Tonight my beginning Greek class resumes after the summer break. If we are to apply the Bible properly, biblical interpretation is absolutely essential.
A classic passage on the inspiration of the Bible is 2 Tim. 3:16.
Paul apparently even invented a word to make his point that all of Scripture is God-breathed. And yet most of that verse, along with verse 17, speaks not so much of the inspiration of Scripture as of the profitability and usefulness of Scripture. In essence, the Bible does four things: it teaches us to think right, get right, stay right, and do right. It is one thing to be able to read the New Testament in Greek. It is another thing to deal with sin in our lives or any false doctrine we have accepted either knowingly or unknowingly. Exegesis of the Greek text is like a surgeon cutting into a problem area. The goal of Bible study, then, is not simply to determine what a text means, but rather to have the Holy Spirit of God apply it in our lives. As Roy Zuck of Dallas Seminary once said, "Heart appropriation, not head apprehension, is the goal."
I hope that tonight's Greek class will be a reminder to my dear students that in order to minister to people's needs, the Bible must not only be correctly interpreted but must be properly applied. May this course prove to be a great help to all students who love God's word and seek to interpret and apply it correctly.