Hermeneutics

From The New Answers DVD 3

Basic Rules of Interpretation

The Bible is a treasure box. To open the fullness of the treasure within, Christians must use a certain key—hermeneutics, or the rules of interpretation. The correct interpretation of Scripture is almost as important as the doctrine of verbal inspiration itself.

Interpreting the Bible Accurately

God is capable of accurately relaying His Word to us in a way that we can understand. It is crucial that we interpret properly to determine the intended meaning rather than forcing ideas into the text.

Must We Interpret the Bible Literally?

If Adam was not a literal, historical person who literally rebelled against God by eating a literal fruit, thus bringing in the Curse upon this world, then why did Jesus (a descendant of the literal Adam) come to die on the Cross. It is important to take God at His Word in all areas, particularly in Genesis, which is foundational to the gospel message itself.

Genesis and a Literal Six Days

To interpret Genesis 1–11 in the same way Jesus did, you must treat the passage as historical narrative and follow the standard principles of interpretation. When you do this, it is clear that God created everything in six normal-length days approximately six thousand years ago.

Hermeneutics Topics

• Hebrew Word Study

  We all need, and hopefully desire, to get the clearest possible understanding of what the Word of God means.

Articles About Hermeneutics

• Research Paper

  Is Genesis 1 Literal, Literalism, or Literalistic?

  May 2, 2016 from Answers in Depth

  When we read Genesis 1 in its context, it should be understood as a historical account which teaches that God created everything in six 24-hour days.

• Magazine Department Article

  Meaningful Words

  Sept. 30, 2015 from Answers Magazine

  Hermeneutics—“rightly dividing the word of truth”—begins with a careful look at each word to determine its original meaning.

• Magazine Department Article

  Context Is King

  

  Sept. 2, 2015 from Answers Magazine

  Sometimes we can destroy the meaning of a text by an incomplete study of the context or by imposing our own ideas on it.

• Technical Research Paper

  The Lost World of Adam and Eve: A Response

  July 29, 2015 from Answers Research Journal

  This paper contends that Walton has given a magisterial authority to the ANE mythic texts in order to interpret the Genesis accounts.

  PDF Download
• Semi-Technical

  “For God So Loved . . .”

  May 22, 2015 from Hebrew Word Study

  Indeed, the very reason Jesus came into the world was as a result of the great love of Israel’s God, and on a mission to fully express His mercy.

• Semi-Technical

  God of Love?

  May 15, 2015 from Hebrew Word Study

  Is Jesus of the New Testament different from the God of the Old Testament? This study answers the claim that the God of the Old Testament is not a God of love.

• Semi-Technical

  Defining “Love”

  

  May 8, 2015 from Hebrew Word Study

  The love of humans doesn’t last forever. It wavers and sometimes fails. Ultimately it can’t help us avoid the consequences of death. But the love of God can.

• Semi-Technical

  Truth about Origins and Faith

  May 1, 2015 from Hebrew Word Study

  At the core of truth are the concepts of faithfulness and constancy, implying dependableness, reliableness, and integrity.

• Semi-Technical

  How Does Biblical Truth Apply to the Character of God?

  April 24, 2015 from Hebrew Word Study

  Truth is a huge theme in the Bible—He is the “God of truth” (Psalm 31:5), who says, “be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).

• Semi-Technical

  What Is Truth?

  

  April 17, 2015 from Hebrew Word Study

  It seems that truth has become a somewhat dirty word, or at least a corrupted one. In its place we are left with a whole lot of uncertainty.

• Why Study Hebrew Words?

  April 10, 2015 from Hebrew Word Study

  It is critical to those of us who hold to a literal, historical, contextual and grammatical interpretation of Scripture.

• Magazine Department Article

  Avoid Raising Little Legalists

  Jan. 1, 2015 from Answers Magazine

  Our fallen nature often leads us astray from true obedience into the ditch of rule-keeping.

• Magazine Department Article

  Should I Leave My Church Over Creation?

  Jan. 1, 2015 from Answers Magazine

  Is your church is teaching serious error regarding origins?

• Magazine Article

  Truth Everyone Can See

  

  Oct. 1, 2014 from Answers Magazine

  Scripture is so hard to understand. How can anyone be sure they understand it correctly?

• Technical Research Paper

  Defending History: Temporal Reasoning in Genesis 2:7–3:8

  Aug. 6, 2014 from Answers Research Journal

  Creationist studies are replete with discussions of Genesis 1:1–2:3 and 5:28–9:29, but Genesis 2:4–3:24, has remained largely untouched.

  PDF Download
• Semi-Technical Research Paper

  Have We Misunderstood Genesis 1:1?

