Never-ending Struggle...Context and Content

Now I am sure you are probably thinking why in the world is this a subject on this blog? Or How is this going to help me be a better commissioned man of God?  Well I hope I do a decent job of explaining this as I am no theologian or scholar of any kind.  In ministry content and context are two things we are told to understand very quickly.  The terms exegesis and eisegesis are used to explain what this means i think more clearly.  The term exegesis means to pull out what the scripture is actually saying; to guide out of. "ex" means "from" or "out of".  The term eisegesis means reading into the text something that isn't there at all.  Same root as exegesis but different prefix "eis" means "into".

The importance of the two from what I gather is so as to not put your own interpretation onto scripture, but let the scripture speak for itself.  Now technically there is no way to not interject some bias just because of human limitation.  One's mind may only be able to view the text in one way and the other another way.  The most that can be done is that both agree that either way is seemingly possible.  Obviously disputes may arise because of difference of opinion (hence religions across the world) but here is where the Holy Spirit helps us out.  This is why prayer and constant communion with the spirit is important.  Not just when it comes to bible study time.

Now to try and make my point.  Content leaves room for questioning and bias interpretation.  This is your flesh, which is vile, self-seeking and all around misleading.  The Context is what is really said.  This is your spirit, which should be pure, holy, and clean.  The world loves to view your content, because it is here where they make up anything based off of what they see.  You used to drink; so you must still drink.  You used to fornicate and be a womanizer; you must still be this person.  Oh I caught you one day slipping up and cursing at someone; well clearly your a sinner since your mouth is foul.  This is our content.  It is our content that leaves open to question.  But our context is a different matter.  Our integrity, our character, our fruit of the spirit is not open to question when they all work together.

Even though Jesus said "judge not lest you be judged" it doesn't mean you won't be judged or that judging is a sin in itself.  Condemning is the sin.  God is the Supreme Judge and He will have the final say on all of us, but He did not say no judging of anyone.  If that was the case then parents couldn't really reprimand their children.  Court systems couldn't exercise justice (however loose that is), and saints would have a hard time protecting themselves from false doctrine.  When Christ said he without sing cast the first stone.  Christ was saying to these pharisees who were about to stone a woman; unless you are ready to be judged according to your sins, then I suggest you back off of this woman (Andrae Walker Paraphrase).

If i am to be judged then i pray I am judged on the context of my Spirit and not the Content of my flesh.  My flesh is vile and working against me at all times.  If people judged me by my flesh (past sins and some present) then they would draw up their own conclusion on that alone.  Believers are sinners saved by grace; it's a saying that many love to coin for all the wrong reasons.  Yes we are all sinners and yes we are all saved by grace, but that does not give us a warrant to sin or act a fool.  1 John 3:4-6  makes it as clear as it can ever be.  Practices sinning and sinning are two totally different things.

What is your context saying about you?  Are you leaving yourself open to various interpretations?  Is the fruit of the spirit your context or content (Galatians 5:22-23)?  Valuing your integrity keeps the context intact from interpretation.  There's no discussion as to who you are in Christ because your context is who you are.  There will always be some interpretation but if your faith lines up with your walk then you leave less and less room for it to be so.

This was a tough one to get across.  I hope I did a somewhat decent job trying to explain this.  Please feel free to leave a comment or even a ridicule (be gentle I bruise easily lol).