3. Community
We said above that the first “C” of Christlikeness is “Communion” and that the second “C” of Christlikeness is “Character”—character that flows from our union and communion with Christ. But there’s another source and context for character change, namely, the third “C” of Christlikeness: “Community.”
The church is the new Community of God ushered into existence according to His plan, through the redeeming work of His Son, by the power and personal ministry of His Spirit. The church is God’s first, post-cross redemptive act in the recreation of His fallen world. This one, holy, catholic, and apostolic community was created by God and is loved by Him.
The Community: Created and Loved by God
The church is our Trinitarian God’s unique and dynamic presence, activity, and life in the world through a specially redeemed, human community—a community that is created, indwelt, empowered, and missionaly directed by His Spirit. Thus the Spirit of God has created and shaped a new people of God, having transferred them out of the dominion of darkness so that they might declare His praises, love one another, and represent the Father’s interests until the Son returns.
The Community Is One and Many
Though the church exists throughout the world, in a variety of cultural, sociological, and political contexts, it is really only one church. Christ has only one body, not many! Every member of the church has been baptized into the body of Christ and made to drink of the same Spirit (1 Cor 12:13). Though there are millions of local churches around the world, our oneness is positional, secure, rooted in God’s saving work, and unites each local expression with all the others..
Now the positional oneness we share as believers in union with Christ ought to lead to oneness in experience and practice. We ought to humbly strive for unity and a spirit of cooperation with other believers. We ought to protect and promote our unity and celebrate our diversity. In short, while the doctrine of the church’s oneness does not mean “sameness” among all the members, it does entail persistent seeking for practical unity and the strengthening of the bonds of peace. There is no need for a particular community to give up certain doctrines they feel God has revealed through scripture, but it must be remembered that He did not reveal such truth so that one element of his body could despise another. In my experience, most division has little to do with deviation on major doctrines and more to do with broken relationships, hurt, and unresolved bitterness.
Recognizing the truth that our lives all flow from the saving activity of the One God, we ought to take pains to encourage brothers and sisters within our local communities and outside as well. We ought to encourage unity and participation with other churches in our neighborhoods as well as around the world. With such things God is pleased. Many churches are already doing this and they are to be commended for their efforts. Others are slow to respond for a variety of reasons, but in many cases it’s simply due to pride and indifference, not to disputes over major doctrinal issues. Again, in most cases, there is no need to throw away doctrinal differences.
The Church Is Holy and Human
The church is both holy and human. It is holy in that it is a creation of God in which He dwells by His Spirit. But the church is also a human organism in that it is composed of redeemed human beings—redeemed, I say, but nonetheless, human. Thus, as a genuinely human institution, the church will need to assume certain structures, organizations, and methods of operation in any culture in which it exists.
The recognition of what the church is should lead to greater discernment and clarity in terms of the posture we are to adopt in relation to our culture and its beliefs and practices. Knowing that we are a creation of God should caution us in the West against an over reliance on technology, media, pop methods, etc. in the living of our corporate life or in the promulgation of the gospel. We may certainly use elements from these realities, but we must be careful of what beliefs are driving these choices and how those Christians who come after us will relate to these cultural practices. In short, the church needs to be constantly updating its theology of cultural engagement. We do this not because truth changes, but our understanding of it most certainly does; each generation has new challenges not always anticipated by earlier thinking and practices and thus fresh reflection on biblical truth is required. On the other hand, we must be critical of those who argue that since we are all priests, the church needs no structures and no visible leadership. Not only does this deny different giftings (e.g., the gift of leadership), it also ignores the reality that we are still human beings who need, and therefore, create structures in which to live, move, and have our being. Even the anti-structuralists always advocate some kind of structure.1
Love as the Ethic of the Community
Now in this new community created and loved by God, gifted for service, and living wisely in this fallen world, there is an uncompromising ethic of love in relationships. The church values loving, admonishing, and nurturing relationships. Genuine, heartfelt worship is enjoined and the truth of Scripture is proclaimed, not to make us smarter sinners, but to draw us unto deeper fellowship with the Master and with each other. Where there are broken relationships, forgiveness is to be sought and restoration aimed for. Deeper and more satisfying relationships are enjoined between husbands and wives, parents and children, families and families, etc. in any local church. This is all to be done to the glory of God, our flourishing, and asa testimony to the world (John 17:21-22)!
This means that any church that does not create structures where people can experience real community is falling short of what the Spirit desires. We are to be rooted and grounded in love, not just truth and not just our own experiences. There are churches that meet only once a week and everyone sits and listens to one man/woman teach. In this model there are a lot of wasted gifts (and relationships) sitting in the pews. On the other hand, there are churches that meet in small groups each week, particularly many cell-based churches, but have no value for corporate worship and even less value for more broad based gifts such as teaching and preaching.
Power and Witness
Finally, the church is God’s presence in the world in a unique and redemptive way. The Holy Spirit rests in power upon a humble and seeking community of believers and will use them in the defense, dissemination, and blessing of the gospel. Often, entire neighborhoods are transformed for Christ through men and women of like mind who repentantly set out to cleanse themselves from all known sin, to worship God in truth, and to reach out to their friends with the good news of Jesus Christ (2 Tim 2:20-21). The church is a witnessing community, firstly, by her presence in a fallen world (since God lives in her). Secondly, as she walks in the power of the Spirit, she is able to stand against the darkness wherever it is found and to boldly, with love and sensitivity, preach the resurrection and life eternal.
As a witnessing community, then, we must forge credible pathways into the world, and into the lives of our neighbors and friends. Have your church ask itself what group of people God would have you reach. Begin praying for these people and then initiate with relevant activities. Love people where they’re at. Accept and love them as God himself does. Do not communicate that these non-Christians must clean up their lives before they could ever become a Christian. They do need to repent and believe in Jesus, but Jesus will take them where they’re at.
Related Topics: Fellowship
1. Introduction: (Getting Started Studying the Bible)
This study is in two parts. The first part concerns the emphasis which the people of God in the Bible put upon God’s word in their lives. It traces this theme through scripture in a limited survey. The second section focuses on the practice of studying God’s word. The reader is encouraged to read both sections. After the student has worked through this paper, he or she should read, “How to Study the Bible: For Beginners—Stage Two” on the BSF website. In that article some of the concepts mentioned here get extended treatment at the level of an entire book, not just a paragraph.
Also, it should be noted that the survey is, of course, partial in nature. Not every passage relating to a particular theme is noted. Thus, there are many more passages that could have been cited in each category, but that would make the entire paper far too long. The passages listed in each category are sufficient, I think, to establish the point being made.
Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Bible Study Methods
A. The Place of the Bible in the Life of the Christian
The purpose of this section is to trace through the Old and New Testaments the idea of the place of the Bible (i.e., verbal revelation now preserved for us in Scripture) in the lives of the people of God. We will see that as God’s revelation it was intended to shape all aspects of their existence.
1B. The Example of God’s People in the Old Testament
1C. Their Founding Was according to God’s Word
1D. Genesis 12:1-3
The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
2D. Summary
The first eleven chapters of Genesis record the creation and fall of man (1-3), his subsequent wickedness and judgment in the flood (6-9) and his universal rebellion as evidenced at the Tower of Babel (10-11:9). It is instructive that the narrative describing Abraham’s call is placed immediately after the dispersion of the nations in 11:1-10. Such positioning of the text highlights the amazing grace of God, that though we do not seek him, he seeks us. He reached down in the midst of judgment and plucked out an idolatrous man (cf. Joshua 24:3, 15). He called Abraham to his side and gave him “great and precious” promises—promises concerning the entire globe, the founding of the Israelite nation from which the Messiah was to come (Gen 49:10), and all of human history.1 By his word, just as we saw in Genesis 1-2, God brought new realities into existence and shaped not only Abraham’s life, but also the course of human history.
The point I wish to make is that God saw fit to speak redemptively into our darkness, lest we be lost forever. Just as we needed his word before the Fall (Gen 1:28-30; 2:15-16, 3:8), so also we are in desperate need of his word after the Fall. The revelation given to Abraham was recorded for our benefit and instruction (Rom 15:4; 2 Tim 3:16-17). It became central in the hope of OT saints and was regarded as the word of God to nurture the souls of hundreds of later generations of Israelites (Deut 1:8; 34:4; 1 Chron 16:16; .Psalm 105:9; Matt 1:1, 17; 3:9). It was the basis for messianic hope in Israel (e.g. Luke 1:46-56) and the mission of the early Jewish church to the Gentiles (Acts 1:8; 3:25). It is designed to shape our faith and life as well.
