Life Hermenuetic

Many Pastors do not even understand the Hermeneutic they use when they look at Scripture. Most Lutherans use a Law and Gospel Hermeneutic (may be using this in a broad sense). Confessional Lutherans use the Lutheran Confessions as their Hermeneutic (running all passages through where they are found in the Confessions). In our Post Modern world we find more people saying scripture has one meaning for each person. But how we understand scripture does depend the tools we use to approach it.

Dr Voelz in What Does this Mean has a chapter where he talks about the two texts. The one text that we read or hear (Scripture itself). The second text is what is on our mind at the time or all our experiences but more importantly our understanding of scripture as a whole and our Confession of Faith. This second text is what we can change.

I would urge you to use a Life Hermeneutic every once and a while. This means when you look at a text like Joseph in the Well, why do his brothers sell him into slavery? They desire not to kill him. Moses when he kills the Egyptian has a concern for life. Why does Job not just kill himself like his wife asks? Think about all these things with a concern for Life. How does the bible talk about end of Life issues or pre-born persons. Life is talked about all over in scripture. Try a Life hermeneutic for a little while, then go back to Law and Gospel or the Lutheran Confessions.

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