Writing to the elders of the Ephesian Church the Apostle Paul declared, “I did not cease to admonish each one with tears” (Acts 20:31). Here Paul displays the pathos of the pastor. The pastor is called to faithfully preach and teach the Word of God and exercise profound compassion towards the people of God. The call to be a faithful teacher with a compassionate heart can be agonizing for the pastor and congregation.
How does a pastor teach young adults to “flee fornication” without offending the unwed parents in the congregation? How does a pastor encourage the sanctity of marriage and warn about the evil of divorce without rubbing salt into the wound of divorcees in the congregation? How does a pastor explain the prohibition against homosexuality without alienating men and women struggling with same sex attraction? How does a pastor discuss abortion and the sanctity of human life without causing emotional harm to a mother in the congregation who continues to regret an abortion many years ago? How does a pastor preach the unity and equality of humanity in a racist culture? Through the years I have offended many people whom I loved by simply trying to be a faithful pastor. This is what I mean by the agony of hermeneutics.
The Bible must be read, rightly interpreted, and carefully applied. Reading is easy. Right interpretation requires prayer, meditation, study, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Careful application of the biblical text can be painful and requires wisdom and the sanctifying discipline of self-denial.
All of us read the Bible from the perspective of our cultural context and personal narrative. The great temptation is to adopt a hermeneutic of convenience. This means that we read, interpret, and apply the text in a manner that is convenient to our personal context and narrative. For those who have suffered the trauma of divorce, the teaching of the New Testament may seem heartless. For those struggling with same sex attraction the prohibitions against homosexuality lack understanding. For the racist, to suggest that all humans are created equally in the image of God and are the children of God is unreasonable. We have read the text, considered it, and dismissed it as insignificant to our situation. We embrace a culture of sexual amorality and no-fault divorce. We have justified racism. The biblical text has been shaped (or misshaped) by our personal narrative.
If we are to be faithful to the inspired text, we must be careful that our context and narrative does not cloud our reading. Instead, we must allow the living Word to “judge the thoughts and intentions of our hearts” (Hebrews 4:12) and transform our minds (Romans 12:2; Philippians 2:5). As we read the text we must let the text read us. The text must confront and provoke us as we read. Jesus read the woman at the well (John 4:1ff) and the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18ff). Peter discerned Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1ff) and Simon Magnus (Acts 8:9ff). “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
This can be an agonizing process. The law judges us to be sinful (Romans 2:12). The Spirit convicts and compels us to “sorrow to the point of repentance” (2 Corinthians 7:9). “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The agony of judgment and conviction gives way to forgiveness and joy.
As we walk in the grace of God, we must be careful that grace does not become license for sin. That means that our brokenness must not define the fellowship of the Church. In other words, our unfortunate past or present struggles with sinfulness must be redefined by the righteousness of Christ. This brings us back to the questions of the second paragraph. It is because of new life in Christ that the pastor must risk offense and sometimes provoke anxiety and tears. The church may be comprised of former fornicators, adulterers, and homosexuals who continue to struggle with temptation. There may be many divorcees in the church whose wounds of betrayal remain unhealed. It is very likely that there are many people with racist sentiments singing the hymns. Praise God! The church should be the place where the broken are healed and the sinful are forgiven.
Jesus forgave the adulteress woman and commanded that she “sin no more” (John 8:12). This informs the pastoral pathos. The pastor should be very careful to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) and restore sinners in a “spirit of gentleness” (Galatians 6:1). As Paul said, “the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:4-5).
This also informs the way in which sinners are to receive the teaching of the Scriptures – with gratitude (Colossians 2:7) and humility (James 1:21), walking in sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:1ff). The call to “sin no more” means that former fornicators, adulterers, and homosexuals embrace a Christian sexual ethic of abstinence before marriage, fidelity in marriage, and define marriage as one man and one woman. The call to “sin no more” means that divorcee’s offer an “Amen” when the pastor teaches against divorce. The call to “sin no more” means that those who are struggling with racism wash the feet of those who have been oppressed by racism. Instead of offering excuses or explanations for our past, we eagerly embrace new life in Christ. The Gospel is not defined by our personal narratives. Instead, the Gospel breaks into our personal narratives so that we may be transformed by Jesus Christ.