2C. Their Identity and Mission Was Understood from God’s Word
1D. Exodus 19: 5-6
19:5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 19:6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
2D. Leviticus 26:11-12
11 I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.
3D. Isaiah 49:6 (Isaiah 11:10)
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”2
3D. Summary
Not only did God’s word of promise give birth to the nation of Israel—that is, the nation owes its existence to the gracious promise of God—it also shaped and molded the nation’s identity and mission. God not only called them by his word, he shaped and molded them by his word as well. As Exodus 19:5 says, they were to regard their new identity, corporately, as God’s treasured possession. This speaks to their privilege and joy, especially since the whole earth is the Lord’s. Leviticus 26:11-12 speaks to their privilege as well; they were a nation in which God dwelt in a special way: He walked among them and they were to regard themselves as his people.3 They were no longer Hebrew slaves crushed under the weight of Egyptian dominance and servitude, but were free now and could hold their heads up high under Yahweh their redeemer (Lev 26:13). Thus their self consciousness and corporate identity—who they were and how they thought about themselves—was to be shaped by God’s word to that end.
But along with God’s “word of privilege” indicating their phenomenal place in God’s plan to save the world, comes also his word of responsibility. The Israelites, as those who knew God, were to be a kingdom of priests4 and a holy nation. The former speaks to their ministry to a world largely ignorant of God and his ways, and the latter speaks to their imitation of his pure and good character. They were to act like he acted, obeying his commandments which he spoke to Moses and the prophets (Lev 26; Deut 28-30).5 They were chosen for certain reasons, and by God’s word they came to understand their new identity and the mission to which they had been called.
3C. Their Material and Spiritual Blessing Was Understood from God’s Word
The origin of the nation is to be found in the word of God. They came to understand their identity and mission through the word of God. They also came to understand their relationship with God through his word which explained blessing for obedience and cursing for disobedience.
1D. Deuteronomy 32:44-47
44 Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. 45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. 47 They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
2D. Joshua 1:8
8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
3D. Isaiah 66:2b
This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.
4D. Summary
Israel was given the task of walking in obedience to Yahweh, worshipping him properly, witnessing to the nations, and taking possession of the promised land, but she was only able to fulfill this high calling able when present and future generations knew and obeyed the word of God given through Moses (cf. Exod 4:12-16). The word of God, when understood and obeyed by faith, led to Israel’s victory in the promised land. When disobeyed, as in the case of the commands concerning Sabbath rest and the prohibition against idols, she was exiled to Assyria and Babylon. In short, and we ought to take this to heart, Moses said that God’s promise of blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience was not an “idle word” for Israel; it was her life. Isaiah said that God takes note, as it were, of the one who is humble in heart and trembles at his word! We are responsible to obey his word, which presupposes we’re reading and meditating on it, and God is responsible for blessing. Israel’s day to day life was regulated by her obedience to God’s revealed word. So must ours.
4C. Their Destiny Was Understood from God’s Word
1D. Genesis 12:3
12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
2D. Isaiah 2; 11; Micah 4; Matt 8:11
3D. Summary
The Genesis 12 text shows the scope of Israel’s destiny in that it includes blessing to the entire world. The passages from Isaiah, Micah, and Matthew show that Israel could expect a time of universal blessing unprecedented in world history (through her messiah). The point is that if she had never spent the time in God’s revealed word she would not have been able to understand all that He had for her.
2B. The Example of Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the quintessential example in the Bible of a man who patterned his whole life and teaching on Scripture. While he did not worship the Bible as such, he recognized God’s voice in Moses’ words and in those of the Prophets and he rightly gave heed to what was written. Thus he taught others as well. Let’s have a look.
1C. In His Life in General
1D. Matthew and his “Fulfillment Formula”
The virgin birth (1:22; Isaiah 7:14), Jesus’ call out of Egypt (2:15; Hosea 11:1), Herod’s attempt to kill Jesus (2:17; Jer 31:15), Jesus’ return to Nazareth (2:23; prophets) and the subsequent move to Capernaum (4:14; Isa 9:1-2), his ministry of healing (8:17; Isa 53:4), ministry to the Gentiles (12:17; Isa 42:1-4), teaching in parables (13:35; Psalm 78:2), triumphal entry (21:4; Zech 9:9), betrayal leading to crucifixion (26:56; prophets), and the issue of thirty pieces of silver (27:9; cf. Zech 12:11-12; Jer 18:1-4; 19:1-3) are all portrayed by Matthew as fulfillments of OT prophecy. As such Jesus’ whole life is anticipated in the OT according to God’s revealed word.
2D. Jesus as “The Son of Man”
1E. Daniel 7:13-14
7:13 “I kept watching in the night visions, and there was coming with the clouds of heaven one like a Son of Man. He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. 7:14 He was given dominion, glory and a kingdom so that all the peoples, nations, and languages might serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away and his kingdom will never be destroyed.
2E. Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33
8:31 Then he began to teach them that it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer greatly, and to be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and to be killed, and after three days to rise.
3E. Matthew 24:30
And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
4E. Summary
Jesus came to be known by many titles (cf. John 1), but the particular one that he chose as a self designation was “the Son of Man.” It was used only by Jesus of himself and never by anyone else in the early church (as recorded in Acts and the epistles) to refer to him (cf. Acts 7:56). The designation comes from Daniel 7:13-14 and enjoyed limited use among Jews in Jesus’ day (cf. 1 Enoch; 4 Ezra). This accounts for why he chose it over “Christos” (Messiah) which carried many different ideas, some of which were overtly political. Jesus was able to pour into this title both the suffering servant motif of Isaiah (Isa 53) and the regal idea of Daniel 7:13-14. In this way he could capture both his present advent (Mark 8:31) as well as his second advent under one reference (Matt 24:30).6 The point is, for our purposes, he looked to Scripture to understand his identity and mission.
2C. In His Ministry
1D. Christ’s View of Scripture7
1E. John 10:34-35
10:34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’? 10:35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—
2E. Summary
The point Jesus is making through Psalm 82:6 is that if God referred to other mortals or angels as “gods,”8 why, if the Scripture is incapable of being turned back or annulled, are the Jews accusing him of blasphemy when he refers to himself specially as God’s son. After all he had been set apart by God, sent into the world, and bears a special filial relationship to the Father. The point for our purposes here is to recognize and appreciate Jesus’ high view of Scripture’s trustworthiness. For him, it could not be “broken.”
2D. The Goal of His Ministry
1E. Matthew 5:17-20
5:17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 5:18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle will pass away from the law, until everything comes to pass. 5:19 Therefore, if someone breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same, he will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices [them] and teaches others likewise will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 5:20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees you will in no way enter the kingdom of heaven.
2E. Summary
There are many interesting questions surrounding the interpretation of this passage as it relates to the book of Matthew, the ministry of Jesus as a whole, and the relationship of the Old and New Testaments. We cannot entertain those questions here, but perhaps the best way to regard these verses is as follows: (1) v. 17 refers to Jesus’ teachings and deeds which fulfill the law and the prophets where “law and prophets” are to be understood in their forward looking essence. That is, Jesus fulfilled them as the Messiah to whom they pointed. The entire passage is colored by the use of “fulfill” which has significant eschatological and kingdom associations in Matthew9; (2) v. 18 presents other problems. It seems to heighten, by way of hyperbole, Jesus’ comments in v. 17 and to indicate for Matthew that the Law as interpreted and fulfilled by Jesus will remain in effect, in some sense, throughout the entire age; (3) v. 19 refers to the commandments of the OT law and prophets as interpreted and applied by Jesus, and (4) v. 20 refers to the perfect demands of the law as set forth, for example, in 5:21-48.
For our purposes, we note Jesus’ incredibly high view of Scripture in these passages. He regards his entire ministry as inextricably connected to God’s word in the OT and to its fulfillment. In this sense, he is consistent with other OT saints who held God’s word in the highest regard.
3D. The Defense of His Ministry
1E. John 5:37-40
5:37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 5:38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 5:39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 5:40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
2E. Summary
John 5:31-47 reads much like a trial scene from the OT, such as we might have in Isaiah 43:8-13. Jesus offers several lines of evidence in defense of his claims. These include: (1) the witness of the Father (vv. 32, 37) who verifies the following witnesses: (2) John the Baptist (vv. 33-35); (3) the works of Jesus which the Father has given him to complete (v. 36); (4) the Scriptures (vv. 37-40), and Moses himself (vv. 45-47). Again, Jesus is here saying that his life and ministry are testified to by Scripture and that Scripture points to him and those that read it properly come to him for life. For Jesus, Scripture read with a view to knowing him, is essential to the Christian life.
