Context, context, context

Location, location, location are the principles of real estate value. Context, context, context are the fundamentals of interpretation. When context is ignored, texts are manipulated to fit an agenda. This is what happened with the Christian Reformed Church’s Synodical Human Sexuality Report (HSR). It has caused chaos in the denomination.

Literary Context

The first context is literary. What is the main purpose and point of the text in its literary context? Is the main point of Genesis 1-2 to teach about human sexuality? Yes and no. It is fundamentally about relationships: God’s relationship to his creation and human relationships to God, to the earth, to the animals, to each other. It is not defining marriage nor gender roles.

What is Paul’s main point in Romans 1-2? It is that Gentiles are under God’s judgment because of their sinful idolatrous rejection of God, as are the judgmental, self-righteous Jews. Paul is using traditional Jewish attacks on Gentile sexual behavior to make his first point and to set up Jewish readers for his second one. Is Paul directly teaching about human sexuality? No.

Make the main point the main point. It is first about theology, not morality. Morality is an implication of theology, but the focus is on God’s actions to bring us back into a loving relationship with himself and each other.

Historical context

The second context is the historical context of the writer and readers. It can refer to a person or event. It addresses the historical reason. More important than what happened is why it is told. Usually there is a clash of cultural theologies.

Leviticus connects the priestly traditions to the foundational Mosaic covenant to establish Israel as a holy priesthood in the context of surrounding idolatries. Many laws can only be understood in relation to idolatrous practices of surrounding peoples.

A legalist looks only at the words of a text, the “what.” An interpreter looks for the “why.” (In a 2019 column, I raised questions about the cultural/historical context of sexuality in Biblical times that the HSR does not address.)

Application context

The next challenge is the application context. How does the Good News of God in Jesus Christ through the Spirit address our culture and lives? How do hurting people need to be comforted, and how do people hurting others need to be rebuked? What is idolatrous in our lives and culture that needs to be challenged?

Here there have been and should be differences, because situations and cultures differ. The New Testament writers did not directly challenge slavery, but they gave counsel for slaves and masters within that cultural/historical context. When economic, social and cultural conditions changed, application changed. The application of Biblical principles concerning polygamy and divorce differ in Biblical times and in differing cultures today. Cultural attitudes towards homosexuality differ widely throughout the world and within cultures, and same sex marriage options add a significantly new context.

Another important aspect of application context is how we understand the physical world; our scientific understanding. God’s two books of revelation do not contradict. When they seem to, something is wrong with our interpretations. Often Biblicists have ignored God’s creational revelation and made Christianity look foolish. Unfortunately, the HSR is limited and biased in its presentation of gender science.

Community context

We can argue about interpretation, scientific understanding, cultural differences and application, but this does not make one side or the other unbiblical or disobedient. We need a context where we can continue to talk and argue in love. The church community should be this context.