WEEK 1: ANY QUESTIONS? – what do we do when we have questions about truth and application?

HEAD – understanding, comprehension, fathom
HEART – belief, conviction, passion, motivation
HANDS – application, practice, exhibition, expression, obedience

HEAD:

1. The truth is in the TEXT – God’s Word – the Bible
Deuteronomy 29:29 (ESV) – 29“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. John 17:17 (ESV) – Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

2. The truth in the text is understood in its CONTEXT
Proverbs 16:25 (ESV) – 25There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death

Biblical Exegesis & Hermeneutics – Biblical exegesis is the actual interpretation of the Bible, the bringing out of its meaning; hermeneutics is the study and establishment of the principles by which it is to be interpreted.

‘Pardes’ Exegesis:
Peshat – surface, straight, direct or literal meaning. (Genesis 1:1)
Remez – hint, hidden, allegorical, symbolic meaning. (Matthew 27:46 & Psalm 22) Derash – inquired, sought, or comparative meaning. (Matthew 2:15 & Hosea 11:1) Sod – secret, mystery or esoteric meaning. (John 1:1-10)

Principles of Hermeneutics:
1. Literal principle – what does it say in context?
2. Grammatical principle – what does it say in its original language?
3. Synthesis principle – scripture interprets scripture; what does the bible say on the subject as a whole? 4. Historical principle – what historical nuances are there that helps us? (geography, politics, culture)
5. Practical principle – how do I put what I have learned into practice?
6. Illumination principle – asking the Holy Spirit to help you apply scripture in your life

HEART:

3. The understanding of truth (HEAD) leads us to belief, conviction and motivation from it (HEART). We have heart change when we experience truth, from the application of truth, not just the pontification about truth.

Our experiences come from our circumstances, most always in the context of relationships

Some of us reject truth because:

• We haven’t been taught it or understood it (Head)
• We haven’t experienced it. (Heart)
• We have experienced what has felt like truth and have accepted it as truth, but it actually isn’t truth, which means it’s false or a lie…Romans 1:25 (ESV) –

• We have experienced the opposite of what God calls true and having been taught/told it is true resultsin the rejection of God and his truth, when in reality it’s not. This is the work of the enemy.
• We have experienced truth, but didn’t like how it felt or what it cost us (discipline, consequences,refinement etc…) so we’d rather choose what is easier and false over what is hard, yet holy.Exodus 14:12 (ESV) – 12Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

• Experiences are powerful, they but are not to trump truth
• Experiences of truth in application help to understand it, however, we can understand truth withoutexperiencing it and we can experience truth without understanding it. So what do we do? o Weneedthetext
  o We need the spirit-power
  o We need others-relationshipso We need discipled
• Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV) -HANDS:

4. The understanding and experiencing of truth should lead to an obedience to it

• Matthew 7:24-27 ESV
• Mercy, peace and love in abundance! (Jude)
• Rebuke gently
• Suffer for the sake of others – eucharist
• Love covers a multitude of sin