4D. The Foundation of His Spiritual and Ethical Teaching: The OT Shema
1E. Mark 12:29-31
12:29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 12:31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
2E. Summary
The foundation of Jesus’ ethical teaching comes from the OT scriptures, as rightly understood and explained by him. In response to the question from the teacher of the law, Jesus gave him two commandments and not just one. These commandments come from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18. They are known, along with Numbers 15:37-41 as the Shema in Hebrew liturgy. Shema is the Hebrew imperative meaning “listen” or “hear” and thus the name is taken from the first word in Deuteronomy 6:4. Again, Jesus understands our life to be guided by these OT texts.
3C. In His Temptation and Spiritual Warfare
1D. Matthew 4:1-11
4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 4:2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 4:3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4:4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” 4:5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 4:6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 4:7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 4:9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 4:10 Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ ” 4:11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
2D. Summary
Jesus experience of fasting and temptation parallels that of Israel in her wilderness wanderings (cf. Deuteronomy 8). But whereas she failed in her test, Jesus succeeded. The first temptation to command stones to become bread (4:4) is a temptation for Jesus to use his sonship in a way outside the purview of his God-ordained mission. As such he quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 saying that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. In the second temptation (4:6), Satan quotes Psalm 91:11-12 (a promise of God’s care) and misapplies it, turning it into an occasion to put God to the test. Again, Jesus responds by properly citing Deuteronomy 6:16: “you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” The third and final temptation involves Satan urging Jesus to usurp his role as Davidic messiah apart from his role as suffering-servant—the very portrait of him a few verses earlier in 3:17. He was to bow down and worship Satan and Satan for his part promised him all the kingdoms of the world. Again, Jesus cites Scripture. This time, Deuteronomy 6:13: “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” The kingdoms of the world were not to be an idol for Jesus, the new Davidic messiah. He would be given them in due time, when he had fulfilled God’s mission of suffering. Jesus, then, gives us a model in many respects of the importance of knowing and believing God’s word so that we too, as those connected to Christ, might take captive every thought to the obedience of Christ and enjoy a measure of victory in our fight against the forces of darkness (cf. 2 Cor 10: 5; Eph 6:17).
4C. In His Death, Resurrection, and the Preaching of the Gospel
1D. Luke 24:44-46
24:44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” 24:45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 24:46and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 24:47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
2D. Summary
In these verses Jesus states that his suffering and resurrection, and the preaching of the gospel to all nations, is outlined in the OT. And since it is God’s word in the Old Testament, and not just man’s thoughts about God, it “must” be fulfilled.
5C. His Future Return, Judgment, and Reign
1D. Matthew 24:30; 25:31-32
24:30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’ with power and great glory…25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 25:32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, etc.
2D. Summary
The passage is based on Daniel 7:13-14 and thus Jesus understood his return, prerogative in judgment, and kingly reign in light of Daniel’s prophecy regarding “one like a Son of Man.” Again, we find him using Scripture to define both his career and the way in which we as his followers are to think about him.
3B. The Example of the Early Church in Acts
1C. Their Founding and Identity
1D. Acts 2:17-21
2:17 ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 2:18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 2:19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 2:20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. 2:21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
2D. Summary
Peter’s citation of Joel 2:28-32 demonstrates that he understood the origin and identity of the church according to an OT text. For him, it was a community formed by the coming and variegated working of the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. It involved a marvelous distribution of the gift of prophecy, not just to certain spokespeople within the newly constituted people of God, but indeed to men and women, slave and free alike. All will enjoy this gift, Peter says, and many will receive visions and dreams as well. This new work of God was, in Peter’s mind, to be associated with the day of the Lord and evidenced a time when anyone who called on the name of the Lord would be saved.
2C. Their Fellowship and Blessing (Acts 2:42; 17:11)
1D. Acts 2:42
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers.
2D. Summary
The early church maintained an unswerving commitment to the teaching of the apostles, and naturally so, for these men had been with Jesus and had since Pentecost given evidence of the powerful working of the Spirit. Their fellowship with one another was characterized by a focus on apostolic teaching. It defined for them who they were. Undoubtedly the “apostles’ teaching” included traditions about the origin, ministry, death, resurrection and exaltation of Jesus of Nazareth, as well as what this meant for salvation and living to please God. We too must devote ourselves to the teaching of the apostles, now set down for us in Scripture.
3C. Their Mission
1D. Acts 3:25
3:25 You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’
2D. Summary
Peter, as representative of the early church, understood their mission in keeping with Genesis 12:3; 22:18, and 26:4 and the covenant God instituted with Abraham. While I don’t think Peter at this time really grasped the significance of the universal offer of the gospel (see Acts 10-11), he nonetheless took his cue about the church’s mission from these prominent OT texts. See also his use of Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19 in Acts 3:22.
4C. Their Destiny
1D. Acts 3:20-22
3:19 Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, 3:20 so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, 3:21 who must remain in heaven until the time of the restoration of all things which God announced long ago through his holy prophets.
2D. Summary
The return of Christ, the destiny of the church, and the consummation of all things is referred to here corporately as the restoration of all things. The language of “restoration” is reminiscent of the prophets and the eschatological salvation of Israel (see Acts 1:6; Jer 15:19; 16:15; 24:6; 50:19; Ezek 16:55; Hos 11:11). In order to paint a picture of the future, Peter draws on scripture, which he refers to here as from God’s holy prophets.
5C. The Example of the Bereans
1D. Acts 17:11
Now the Jews of Berea were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures every day to see whether these things were so.
2D. Summary
The Jews in Berea are placed in a highly favorable light by Luke. They are an example of noble-mindedness for they listened to Paul and welcomed his message with great eagerness, but then they went and checked it against OT scriptures. If we are to be noble-minded per se and follow their example we would do well to test everything by the Word of God.
4B. The Example of the Apostles and Their Churches
1C. The Apostles’ Authority
1D. 1 Cor 14:37-38/2 Peter 3:16/Ephesians 2:20
14:37 Anyone who claims to be a prophet, or to have spiritual powers, must acknowledge that what I am writing to you is a command of the Lord. 14:38 Anyone who does not recognize this is not to be recognized.
2D. Summary
Paul, in his rather contentious ministry with the Corinthians, had more than one occasion to remind them of the authority which God had given him and to which they were to submit. If they denied Paul’s authoritative teaching, they too would be denied. If we deny his teaching, we too may be denied by the Lord himself.10 On the contrary, those who claim to be spiritually gifted, as the apostles says, will recognize his [Paul’s] God-given authority; he was God’s spokesperson to the Corinthians (2 Cor 5:20), a recipient of new revelation (cf. Eph 3:5), and God’s spokesperson to us as well. His teachings are now rightly regarded by the church as the very word of God.
2C. Their Emphasis on the Word of God
1D. Romans 15:4
For whatever was written in past time was written for our instruction so that through the perseverance and encouragement of scripture we might have hope.
2D. 1 Thessalonians 2:13
And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
3D. 2 Tim 3:14-17
3:14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 3:15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 3:17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (cf. Acts 20:32).
4D. James 1:21-25
1:21 Therefore rid yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, and accept the word planted in you which has the power to save your souls. 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 1:23 For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 1:24 for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 1:25 But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
5D. 1 Peter 2:1-3
2:1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2:2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 2:3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
6D. Summary
There are numerous other texts that we could have chosen here. These, however, are sufficient to show that the Scripture is designed to give us power, perseverance, and hope (Rom 15:4). God’s truth works in us who believe and enables us to imitate godly character under persecution (1 Thess 2:13). Also, God’s word is able to save us, train us in righteousness, and prepare us for the entirety of our service to God. In other words, the word of God is that which sanctifies us, just like it did Israel, and equips us for service (2 Tim 3:14-17). James also says that it saves our souls and must be obeyed lest we fall into spiritual darkness and deception. But if obeyed it leads to blessing (James 1:21-25). Finally, though Peter’s statement is somewhat metaphorical and enigmatic, he seems to be saying that God’s message communicates to us the very life of God. This, of course, seemed to be what Jesus himself thought (John 6:63; 17:17).
5B. The Examples of the Martyrs in Revelation
1C. Revelation 1:2, 9; 6:9, 20:4
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given (6:9). The reader is encouraged to look up the other verses listed here to see the pattern John was painting for his readers.
2C. Rev 3:8, 10
“I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
3C. Summary
The basic point in all these verses is that Christians can expect opposition to the keeping of God’s word, i.e., holding to a Biblical gospel and a lifestyle that is pleasing to Him. In many cases this opposition will culminate in death, as John makes clear. On the other hand, the Lord commended the church in Philadelphia for keeping the Word of God, that is, holding tightly to the gospel and not denying Christ.
6B. Summary of Biblical Teaching
What can we say about the place of the Word of God in the life of the Christian from this brief survey? Several things: It explains our salvation and how we became Christians. It orients us to our identity in Christ and the mission God has for us. It lays out the blessings God has planned for us and communicates to us our latter end. It provides power, endurance, and hope in the Christian life and fits us for service in the kingdom.