  Sept. 11, 2013 from Answers in Depth

  The purpose of this section is to define some of the interpretive schemes that have arisen since the idea of vast ages became popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

• Book Chapter

  7.1 Danger No 1: Denial of Central Biblical Teachings

  Dec. 6, 2012 from Did God Use Evolution?

  The entire Bible bears witness that we are dealing with a source of truth authored by God.

• Feedback Article

  Misunderstandings About YEC and OEC

  Nov. 9, 2012 from Feedback

  Why does Answers in Genesis say that those of an old earth persuasion have compromised? Tim Chaffey, AiG–U.S., explains.

• Feedback Article

  Get the Message Across

  Aug. 3, 2012 from Feedback

  Tim Chaffey, AiG–U.S., responds to a reader, who believes that the Bible should not be interpreted literally and that we should just focus on the message of salvation.

• Technical Research Paper

  Parallelism in Hebrew Poetry Demonstrates a Major Error in the Hermeneutic of Many Old-Earth Creationists

  July 25, 2012 from Answers Research Journal

  This article will provide a survey of the nature of Hebrew poetry and provide examples of the various forms of parallelism exhibited in the six poetic books of the Bible.

  PDF Download
• Magazine Article

  Old-Earth Creationism—Is It a Sin to Be Wrong?

  

  July 1, 2012 from Answers Magazine

  Nobody should minimize the danger of errors, especially when we teach error to others.

• Feedback Article

  The God of an Old Earth

  June 22, 2012 from Feedback

  Christians who believe in an old earth must hold to an inconsistent hermeneutic of interpretation. Troy Lacey and Tim Chaffey, AiG–U.S., explain.

• Semi-Technical Book Chapter

  Biblical Interpretation

  July 14, 2011 from The Great Turning Point

  To assess properly the debate that the scriptural geologists were involved in, one needs also to understand the views of Scripture held by evangelicals and high churchmen.

• Book Chapter

  The Theologian in Each of Us

  March 24, 2011 from Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World

  My father was never intimidated or impressed by formal qualifications. Nonetheless, he always respected his pastors . . . even those he disagreed with.

• How Should We Interpret the Bible, Part 2: Is Genesis 1–11 Historical Narrative?

  March 1, 2011 from Apologetics Web Series

  Tim Chaffey, AiG–US, explains why Genesis should be interpreted as historical narrative.

• How Should We Interpret the Bible, Part 1: Principles for Understanding God’s Word

  Feb. 22, 2011 from Apologetics Web Series

  God is capable of accurately relaying His Word to us in a way that we can understand.

• Feedback Article

  A Heavy Burden?

  March 19, 2010 from Feedback

  A ministry worker on a college campus thinks teaching a “literal interpretation” prevents students from accepting the gospel. Tim Chaffey, AiG–U.S., shows why this is not the case.

• Magazine Article

  Unlocking the Truth of Scripture

  

  Nov. 15, 2009 from Answers Magazine

  Christians must use a certain key—hermeneutics, or the rules of interpretation.

• Semi-Technical Research Paper

  Literary Forms and Biblical Interpretation

  June 24, 2009 from Answers in Depth

  The key to unlock the Bible is within the reach of everyone and not just a special group of people with expert training.

  PDF Download
• Semi-Technical Book Chapter

  Aspects of Information as Found in the Bible

  May 28, 2009 from In the Beginning Was Information

  God is shown as the source or sender of biblical information.

• Magazine Article

  Looking Back and Moving Forward

  Oct. 1, 2008 from Answers Magazine

  Interpreting Genesis as straightforward history is as old as written records.

  PDF Download
• Magazine Article

  The Bible—Can We Understand and Trust It Today?

  

  Oct. 1, 2007 from Answers Magazine

  From the beginning of history, mankind has been tempted to question God’s Word.

• Magazine Article

  Eisegesis

  June 1, 2002, pp. 16–19

  A deadly virus is sweeping through church members worldwide. I consider this virus to be one of the most dangerous in the world today.

• The World’s Most Dangerous Book?

  March 2, 2002

  Because this is an article in an Answers in Genesis publication, some readers might answer by saying that Darwin’s On the Origin of the Species is the most dangerous book.

• Magazine Article

  Two Worldviews in Conflict

  Sept. 1, 1998, pp. 26–27

  Examines the direct conflict between evolution and the Bible in all these relevant areas. Only one system can be correct.

• Semi-Technical

  Problems in methods of interpretation—Genesis 1-11: Part 2

  Oct. 1, 1979, pp. 22–26

  Is there any explicit teaching within the Bible itself that suggests its details are not to be pressed in matters of the physical creation? When reference is made to the original creation, the creation narrative is treated as fact without any reservation.