Is it possible for a passage of scripture to have multiple meanings? How does this affect our understanding of doctrine and theology?

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Travis

The short answer is yes

https://www.britannica.com/topic/hermeneutics-principles-of-biblical-interpretation

Is it possible for a passage of scripture to have multiple meanings?

Absolutely; for example -
…”I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.…(Ezekiel 36:25-27). This prophesy was given to the nation of Israel, but it also refers to the born again experience. At the new birth, our sins are forgiven and cleansed, we are in Christ, a new creation, and the Holy Spirit is now dwelling in the believer.

One of the marvelous things about the Word is that the Holy Spirit will give you more light on a scripture that you have read 100 times.

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Mike

Travis,
The living word will invariably be considered and related to based on the subjective disposition of the reader/hearer. While this wouldn’t change the objective value of the scriptures, it does appear to affect the subjective rendering of the word in that the more we steep ourselves in the word, the more that’s imparted into us, with hereto before opaque and placid passages of scripture are quickened and become alive in us as it were, relating to even the most nuanced experiences of the believers. It (the word of God) can be as hard as iron and as soft as silk offering both boundary as well as comfort.
(for me) The Lord has opened or given light to passages that had previously been hidden or obscured, with each time an opportunity is afforded to grow in the word as the word takes root and grows in us <\\\><

The implications are equally profound and perhaps that’s one reason why there are many admonitions to handle the word considerately, skillfully even. Many times in our zeal, we lack the discipline necessary to handle the word properly and as such actually injure our fellow members faith, rather than serving to build it up.

Something that had occurred to me fairly early on is that the word of God has quantative value in that (like the many facets of a diamond) no matter how you approach it, it’s inherent internal value is present even when we don’t have the understanding to appreciate it. Which is to say that the very passage of scripture that in one season may be convicting and restrictive, in another season may be found to be protective and life giving 🙏🏻

I believe one reason this is so, is due to the word being forever settled in heaven and as such isn’t limited to our understanding, rather our understanding is limited by the extent we accept and agree with what God has said. This is one aspect of the scriptures that (for me) never gets old… as anytime I get hung up on a passage, I simply ask for Him to open it and give understanding, believing that He will and He always does sooner or later. That seems to be directly related to my internal disposition, whether I’m willing to see it as He does. What’s deeply concerning is that we can also, as many throughout history have, use the word unrighteously and deceive ourselves and others 😳 just as the serpent used the word to tempt, deceive and beguile Gods children from the beginning by amputating passages from their original context and reforming them in ways that are abominable. Kinda like the current phenomenon of gender reassignment. We can sometimes lie to ourselves and mishandle the word, tho even here the word, in its proper form, also provides the remedy as a way of escaping the darkness of deception.

1 Cor 13 in many ways acts as a litmus test for whether we are “right” with God in that it tests the quality of the fruit we are producing…. at the end of the day is it a godly love… if so it is life giving if not it is the clanging of a gong or the creaking of a rusty gate -

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Fletcher

Maybe slightly rephrasing the question might help, or maybe leaving it as open ended as it is would be best to see what everyone says. But I think I will say this to clarify the question.

There are prophecies in the old testament that have a bit of a double meaning. For example the Ezekiel reference. These are pretty well known examples and I believe we could point to any one of them and say, "That is one of the double meaning prophecies." In that respect, each of those passages only has one meaning, that being the immediate and prophetic double meaning of that passage. But we would never say that these passages also applied to the United States Presidential election in 2024 and at the same time apply to what my church is going to do in the next year, for example. Their meaning is limited to, well, their meaning.

So what about, let's say, New Testament passages? Does proper exigesis allow a particular verse or passage to have multiple interpretations and meanings, or is there only one truly correct interpretation? That is more what I am getting at.

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Travis

I’m not sure if scripture can be read that way- ie so strictly. Paul said scripture is living and active. A verse may sting me today and provide solace next month. No one can tell me that I was wrong to be solaced because the scripture’s true meaning was to sting or vice versa.

I guess that sounds like scripture can be subjective which doesn’t sound exactly right but how else can you explain how some scripture affects people differently?


ADD: For example when Jesus said “it is finished” on the cross. One person reading that may be crushed with sorrow and another might run around the room with joy. Who is to say which response is correct?

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Todd

Brother I think there is still shadows and typology within the New testament which would mean that there's one literal interpretation and then other applications that the holy spirit will apply and draw out of the text in a type of spiritual typological manner and there could be more than one application to a text.