All this can be summarized under four important words: First, we can say that the Word of God is authoritative in matters of faith and practice. These are God’s words to us to show us how to live in fellowship with him and please him in our lives. To fail to recognize this leads to judgment. Second, we can say that the Word of God is sufficient for our sanctification and service to the Lord (2 Tim 3:14-17). Third, we can say that the Word of God is necessary for our salvation, sanctification, and glorification. It is necessary for all that we think and do and without it we are left to wander in darkness (Psalm 119:105). Fourth, we can say that while there are some difficulties in interpretation, the Word of God as it communicates God’s saving acts in Christ and our need for repentance and faith is clear. Our response, then, to the idea of authority, sufficiency, necessity, and clarity, ought to be to read, study, meditate, and pray through God’s word. Our ultimate goal is to know him through his word and obey what he commands, though we can expect opposition from the world, the flesh, and the Devil in this regard.
1 The theme of God’s grace is evident in the choosing, calling, and saving of Abraham. Indeed, sovereign (and free) mercy, grace, and blessing is a major theme in Genesis as evidenced, for example, in God’s provision of a sacrificial substitute for man (Gen 3:21) and the saving of Noah and his family. There are many similarities between the call of Noah and Abraham’s call—similarities which highlight the grace of God and the preeminence of his Word in their lives. In both cases God’s call came in the midst of judgment and involved God speaking to these men (8:15; 12:1) and calling them out of their situation (8:16; 12:1). In response both worship by building arks (8:20; 12:7) and the blessing comes through the spoken word, now recorded for us (9:1, 9; 12:1-3).
2 This passage can be taken collectively to refer to the nation as a whole or singularly to refer to the Servant-Messiah. Both are in some sense in view. In terms of the ministry of light to the Gentiles, that too was Israel’s responsibility—a responsibility which only Jesus, as a Jew, fulfilled in its fullest sense (Luke 2:32) and which Paul recognizes and picks up on as his own mandate (Acts 13:46-47). Whoever has the knowledge of God is supposed to share it, not hide it (Matt 5:14-16).
3 The “walking” imagery picks up the idea of relationship seen in the patriarchal narratives. Enoch, Noah and Abraham all walked with God (Gen 5:22; 6:9; 17:1). Here, however, it is said that the Lord walks among his people. One can only think of the exalted Christ walking among the lampstands or his churches in Revelation 2-3.
4 The precise interpretation of “kingdom of priests” is fraught with difficulty since this is the only place in the OT where the expression occurs (see 1 Peter 2:9). It does not appear to mean the same thing as “treasured possession,” however, which speaks to God’s estimate of the nation’s worth to him. Further, it does not seem to mean the same thing as “holy nation” which speaks to Israel’s moral and religious distinctiveness in contrast to the nations around her (vis a vis her relationship with Yahweh). “Kingdom of priests” seems to speak of her special place of service and witness to the nations around her. Thus, as a nation in special relationship to the Yahweh and, therefore, holy, she could function as a vehicle through which God communicated his purity and grace to the peoples everywhere. She had the royal function of representing God before other peoples and was to be a blessing to the ends of the earth as envisioned in the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 12:1-3). Note: The regal and priestly functions of the king coalesce in Psalm 110:1-4 as well (cf. 2 Sam 6:13-14).
5 Leviticus 26 can be outlined as (1) blessings (26:3-13); (2) “seven-times-over” curses (26:14-39), and the hope of restoration (26:40-45). The blessings include rain, good land and growing conditions, peace, material and spiritual prosperity, peace, and God’s covenanted presence among them. The curses include poor crops, plagues, defeat in battle, wild animals, war, pestilence, famine, and ultimately exile.
6 For a brief discussion of the designation “son of man,” consult, I. H. Marshall, “Son of Man,” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, ed. Joel B. Green, Scot McKnight, and I. Howard Marshall (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1996), 775-81.
7 For an extended discussion of Christ’s high view of Scripture, see John W. Wenham, “Christ’s View of Scripture,” in Inerrancy, ed. Norman L. Geisler (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1980), 1-36.
8 The precise identification of the “gods” is difficult to nail down with certainty. But whether it refers to Israel’s judges, angels, the people of Israel at the giving of the Law, or whatever, is to some degree not pertinent to our discussion. As we indicate above, our point is to show Jesus’ high view of Scripture.
9 See our discussion under IA. 2B. 1C.. 1D
10 In 14:38 Paul probably meant that those who ignored his authority would themselves be ignored by Paul, members in the Corinthian church, other churches, and even the Lord.
Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Spiritual Life
B. Principles for Bible Study: Four Key Components
1B. The Issue of Receptivity: “The One Who Trembles at My Word”
On one occasion, while Jesus was speaking a message about the essential nature of the kingdom of God, he concluded with these cryptic words: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:9). He said essentially the same thing as well to his churches in Revelation 2-3. He also complained that Israel had turned a deaf ear to his claims and ministry (Matt 13:15). As fallen people with a bent for evil we do not naturally listen well, in spite of the fact that we have been given two ears. We are even worse when we are asked to listen to a message which indicts us for sin, even if it offers restitution after repentance. We must humble ourselves deeply and thoroughly if we are ever to really experience the life transforming presence of God through his word. WE must be receptive to his message.
2B. The Issue of Reading: “By Reading You May Have Insight”
In his letter to the Ephesians Paul encourages the churches to read what he has written so that “through reading they might understand his insight into the mystery of Christ” (3:4). The inference I wish to draw from this text is that the Bible is a book and as such must be read. While we must have a vital relationship with God through Christ to understand it properly, poor reading skills will hinder our comprehension of what God is saying. We should, as Christians and committed to Holy Scripture, develop our reading skills. The literacy rate among North Americans is woefully low, to say nothing of the paucity of good readers.11
3B. The Issue of Reflection: “And The Lord Will Give You Insight”
The key to transformation is meditation which means prolonged reflection on a passage(s) or truth in order to penetrate its meaning, relating it to other doctrines and life, and hearing God’s voice in it. Meditation is the bridge to meaningful obedience. Paul told Timothy to think seriously about what he [Paul] said and that the Lord would give him insight into it (2 Tim 2:7). Unfortunately, just about everything in our driven society mitigates against investing time in prayerful meditation. Nevertheless, God commanded Joshua to meditate on his word so that he could obey it and enjoy the blessing of success (Joshua 1:8).
4B. The Issue of Relating: The “So What” Question
The issue is really one of blessing. The Bible was meant to be lived not just “figured out.” We must relate what we have learned—what the Lord has spoken to us about in meditation—to our lives and the lives of others. As James says, “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves, do what it says” (James 1:22).
11 The interested reader is encouraged to acquire and study Mortimer J. Adler’s book, How to Read A Book.
Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Bible Study Methods
C. Practice of Bible Study
1B. Choose the Kind of Study You Wish To Do
1C. Book Study
The purpose or goal in studying a book is to understand its various themes and strands of thought as an integrated whole. Generally this is done by performing an initial synthesis of the book where major and minor themes are noted and difficult passages are surfaced. Along with this is the need to place the book in its life setting, involving an initial attempt to understand why it was written, by whom, and under what circumstances. These first few readings are initial, preparatory, and survey in nature. One is not in the best possible position to understand the significance of the beginning of a novel until one has read the entire work. In other words, the first initial readings of a book are crucial to gaining a proper perspective on the content. After this preliminary stage is completed, however, the reader will want to carry out a more detailed analysis of the various parts (i.e., words, phrases, clauses, sentences, and the basic unit of the paragraph). After this second step is completed, the reader will want to return to a synthesis of the book in order to better understand the meaning of the various statements throughout the book in proper relation to the whole. This includes developing a statement regarding the meaning of each paragraph as well as a statement for the entire book. In the end one is pressed to ask how the meaning of this book contributes to the canon as a whole and what difference it should make in my life and in the life of the church.
2C. Topical Study
The purpose or goal of topical study is to arrive at an understanding of a specific topic in scripture either within a book, author (i.e., several books), the NT or OT, or the entire bible itself. For example, one could do a topical study on “love” in Paul. In this case, one would study every passage where the term occurs, as well as those where the concept is present and the term is not. The study part is not complete until the reader has developed a statement about the essence of the topic as well as how it relates to other topics in scripture with which it is logically connected.
3C. Theological Study
In certain ways, theological study is a subset of topical study, only the reader is interested in topics which are explicitly theological. Thus a person might want to study the names of God throughout scripture. This would be a massive study, but one could acquire a list of the various names and study each of them separately and together to see what they contribute to our understanding of God. One could study the topic of God’s grace, salvation, sin, demons, angels, etc. to see what the Bible teaches on each of these theological ideas.
