Introduction:
Interpreting the Bible has always presented challenges, particularly when encountering passages that seem to conflict with the portrayal of God as loving, just, and holy. Traditional approaches often struggle to maintain coherence across the entire biblical narrative, resulting in fragmented interpretations. To address this, a more holistic hermeneutic is needed—one that aligns consistently with the foundational truths of God’s nature and His redemptive work throughout history.
This new hermeneutic begins with recognizing key aspects of God’s nature, drawn directly from Scripture: God is Light, God is Love, God is Good, God is Holy, God is Just, God is Truth, and God is One. These truths function as the Divine Gamut—a conceptual framework within which all valid interpretations of Scripture must lie. Just as a color gamut defines the range of colors a display can accurately render, the Divine Gamut ensures that our interpretations remain consistent with the full spectrum of God’s revealed character.
Main Thesis:
The core of this hermeneutic is that all of Scripture—both Old and New Testaments—must be interpreted within the Divine Gamut, which is defined by God’s nature and the overarching redemptive narrative culminating in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This approach ensures that all interpretations are coherent, consistent, and deeply rooted in the truth of who God is and what He has accomplished through Christ.
The Divine Gamut: Understanding God’s Nature
Each aspect of God’s nature forms a boundary within the Divine Gamut, ensuring that our interpretations reflect the full spectrum of His character.
God is Light: God’s nature as light means that He reveals truth and dispels darkness. This is foundational to understanding how God interacts with the world. Scripture affirms this in 1 John 1:5, "God is light; in him there is no darkness at all," and Psalm 36:9, "In your light we see light." This principle guides us to interpret Scripture in a way that brings clarity and truth.
God is Love: God’s love is not just an emotion but the essence of His being. It drives His actions and His relationship with humanity. "God is love" (1 John 4:8) is a definitive statement that influences how we view everything from God’s judgments to His promises. This love is consistent and unfailing, as seen throughout Scripture, particularly in 1 John 4:16, which reiterates that "God is love."
God is Good: The goodness of God encompasses His kindness, mercy, and moral perfection. This truth is beautifully captured in Psalm 100:5, "For the Lord is good and his love endures forever," and Psalm 34:8, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Understanding God’s goodness helps us interpret difficult passages through the lens of His ultimate benevolence.
God is Holy: God’s holiness sets Him apart, emphasizing His purity and righteousness. This is a central theme in Scripture, as highlighted in Isaiah 6:3, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty," and 1 Peter 1:15-16, which calls believers to be holy as God is holy. This holiness requires that our interpretations acknowledge the moral and spiritual purity of God’s actions and commands.
God is Just: God’s justice is integral to His character, ensuring that He acts righteously and fairly in all situations. Deuteronomy 32:4 declares, "He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just." Psalm 145:17 further affirms, "The Lord is righteous in all his ways." Recognizing God’s justice helps us understand His judgments and the ultimate fairness of His plans.
God is Truth: God’s nature as truth (ἀλήθεια - alētheia) implies that He is the ultimate reality—the foundation of all that is true. Jesus encapsulates this in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life." This truth is not merely factual accuracy but the very essence of reality, as also reflected in John 17:17, "Your word is truth." This understanding compels us to interpret Scripture in a way that aligns with the ultimate truth of God’s nature.
God is One: The oneness of God is foundational to the Christian faith, affirming that God is singular and unified in His essence. This is clearly stated in Deuteronomy 6:4, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." This oneness is also reflected in the triune nature of God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each distinct yet fully one in essence, as seen in Matthew 28:19’s Trinitarian formula. The doctrine of divine simplicity, which asserts that God is not composed of parts, underlines that His attributes are not separate but perfectly integrated within His singular being.
The Redemptive Narrative: The Blood of Christ as the Pivotal Point
Central to this hermeneutic is the redemptive narrative that runs throughout the Bible, which hinges on the blood of Christ as the crucial pivot point of history. From the moment God shed the first blood to cover Adam and Eve’s sin (Genesis 3:21), to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, the theme of blood as a means of reconciliation and protection is woven throughout Scripture.
The Old Covenant, established through God’s law and the sacrificial system, was designed to point toward faith in Christ, with the blood sacrifices prefiguring His ultimate sacrifice. The blood of Christ, prefigured throughout the Old Testament, is the substance of God’s redemptive work. It is through His blood that the separation caused by sin is overcome, and humanity is brought back into right relationship with God. This narrative finds its culmination in Jesus, whose sacrificial death was not merely an event but the fulcrum upon which the entire redemptive story balances. It is through Christ’s blood that the curse of sin is broken, and the path to eternal life is opened.
