rightly dividing the Word -- part 1

The Word for today:
Romans 11:1-10

The book of Romans is organized into three major divisions. Chapters 1-8 are doctrinal; chapters 9-11 are dispensational; chapters 12-16 are about duty.

Many of us are vaguely aware of the word dispensational, but we're not exactly sure what it means. So over the next couple days we'll attempt to clarify any hazy perceptions.

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When I first found faith and fell in love with the Word of God (both paper and incarnate) I was significantly older than most newbies and I had the advantage of a literary background. Let's just say that because of my age, my education, and my professional experience, I knew my way around a book.

And I was determined to treat the Bible as I would any other book: I would tear it down to get to know it, then put it back together to see if it still worked.

On the small end of things, I was determined to take the words of the Bible literally (not allegorizing or spiritualizing them) unless the context cried out that a passage was to be understood figuratively.

On the big end, I was determined to make sense of the whole.Until every part fit together, I would not presume to understand any part.

Those were and are my rules for biblical interpretation. It was only years later, after I'd followed my own criteria far down the path, that I happened upon two systems of interpretation which met my standards. They are the only two schools of interpretation that have ever held any interest for me:

1. The first is dispensationalism, which first attracted me because it takes the building blocks--the words themselves--literally.

Dispensationalism gives a literal meaning to the Word of God because it is the only system that can, without creating internal contradiction.  And although the dispensational interpretation has its problems, it solves more problems--with far fewer loose ends--than any other interpretive system. I think it is the only system that deals with the entire Bible consistently.

Dispensationalism is rooted in the writings of John Darby from the late 1800's. It was popularized by the Scofield Study Bible, which was first published in the early 1900's and remains immensely popular and influential today.

2. The second system for which I have a personal affinity is known as biblical theology, a relatively new school of interpretation which stresses the Bible as a single story which progressively unfolds as it sweeps through time, held together by a single character--the Messiah/Christ--who is promised in the Old Testament and embodied in the New Testament.

Australian theologian/author Graeme Goldsworthy is probably the movement's most prominent proponent.

I will never forget my excitement when I first heard mention of 'biblical theology'.  I'd been teaching the-Bible-as-a-single-sweeping-narrative-whole for years before I ever happened upon Goldsworthy's name. Then one day, while absent-mindedly poking around the internet at work, I felt my eyes grow wider as I read a few of his short essays. I couldn't wait to get home to see Shelley. When I got there I burst in the door and exclaimed, "We're part of a new movement!  They've got a name for what we do!"

I'd finally found my support group.

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Tomorrow, we'll take a closer look at dispensationalism. It's not as technical as it sounds. You might even find out, like I did, that they've got a name for the way you see things!

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