(tm) Two Guidelines for Interpreting Bible Types
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Before we go further, let us mention two rules for interpreting Scripture symbols, or "types" as they are called. Types, such as the seven feasts of Israel, help us understand the Lord Jesus and His plan of salvation.
The first rule of interpretation is this: study the symbol, and then ask the Holy Spirit to cause the main truth to rise to the surface. Do not attempt to carry every aspect of the symbol through to its logical conclusion—logical after the reasoning of the human mind.
The Holy Spirit always interprets His own statements and illustrations.
We see through a glass darkly, as Paul mentions in I Corinthians, Chapter 13. The Holy Spirit must be the One who throws light on the passage of Scripture we are studying. Usually a type presents one truth or line of truth, and the Spirit will give us the understanding.
For example: Christ is the "Lamb" of God. The truth that rises to the surface is that Christ was led away as an offering for our sins, and we eat His body and drink His blood as our Passover.
We cannot pursue the symbol further and claim Christ today is led around helplessly and is a prey for every wolf that appears.
Again: in one setting leaven is a type of sin. In another context leaven is a type of the Kingdom of Heaven. There is a flexibility of application showing that we must not create a rigid system of interpretation of the Scriptures based on types. If we do we will miss the point of what the Holy Spirit is revealing to us.
Still another example is this: the Christian Church is referred to in the New Testament as the Bride of the Lamb. The symbol of marriage indicates that we are to enter spiritual union with Christ, becoming one with Him. We cannot infer from this that Christians are feminine because they are termed the "Bride," and that the Bride is a different group from the sons of God who are male because they are "sons."
Every aspect and detail of a Scripture type or parable does not reveal spiritual truth.
The second guideline for interpreting Scripture symbols is as follows: the interpretation of symbols must be clearly taught in the New Testament.
For example, repentance from our sinful ways is portrayed by the removal of leaven during the feast of Unleavened Bread. The New Testament teaches us to put away sin (II Corinthians 7:1). Our adamic personality is to be brought down to death by entering the death of Christ on the cross. Our new sin-free personality is now qualified to rise from the dead and enter the resurrection of Christ. This death and resurrection is represented as we are baptized in water.
Also, we have the provision of confessing and receiving cleansing from the sins that we practice as Christians, as taught in I John 1:7-9.
If we claim the putting away of leaven during the feast of Unleavened Bread portrays the putting away of sin from the Christian, we must be able to turn to the New Testament and find written there that God indeed has provided grace through the Lord Jesus Christ by which we are enabled to put away sin from our life, and that we are commanded to do so.
Christ has made it possible for us, and has commanded us, to put away the old leaven of the world, of Satan, of our bodily lusts, and of our self-will and self-love.
If we are to make a success of interpreting Scripture types we must look to the Holy Spirit for the main idea and not attempt to force an interpretation that does not fit. We are not to press a meaning into each detail.
Also, there must be New Testament teaching for applications we make.
The purpose of types is not to teach doctrine, it is to provide a depth of understanding that is not always present when we read the bare statement of doctrine in the New Testament. A richness of perception comes to us when we read of Noah and his family being saved in the ark, and employ this story as a picture of the Christian salvation.
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