Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 28:3 (Fall 2024)
Article: Captured By The Word: Hermeneutics And The Agonizing Struggle
Author: Brian J. Vickers

Captured By The Word: Hermeneutics And The Agonizing Struggle1

Brian J. Vickers

Brian J. Vickers is Professor of New Testament Interpretation and Assistant Editor of Southern Baptist Journal of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky. He earned his MDiv and PhD from Southern Seminary. Dr. Vickers is the author of Jesus’ Blood and Righteousness: Paul’s Theology of Imputation (Crossway, 2006); Justification by Grace through Faith: Finding Freedom from Legalism, Lawlessness, Pride, and Despair (P&R, 2023) and he has contributed numerous chapters and articles to books and journals. He is actively involved in leading short-term mission trips from Southern Seminary to many overseas locations. He is married to Denise and they have one daughter. He is a member of Sojourn J-Town Church, Louisville, Kentucky.

Before I begin, I want to express my sincere thanks to President Mohler, to the Provost, Dr. Paul Akin, and my Dean, Dr. Hershael York, for the invitation and honor of presenting this address to the faculty. I also want to extend my thanks and gratitude to my esteemed and beloved colleagues. It is a privilege beyond description to be numbered among you. And of course, to my students—the reason I and my colleagues are here. Above all, I am grateful to my wife Denise. To say that I would not be standing here today without her is an understatement. Of all people, she most embodies what it is to put the interests of others ahead of her own. And my daughter Jamie, the apple of my eye, I’m so proud of you and glad that you’re here today.

Introduction

I read the Bible because it is “the book that reads me.” 2This is how a woman who, through the work of missionaries confessed faith in Christ, responded to a question from her friends and neighbors who noticed that the Bible was

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her constant companion. They asked her, “Why do you read the Bible?” She replied, “It is the book that reads me.” What she understood intuitively, just by reading, is that the Bible is not simply an inspired object of study. I think it’s fair to say that what she discovered is that 2 Timothy 3:16 is more than a propositional statement about the Bible. It is also a statement about what the Bible itself does. The Bible exposes the reader, it reproves, corrects, and trains the reader in righteousness. In short, the woman was captured by the Word. This sort of capture cannot be coaxed from the Bible simply through applying proper critical tools and methods, putting together big pictures, retrieving pre-critical models of interpretation, or through p...