Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 36:4 (Dec 1993)
Article: The Role Of The Spirit In Interpretation
Author: Clark H. Pinnock

JETS 36:4 (December 1993) p. 491

The Role Of The Spirit In Interpretation

Clark H. Pinnock*

The role of the Holy Spirit in Biblical interpretation is a topic that raises the issue of contextualizing the gospel in modern culture and understanding God’s Word in new situations, for which we are in great need of the Spirit’s help to lead us into truth and mission. We need the Spirit to enable us to bring Jesus’ message into effective expression. We hear Christ say, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 3:22).1

I. A Gap In Evangelical Theology

Despite our need of them, discussions of the illumination of the Word by the Spirit are few. Fred H. Klooster comments: “The illumination of the Holy Spirit is regularly mentioned in theological literature; yet detailed discussion of this subject is rare.” His respondent (Art Lindsley) agrees: “The Holy Spirit’s work [of illumination] has not been given the prominence it deserves.”2 Pressed to find a worthy discussion, both men reach back to the Puritan pastor and theologian John Owen for something helpful, to a work written not less than three hundred years ago. This is astonishing. Why do we not find the topic discussed where we would expect it—in standard books on Biblical interpretation like those of Ramm, Osborne, Thiselton, Fee?3

There may be a slight excuse provided by the mention of John Owen’s name. Could it be that the subject is not neglected so much as misplaced? In Owen one finds it in pastoral and devotional writing, not in hermeneutical theory. Perhaps we too place our discussions in such work. But this explanation contains a criticism of our thinking about interpretation. Is it not naive to think that one can master hermeneutics without paying attention to the Spirit and to the second horizon?

* Clark Pinnock is professor of systematic theology at McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada.

JETS 36:4 (December 1993) p. 492

It is apparent that evangelical scholars are more interested in inspiration than illumination and in the first than in the second horizon. The shortfall of studies occurs not in regard to inspiration and methods of extracting meaning from the first horizon but in regard to illumination and the opening up of the text into significance. The tilt and onesidedness is easily explained. It has to do with the fact that liberal scholars are very interested in illumination and the second horizon. They gravitate toward reader-driven interpretations and celebrate unexpected i...