Author Archives: Jay F Guin

We in the Churches of Christ call ourselves “New Testament Christians,” as though there were another kind. But the point of the phrase is to emphasize our reliance on the New Testament and belief that the Old Testament has been … Continue reading →

Jesus himself teaches an important lesson on hermeneutics in Luke 6. It’s not an immediately transparent passage, at least not to me. (Luke 6:1-10) One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads … Continue reading →

How can I understand the gospel if I don’t understand who God is, what he has done, and that we mortals are all fallen creatures lost in our sins? This is why, for example, Paul begins the great book of … Continue reading →

We begin in 1 Corinthians (and we’ll probably move around a bit). 1 Corinthians is a good place to start because Paul is confronted with a host of problems, many of which we still face today, and he repeatedly gives … Continue reading →

We need a more comprehensive approach to interpreting the scriptures–a nice, sharp set of scalpels that helps us know which examples and commands were temporary expedients and which are permanently binding. Obviously enough, the solution won’t be found in humanistic … Continue reading →

In the last post, we considered some false approaches to hermeneutics. Let’s consider a few more common errors. * Proof texts are not an entirely wrong approach. However, there use is a very, very dangerous practice. Indeed, the proof text … Continue reading →

It’s time to talk a little hermeneutics. “Hermeneutics” is the study of how we interpret writings, especially the Bible. And, of late, it’s become quite the controversial subject in the Churches of Christ. Obviously enough, to properly understand the scriptures, … Continue reading →