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We studied three kinds of passages that we must apply: universally applicable passages, culturally specific passages, and difficult passages. What are the differences between each kind of passage?
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Universally applicable – easily transfer from their original setting to our own
Culturally applicable – may need some additional work to make them applicable to our culture
Difficult – are easy to understand in their context, but when we try to do the hermeneutic meaning of the passage; many argue about this -
Universal truths are those that present truths that were originally addressed to one person or group, but they are repeated in other passages. They are timeless commands to all of God’s people.
Culturally specific passages are not easily transferable from their original contexts to ours. The specifics are different, but the principle is the same. Difficult passages are those that make sense in their context but are confusing when we apply them in our modern context. -
Universally: These passages are direct in their application in all times.
Culturally Specific: These passages require the reader to abstract and generalize the meaning from the context it was written. This is doable, but not as easy as universally applicable.
Difficult: These passages have several different possible hermeneutical applications which scholars do not agree on. -
Universal truths a not limited to a specific time or people. Culturally relevant passages may have broader truths within a specific setting. Difficult passages can be interpreted by various groups differently depending on the hermeneutical interpretation of the passage.
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Universally applicable passages are passages that are easy for us to interpret not only in the setting it was written in but is also easy for us to apply it in a modern setting. In other words, it is easy to interpret in both a exegesis sense as well as in a hermeneutic sense.
Culturally specific passages are passages that are easy to get an exegesis interpretation but can be difficult or impossible to get a hermeneutics interpretation without looking at the context of the larger passage that the culturally specific passage is in.
Difficult passages are those passages that Bible scholars agree on the exegesis interpretation but do not agree on the hermeneutic interpretation of a passage.