This concept is also illustrated in Job’s prophetic declaration, "I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth" (Job 19:25). Here, Job expresses a profound understanding of God’s ultimate plan for redemption—a plan that would be fulfilled in Christ, the Redeemer, who would conquer death and bring resurrection life.
Revisiting Traditional Interpretations: Job’s Suffering and the Divine Gamut
Using the Divine Gamut, we can revisit traditional interpretations, such as the story of Job. Rather than seeing God as the cause of Job's suffering, this hermeneutic suggests that God was protecting Job within the limits of Satan’s accusations. Job’s fear, expressed in his sacrifices and concerns (Job 3:25), may have opened a door for Satan’s attacks, but God’s response was one of setting boundaries and ultimately bringing restoration (Job 42:10).
Job’s declaration of faith in a living Redeemer (Job 19:25) and his ultimate restoration foreshadow the complete redemption and resurrection found in Christ. This perspective aligns with the broader redemptive narrative, showing how even the most challenging passages fit within the Divine Gamut when viewed through the lens of God’s nature and His plan for humanity.
The Cursing of the Fig Tree: Condemnation of Man-Made Religion
Scripture Reference: "The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, 'May no one ever eat fruit from you again.' And his disciples heard him say it." (Mark 11:12-14)
The cursing of the fig tree by Jesus is a powerful symbolic action that condemns the fruitlessness of man-made religion—what Isaiah refers to as "filthy rags" righteousness (Isaiah 64:6). The fig tree, despite its appearance of life (having leaves), bore no fruit, just as the religious leaders of Israel displayed outward religiosity without the genuine spiritual fruit that God desires.
This act was not a condemnation of the Old Covenant, which pointed to Christ through the sacrificial system, but rather a rejection of the self-righteousness that had become prevalent among the religious leaders of the time. The fig tree’s barrenness symbolizes the failure of any religious system that relies on human effort rather than faith in God’s provision—ultimately fulfilled in Christ.
Applying the Divine Gamut:
God is Just: The fig tree’s barrenness serves as a just indictment of a religion that has lost its connection to God’s true purposes. It reflects the consequences of turning away from God’s grace and relying on human efforts, which cannot produce the righteousness that God requires.
God is Love and Good: Jesus’ act of cursing the fig tree, though severe, is a loving warning against the dangers of self-reliance and hypocrisy in religious practice. It calls people back to a genuine relationship with God, based on faith and trust in His provision, rather than mere outward observance.
God is Truth: The fig tree’s outward appearance of life without fruit mirrors the danger of hypocrisy—appearing righteous without true substance. Jesus’ action underscores the importance of authenticity in our faith, aligning with God’s nature as Truth.
Redemptive Narrative: The cursing of the fig tree also serves as a prelude to the fulfillment of the redemptive narrative in Christ. It marks the end of the old covenant based on works and the inauguration of the new covenant based on faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross. This event foreshadows the necessity of moving from a system of works righteousness to one of grace through faith.
Final Thoughts:
By applying the Divine Gamut hermeneutic, we see that even the most challenging passages of Scripture can be understood in a way that aligns with the full spectrum of God’s nature—His light, love, goodness, holiness, justice, truth, and oneness. This approach ensures that our interpretations are not only consistent but also deeply rooted in the broader narrative of God’s redemptive work, culminating in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through this lens, Scripture reveals a unified and coherent message of God’s plan for humanity, guiding us to a deeper understanding of His character and His purposes for the world.
References
Fee, Gordon D. and Douglas Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014. "The Bible is not a collection of discrete, isolated units of thought but rather a book with a grand narrative, and each part must be understood in relation to the whole."
Carson, D.A. and G.K. Beale. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007. "Understanding the Old Testament is crucial to fully grasping the New Testament message, as it provides the foundation upon which the New Testament is built."
Osborne, Grant R. The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. "The goal of hermeneutics is to ensure that our interpretation of Scripture is both faithful to the text and relevant to the contemporary world."
Wright, N.T. Scripture and the Authority of God: How to Read the Bible Today. New York: HarperOne, 2013. "Scripture is not just a source of information but the means by which God speaks to his people, guiding them in their relationship with Him."
Ladd, George Eldon. A Theology of the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993. "The New Testament must be understood in its entirety, as it presents a unified theology centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ."