What baffles me for quite a long time now is the enormous variety of interpretations or applications that are attached by different preachers to a specific text in Scripture. I experienced it more than once that in many cases sermons on the same text might have completely differing applications; I mean really 180 degrees away from each other. Of course, these sermons were from different pastors.

Recently I came across an article by Robert L Thomas on "The principle of single meaning" in which (for me) he argues convincingly that each text in Scripture has only one meaning. The problem I have is that if the text has only one meaning, how is it possible that there can really be such a variety of valid applications? My "feeling" is that since a text have a single meaning, the application, even for us today, must be closely linked to the meaning and that therefore there simply can't be a multitude of valid applications.

Does the variety of applications/interpretations mean that preachers don't get to the real meaning of the text?

Would like to hear your views on this.

Johan



Last edited by Johan; Wed Mar 04, 2015 12:08 PM.