The Meaning of Diligent

The bible is a simple book. On a whole it is clear enough anyone can grasp the essentials of the faith. It is complex in that it contains 66 books, written in three languages over 1,500 years by dozens of authors writing in numerous genres for diverse audiences. The bible is amazing in that it tell one story. For all the bible is when we seek to read and study it we may become our first problem.

There are two terms used by people much smarter than I that help us understand how to read a text. The words are exegesis and eisegesis. They stand for conflicting approaches in Bible study. Exegesis is the explanation of a text based on a careful, objective analysis. The word exegesis literally means “to lead out of.” The reader is led to his conclusions by following the text to get at the authors intent. Eisegesis is the bazaaro superman to exegesis’ DC comic superman. Eisegesis is the opposite.

It is an approach to Scripture that interprets the passage based on a subjective, non-analytical reading. Eisegesis is Greek for “to lead into,” a reader injects his own ideas, definitions, frames of reference, into the text. In collage English departments and academic circles Eisegesis is called reader response theory in Christian theology it is the quickest way to win an “I am a heretic” T-shirt.

Obviously, only exegesis does justice to the text. Eisegesis is like telling the author, what I want it to mean is more important than what you wrote it to mean! Now, most are not intentional when they do eisegesis. I must confess I have done it a time or twenty. But the important thing to know is why we tend towards one and not the other.

Two reason: one we live in a subjective culture. Feelings trumps reason. The question we ask of a text is not “what does that text mean?” but “what does it mean to me?”, “how do I feel about the text?” In academic circles it is, “what did I learn from my experience with the text?” Our culture holds a light view of truth. Most are not hard core relativist believing truth is just another way of saying ‘opinion someone feels strongly about’. Most are just watered down pragmatist. If it works for me, it’s true for me. In such a culture, it can be easy to fall into the eisegesis trap. Two, we are all sinners and want to be right without being ruled. It that end, we all have sacred cows and the most sacred in the ego (Greek word for I, btw). We value our thoughts, our ways, our understanding, even our little pet truths, more than what the bible would tell us. We like the easy of having a “burger king” bible study. A study where we get to have it our way! Further, our time is pressures and we dislike taking the time needed to get at what the writer intended with his words. In short, our sacred cow is spelled ‘I’ and we need to have a BBQ for sacred cows make the best burgers and this burger you can’t get at burger king. Good thinking is being able to acknowledge all our little mental pets and ‘sacred cows’ for what they are because they work effectively when we are unaware of them.

Paul writes to this end:

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15)

He passionately encourages Timothy to handle scripture with care and seek to accurately intrepid it. You can’t do that if your read into scripture want you want. He encourages Timothy to study hard. Reminding him that study is a reflection of who you are before God. In the final analysis, we are diligent at seeking the meaning of scripture when we seek to exegesis scripture and die to self in resisting eisegesis.