There are several dangers to avoid in this kind of study and they’re all related to each other. First, make sure that you have a representative list of passages on your theological topic. It’s easy to prove our heresies with less than half the data! So, after you have acquired what you think is a representative list of passages to be examined, make sure that you allow each passage to speak on its own. Don’t pour other passages immediately into them so that either their meaning or force (more common) is altered or blunted. The opposite error when doing this kind of study is to fail to relate passages to each other and even more common, to fail to integrate one’s theology as a whole. This means that if I am studying “salvation” I will want to relate my findings to my doctrine of God, Christ, the Spirit, etc. and this brings me to another caution worth noting. Be careful to remember that while the essence of certain truths in scripture never changes, there are stages in the progressive unfolding through history of those truths or doctrines. For example, be careful of reading a full blown doctrine of the trinity into OT texts. It isn’t there. The unique relationship of the Father, Son and Spirit had to await the incarnation and post cross period of salvation history. Now this does not mean that God was not a trinity in the OT. He was, is, and always will be a trinity. He just didn’t really let us in on that until the period of the NT.
4C. Historical Study
For the layman, the goal of historical study of the Bible is to acquire information about peoples, towns, cultural practices, religious beliefs, customs, languages, etc. of people(s) mentioned in the Bible. This will be gathered through an examination of the biblical texts in question as well as through consulting dictionaries, commentaries, maps of Bible lands, etc. This kind of study is necessary and very profitable in the process of correctly understanding the Bible. There are, however, two very real dangers here.
First, some students of the Bible have the attitude that all they need is an English Bible, paper, and pen and God will give them the rest. For them, the study of Biblical customs, beliefs, etc. is not only a waste of time, but it is so because it hinders the work of the Spirit which is entirely immediate and direct, not mediate and indirect. This is a defective attitude for several reasons. First, there is, depending on how one looks at it, a direct and immediate work of the Spirit (Rom 8:16), but while this does assure us of our status as children of God in a special sense, it in no way entails the correct interpretation of every passage simply by reading it in one’s own language. Second, this approach denies the impact of the obvious truth that the Bible was written in languages, cultures, and time periods far removed from our own. Third, and perhaps worst of all, is that the reader ignorant of Biblical backgrounds and history, simply imposes his own culture on the Bible, unwittingly in most cases, and blunts the force of scripture.12 While this statement is not intended in any way to take the Bible out of the hands of the layman, it is intended to jump start his/her curiosity about the historical context of the Bible and to learn more about it so that he/she can enjoy the Bible much more. You will not read the Bible for long if you’re not making gains in your understanding of it. Gaining a knowledge of the surroundings of the Bible is helpful for understanding all the Bible, but becomes especially acute in reading sections of the OT and the gospels. We miss a lot because we are insensitive to these issues.
The second error is to reduce all our study of the Bible to “quests” regarding answers to historical questions. This is the great error of the modern scholar who gains a great store of knowledge of the Bible’s origins, surroundings, and uses in various communities, but fails to realize the benefit of the message for himself. In his seductive claims to objectivity, that person, nonetheless, has missed the point at which the scriptural writers were aiming and is “outside” the faith community which gave rise to these writings. The person who has come to know Christ through Scripture, though he may remain ignorant of much of the history (at least for a while after his initial conversion, let’s say, though this may not be the case), is in a far better epistemological position to understand the realities to which Paul’s language points because he now possesses the spiritual capacity (i.e., the Spirit himself) to see whereas the pure historian does not. Again, we are not decrying historical study and theoretical recreation as it pertains to these ancient texts, but the person whose highest priority in approaching the text is to uncover the literary origins and relationship of the synoptics, may go away quite empty in the end.
5C. Biographical Study
The goal of biographical study is to put together a profile of the Biblical personage in question with the ultimate rationale to identify what we can learn from him or her to help us in our lives today. How can their relationship to God, either positive or negative, help us with our relationship with God? The following is a list of some of the questions that can be asked of people in the Bible:13 (1) Who were they? (2) Who were their parents and family? (3) What was their education and surroundings? (4) Why did they do such and such? (5) Did they ever come to believe in God? Where, why, and how? (6) How does what they did relate to what they believed about God, and in fact, teach us about what they really believed about God? (7) What were their positive and negative qualities? (8) What kind of mistakes did they make and did they learn from them? (9) What or who were the biggest influences on their lives? (10) What were their marriages and children like? (11) How are they viewed by other Biblical writers (e.g., Abraham by Luke in Acts or Paul in Romans 4)? (12) How did they grow as people or is there no evidence that they did? Was there a definitive turning point in their life? (13) How did they handle disappointment? Success? The list is endless.
2B. Choose A Passage: A Paragraph
We have chosen to do a book study first. Actually, for beginners it will be enough to learn to study a paragraph, since this is quite manageable and books are often times long and too challenging without mastering this step first.14 A person might ask, “why not start with verse study?” The reason is that the paragraph is the basic unit of thought, not the verse or sentence. We also note that the study of a paragraph is in certain respects basic to all other kinds of Bible study as well. Thus, all verses studied using the topical, theological, historical, or biographical method should be read at least in the context of the paragraph in which they’re found.
Perhaps you have a favorite verse and would like to reflect on it a little further. The first thing to do is to set limits (i.e., identify) on the paragraph in which it is found. Essentially you’re asking, “what unit of thought is this sentence (e.g., verse15) immediately related to?” The NET Bible divides the text according to commonly accepted paragraph divisions. So also the NASB. The NIV, however, with its focus on the diminished reading abilities of the average person these days, tends to break paragraphs up into two or more smaller paragraphs which are not really paragraphs, but smaller units of closely related thought (cf. The NET Bible with the NIV in Matthew 1-4). But the bottom line is, where ever one puts the paragraph divisions, one should make sure that what one claims as a paragraph actually has one major idea and is distinct in terms of what has come both before and after. See below in our practice section of this work.
3B. Read The Paragraph Several Times
Once the reader knows the paragraph division, the text should be read prayerfully a dozen times or more. This may amount to reading the equivalent of two to three chapters worth of material, so it’s not as bad as it might have initially sounded. Here are some important questions to ask as you read the material repetitively and meditatively. First, note what comes before this paragraph and what comes after. You may use the chapter or sectional titles in your Bible to help you with this. The question here, and it is sometimes difficult to answer, is how does what comes before prepare me for my paragraph and how does what comes afterward follow naturally (or not) from my paragraph? You may have to wait until you have read it many times before this becomes clear enough to make a statement about it. Second, how does the paragraph begin and how does it end? Does this provide a clue as to what the author’s talking about and a line of development through the paragraph? Third, can the paragraph itself be broken down into smaller units, perhaps one or two divisions. This may help me get a clear picture as to the development of the author’s thought. Fourth, what does the paragraph center on: (1) a person; (2) a place; (3) an idea or concept; (4) time; (5) an event? All of these elements will be present, but usually one or two dominate. What are they? Fifth, what are the key terms in this paragraph? Sometimes the author repeats a term over and over again. That’s because it’s important to him and generally essential to grasping his meaning. Notice also how various terms make you think, feel, or act.
4B. Summarize the Paragraph
By this stage you have read the paragraph so many times you may be sick of it. Hopefully not! In any case, it’s time to summarize the paragraph, that is, to boil it down to its basic idea. To do this, ask yourself two questions. First, ask yourself, “what is the author talking about?” That’s your subject. Second, ask yourself, “what does he say about what he’s talking about?” That’s the rest of the idea, the predicate or complement as some folks call it. By the way, you already do this all the time. Some of you work for corporations where it is not at all uncommon to attend seminars on this, that, or the other thing. When you go, you’ll take out your writing pad (or Palm Pilot these days) and try to distill what the speaker’s talking about and what he says about it. Perhaps he’s talking about a new kind of computer network system. That’s his subject, broadly speaking. Perhaps he gives you a lengthy description of the system, including features and benefits. This, then, is the complement or rest of his idea. You may summarize a two hour lecture (boring?) as: The “XYZ Network solutions” package (subject) has the following features: A,B, and C (complement). Thus every complete idea has two parts: (1) subject, and (2) complement or predicate. The Bible, in this sense, is no different. Every paragraph has a subject/complement or main idea. It is our job to discover what that is.
5B. Look up the Cross-References/Notes Listed in Your Bible/Dictionary
After you have read the paragraph many times and have drawn up a tentative subject/ complement statement, you are ready to look at other passages relating to your passage. Most Bibles have cross-references listed with each or nearly each verse. These should now be read. The question to ask is, “how does this passage from another part of scripture shed light on the verse or paragraph I’m studying right now. Therefore, suppose that I am studying Romans 1:1-7 and am at the point—having drawn up my provisional subject/complement—where I want to look at other verses related to the verses in this paragraph. As I begin now with Romans 1:1, I have decided to look at the beginning of Paul’s other letters, to compare them to Romans. I find that in none of his other letters does he begin with such a clear statement of the gospel’s connection to the OT and David. I conclude from this that I can expect to see more connections forged between the gospel and the OT. This, of course, is rampant throughout Romans.
