Title: How to Study the Bible All Scripture is God-breathed… 2 Tim 3:16
1How to Study the BibleAll Scripture is
God-breathed 2 Tim 316
- Richard Anderson
- Baltimore YDJ
- Harvest Festival
- Washington UBF Bible Center
- November 5, 2004
2Why study the Bible?
- The Scriptures are able to make us wise for
salvation - Learn how to live a life that is pleasing to God
- The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
(Prov 910) - The fool has said in his heart there is no God
(Psa 141) - We can trust the Scripture because God is the
source - Bible study should lead us to Jesus
- Wisdom in highest sense is being wise for
salvation - Now this is eternal life that they may know
you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
you have sent. (Jn 173) - Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for studying with the
wrong point - You diligently study the Scripturesyet you
refuse to come to me to have life. (Jn 539-40)
3How do we study the Bible?
- Dont be lazy!
- Desire to simply obey the Bible practically is
not enough - Theology is not a bad word
- Every Christian is a theologian, either good or
bad - Not enough to say, I just want to know Jesus
- Even an answer to the simple question Who is
Jesus? involves doctrine and theology - A good theologian is one who is instructed by
God - GOAL May God raise us as scholarly Bible
students and Bible teachers!
4How do we study the Bible?
- Role of the Holy Spirit
- In seeking application of Scripture
- Pray for divine illumination
- Humbly listen to Gods voice (teach, rebuke,
correct, train...) - Pray to be diligent students, not lazy
- Separate issue Discern the authors objective
meaning - Requires diligent study
- Crucial to recognize literary styles (e.g.
historical narrative vs. metaphor) in order to
correctly interpret - KEY Need both Holy Spirit and diligent study!
5How do we study the Bible, contd.
- FIRST, We study to find the meaning intended by
the author - The Bible is inspired by God, but He spoke
through men - God did not ignore the basic principles of
writing - The Bible is a bookthus, it is to be read like
other books - Natural meaning of a passage is to be interpreted
according to normal rules of grammar, speech,
syntax, context - There is an important role of literary analysis
what literary style is being used?
6How do we study the Bible, contd.
- Historical books (narrative, dialogue)
- Genesis through Esther
- What is the difference between authors
perspective in 1, 2 Kings vs. 1, 2 Chronicles? - Exilic Author of 1, 2 Kings is concerned with
Israels success/lack of in keeping covenants - Post-exilic Author of 1, 2 Chronicles wants to
know if covenants and promises to David are still
valid? - Historical context/Dates
- 1450 BC Exodus and conquest of Canaan
- 1000 BC Davids kingship (united kingdom of
Israel) - 750 BC Why were King Ahaz and all Judah shaking
as the trees of the forest are shaken in the
wind? (Isa 72) - He lived in a period of world history when
Assyria was growing in strength - Later, Babylon would arise and defeat Assyria and
Egypt - Israels relatively small size, location between
geopolitical heavyweights explains kings desire
to make alliances for protection, though they
were to trust in God - 586 BC Fall of Jerusalem
7How do we study the Bible, contd.
- Linguistic Forms
- Hyperbole/exaggeration
- Jesus went through all the towns and villages,
teaching (Mt. 935) - The whole Judean countryside and all the people
of Jerusalem went out to him. (Mk 15) - Does the author mean that Jesus literally went
through every single town? That every single
person in Jerusalem went out to see John? - It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest
seed you plant in the ground (Mk 431) - But arent there actually smaller seeds? Is
Jesus wrong? NT in error? - Metaphor
- Jesus says, I am the gate whoever enters
through me will be saved. (Jn 109) - Personification
- the mountains and hills will burst into song
before you, and all the trees of the fields will
clap their hands. (Isa 5511)
8How do we study the Bible, contd.
- Cases that are more difficult
- Did Balaams donkey really speak?
Personification or miracle? - Literary analysis Passage bears the marks of
historical narrative - Verdict Authors meaning is that this really
happened. - Does the serpent in Genesis really speak? What
sort of tree is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and
Evil? - Literary analysis Passage bears the marks of
historical literature, but also elements of
symbolism as found in apocalyptic literature - Adam is placed in a real geographic location
- Adam in portrayed as a real human being
- Adam is placed in the framework of a family
genealogy - Adam is listed alongside other historical figures
- Verdict Authors meaning is that Adam was a
real historical person - KEY Only after we have determined what kind of
literature it is can we determine what the author
is trying to communicate as real history
9How do we study the Bible, contd.
- Wisdom literature
- Job, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes
- Associated with wise men or sages
- Concerned with practical and philosophical
matters - Optimistic Teach the young how to behave to
prosper, be happy - Pessimistic Wrestling with problem of evil,
prosperity of the wicked (Psa 37, 73) - Seeks to drive home truth, turn sinners from
their wicked ways - Can be very earthy
- Better to live on a corner of the roof than
share a house with a quarrelsome wife (Prov
219) - If you find honey, eat just enoughto much of it
and you will vomit (Prov 2516)
10How do we study the Bible, contd.
- Understanding Hebrew Poetry (e.g. Psalms)
- Synonymous Parallelism when different
lines/parts of a passage present the same thought
in a slightly altered way - A false witness will not go unpunished, and he
who pours out lies will not go free. (Prov 195) - And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from the evil one. (Matt 613) - Difference between Proverb and Law Proverbs are
catchy little couplets designed to express
practical truisms, not moral laws applicable to
all situations - Proverb He who is not with me is against me
(Matt 1230) vs. for whoever is not against you
is for you. (Lk 950) - Law You shall have no other gods before me.
