grammatical historical hermeneutics? human communication
I've noticed that terms like grammatical historical hermeneutics sometimes bring negative images to mind, especially for those of us who don't much enjoy reading. This is unfortunate, since at its heart, GHH simply provides a strategy to discern intended meaning. If I fail to correctly discern what my friend or my wife is trying to tell me, if I miss their intended meaning, it could lead to undesired consequences. Surely you already know about such things! GHH can help us improve our listening skills with people and with the Bible.
It has been said that it's impossible to fully understand the intended meaning of the biblical authors. True enough, but the same can be said about the people around us. We can never attain complete understanding. However, GHH helps us get closer and closer.
Some may ask, "Why all this emphasis on Bible study? Won't the Spirit tell me what the Bible means?" The Holy Spirit speaks to us and transforms us, but the way the Spirit speaks is often misunderstood. Robertson McQuilkin devotes a book to the work of the Holy Spirit, but when he teaches hermeneutics, he defines it as the science of determining the meaning of a text and applying it authentically to life.1 Anyone humbly desiring to follow truth wherever it leads can use the principles of GHH to better understand people and Scripture. Grant Osborne points out that the Spirit enables us to free our minds to the text but does not whisper to us the correct answer [as to its meaning].2 The Spirit neither replaces our brains nor makes careful study of Scripture unnecessary. Indeed, the "God told me" syndrome is behind countless Bible abuses. Others see this happening and understandably may attack the Bible or simply lay it aside.
It is not necessary to be an avid reader in order to use GHH. What is necessary is the ability to ask good questions. That's how we get to the heart of what people are trying to tell us, and that's how we discern the intended meaning of the biblical authors. If you don't much like to read, try joining a Bible study group where others bring their Study Bibles and you ask probing questions.
1 Life in the Spirit, Robertson McQuilkin, 2000, B&H Publishing Group, page 56.
2 The Hermeneutical Spiral, Grant R. Osborne, 2006, InterVarsity Press, page 437.
Welcome to the only page on my site to speak directly of "GHH".
Then again, it secretly lives on every page. Perhaps I should explain.