6B. Revisit Your Summary
Having looked at all the cross-references, many of which were probably found in the very book in which your paragraph is found, you are now ready to finalize your statement about the meaning of the paragraph. You may find that you don’t need to change anything. IN all likelihood, you will tweak it a little.
7B. Validate Your Summary: Does Every Verse Agree?
This step is really part of the previous step of revisiting your summary. The point here is to go through the paragraph and make sure that in one form or another, every verse contributes to your subject/complement statement and that no one is contrary to it. If you just can’t make a verse fit with your statement, you need to rethink your statement.
8B. Choose A Verse That Speaks to You
Many people like to choose a verse that really strikes a chord with them and then memorize it or ask God what he may be saying specifically to them. This leads to the next step.
9B. Meditate and Pray: What Would God Have You Do?
Finally you will want to meditate on what you’ve learned, praying through it as you do: “Lord, what do you want to say to me, my family, my friends, those who do not know Christ yet, etc.?” Perhaps the Lord wants to change an attitude, praise you for something you’ve done, or redirect your steps. Listen for his voice as it comes to you through scripture.
12 Sometimes that “culture,” “background,” or more commonly called “tradition” is Christian and this too can blunt the force of certain texts. The common practice of readily and instantaneously identifying with the tax collector over the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14 is proof of what we’re saying. The shock value of the parable is lost for Jesus assumes that you will identify with the Pharisee and be flabbergasted when the publican goes home justified and the Pharisee condemned!
13 It has been said that “more is caught than taught.” Perhaps this is why so much of the Biblical material is narrative—theological writing about people and their experiences with God.
14 For help on studying a book of the Bible, see “How to Study the Bible: For Beginners”.
15 Some Bible verses contain more than one sentence in English (e.g., Gal 2:20 NIV), but not all verses are complete sentences (e.g., Eph 2:14) and some sentences stretch out for several verses in the English translations, to say nothing of the originals.
Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Bible Study Methods
D. Practicing on a Paragraph
1B. Joshua 1:1-9
1C. A Synthesis Study
2C. The Text of Joshua 1:1-9 (NIV)
1:1 After Moses the LORD’s servant died, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant: 1:2 “Moses my servant is dead. Get ready! Cross the Jordan River! Lead these people into the land which I am ready to hand over to them. 1:3 I am handing over to you every place you set foot, as I promised Moses. 1:4 Your territory will extend from the wilderness in the south to Lebanon in the north. It will extend all the way to the great River Euphrates in the east (including all of Syria) and all the way to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 1:5 No one will be able to resist you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not abandon you or leave you alone. 1:6 Be strong and brave! You must lead these people in the conquest of this land that I solemnly promised their ancestors I would hand over to them. 1:7 Make sure you are very strong and brave! Carefully obey all the law my servant Moses charged you to keep! Do not swerve from it to the right or the left, so you may be successful in all you do. 1:8 This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper and be successful. 1:9 I repeat, be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic, for I, the LORD your God, am with you in all you do.”
3C. Read The Paragraph Several Times
Joshua 1:1-9 picks up where Deuteronomy 34 ends off (i.e., at the death of Moses). Joshua 1:10-15 records Joshua preparing the people and 1:16-18 records the peoples’ pledge of obedience to Joshua and the Lord. The rest of the book records the conquest of Canaan, the dividing of the land and its apportioning it to the various tribes of Israel. Thus the historical context of the paragraph is the death of Moses, Israel’s leader, and the taking of the promised land.
In reading Joshua 1:1-9 several times, we note that the paragraph begins with the death of Moses and ends with God’s commandment to Joshua not to be afraid but to trust that God will be with him wherever he goes. Thus the mood is one of tension, fear, and anxiety on the part of Joshua. After all, he has never led a nation before!
We also note that the paragraph itself can be broken down into two parts. In 1:1-5 the emphasis is on God’s promise to the nation to inherit the land. In 1:6-9 the emphasis is on God’s promise to Joshua to be with him, give him success and Joshua’s responsibility to not fear but obey God’s Law.
The paragraph seems to center on a person, Joshua (and Israel) and a place, the promised land. These are brought together in that Joshua is God’s chosen person to lead Israel into the promised land.
The imperative mood runs throughout the paragraph; God repeatedly commands Joshua to not be afraid, but to obey. This makes the scene like a commissioning scene where an inferior is being ordered to do something and commissioned for the task. In this case, the superior, God promises to be with this leader all the way. The expression “be strong and courageous” occurs throughout. There is a focus on success through God’s presence and Joshua’s obedience.
4C. Summarize The Paragraph
Sometimes, after reading a paragraph several times, it is helpful to put forth a number of possible subjects as viable choices and then begin to delete them as we go. For example, someone might want to argue that the subject of the paragraph is Moses’ death. After all, it is mentioned twice (v. 1, 2) and he himself is mentioned numerous times. Thus there is much in the paragraph that relates to Moses. But that’s just the problem; while there is much in the paragraph that relates to Moses’ death, there is more that relates to him in other ways, and there is much in the paragraph that does not directly relate to him; it is difficult to subsume God’s commands to Joshua under the title: “Moses’ death.” Moses’ death is important for understanding why God says the things he says here, but the paragraph is certainly not primarily about Moses’ death. Someone else might suggest that the subject of the paragraph is the promised land. Again, much in the passage relates to this idea, but it does not have the explanatory power to account for all that is in the passage. Perhaps for now we can suggest that the topic or subject, broadly conceived is: “God’s commissioning of Joshua in light of Moses’ death” or “God’s commissioning to Joshua to lead the Israelites into the promised land…” The subject/complement together might be: “God’s commissioning of Joshua, in the light of Moses’ death, involves the taking of the promised land with the assurance of God’s presence and power as well as the responsibility for Joshua to obey God’s Law.”
While there is no one “right” answer, some are decidedly better than others. We will come back to our subject/complement later. Now we have to look at some cross-references.
5C. Look Up Cross-References
1D. Joshua 1:1
Various Bibles list all sorts of cross-references to be looked up. For example, the NIV study Bible lists the following verses for Joshua 1:1: Ex 14:31; Dt 34:5; Rev 15:3; Ex 17:9. When we read these verses, we realize that the title “servant of the Lord,” as applied to Moses, was a title of high honor. He was regarded by the people as close to God and one in whom the people put their trust (Ex 14:31). The question that must have been in Joshua’s mind, when God mentioned Moses as “his servant,” was “Can I live up to that calling? Moses is dead, I’m the one God is calling to do this great thing. But, can I do it?”
Perhaps, in Joshua 1:1-9, Joshua felt insecure and fearful that he would not live up to what God wanted, for he had even seen his close friend, that great “servant of the Lord” Moses, fail in this regard. Moses was not permitted to lead the people of Israel into the promised land because he had succumbed to the pressures put upon him by the nation; in anger he struck the rock twice instead of simply speaking to it as God had commanded (Num 20:1-13).
Thus, the reference to Moses as “the servant of the Lord” in verses 1 and 2 reminded Joshua about the incredible privilege and responsibility he now had as the leader of Israel. When we look up Ex 17:9 we realize that God had prepared him for such a role by training him as a soldier and commander.16 Further, he was not to fear, but instead obey and then God would give him victory.
2D. Joshua 1:2-9
The reader is encouraged now to look through the remaining cross-references in his/her Bible and compare them with Joshua 1:1-9. What new insights did you gain about what’s going on here in Joshua 1? In looking up these references, you will undoubtedly see the focus on the promised land and its connection with Abraham and God’s covenant with him. You will also see how God worked in other great men and wants to work in your life as well. God is not giving Palestine to the church; he is giving the world and the entire cosmos. We are to worship him in truth and reach out to those who do not yet know him. As Joshua and Israel had their commission, so we have ours (Matt 28:19-20). The good new is that it is the same God in both cases.
6C. Revisit Your Summary
After reading all the cross-references, it is now time to return to your original summary of the paragraph. Do you need to change or tweak anything? Perhaps, but not necessarily. Sometimes looking up other passages serves to give us further insight into certain statements in our passage, but it might not really change our understanding of the focus of the passage overall.
7C. Validate Your Summary: Does Every Verse Fit?