A good example that the holy spirit has clearly revealed to many people would be Jesus making water into wine at the end of the feast and that he saved his best to last.


Speaks about the latter outpouring of the holy spirit that he saved to the end of this age that would become a great harvest and the fulfillment of the first fruits harvest of the first century and the first outpouring of the spirit.

People would set that harvest at different time frames but I would say that it began around the time of the moravian outpouring in the outpouring of the First awakening and it will continue and as the bride matures towards the end of the age because Christ is coming for a mature bride not an immature dirty harlot.

This looks to be a good example of a another clear application that David Wilkinson is using which could clearly have a literal fulfillment either in the future in a millennial kingdom after Christ comes back if that is the view you subscribed to





DRAWING WATER FROM THE RIVER OF LIFE by David Wilkerson Reply To This Post |
Why are some believers full of peace and joy, radiating the glow of spiritual life and health to all they meet? Is it because they don’t have my problems? No! The truth is, they may have more than you—in fact, more than most people!

But these saints learned the secret of having roots in God’s river. If you are rooted in the river, you don’t need a revival; you don’t need showers of blessings; you don’t need a special outpouring; you don’t need a flood of sudden victory. And because you enjoy a constant hour-by-hour flow of life-giving water, you are not constantly moving from dry spell to blessing, from lows to highs, from revival to coldness. Spiritual famine doesn’t touch you; the scorching heat of apostasy doesn’t faze you because you are drawing water from the river of life!

If I had to choose between revival and roots, I’d take roots any day. For long after revival is gone, I would still thrive because of my roots, which would supply me daily with all I need. Ezekiel saw a river of life issuing from the sanctuary. “By the river upon the bank thereof . . . shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit . . . because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine” (Ezekiel 47:12).

God showed this prophet a river coming out of His holy temple. As time went by, it swelled from a trickle to a river in which he could swim. Ezekiel saw a man measuring the growing stream of life, until it became “a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in” (Ezekiel 47:5). You see, the early Church experienced water that reached the ankles; the Reformation had water reaching the loins. And in this day and age, the water has risen so much that we now have water to swim in!

On the bank of this river are many trees, all green and bearing fruit. And who are these trees? All those with roots of trust in Him. “And it shall come to pass, that everything that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and everything shall live whither the river cometh” (Ezekiel 47:9).

Travis that verse in ezk, is mentioned in Revelations as well so is also a New Testament reality that most would put in the future, wile David Wilkinson applied it to the past present, and future.

I really appreciate this line of questioning Travis, and have had similar questions myself through the years.

Where I am at today is that the writers (authors) of the Scriptures wrote from their personal experience, led by the Spirit, with their specific meaning and intent at that time. Each word intensely personal and written through intimate relationship with God the Father for those B.C., and Christ Jesus himself A.D., but all in the Spirit.

Fast forward to anyone in history who read the scriptures (even the early church who was reading the letters written specifically to their church in the various cities, before they were deemed "scripture"), and it seems apparent that interpretation and application can be as widely varied as the number of people that have read them!

But just because the interpretation and application of scriptures can vary, and even have widespread agreement among some people (i.e. denominations, creeds, etc.), that does not mean those people or groups are correct. It just means they agree.

What is often puzzling to me is how (seemingly) sincere Spirit-filled, Bible believing saints can often have such seemingly diametrically opposed interpretations of the same scripture.

I am often left groping with the following possible realities:

1. I am completely wrong and regardless if I think I have heard from the Spirit on a text, I have only heard in part, or not at all yet. I know this has often been true in my journey, because over the course of time as I get to know Christ better, the Scriptures come alive with new revelation, similar to what brother Fletcher shared.
2. People who have a different perspective, regardless if they think they have heard from the Spirit on a text, they have not, and they are wrong.
3. None of us have actually heard from the Spirit on the meaning of the text yet, and we are all wrong.
4. There are actually multiple true interpretations/meanings of a text, and somehow the Spirit is able to hold each of them in tension, with both (or however many) people all being right at the same time, with just difference facets of the truth. (I picture this possibility as if we are all looking at the same diamond, just a different facet of it)

I doubt this answers the question at hand really, but my aim is not to further muddy the discussion, just join with you all in seeking the Truth.

I really appreciate how you write, brother Travis. I sense a lot of humility in your posts, and that you are extremely careful in your choice of words. I thank the Lord for your example in that!

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Caleb