How The Puritans Interpreted Scripture
Posted by nebrexan on January 17, 2008
To the Puritans, no discipline was so exacting, and no labor so rewarding as the interpretation of the scriptures. The soundness of their method is unquestionable; we shall do well to follow in their footsteps. That will mean asking six questions of each passage or text that we seek to expound:
1. What do these words actually mean?
2. What light do other scriptures throw on this text? Where and how does it fit into the total biblical revelation?
3. What truths does it teach about God, and man in relation to God?
4. How are these truths related to the saving work of Christ, and what light does the gospel of Christ throw upon them?
5. What experiences do these truths delineate, or explain, or seek to create or cure? For what principal purpose do they stand in scripture?
6. How do they apply to myself or others in our actual situation? To what present human condition do they speak, and what are they telling us to believe and do?By J.I. Packer
(Source: Packer, J.I. A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1994. ISBN 0891078193. From OldTruth.com)