People often ask, “How do I know if my interpretation is the right one?” While there may be one right interpretation of a passage—where interpretation is akin to landing in a circle and not on the head of a pin—it is often times difficult to adjudicate between competing interpretations. Thus, it is better to view interpretations as more or less reasonable given the data at hand. One way to judge between two or more interpretations of a paragraph is to check each verse in our paragraph against our subject-complement to see if our subject-complement fits. This does not mean that every detail of every verse(s) is in our subject-complement, but it does mean that nothing in the subject-complement contradicts the verse, either directly or by improper emphasis.
We said that the subject of Joshua 1:1-9 is: “God’s commissioning of Joshua, in the light of Moses’ death,” and the complement is: “involves the taking of the promised land with the assurance of God’s presence and power as well as the responsibility for Joshua to obey God’s Law.” As I read through the verses in Joshua it seems that each one is represented in this subject-complement and that the subject has been correctly narrowed down. For example, ideas that don’t get mentioned, such as “meditation” and “the boundaries of the promised land” are understood to be part of the phrase “to obey God’s Law” and the mention of the “promised land,” respectively. Also, the way I have said it is obviously not the only way it could have been said. But any way in which it is expressed, which detracts from the actual text or skews the subject in some way, is open to revision and correction.
The one idea that might be missing from this summary, and which is important to the paragraph, is the idea of Joshua’s success. His success comes through his obedience to God’s law, and probably ought to receive explicit mention. We also might want to make “taking the promised land” part of the subject and not the complement. Thus we might reformulate the subject-complement as follows: “God’s commissioning of Joshua—after the death of Moses—to lead the people of Israel into the promised land (subject), will be successful if Joshua does not give way to fear, but remains strong and courageous in the knowledge of God’s continued presence and power and if he is careful to obey God’s Law”(complement).
8C. Choose A Word/Verse That Speaks to You
Perhaps the verses that crystallize the response Joshua was to have are vv. 8-9. These passages speak volumes to me about my own life and ministry.
9C. Meditate and Pray
Meditate on these verses for your own life, now that you understand them in their original context. What is it God is saying to you about your commitment to his Word? Obedience? And attitude in doing his will? What does this passage teach us about our mandate to reach the lost, raise up our families in a way that honors the Lord and his Word, and the way I conduct myself at work?
2B. Psalm 1
1:1 How happy is the one who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand in the pathway with sinners, or sit in the assembly of arrogant fools! 1:2 Instead he finds pleasure in obeying the LORD’s commands; he intently studies his commands day and night. 1:3 He is like a tree planted by flowing streams; it yields its fruit at the proper time, and its leaves never fall off. He succeeds in everything he attempts. 1:4 Not so with the wicked! Instead they are like wind-driven chaff. 1:5 For this reason the wicked cannot withstand judgment, nor can sinners join the assembly of the godly. 1:6 Certainly the LORD rewards the behavior of the godly, but the behavior of the wicked is self-destructive.
3B. Isaiah 55:1-13
55:1 Hey, all who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come! Buy and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk without money and without cost! 55:2 Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? Why spend your hard-earned money on something that will not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is nourishing! Enjoy fine food! 55:3 Pay attention and come to me! Listen, so you can live! Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to you, just like the reliable covenantal promises I made to David. 55:4 Look, I made him a witness to nations, a ruler and commander of nations.” 55:5 Look, you will summon nations you did not previously know; nations that did not previously know you will run to you, because of the LORD your God, the sovereign king of Israel, for he bestows honor on you. 55:6 Seek the LORD while he makes himself available; call to him while he is nearby! 55:7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle and sinful people their plans. They should return to the LORD, and he will show mercy to them, and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. 55:8 “Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, and my deeds are not like your deeds, 55:9 for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so my deeds are superior to your deeds and my plans superior to your plans. 55:10 The rain and now fall from the sky and do not return, but instead water the earth and make it produce and yield crops, and provide seed for the planter and food for those who must eat. 55:11 In the same way, the promise that I make does not return to me, having accomplished nothing. No, it is realized as I desire and is fulfilled as I intend.” 55:12 Indeed you will go out with joy; you will be led along in peace; the mountains and hills will give a joyful shout before you,
and all the trees in the field will clap their hands. 55:13 Evergreens will grow in place of thorn bushes, firs will grow in place of nettles; they will be a monument to the LORD, a permanent reminder that will remain.
4B. Ephesians 2:1-10
2:1And although you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2:2 in which you formerly lived according to this world’s present path, according to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience, 2:3 among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest… 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, 2:5 even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you are saved! — 2:6 and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 2:7 to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 2:9 it is not of works, so that no one can boast. 2:10 For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.
5B. Revelation 4
4:1After these things I looked, and there was a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said: “Come up here so that I can show you what must happen after these things.” 4:2 Immediately I was in the Spirit, and a throne was standing in heaven with someone seated on it! 4:3 And the one seated on it was like jasper and carnelian in appearance, and a rainbow looking like it was made of emerald encircled the throne. 4:4 In a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on those thrones were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white clothing and had golden crowns on their heads. 4:5 From the throne came out flashes of lightning and roaring and crashes of thunder. Seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God, were burning in front of the throne 4:6 and in front of the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal. In the middle of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 4:7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second creature like an ox, the third creature had a face like a man’s, and the fourth creature looked like an eagle flying. 4:8 Each one of the four living creatures had six wings and was full of eyes all around and inside. They never rest day or night, saying: “Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God, the All-Powerful, Who was and who is, and who is coming!” 4:9 And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 4:10 the twenty-four elders throw themselves to the ground before the one who sits on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever, and they offer their crowns before his throne, saying: 4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, since you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created!”
16 Note: Joshua was also Moses’ aide and learned much about relating to God and God’s people from being with him.
Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Bible Study Methods
2. Introduction to Practice Makes Perfect
One of greatest joys in life is being able to read and understand something for yourself. Such is the ultimate goal of this Bible study program. We want you to be able to feed your own soul from God’s word and then turn around and help others as well.
George Burns once said, “I’d rather be a failure at something I enjoy, than a success at something I hate.” The good news for Christians is that these are not the only two options; why not be a success at something you like? We want to help you become a success at studying God’s word; studying it faithfully, honestly, prayerfully, obediently, and intelligently.
But, studying God’s word is not easy, per se. There are no overnight successes in this venture, but there are numerous rewards, surprises, and encouragements all along the journey. There are two basic strengths you will need to cultivate if you are to be a good Bible student (e.g., studying, applying, and teaching others). First, you will need a “stick-to-it mentality (Philippians 4:13). At first, failure (at least in your eyes) may come often. Did you know that one of Monet’s (the famous French artist) first jobs as an artist was doing sketches for a local paper? Did you also know that only one of the scores of sketches he produced was ever used? These initial setbacks obviously did not hang him out to dry—nor should they us. Success is not found on the path of least persistence! Examples abound. Calvin Coolidge may have overstated the case, but only slightly:
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with great talent. Genius will not: unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence, determination alone are omnipotent.
Ninety percent of success is just showing up. Never quit!
The second quality that you and I need to develop in order to be good Bible students is the appropriate “know how,” that is, “understanding” specific to our task. We need to learn—and never cease learning—how to study a book like the Bible. And that’s what we’re here to help you with. Until we are helped, most of us are in a fog regarding how to study the Bible. But, what a great experience it is when the fog rolls away and understanding illuminates our hearts. Clarence Edward Flynn expressed it this way:
Peering into the mists of gray |
That shroud the surface of the bay, |
Nothing I see except a veil |
Of fog surrounding every sail. |
Then suddenly against the cape |
A vast and silent form takes shape, |
A great ship lies against the shore |
Where nothing has appeared before. |
He who sees a truth must often gaze |
Into a fog for may days; |
It may seem very sure to him |
Nothing is there but mist clouds dim. |
Then, suddenly, his eyes will see |
A shape where nothing used to be. |
Discoveries are missed each day |
By men who turn so quick away.1 |
So we’re going to teach you a method in this paper that will dispel the fog and give you more certainty regarding what the Bible says and what it means by what it says. The ultimate goal of this material is to create in you a deeper love for Christ—a love expressed in an intelligent understanding of his word and a lifestyle that reflects the amazing grace that has brought you thus far and will someday lead you home!
1 As cited in Robert A. Traina, Methodical Bible Study: A New Approach to Hermeneutics (New York: The Biblical Seminary, 1952), 33.
Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Teaching the Bible
A. Qualifications Of A Good Interpreter
Born Again
The first quality of a good interpreter is that they have already submitted to the truth of God in the gospel. They have accepted Christ as their savior. Having submitted to Him, they are ready to begin a life long commitment to Christ expressed in intelligent, daily submission to Him in His word. The person who has personally trusted in Christ possesses the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9) and is, therefore, able to see how the truth he finds in Scripture relates to his own life as well as the lives of others. He knows that he can depend on the Spirit to enable him to study the Bible profitably and to guide him in the application (i.e. discipleship) process. These are challenging days facing the church and only those who stay close to the Lord according to his word will live godly, responsible, and holy lives.
