Peter said his epistle to the early church was written in order to “stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour” (2 Peter 3:1-2).
We are to be mindful Christians, that is to say, thinking Christians. We are to study the Word of God diligently. Peter’s challenge to the church was that they stir up their pure minds by way of remembrance. The Greek word translated as “minds” in English is διάνοια which was used in ancient Greek literature to carry the idea of pure reason uninfluenced by the emotions or senses. Our emotions and even our subjective senses often unintentionally create bias. Bias is subjective by nature and is reinforced by opinion. This is dangerous when we are guided by bias in interpreting Scripture. Eisegesis is the theological term for when we read into the text what we feel the text is saying. The majority of errors in theology and application are rooted in this method of interpretation.
Peter is encouraging believers to meditate (be mindful) on Scripture, laying aside any emotionally driven argument in understanding its interpretation, and to rely wholly on the Holy Spirit to illuminate the mind. Don’t let the circumstances you experience or how you feel about a particular subject matter influence how you understand what Scripture is teaching. There is a great need today for Biblically minded believers. Fill your mind and heart with the Scripture, and the Holy Spirit will guide you as you seek to comprehend what you are reading.
“This is what I feel that the Bible is saying” or “We’ve always interpreted this passage to mean” are examples of presuppositions that have no place in the theological development of a thinking Christian. The Scripture is a puzzle of truth we are called to assemble, not a series of moral teaching that we can take or leave as we feel they are applicable to our culture and society.
As Biblically-minded Christian, we must let the word of Christ dwell richly in us. We must read and meditate on the teachings of Christ and His Apostles. Just as important as Bible reading, the Biblically-minded Christian must learn to “rightly divide the Word of Truth.” we must know how to correctly interpret and apply the Scripture.
I encourage you to evaluate your approach to Scriptural interpretation and then ask yourself if you have ever read a portion of Scripture that made you stop and question your personal bias. Any honest student of Scripture will admit this does happen on occasion. Theological interpretation is not infallible. Systematic Theology is a construct that man has designed. The Bible, however, is infallible, inspired, and inerrant. We need to let the Bible have the final say concerning our interpretation.
Should you study Systematic Theology? Yes, of course. But, only allow it to act as a sort of guide in your interpretation of Scripture. Remember, the goal of Bible study is not to fill your head with knowledge about God. The Word was given that we might know God through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the One that Scripture is revealing! John 17:3 states:
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
The end goal of doctrine
The end goal of doctrine is not to fill our heads with knowledge so that we might prove a point to a skeptical world, but rather that we might point men to Christ. Right doctrine is essential to knowing who God is and to know His Son, Jesus Christ. Sound doctrine is essential to our personal spiritual health and the spiritual health of the church, which is the pillar and ground for Truth in this present age. If we are going to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ then we must know how to study the Bible. We must be Biblically-minded Christians.
The Bible: A Gold Mine of Truth
We can look at it this way: if the Bible is a gold mine, the grammatical-historical method of interpretation is the tool used to mine the gold, and Systematic Theology is how you arrange that gold once you’ve extracted it. The gold itself and the tools used to mine the gold is what we must emphasize in importance. We must let the Bible interpret the Bible. May God help us avoid interpreting the Bible in a way that only allows it to fit nicely into the system we have developed to arrange it. Don’t leave behind gold just because it doesn’t fit into the pile you’ve arranged.
Finally, it is not always wrong to assume that assumption is terrible when interpreting the Scripture. Some assumptions are necessary. The grammatical-historical method of interpretation assumes that the Bible does not contradict itself. If you come to the Scripture with any other supposition than this, you end up leaving the reconciling of any apparent contradiction to the reasoning of man.
We must approach Scripture believing what it says about itself in 2 Timothy 3:15-17:
...the holy scriptures...are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works