(Ex 20) - Law Love the Lord your God with all your
heart (Matt 2237) - Proverbs should not be interpreted as prophecy or
cause and effect promises - The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but
the years of the wicked are cut short (Prov
1027)
11How do we study the Bible, contd.
- Synoptic Gospels (Narrative, History)
- Matthew, Mark, Luke
- Agree extensively in language, included material,
and order of events sayings of Jesus - Most common view Mark first, partially used as
source by Matthew and Luke - Written in first century within the lifetimes of
the Twelve, by members of the apostolic
community - One of the Twelve (Matthew)
- A companion of one of the Twelve (Mark)
- A coworker of Apostle Paul (Luke)
- Focus on the different concerns, audiences of
each writer - Matthew Jesus as King concern forJewish
audience, emphasis on teachings, Sermon on the
Mount - Mark Jesus as servant of sinners simple,
dynamic, fast-moving work of God - Luke Jesus as Savior of all mankind, including
Gentiles, complete, orderly
12How do we study the Bible, contd.
- Pastoral Letters
- 1, 2 Timothy, Titus
- Give instructions to Timothy and Titus concerning
pastoral care of churches - Probably written soon after Pauls imprisonment
in Acts 28 - Apocalyptic
- Daniel, Ezekiel, Revelation
- Highly symbolic writing
- Contain clues to their own interpretation
- 7 stands for completeness
- stars are angels
- lampstands are churches
- Prophecy
- Isaiah through Malachi
- Fulfillment to the letter (e.g. prophecies of
Jesus birthplace, Mic 52) - Fulfillment in a broader scope
- See, I will send you the prophet Elijah (Mal
45, 6) vs. - And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit
and power of Elijah (Lk 117)
13I. SUBJECTIVISM VS. SUBJECTIVE
- Subjectivism Distorting the objective meaning of
passage to suit our own interests - Think objectively about what author is saying in
context first, rather than - Jumping immediately into application
- Allowing personal struggle, bias to determine
meaning - Distinguish between objective meaning (only one)
and subjective, personal application (possibly
many) - We all struggle with subjectivism, because Bible
often says what we do not want to hear - He who has ears to hear, let him hear (Mk 49)
- Allow the Bible to criticize us, rather than
criticizing the Bible
14II. IMPLICIT VS. EXPLICIT
- At the resurrection people will neither marry
nor be given in marriage they will be like the
angels in heaven. (Matt 2230) - Does it say angels will be without gender?
- Explicitly says we will not marry
- Implies angels also do not marry
- Does not say angels will be without gender
- So then, he who marries the virgin does right,
but he who does not marry her does even better.
(1 Cor 738) - Is Paul saying marriage is bad? Or that he is
opposed to marriage? - No, he is making a comparison between good and
better. - On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the disciples were together, with the doors
locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood
among them (Jn 2019) - Does it say Jesus body dematerialized and passed
through the door? - Perhaps the author mentions the locked door to
substantiate the disciples fear of the Jews - Jesus could have come, opened the door, and
walked in. - He could have dematerialized and passed through
the door, but the text does not say this. - KEY BE CAREFUL! Differentiate between what is
said and what is left unsaid.
15Conclusions
- We study to find the objective meaning intended
by the author first - Be careful! Differentiate between what is said
and what is left unsaid - Pray for the Holy Spirits help to discover
personal application
16- References
- Barry, Sarah. Comments at UBF Staff Conference,
Fall 2004, Case Western Reserve University,
Cleveland, Ohio. - Sproul, R. C. Knowing Scripture, 1977,
Intervarsity Press, Downer's Grove, Illinois. - Bibliography for Further Study
- New International Version Study Bible, Zondervan
Publishing Co. - Stott, J. R. W. Understanding the Bible, 2nd Ed.
1999, Zondervan Publishing Co.
17III. PRINCIPLE VS. CUSTOM
- Burning issue To what degree is the Bible
conditioned by culture? - We have seen the importance of literary analysis
and historical context for understanding what the
author meant - The better we understand 1st century culture, the
easier it is to accurately understand what the
author meant - Scripture is neither all principle nor all local
custom - Optional meanings of 1 Tim 211-15 (see also 1
Cor 11) - Entirely custom Only applies in that culture
where women were typically uneducated/2nd class
citizens. Inapplicable today. - Entirely principle/transcends culture Women
should always be quiet and learn in full
submission. They should never teach men. - Partly principle/partly custom A woman should in
principle be submissive to the man, but the way
in which she expresses it has changed with time
and culture. - The issue of cultural conditioning is real and
complexno simple answers!
18III. PRINCIPLE VS. CUSTOM, contd.
- Practical Guidelines
- Examine the Bible itself and note how principle
can transcend custom - Some OT laws/principles are restated in the NT
(e.g. 7th day Sabbath, Rom 145), while others
are discontinued (e.g., dietary, Mk 719) in the
new redemptive context - Principles of order/authority in marriage are
positively restated in NT (e.g. Eph 622ff),
while evil institutions such as slavery are only
tolerated for a time (e.g. see Rom 131, Gal
328) - Dont assume the 1st century church just blended
into the 1st century culture - Paul does not attribute his instruction (1 Tim, 1
Cor 11) to a local custom, rather to an event of
Creation/Fall, so we should not either. (See
also Eph 622ff) - Creation ordinances indicate transcultural
principles unless explicitly modified later - Principles of Genesis 1, 2 are given to mankind
as mankind (not as Jew or Greek) - Jesus referred the Pharisees back to the creation
norms of marriage (Matt 194-6) - In areas of uncertainty, use the principle of
humility - We cannot legislate the Christian conscience
where God has left it free.