SECOND QUARTER 2025
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #1
APRIL 5, 2025

 

God has given us his entire Word for instruction, conviction, correction,  instruction in righteousness, and it is totally adequate to make us wise unto salvation, “that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:15-17). 

There are literary rules or principles of interpretation which need to be used in order to rightly divide or understand God’s love letter to us. But beyond those principles, there is also a mindset which must be had in order to understand the Bible teachings. It is the lack of this particular “mindset” that EGW primarily pointed to as the reason why “the most precious message” of 1888 was not received by many. The principles of hermeneutics can be summarized as follows:

• Discovering the historical, cultural context
• Examining the literary context
• Paying attention to the syntax
• Allow Scripture to interpret Scripture
• Interpret preconceived ideas and personal experience by Scripture, not Scripture by preconceived ideas and personal experience. 

Understanding the historical and cultural context of a passage or a verse is crucial. When Mary Magdalene performed her “unstudied act” of love to our Savior, she let her hair down. “In traditional Middle eastern society, a bride on her wedding night lets down her hair and allows it to be seen by her husband for the first time. No one around the room could have missed the overtones of Mary’s gesture. By unloosening her hair, she is making some form of an ultimate pledge of loyalty to Jesus” —Kenneth Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, p. 249. Only a cultural understanding of the times would help us realize this. 

Secondly, note the literary context. Many, many times, the meaning of a difficult text can be easily discovered by reading the larger context.

Thirdly, pay attention to the way the words are structured, and especially the verbs being used. When you see redundancy or repetition, God is trying to make a special point. Hebrews chapter 2, verse 14 in the King James says, “For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same that through death, He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil.” Do you see the repetition there? “He also himself likewise took part of the same.” This is emphatic language.G

Fourthly, allow Scripture to interpret Scripture. Before seeking commentaries or even the Spirit of Prophecy, allow the other scriptures on the topic to be the interpreter.

Lastly, and this came to play in a big way in 1888, do not let preconceived ideas or your own experience be the measuring stick of Scripture, but let Scripture be the measuring stick of all your ideas and your experience. God using his Holy Spirit through Ellen G.White put his finger on the issue quite succinctly.

“For years a degree of Pharisaism has been springing up amongst us which has separated some from the Bible standard. If the preconceived ideas of those actuated by this spirit are crossed, they immediately assume a controversial, combative attitude, as a man puts on armor when preparing for battle. Much pride and loftiness and a spirit which desires to rule have been manifested, but very little of the spirit which leads men to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn of Him has been shown…. Many study the Scriptures for the purpose of proving their own ideas to be correct. They change the meaning of God’s Word to suit their own opinions.” —Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, Vol. 3, p. 82.

“You must lay your preconceived opinions, your hereditary and cultivated ideas, at the door of investigation. If you search the Scriptures to vindicate your own opinions, you will never reach the truth.”—Ellen G. White, Reflecting Christ, p. 125.

“An unwillingness to yield up preconceived opinions, and to accept this truth, lay at the foundation of a large share of the opposition manifested at Minneapolis against the Lord’s message through Brethren [E.J.] Waggoner and [A.T.] Jones. By exciting that opposition Satan succeeded in shutting away from our people, in a great measure, the special power of the Holy Spirit that God longed to impart to them.”—Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, Vol. 1, p. 234.

One specific example of this in our Adventist history surrounding the Minneapolis meetings was that of A. R. Henry. Sister Ellen wrote several letters to this man pleading with him for his soul to be converted and saved. I will quote just from the May 16, 1898 letter (Note that this is 10 years after the 1888 meetings): 

“I have not been able to sleep tonight; for vivid scenes have come up before me, in figures and symbols. I have been shown the condition of the people of God who have trusted in man and made flesh their arm. The state of the Michigan Conference is pitiable, but it is not beyond remedy, if the people will turn to the Lord with all the heart.

“God has shown his people what is truth. He has opened to them the books of Daniel and Revelation, which set forth the truth for this time. Those who have closed their ears and their understanding to this truth, have imitated the people who in Christ’s day would not receive the light. Evidence may be piled upon evidence, but men’s hearts may be so hardened by the deceitfulness of sin that evidence, though greatly increased, will prove nothing to them, because it is not proof they want, but their own way.”—Ellen G. White, 1888 Materials, p. 1664.

“Since the Minneapolis meeting he has never taken his position in full reception of the light God has so graciously given for these last days. He has not honored the position he has occupied in the Office, because he has carried the spirit of A. R. Henry in full size. In him there has been no diminution of self…. When the messages sent them are brought before these men, and they make no response, are unaffected, or else [are] too proud to admit their wrong course of action, bracing themselves to resist every appeal, their spirit is similar to that of Nadab and Abihu….Those who have resisted light and evidence are in a very sad condition, for they walk as blind men, and not knowing at what they stumble…. Why did the heavenly anointing depart? Why did mischief come in? Because the soul was not trained to the exercise of pity; because faith scarcely had an existence; because the men handling sacred things were sharp, critical, and censorious.”—ibid. p. 1294.

Please note how preconceived opinions, a lack of humility and a lack of faith short-circuited the reception of the message to this man’s heart. So in summary, in agreement with the rules of hermeneutics, is the idea of coming to the scriptures by faith. If we make our minds the measuring stick of truth (i.e., the historical critical method), we’ll find ourselves throwing out everything that does not correspond with what we have understood, seen or experienced.

“While God has given ample evidence for faith, you will never remove all excuse for unbelief. All who look for hooks to hang their doubts on, will find them. And those who refuse to accept and obey God‘s word until every objection has been removed, and there is no longer any opportunity for doubt will never come to the light. Distrust of God is the natural outgrowth of the unrenewed heart, which is at enmity with him. Faith is inspired by the Holy Spirit and it will flourish only as it is cherished…. There is but one course for those to pursue, who honestly desire to be freed from doubts… Let them give heed to the light which already shines upon them, and they will receive greater light.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, 1888, pp. 27,28.

God help us all to approach the study of the Scriptures with a humble prayer for the Spirit’s leading and help us to see them as they were intended for their original readers, and then to make application to our lives accordingly.

 

~Rob Benardo