The Lord be with you
Have you ever wondered why two people, equally committed to the inspiration of Scripture, can read the same text and have two completely different understandings? Sometimes those differences can even be as stark as night and day.
What most often causes those differences is summed up with the word “hermeneutics.” Hermeneutics is a fancy word that means the principles use to understand something, in this case, the Bible. Lutheran hermeneutics is always centered on Christ. That might be a bit of an understatement. One Lutheran theologian said, “All theology is Christology.” Some might kick against that, but there is a lot of truth in it, at lease in Lutheran circles. We don’t know the Father except through Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ. The Word of God is the Word of Christ. Sanctification is our life in Christ. We worship in the name of Christ, we pray in his name, we are baptized into Christ, we receive Christ in the Lord’s Supper, and on and on.
David P. Scaer, in his article “God the Son and Hermeneutics: A Brief Study in the Reformation,” that appeared in volume 59, No. 1-2, of the Concordia Theological Quarterly back in 1995, gives a wonderfully readable look at this Lutheran approach. It is only twelve pages long, not counting the endnotes.
If you want to learn how to read the Bible like a Lutheran, this is an excellent place to start your education.
The link below will take you to the article.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert