Pastor Barry states: (https://learn.ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/exegesis-and-eisegesis)
“eisegesis is when we “read something into” a biblical text that may not actually be there. And exegesis is when we try to “draw out” of the text what is actually there”.
That is, with eisegesis, we come with some preconceived notions and read those thoughts into the Biblical text. Alternatively, with exegesis, we read things that could go against our preconceived notions and thoughts from the Bible. With eisegesis there is full agreement with our thoughts and the Bible, because we read whatever we think up into it. With exegesis, we often find ourselves at odds with Scripture, forcing us to reevaluate our thoughts and preconceived notions. This conflict should result in what Paul asks of us inRomans 12:2 “be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is”.
Definitions and explanations regarding eisegesis and exegesis are pretty simple to understand. Putting it into practice? That is the big challenge. We have to literally fight against our natural state, the way our mind thinks and makes sense of things around us, to get to exegesis. For example, check out the following text that you may have come across:
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
How is one able to read the passage above, with words containing jumbled up letters? Since our brains are so advanced and we like to get to the point super quick (reason for the popularity of short-form videos), we apparently focus on the first and last letter of each word and we feel like we read the whole word. Even though the word we read, technically speaking, is not really the word. “Aoccdrnig” is technically not “according”. “Huamn” is technically not “human”. Technically, there is a reason why order of letters used in a word is important, and by the way oredr is not order and iprmoetnt is not important. With a passage made up of words with jumbled up letters, the paragraph shows why exegesis is not really easy to practice. Our mind automatically tries to fill in information with what we already know and makes sense of what should be unreadable using known patterns. Its not just words, but we do that with sentences too. Apparently “Most readers only look at the first and last 3 words of a headline before deciding whether to click”. This autopilot feature of our minds, makes eisegesis easy and exegesis difficult.
Exegesis needs
- God’s anointing (1 John 2:27) to teach us
- Our willingness to put our thoughts and preconceived notions aside
- Our willingness to patiently give it all the time it takes.
The time to read each word as if we are reading it for the first time. The time to understand each word without clouding it with our own thoughts and preconceived notions but in His light.
Recently, I got a chance to put this into practice on one of the most controversial passages of all time. Actually, I should call it a sentence because according to scholars, what looks like a passage of verses is actually a single statement in the original language. Would you all join me on this journey as we walk down the path that I took, with prayer? As we walk down this road, please bear with me as I will start off in a somewhat mysterious way because I will not initially share where the verse is from. Wondering why? The moment you know where the verse is from, for most of you, it would immediately cloud your understanding of the verse with what we have been taught for ages. Would you please humor me and not look up the verse? Please trust me, I will share the full passage, eventually. With that, here we go:
… to the end that we who were the first to hope in the Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise …
Some of you may figure out pretty quickly who the author and perhaps even where the passage is. Hopefully, you could still try to forget what you know about this passage and look at it as if this is the first time you are reading it. Going back to the passage, there are two groups of people. The one called “we”, “who were the first to hope in the Christ”. And there is the “you”, who were included in with the “we”, “after listening to the message of truth, the gospel your salvation”.
So who is the “we” and who is the “you”? Romans 1:16 gives us a clue:
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Jew first and also to the Greek. More specifically, Jewish believers first and then believers who are Greek. Greek meaning someone who is not a Jew. In other words, Greek could be understood as Gentile. With that, the passage could potentially read as follows, with explanation on who is we and you, in brackets:
… to the end that we [the Jewish believers]who were the first to hope in the Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you [not the Jewish believers but the Gentile believers]also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you [not the Jewish believers but the Gentile believers] were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise …
This is nothing new. Some of you might already know this. In fact, some study Bibles, note the two groups in the footnotes. Although, I must clarify, any study Bible footnotes are not our ultimate source of truth. The Bible is. And Romans 1:16 aligns with the intention conveyed by the passage in question here.
With that, let’s pan out a bit more and look at some more of this passage:
… In Him we[the Jewish believers]also have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things in accordance with the plan of His will, to the end that we[the Jewish believers]who were the first to hope in the Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
In Him, you[not the Jewish believers but the Gentile believers]also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you[not the Jewish believers but the Gentile believers]were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise …
Remember, this whole thing is still part of a single statement. And we see the same pattern of “we” referring to the Jewish believers and “you” referring to the Gentile believers. Something interesting to note here are the phrases used for “we”:
- Having been predestined
- According to God’s purpose
- Who works all things according to His will
All of that to what end?
- So that “we” are the first to hope in the Christ to the praise of God’s glory
Who “we”?
- The Jewish believers
Wait, what about the “you” – the Gentile believers? There are some words there too:
- After listening to the Gospel
- Having also believed
- You were sealed in Him
Is that becoming uncomfortable for some of you? It should. It definitely was for me. Remember, exegesis ends up making us pretty uncomfortable because it has the tendency to question our traditions. Our rich historical understanding. Eisegesis is easier on our nerves. We can make Scripture say anything we want it to say. We don’t have to face any soul searching, mind renewing questions.
Lets pan out a bit more:
In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He set forth in Him, regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him we[the Jewish believers]also have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things in accordance with the plan of His will, to the end that we[the Jewish believers]who were the first to hope in the Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
In Him, you[not the Jewish believers but the Gentile believers]also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you[not the Jewish believers but the Gentile believers]were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise …
OK. Let’s say we got the “we” – Jewish believers and the “you” which are Gentile believers. Who is the “us” in “He made known to us the mystery of His will”? If this entire statement is one sentence, then the conclusion would be that “us” only refers to the Jewish believers. Otherwise, the underlined portions below won’t make sense. It starts to feel like “we”, “you” and “us” change mid sentence and you can’t be sure who is who any more.
In all wisdom and insight He made known to us [the Jewish and the Gentile believers]the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He set forth in Him, regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him we[the Jewish believers]also have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things in accordance with the plan of His will, to the end that we[the Jewish believers]who were the first to hope in the Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
Now I am by no means a Greek language expert. However, clear communication rules require, in the three languages that I do speak, consistency with terms like “we”, “us”, and “you”. My son, who is taking a course on Latin, says that applies to not just the three languages that I know but to all languages, ancient and modern.
With that, if we follow the pattern here, one group of people, the “we”, that is, the Jewish believers, came to know the Gospel first. That was according to God’s plan and His will. The second set of people came to know the Gospel by hearing the Gospel from those who already knew the Gospel first. The second group learned the Gospel from the first group, who were the Jews. Does that feel like a stretch? How about Ephesians 3:4-7?
Ephesians 3:4-7 4 By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which in other generations was not made known to mankind, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; 6 to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, 7 of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.
So to whom was it revealed first that Gentiles were also part of God’s plan of salvation, the Gospel? Were they Jewish believers or Gentile believers?
Coming back to basic language principles, if we keep the groups which “we”, “you”, and “us” refer to throughout the sentence consistent, we end up with:
In all wisdom and insight He made known to us[the Jewish believers]the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He set forth in Him, regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him we[the Jewish believers]also have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things in accordance with the plan of His will, to the end that we[the Jewish believers]who were the first to hope in the Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
Lets pan out some more:
In love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us[the Jewish believers]the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He set forth in Him, regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him we[the Jewish believers]also have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things in accordance with the plan of His will, to the end that we[the Jewish believers]who were the first to hope in the Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you[not the Jewish believers but the Gentile believers]also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you[not the Jewish believers but the Gentile believers]were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
Wow! There is that word predestined again. And what do we do with the word “us” in “He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters”. Surely this must mean all? But then Romans 9:4 dashes our hopes!
Romans 9:4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and daughters, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the temple service, and the promises;
So where does that leave the “you,” the Gentile believer? According to Romans 11:24, the “you” is grafted in from a wild olive tree.
Romans 11:24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?
Note: There is no difference between Jews and Gentiles after you become believers. Once we believe, it doesn’t matter where we come from and how we get grafted in. Remember Ephesians 3:6, which we looked at previously:
Ephesians 3:6 to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,
Some of you might be thinking of Romans 8 where the word adoption is used in some verses. To address that would require a much longer exegesis that’s beyond the scope of this blog. Maybe some day, God willing, I will. Better still, how about you all try out exegesis on those verses? If you do, please consider the entire Romans. Forget what you have been taught. Ask God for His anointing and read it as if you are reading it for the first time.
