Avoiding Practical Illustrations as Substitute for Scripture Application
The Apostle Paul warned against "giving heed to stories and endless genealogies" which lead to "arguings, rather than that stewardship of God which is with faith" (1 Timothy 1:4 Rotherham) [1]. This admonition highlights a biblical emphasis on direct engagement with divine revelation over speculative or illustrative narratives that might distract from core theological truths.
The danger of substituting practical illustrations for scriptural application lies in the potential for misdirection or dilution of the divine message. John Calvin, in his commentary on Isaiah, notes that the prophet guards against distrust by condemning Gentile superstitions and declaring that God cannot be represented by images or likenesses [2]. This principle extends to understanding God's nature and commands; human-made illustrations, if not carefully grounded in Scripture, can inadvertently create a distorted image or understanding of God's will.
Similarly, the New Testament frequently warns against "pagan wordiness" and "endless repetition" in prayer, advocating instead for the simplicity modeled in the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:7-8) [7]. This suggests a preference for direct, unadorned communication and application of spiritual principles, rather than reliance on elaborate human constructs. Matthew Henry, commenting on Leviticus, observes that God frequently reiterates the most important precepts of the law, such as the second and fourth commandments, to ensure their prominence and to test obedience [8]. This repetition underscores the importance of direct scriptural teaching and application, rather than relying on secondary illustrations that might obscure the primary message.
The early church father John Chrysostom, whose homilies on Acts and Romans are noted for their exegetical depth, consistently focused on expounding the biblical text [3, 4, 5, 6]. While he sometimes faced challenges due to his reliance on the Septuagint and lack of Hebrew knowledge, his method was characterized by a comparative approach to Scripture, seeking to understand the text through other biblical passages [9]. This approach prioritizes scriptural interpretation over external illustrations. The Acts of the Apostles, for instance, is seen as a record of the Apostolic Church's labors and triumphs, with the resurrection of Jesus as a prominent theme in apostolic discourses [10]. The book's purpose is to record these events, not to provide abstract illustrations.
Even when encountering difficult passages, the emphasis remains on understanding the text itself. The Ethiopian eunuch's question, "How can I, except some man should guide me?" (Acts 8:31), is not an argument for an "authorized interpreter" in the sense of someone providing extra-biblical illustrations. Rather, it highlights the need for guidance in understanding the scriptural dispensation, especially for those unfamiliar with the Gospel [11]. Once the Gospel is published and accessible, "every thing relative to the salvation of the soul may be clearly apprehended by any simple, upright mind" [11]. This suggests that the clarity of Scripture, when properly understood, is sufficient for application, without the need for illustrative substitutes.
Sources
- I Timothy “I Timothy 1:4 (Rotherham) — Not to be teaching otherwise, nor yet to be giving heed to stories and endless genealogies,—the which, bring, arguings, rather than that stewardship of God which is with faith;—”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Isaiah, Vol. 3, section 8.30: in guarding the Jews against distrust, at the same time condemns the superstitions of the Gentiles, and declares that it is inconsistent with the nature of God to be represented by painting or by any kind of likeness. This shews clearly that Paul’s doctrine fully agrees with it; for the Prophet, after having shewn that the power of God is infinite, since he holds all things in his fist, at length concludes, “To whom then will ye liken me? for no image that is formed will have any likeness or resemblance to me.” Or, what resemblance will you a”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Acts & Romans: iii Preface to the American Edition. ———————————— In the preparation of this volume of Chrysostom’s Homilies on Acts and Romans, the effort has been to improve the Oxford edition by some changes and corrections, and by the addition of critical and explanatory notes. The translation remains substantially unchanged. Frequent minor changes have, however, been made in phraseology, where it has seemed to me that the sense could thereby be made plainer. Archaic and obsolescent words or expressions have often been replaced by more idiomatic modern language.”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on John & Hebrews: sections are numbered throughout: where the division seemed to be inconvenient, the number is given in the margin. In the earlier Homilies a second series of numbers is employed to mark the sections in the translation; this was discontinued as unnecessary, and the Benedictine only retained. In some of the references to the Psalms, where the Septuagint differs much from the Hebrew, the numbers given are those of the Greek. Care will be taken in the Index of Texts to give always the reference to the Psalm and Verse according to the Hebrew reckoning fo”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Acts & Romans: the references have been, so far as possible, adapted to the American edition. It is obvious, however, that this adaptation could not be perfectly made because but few of the volumes of the American edition of the Homilies had appeared when this volume was prepared for the press. References to English editions of works not yet accessible in an American edition were, of necessity, left unchanged. Some small-portions of the work of the English editors which seemed to have no present value iv have been omitted. It is not improbable that still other omis”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Acts & Romans: while it represented the original with its roughnesses and defects, should not be altogether unreadable. We have attempted, however, to give faithfully, though not always literally, the sense, or what seemed to be the sense, of our materials. As a commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, this Work stands alone among the writings of the first ten centuries. The Expositions of St. Clement of Alexandria (in the Hypotyposes ), of Origen, of Diodorus of Tarsus, and St. Chrysostom’s teacher, Theodore of Mopsuestia, as well as of Ammonius and others whose ma”
- Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 6:7: 6:7-8 God cannot be coaxed by endless repetition. The Lord’s Prayer (6:9-13) is a model of simplicity in contrast with pagan wordiness.”
- Leviticus (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Leviticus 26:1: Here is, I. The inculcating of those precepts of the law which were of the greatest consequence, and by which were of the greatest consequence, and by which especially their obedience would be tried, Lev 26:1, Lev 26:2. They are the abstract of the second and fourth commandments, which, as they are by much the largest in the decalogue, so they are most frequently insisted on in other parts of the law. As, when a master has given many things in charge to his servant, he concludes with the repetition of those things which were of the greatest importance, and whic”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew: Owing to his ignorance of Hebrew, Chrysostom was not properly equipped for the work of expounding the Old Testament. He treats the LXX. as though it were of final authority, save in a few instances where the variations of other Greek versions have occasioned discussion. Frequently he makes use of verbal suggestions of the Greek that have no warrant in the Hebrew text. Yet, where he is not thus misled, his comments on the Old Testament present the same characteristics as those on the New. The most marked peculiarity of Chrysostom as an exegete is his compar”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Acts & Romans: miracles: and of the Apostolic miracles this Book is the school.” 8 The statement that the Acts is a “Demonstration of the Resurrection” has a certain profound truth, but is incorrect if intending to assert that such was the conscious purpose of the author. The resurrection of Jesus is a prominent theme in the Apostolic discourses but the book is no more designed primarily to prove the resurrection than are the Epistles to the Romans and Corinthians. The immediate purpose of the book is to record the labors and triumphs of the Apostolic Church as sup”
- Acts (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Acts 8:31: How can I, except some man should guide me? - This is no proof that "the Scriptures cannot be understood without an authorized interpreter," as some of the papistical writers assert. How could the eunuch know any thing of the Gospel dispensation, to which this scripture referred? That dispensation had not yet been proclaimed to him; he knew nothing about Jesus. But where that dispensation has been published, where the four Gospels and the apostolic epistles are at hand, every thing relative to the salvation of the soul may be clearly apprehended by any simple, upright”