Before becoming the principal at Berean Christian High School, I taught Christian History and Hermeneutics. The word hermeneutics may be unfamiliar to many, but essentially it means “interpretation.” More specifically, hermeneutics is the science and art of biblical interpretation. It is a “science” as there are principles and procedures, i.e., a set of rules, that interpreters must follow when looking for the meaning a biblical author intended to convey to his ancient audience. But it is also an “art” as applying interpretive rules to the Bible is a skill aided by the Spirit of God and developed over a lifetime.
Every year, on the first day of school, I introduced my students to hermeneutics by using a PowerPoint presentation with pictures of professional athletes displaying a particular Bible verse, Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (NKJV). My presentation included pictures of a prominent football player with “Phil 4:13” scribbled on his gameday uniform. Other photos featured a basketball star who emblazoned the verse on his high-top sneakers. Still, other images showed “Phil 4:13” on weight room dumbbells and countless arm tattoos. Every picture equated the verse with physical strength and athletic prowess in some way.
After showing the pictures on the first day, I began a discussion by asking my students what the athletes in the photos believed about the meaning of Philippians 4:13. They usually expressed the idea that the athletes, because of their faith in Jesus, would receive divine strength to perform well and defeat their opponents. Someone would usually add, “I can do all things means ‘all things,’ and that must include athletic competition.” When this was stated, I would ask them, “Can you think of a scenario where a Christian would not receive divine strength to accomplish a task?” More often than not, someone would be quick to note that “Jesus would not provide strength to do wrong. Certainly, He would not grant His power to rob a bank or hurt someone.” Realizing “I can do all things” doesn’t always mean “all things” piqued their interest.
The next logical question for the class was this: “How do we know if Paul’s words ‘I can do all things’ in Philippians 4:13 applies to Christian athletes in their sport?” They answered by saying, “We need to study the rest of the book of Philippians to find out what the author meant by it.” Precisely! And what a great lesson to learn on the first day of school! Context determines meaning!
As you can imagine, the concept of a Christian athlete being supernaturally enabled to win a game or grow physically stronger because of their faith in Christ is foreign to the book of Philippians. The apostle Paul wrote his letter to the church during a two-year stint in a Roman jail cell. His faithfulness to the call to preach the gospel resulted in his imprisonment and many other challenging circumstances. But he is content in the midst of them, and he encourages the Philippians with the knowledge that Christ will strengthen them too as they live out their faith in a hostile world. Like Paul, they could “suffer well” with the strength Christ provides.
And while Paul wrote his letter almost two thousand years ago, the principle remains the same for us today – Christ will strengthen His people as they endure the trying situations that come as a result of following Him.
Knowing how to read and interpret the Bible is undoubtedly one of the greatest things students learn at Berean Christian High School. It is a science and an art that will help them hear from the Creator of the Universe as he engineers the circumstances of their lives for His glory and their good. May He bless our efforts as we partner with churches and Christian families to launch our students into the world ready “to do all things.”
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16–17, NIV)
God Bless You Nicholas Harris
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