With that, let’s look at the entire sentence. Some of you have probably already figured out that the passage we were looking at is from Ephesians 1:3-14. The full sentence follows:
Ephesians 1:3-14 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He set forth in Him, 10 regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. 11 In Him we also have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things in accordance with the plan of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in the Christ would be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
Are these “we”, “you”, “us” really pointing to two different groups? Or is it possible that “we” and “us” could sometimes mean everyone? Ephesians 2:1-3 makes it difficult to mix those up. There is a specific “you,” and when “we” is used in “Among them we”, it’s not just “we” but “Among them we too all … just as the rest.”
Ephesians 2:1-3 And you were dead in your offenses and sins, 2 in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest.
Going further, in Ephesians 2:11-16, spells out the two groups even more clearly. Note: while “groups into” in verse 14 is added and is not in the original, it makes sense when the passage is read in context where you clearly see the two groups called out, Gentiles and the people of Israel. Through the cross, these two groups have become one. Where there was hostility between these two groups in the past, we find now peace established, though Christ.
Ephesians 2:11-16 11 Therefore remember that previously you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the people of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who previously were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the hostility, which is the Law composed of commandments expressed in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two one new person, in this way establishing peace; 16 and that He might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the hostility.
Finally, Ephesians 4:1-6 talks about being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:1-6 1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
The letter to the Epheshians urges the two groups to:
- Bear one another in love
- Be diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Why?
- There is one body and one Spirit and one hope – for both the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers.
- The two groups don’t have two different Gods. It is the same one God who is the Father of all.
- He is over all and through all and in all, Jewish and Gentile believers.
Note: Ephesians 1:14 also combines both groups together with “our” in “who is a first installment of our inheritance“
Going back to Ephesians 1:3-14, which is per scholars, a single sentence, we have two options. We could plug in “we”, “us”, and “you” with the right set of groups and be thankful with the group that you and I belong to.
Ephesians 1:3-14 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us[the Jewish believers] with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us[the Jewish believers] in Him before the foundation of the world, that we[the Jewish believers] would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us[the Jewish believers] to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us[the Jewish believers] in the Beloved. 7 In Him we[the Jewish believers] have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us[the Jewish believers]. In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us[the Jewish believers] the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He set forth in Him, 10 regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. 11 In Him we[the Jewish believers] also have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things in accordance with the plan of His will, 12 to the end that we[the Jewish believers] who were the first to hope in the Christ would be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him, you[the Gentile believers] also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you[the Gentile believers] were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first installment of our[all believers] inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
Or we could plug in what our rich history has taught us to believe.
The first option is perhaps humbling, but it is an incredible blessing to be counted in any group at all. The second option lets us decide what the passage should say. Exegesis? Eisegesis? I am at peace with the group I am in. I am just incredibly thankful that God has blessed me to be in one of these groups at all. I don’t find a need to usurp the rightful place of the Jewish believers. Are you at peace?
Dear brother and sister, are you praying for God’s anointing and willing to put your thoughts and preconceived notions aside and put in the time to see what God wants to teach you today from the Scriptures? Praying for you. Please pray for me too.
Edited by: Mini, Shalom and Nathaniel Kommu
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
PS: One of the challenges with exegesis is a justified fear of misinterpreting the Scriptures. The fact that we are afraid of misinterpreting, is in some ways indicative of a high view of the Scriptures and fear of God. One way to address this justified concern is to stick to the established historic interpretation. However, if we did that, there is really no reformation or renewal of mind. Another way is to step out in faith, putting aside what we know, to learn what God has to say from His Scriptures. If in doubt, as I was about this blog, reach out to other believers, specially those who may not agree with you, to check whether there are any red flags. In my case, I am blessed with an incredible family that really keeps me honest. I am also blessed with friends, who may not agree with me on all points, who are willing to keep me on track. I reach out to them. Regarding this blog, one of my kids a month after our discussion, told me that he came across books by Bible Scholars that have same view. Its comforting to know that I am not alone. Its also comforting to know, that a layman like me, armed with His anointing, could come to same conclusions as scholars, because it is the same Spirit teaching us.
I do want to clarify though, so that other laypeople like me may be encouraged, all that I shared here is original. This exegesis is not coming from any book I read, any sermon I heard or any video I watched. The trigger for this exegesis was a sermon on a Sunday, that followed the tradional interpretation, and I wanted to check, exegetically whether the Scriptures really said, what the Pastor that day claimed that it did.
With that, may I encourage you to take a step in faith, with courage, not afraid of contradicting tradition but longing to align with God’s Word. Try Exegesis.
