What three things should be of primary importance when studying the Bible?
(Gen. 40:8; Luke 24:13-47; 2 Pet. 1:16-21; 1 John 2:20-21) Blog May 03-09, 2020
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: The Bible uses historical narrative to relate the mighty acts of God in dealing with humanity. In this way it shows us how to live now and how to obtain future salvation. Its predictive prophecy tell us ahead of time how God will act and how we should prepare and respond. The Holy Spirit inspired holy men to portray God’s thoughts in human language. While the Bible is not inerrant in every detail, in its thoughts it is an infallible guide for this life and entrance into the next. For us, human beings, it is necessary for without it we would not know how to live or how to be saved. It has absolute authority even over councils, popes and magisterium. And it is sufficiently clear so even the simple can understand its basic message.
Interpretation (Gen. 40:8; John 16:12-15; Acts 2:33; 5:32; Eph. 1:13; 2 Pet. 1:20; 1 John 2:20-27)
1. Of the 67 references to interpretation in the Bible how many refer to Holy Scripture? Only one – that of Second Peter.
2. When Peter refers to the interpretation of Holy Scripture who does he say should NOT do that? Us human beings.
3. If we human beings are not supposed to interpret Holy Scripture who then will help us understand what it means by what it says? God will, just as Joseph clearly told Pharaoh in Genesis 40.
4. If God himself is the only one authorized to tell us what the Bible means by what it says how does he do that? By including in other Bible passages the key to understanding of another passage & by his indwelling Holy Spirit that directs the believers’ thoughts helping them to understand Scripture.
5. How does a person receive the indwelling Holy Spirit? According to Acts 5 only by perfect obedience to God’s Commandments so as Acts 2 points out the Father gave the Holy Spirit to Jesus for he had perfectly obeyed God’s Commandments while on earth & according to Ephesians 1 Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to those that believe in him for as their Substitute his perfect obedience is imputed (counted) as theirs by faith alone.
6. How do the above principles of interpretation support the idea that only true believers, through prayer and a willingness to accept and obey what the Bible says, will be able to rightly understand Holy Scripture? They do so by showing that without the indwelling unction of the Holy Spirit as John 16 & 1 John 2 attest Scripture cannot be correctly understood & it is by prayer & a willingness to obey that we ask God to give us his Spirit.
How to Study the Bible (Daniel 1:1-4; Luke 6:3-4; 24:26-27, 44-45)
7. What did Jesus say was the problem of Cleopas and his companion as they walked to Emmaus? That they were “fools & slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken” – in other words, although they had read the Scriptures, they had not believed what they literally said but rather foolishly let their preconceived ideas (or what their teachers had taught them) override the clear intent of the prophet’s words & that they should have compared Scripture with Scripture & not just concentrated on passages that they liked.
8. What is the meaning of Luke’s expression “expounded unto them”? That Jesus gave them a Bible study explaining the meaning of various Scriptures & their relationship to each other.
9. What three things should be of primary importance when studying the Bible? Theme, context, & grammar.
10. How does one discover the theme of a paragraph, chapter, or book? By noting the repetition of a phrase, word or idea; by a clear statement of importance; by considering the introductory thought ( most Bible authors make a theme statement at the beginning of each paragraph), & by noting words such as “Behold”.
11. What aspect of good Bible study does Jesus illustrate in Luke 6? That of context.
12. What two aspects of context should influence our understanding of Scripture? The historical context of a passage (like the description of the condition of God’s, kingdom, king, sanctuary, & people in the first verses of Daniel or like Paul’s introductory statements stating to whom he is writing) & the textual context of a passage.
13. How does Paul describe the historical context of the Athenian culture that influenced how they heard him? That the city was wholly given to idolatry & approached all of life & reality with preconceived superstitions — that the true God dwells in temples made with hands & is worshipped with by making images & carnal offerings to him & that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.
14. Where should we go first in order to discover the textual context of a passage? To the very text itself, then to the paragraph in which it is found, then to the chapter as a whole, & then to the book in which it is found, & always considering whether it is in the Old Testament or in the New – we should not go way off in some other portion of Scripture when seeking the context of a particular passage.
15. What aspect of grammar should be considered first? Whether the author is using symbolism, metaphors or other writing styles to convey his message – generally all Holy Scripture is to be taken in its plain, literal sense unless the author clearly states otherwise (the Gnostics of Alexandria used the Bible allegorically & in that way could impose any meaning they desired on to a passage, saying that they had discovered the “mystical, hidden meaning” – their view of the nature of Christ was firmly opposed by the Council of Nicaea).
16. What details of grammar should always be considered when seeking understanding of a Bible passage? The tense of the verb, the subject of the sentence, the antecedent of a word, the nature of the statement (is it imperative [“ought”] or indicative [“is”]?), the action of the verb (“I saw” is distinct from “I heard”), & the types of its phrases (prepositional, etc.)
Sufficiency (Isa. 28:9-10; Acts 17:10-11; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Pet. 1:20)
17. Does Peter say that his personal experience needs to be added to the words of Scripture in order to understand them? No, he states that Scripture is sufficient in itself.
18. What is it that makes Scripture sufficient in itself, not needing the addition of dreams, visions, ecstasies, signs, nor wonders? That fact that every part of it is divinely inspired & that God has made it complete & consistent in its message so that as Paul stated to Timothy: it is sufficient for every area of Christian life.
19. How did the Bereans attain the knowledge necessary for evaluating Paul’s doctrine? By studying the Scripture daily for that together with the Holy Spirit’s guidance is sufficient.
20. What is Isaiah’s advice for understanding the Bible’s message.? By comparing Scripture with Scripture.
21. Is it right to conclude that a simple layman can rightly understand the Bible in his own language without the aid of councils, visions, or commentaries? Yes, if he asks for the help of the Holy Spirit & is willing to believe and obey what the Bible says.