Treasure the Word: A Layperson's Guide to Interpreting Scripture
Overview
Sound interpretation of Scripture is the foundation of a Christ-centered, transformative ministry and the centerpiece of a vibrant spiritual life. This volume offers practical help for those seeking to interpret Scripture and apply it to their lives. This helpful book outlines a uniquely Wesleyan approach to Scripture interpretation, which emphasizes the importance of reason, tradition, and experience while maintaining awareness of the Holy Spirit's role in guiding the interpreter.
Practical chapters examine John Wesley's approach to interpreting Scripture, as well as important factors for interpretation such as genre, culture, language, theology, and story. The final section of the book demonstrates how to apply solid principles for Bible interpretation through a variety of examples that show both correct and incorrect uses of Scripture.
Gain a fresh appreciation for the treasures available to us in Scripture! All Scripture passages are linked to your favorite Bible translation in your library. With the advanced search features of Logos Bible Software, you can perform powerful searches by topic or Scripture reference—finding, for example, every mention of "interpretation" or "inspiration."
- Part 1: A Wesleyan Context for Interpreting Scripture
- "The Treasure of Scripture," by Stephen J. Lennox
- "John Wesley's Bible Interpretation Principles," by Mark I. Weeter
- "Reason, Tradition, and Experience in Bible Interpretation," by Mark I. Weeter
- "The Unity and Coherence of Scripture," by Kenneth Schenck
- Part 2: A Toolkit for Interpreting Scripture
- "Genre," by Kelvin Friebel
- "Culture," by Joseph Coleson
- "Figurative Language," by Elaine Bernius
- "Theology," by Christopher T. Bounds
- "Inspiration," by Gareth Lee Cockerill
- "Progressive Revelation," by D. Darek Jarmola
- Part 3: A Wesleyan Approach to Interpreting Scripture
- "Language," by David L. Thompson
- "Gold into Pyrite, Mostly," by various authors
Top Highlights
“Our messages are not to be littered with Greek pronunciations, theological terms, and other examples of our profound vocabulary—until one might wonder if we attempted to cross an unabridged dictionary and fell in! Knowledge for knowledge’s sake can be valuable, but in the interpretation of Scripture, our learning is primarily to enable us to declare the message of God simply and clearly. Moreover, the purpose of our proclamation is to encourage and bring about changes in lives—our own and others’.” (Page 45)
“We treasure the Bible because we recognize its author as God. Divine origin best explains why the Bible has provided a solid foundation for Western society, how it answers the core questions of humanity at large, and how honest seekers actually meet the author, finding their stories in God’s story.” (Page 26)
“God called this world into being as something good and placed us here as God’s representatives, highly privileged and highly responsible. Something has gone wrong with God’s original design, but the blame lies with us, not with him.” (Page 25)
“Woodrow Wilson called the Bible ‘the ‘Magna Carta’ of the human soul.’ It clearly asserts we are moral agents responsible to God. ‘Whenever a man sees this vision,’ Wilson affirmed, ‘he stands up a free man.” (Page 24)
“Dead Sea Scrolls—manuscripts hidden in caves in the first century a.d. by the community of Jewish ‘monks’ at Qumran—were placed there in retirement, or to protect them from the Romans.” (Page 28)
I believe through Treasure the Word we will renew our vision of God's redemptive plan and purpose in the universe and our place as His people in this plan. It is my prayer that we will restore our courage in God's presence and Word to move into some of the most difficult and dark places of this world to bring His healing and hope. God is calling us today, as well as giving us the tools.
—Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent, The Wesleyan Church
- Title: Treasure the Word: A Layperson's Guide to Interpreting Scripture
- Editor: Joseph Coleson
- Publisher: Wesleyan Publishing House
- Publication Date: 2009
- Pages: 194
