love and more preaching on doctrine. The church is being loved straight to hell.”
In conclusion to this present series on hermeneutics or interpreting scripture, I believe the above statement exposes the heart of the Christian who remains unenlightened to the glory of Christ for us and in us. This prideful, sarcastic, judgmental attitude is the mark of a dying sect not of the holy, universal, unity seeking and mission driven churches of Christ. Those who know the Word, know that God’s own love and his command to love Himself and others is the most prominent command in the Old Testament and the New Testament. It is the work of God’s adversary to distort this truth in order to undermine any teacher who earnestly desires what God desires, that His children grow up into the knowledge of the image of His Son. The church needs sound interpreters and teachers of God’s word who impart the knowledge that leads the church to pray for enlightened hearts into the glory of Christ, the truth in Jesus, and our wealth in him.
It must have been difficult for Jesus to rebuke the church in Ephesus, but he dearly loves, cares for and watches over his church. In Revelation 2:2-5 (ESV), Jesus admonished: “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.”
How could they get so much right but miss the most important thing? . Get it right church; for they were in danger of Christ removing their candlestick from his own hand. Paul prayed in Ephesians 3, as part two to the prayer he began with in Ephesians 1, that they would be filled with the Spirit so that Christ would dwell in their hearts by faith. To what goal! The goal of the indwelling of Christ is so that they might come to know the fullness of Christ’s love in the practice of their fellowship and service to Christ. All that God has promised and desires for his people in Christ, all He reveals in scripture, He is abundantly able to provide beyond our ability to imagine or ask for. This is God’s own commitment to the church throughout all generations. True Biblical interpretation will lead you from the landfill of sectarianism, falsehoods, unbelief and even little faith, to this exalted place with Christ in the heavenly realms. Now that really is a sight for sore eyes.
Citation: Buttram, Bryan. “Hermeneutics Conclusion: A Sight for Sore Eyes.” Bryanbuttram.wordpress.com: 03/12/2008.
2 Comments
March 17, 2008 at Monday, March 17, 2008
I have been enjoying your articles on hermeneutics.
Seeking Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
March 18, 2008 at Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Thank you, Bobby. From time to time I hope to add to this topic, but for now I want to write about topics that I hope will help to answer more fully a question asked by capencaveman within this series: Where do we go from here?
http://bryanbuttram.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/hermeneutics-in-search-of-pattern-or-reality-part-i/
I tried to lay a foundation for answering the question in the discussion on hermeneutics, but a fuller answer can only be given in discussions that focus on faith and the new way of the Spirit. I am certain this could lead to some enriching discussion from the scriptures of Jesus and his apostles (the Law and the Prophets). For when talking about the new birth Jesus chided Nicodemus: “You are a teacher of Israel, and you do not understand these things?”
Blessings in Christ,
Bryan