The following is an article by Dr. Bauder, president of Central Baptist Theological Seminary. He addresses the topic of interpreting Scripture and gives three foundational principles that must be followed for proper exegesis (explanation of a text).
Christian theologians believe that the teachings of Scripture never ultimately contradict one another. These choices do involve an element of judgment and skill, but they are not purely subjective. Good theologians wish to be guided by methods that will minimize the guesswork and subjective elements, while maximizing their ability to hear the biblical text speaking for itself. They have developed several methodological tests that help them to determine which biblical evidence should be given priority.
The first is the test of intention. A passage of Scripture that intends to answer a question or discuss a topic is of greater relevance than a text that merely touches on it incidentally. Because of their relevance, deliberate passages should be given greater weight than the incidental passages. How can someone recognize a deliberate passage? Often, the passage directly articulates the question that it intends to answer. Other times the text will disclose the intention by focusing sharply upon a specific topic, discussing that topic in considerable detail. In most cases, distinguishing deliberate passages from tangential ones is not a difficult task.
The second test is the test of prescription. Some passages of Scripture intend to address a topic prescriptively, while others address it only descriptively. Prescriptive passages are of greater relevance to doctrine and practice than descriptive passages. A descriptive passage is one that simply states what happened at a particular time and a particular place. The fact that a particular thing happened, or that God required a particular person to behave in a certain way, does not necessarily express a timeless requirement that applies to all of God’s people. For example, God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son on Mount Moriah, but no one takes this as a biblical pattern for parenting. A prescriptive passage is one that intends to state whether and how a thing should be done. It places an obligation upon the Lord’s people and requires obedience to its teachings. While descriptive passages focus upon what was, prescriptive passages focus upon what ought to be.
A third test that theologians can employ is the test of clarity. When they weigh biblical evidence, clear passages should take priority over obscure passages. This is one of the oldest and most basic criteria of good theological method. The problem arises in deciding which passages are clear and which passages are obscure. Perhaps the principle could be stated in other terms. Consider two passages that treat the same topic. One passage could bear multiple interpretations (it might mean this or it might mean that), while the other passage is capable of only one interpretation (it could only mean that). The test of clarity states that the theologian must understand the first (equivocal) passage in the light of the second (univocal) one.
The analogy of faith depends upon at least these three tests: intention, prescription, and clarity. Other tests may be possible, but these three are indispensable. No theological application of Scripture should be accepted unless it can pass these tests.
