exegesis – Matty (Headwind)

March 16, 2021March 16, 2021

Someone’s Own Interpretation

And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
(2 Peter 1:19-21) ESV

One of the things which allows Matty’s Paradigm to be consistent with the broad narrative of scripture is understanding that creation has a specific purpose. This purpose harmonizes physics with spirituality.

November 26, 2020April 5, 2022

Deductive Reasoning

“To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast? For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”
(Isaiah 28:9-10) ESV

It’s not a good idea to pull Bible passages out of context because we’ve decided what we want them to mean and then proclaim that we have some new doctrine. That’s inductive reasoning, or eisegesis.

July 2, 2020August 9, 2020

Spaghetti Theology and Inductive Reasoning

But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
(Titus 3:9) KJV

The Bible explains the Bible. However, we’ve only got what we’ve been given, but everything that we’ve been given has been given us for a reason. Now, based on the premise God cannot lie and the Bible is true, we ought to be able to use what we’ve been given to deduce how the Bible accounts for all empirical observations and physical evidence. The key is deduction. The theological word for deductive reasoning is exegesis.

June 21, 2020June 21, 2020

Biblical Exposition

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
(2 Timothy 2:15) KJV

Biblical exposition is a tricky business. It’s also something that’s not to be taken lightly. In general, taking one passage from the Bible, imputing a meaning to it, and then building a doctrine on it is exactly what you DON’T do.

June 7, 2020February 19, 2022

Above and Below

Cutaway of planet Earth showing the crust, mantle, great gulf and hell.

Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.
(Deuteronomy 4:39) KJV

A recurring theme in scripture is heaven above and Earth below. Orientation occurs for the first time on the second day. It’s an ordering of the universe which occurred in response to the creation of gravity.

March 3, 2020

Tradition

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
(Colossians 2:8) KJV

Obviously the earth isn’t flat, therefore, the Spirit of Truth can’t lead you to that conclusion. It’s very simple, God isn’t going to expect you to believe something that’s obviously wrong.

Tradition

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
(Colossians 2:8) KJV

Most people who develop models of earth that account for the physical features of earth mentioned in the Bible come up with variations on this theme.

December 28, 2019December 30, 2021

December 28th

Beam of light onto an open Bible below the words "The Goat Herder's Guide to the Galaxy"

If Anyone Adds to Them

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
(Revelation 22:18-19) ESV

We (all of us) are warned about tampering with the Bible. Are we (that’s me and the Holy spirit) worried because our interpretation of the Bible is substantially different to anything that’s gone before it? No.