Introduction to Sensus Plenior – What It Is and Why It Matters
📘 Course 1 (MDiv): Introduction to Sensus Plenior Hermeneutics
Week 1 – The Living Voice: Foundations of Sensus Plenior
Day 1: Introduction to Sensus Plenior – What It Is and Why It Matters
🔹 Concepts Outline
- Define sensus plenior: The “fuller sense” inspired by the Spirit, hidden beneath the literal narrative.
- Emphasize that the Gospel writers discovered it through Christ’s own teaching (e.g., Luke 24:27).
- Sensus plenior is not private mysticism — it's structured, testable, and revealed through repeated scriptural symbols, word formations, and patterns.
- Examples:
- “Out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1 → Matthew 2:15)
- Jonah as Christ in death and resurrection (Matthew 12:40)
- Goal: To show how every story, word, and structure reveals Christ, His cross, and His bride.
📖 Teaching
The Bible speaks with the living voice of God. That voice isn’t limited to surface-level meaning—it resonates with hidden depth, revealing eternal truths that were always there, waiting to be discovered. This spiritual depth is what we call sensus plenior — the fuller sense of Scripture, authored by the Spirit.
This idea isn’t new or abstract. It’s exactly how Jesus taught after His resurrection:
“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.” — Luke 24:27
The literal stories of the Old Testament remained true — but Jesus revealed a second layer, showing how those same stories were actually speaking of Him. This is the fuller sense. It doesn’t change the meaning — it completes it. Like a riddle, the answer was hidden until the right moment, and then the light came on.
The apostles learned to read Scripture this way. In Matthew 2:15, for instance, he quotes Hosea 11:1 — “Out of Egypt I called my son.” In context, Hosea is talking about Israel. But Matthew sees the pattern fulfilled in Christ. Israel was a shadow; Jesus is the reality.
The same goes for Jonah. He was in the belly of the fish for three days — but Jesus said this pointed to His own burial and resurrection (Matthew 12:40). These examples aren’t just analogies — they’re prophetic riddles, structured by God to speak through history about His Son.
But this isn’t mysticism. Sensus plenior is testable. It follows patterns:
- Symbols repeat (e.g., water = the Word, light = holiness, darkness = love or hiddenness).
- Hebrew word formations point to Christ through directional gates (two-letter combinations) and internal structures.
- Narrative types (like Joseph, David, Moses) echo Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.
Everything points to Him — and to His union with the bride, the Church. Every man in the story represents Christ in some form (even fallen ones, when seen through the cross). Every woman represents the bride, in some stage of transformation.
The result? The Bible becomes more than a moral guide. It becomes a spiritual map of the cross, unfolding the mystery of God’s love in layers. As Paul says, “the mystery hidden for ages and generations, but now revealed to His saints” (Col. 1:26).
This course will help you begin to hear that voice — not with your ears, but with a heart trained to recognize the patterns of Christ. It’s not magic. It’s discipled attention, taught by the Spirit and confirmed by Scripture. The more we see, the more we worship.
💬 Group Dialogue Questions
- A/B: Is sensus plenior discovered more through deep study or through spiritual revelation?
- What would you say to someone who is cautious about looking for hidden meaning in Scripture?
- Can a discovered meaning be valid if it doesn’t contradict the literal? How do we know it’s from God?
- Why might God choose to hide truth in symbols, types, word play and riddles instead of stating it plainly?
🏠 Individual Meditation (Homework)
- Read Luke 24:25–27. Ask: What part of Scripture have I never considered as being about Christ?
- Read Genesis 1:1–2:5 slowly. Where might you see Christ and his bride?
- Journal Prompt: “When have I sensed Christ hidden in Scripture? What did it reveal about Him?”
📘 Facilitator Notes
- Encourage honest wonder and discussion — learners may be seeing this approach for the first time.
- Clarify: Sensus plenior is not about private interpretations; it’s about learning to hear the same Spirit who inspired the text.
- If helpful, share an example like the mustard seed (Genesis 3) as a picture of the cross.
- Let participants sit with mystery — they don’t need to "solve" everything yet. The goal is recognition.