Humble
The good interpreter consistently maintains an attitude of humility. This is because he is in a relationship with God and knows that God reveals his truth to those who are humble and willing to receive (James 1:18-21). Further, when we are honest with ourselves, others, and with God, we must confess a profound ignorance of Scripture and even greater ignorance of God. Again, the Spirit is with us, and lives in us; there is no place for despair. Therefore, clothe yourself with humility for it is one of the most significant character traits of the good interpreter of the Bible.
Stick-to-it-ness
We have discussed “stick-to-it-ness” above so we will not go into great detail again. Nonetheless, I mention it once more because it is perhaps the number one problem I have noticed among Bible students: they quit too easily. God doesn’t reveal his deepest secrets to the passers-by. And Satan loves to defeat you in this area. So, be prepared for a fight! Ask God for the strength and the discipline to follow a regular schedule of Bible study. Happiness is not how you feel at the moment (a great mistake inherited from the Enlightenment) it is the result of a life well lived. You will be happy if you live life well. Sticking to your goal of studying the Bible faithfully, and applying it to your life, will lead to genuine and permanent happiness (i.e., blessedness). Eugene Peterson, in his book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, comments lamentably about the character of today’s generation: “Everyone is in a hurry. The persons whom I lead in worship, among whom I counsel, visit, pray, preach, and teach, want short cuts … They are impatient for results …The Christian life cannot mature under such conditions and in such ways.”2 Prepare yourself for the long haul.
Increasing Knowledge of Scripture and Bible Backgrounds
This is where the attitude of “stick-to-it-ness” comes into play. If you really want to understand the Bible then you will have to begin reading the Bible regularly, studying it, and reading and studying Bible backgrounds as well. There are lots of studies at the BSF website ( www.//bible.org ) to help you accomplish this. Apart from the website, you are encouraged to get some good books on Bible backgrounds, customs, languages, and cultures. These will greatly help you enter the world of the Bible and comprehend its message in a clearer way. Commentaries will also provide background information. The tools we are going to discuss in the following section will also help you.
2 Eugene H. Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1980), 11-12.
Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Basics for Christians, Teaching the Bible
B. The Tools Of A Good Interpreter
Once you have a plan of study and a quiet place to do it, you will need several resources in order to study the Bible in depth. Such tools include a good translation (or two or more), concordance, Atlas, Bible handbook, and a notebook or computer. We will only be using the English translation in this study.
NET Bible
We will be primarily using the NET Bible which is available free on-line at this site: Net.Bible.org. The burgundy leather edition may be purchased for $29.95U.S. and the fully searchable Logos CD version is $29.95 U.S.
A Concordance
Like any book, the Bible is full of words. Many of the same, important words are used more than once throughout a book and indeed, the entire Bible. The point of a concordance is to be able to track down a given word each time it occurs so that you can reflect on its various uses to see if they shed any light on the particular passage you are studying. For example, if you are meditating on Matthew 5:16: “Let your light shine before men…” it would be nice to be able to study the word “light” (fw`") not only in Matthew 5:16, but also in the book of Matthew as a whole, as well as in the other gospels, the rest of the New Testament, and even the Old Testament (though the language is now Hebrew and Aramaic, not Greek).3 Hopefully this process would shed some “light” (no pun intended) on the use of the term in Matthew 5:16. After such a “word study” you would understand the range of usage of a given term and thus increase the likelihood that you properly understood it in its original context (i.e., Matthew 5:16)—all things being equal. For those of you who have Bibles with verse references in the margin, use them as well. They are designed to be cross-referenced to the passage under study. Many times they are cross-referenced on the basis of the same word and certainly on the basis of a shared idea.4
A Bible Atlas
You can use the one in the back of your Bible if you like or get another more complete atlas such as: Harry Thomas Frank, ed., Atlas of the Bible Lands, rev. ed. Maplewood New Jersey: Hammond, 1990. The ISBN number for the soft cover edition is 0-8437-7055-4 and the Library of Congress number is G2230.H3. Another good atlas is: Dowley, Atlas of the Bible and Christianity (Baker, ’97).
A Bible Handbook/Dictionary
A good Bible dictionary will give all sorts of valuable information on cultural backgrounds, outlines of Bible books, the particular contexts in which books were written, themes, special challenges posed by the various books of the Bible, information on geography, archaeology, etc. Much of this can also be found right on our website at www.bible.org. Some good examples include: Marshall/Millard/Packer/Wiseman, eds., New Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed. (IVP, ’96); Wenham/Motyer/Carson/France, eds., New Bible Commentary: 21st Century, eds. (IVP, ’94).
A Good Commentary
A good commentary series is important for the student of the Bible. First, you are in community. Interpretation and application of the Bible should take place in dialogue with other people. Reading good commentaries is a way to interact with other interpreters and cross-check your work against theirs.
Second, commentaries will often provide good background information as well as point out any important facts which arise from the Biblical languages—facts which would otherwise be lost on the student of the English Bible.
Third, as good and as necessary as commentaries are, they cannot replace your own study and meditation on God’s word. They are a necessary supplement, not in any sense a replacement.
A Systematic Theology
A systematic theology is, as its names implies, an attempt to systematize all of the teaching of Scripture according to approximately ten crucial categories such as the Bible, God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, Angels (holy and fallen), man, sin, salvation, the church, and the end times. These books can be very helpful because they have Scripture indexes at the back and may actually comment on a passage you are studying and alert you to broader implications of the truths found in the passage. I recommend, for the beginning student, Millard J. Erickson, Systematic Theology (Baker, ’83-’85) or Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Zondervan, ’94). Both of these are excellent introductions to theology. NB: Do not let the size of the books discourage you. They need to be somewhat large in the course of saying something pertinent about each of the areas and questions they cover. In the end you will be wanting even more!
A Notebook
Record all your thoughts somewhere, either in a notebook or on computer.
3 In a full word study one would also want to consult Classical Greek sources, the Greek OT (LXX) and numerous papyri. This, of course, is well beyond the scope of this paper.
4 The problem with using just an English concordance is that most English translations do not translate the same term the same way every time it occurs. This means that if you are studying the verb “to know” (oi`da) there may be other places where the Greek verb oi`da occurs, but it has been translated with “to understand.” Thus you will miss those places. Now, to the beginning Bible student, this is not as important as it is to a scholar who wants to define everything to the nth degree.
Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Basics for Christians, Teaching the Bible, Bible Study Methods, Library and Resources
C. The Method Of A Good Interpreter
“You hit that for which you aim.”
Step 1: Pick A Book
Preferably start with a small one like Philippians, Colossians, 1, 2 Thessalonians or Titus.
A. Needs/Problems
If you have some need or problem that you know the book in question deals with, or might deal with, then begin with that book. For example, let’s say you are concerned about the qualifications of elders. Then you will want to study 1 Timothy and Titus. Set out a plan, after the one you will learn here, and study the two pastoral epistles.
B. Questions
If you have a particular question about the meaning of a verse, paragraph, or whole section of Scripture, then begin with the book in which it is found.
C. Interests
If you have more interest in studying poetry or narrative than expositional writing, then start with a book of the Bible that fits your interests. There’s no sense in starting with something that is uninteresting to you at first. I can just hear someone saying, “ It’s all God’s word ya’ know! We can’t just pick and choose what we want. Isn’t that what the false teachers used to do.” The point here is not that some parts of God’s Word are more important than other parts, but that you are either more familiar with certain parts than you are others or you have a greater interest in certain parts over others. That’s O.K. Scholars give their lives to studying certain sections more than others because of their interests. Besides, you will never do an exhaustive analysis of it all anyway!
Step 2: Read It Through to Get the “Big Picture”
Ideally, studying a book of the Bible begins with a broad survey of the book, then focuses in on the details, and then returns once again to a survey of the book as a whole. Some people refer to this as (1) synthesis [“see” the whole] (2) analysis [“examine” the details] (3) synthesis [“clearer vision” of the whole]. We can diagram it as such:
Figure 1.
The point is that as we understand where an author starts his work and where he ends it, we are in a better position to evaluate how the author got there. As figure 1 indicates, we begin with an overview and the dark gray color indicates that while the general overall idea can be seen after reading through the book once, we are still a bit foggy in many cases on what certain details mean. But at least we know that we don’t know certain things. Thus we have some intelligent questions to ask. That’s not a bad point of departure for a study of the details. Not too shabby if you ask me!!
Next, we study the individual paragraphs.5 As we do this, and we will show you how, we focus primarily on the paragraph though we are always making some connections to the broader context of the book as a whole. Thus even in this study on the details we never lose sight of the “big picture” that we gained in the first synthetic reading.
Finally, after we have studied all the individual paragraphs we are ready to “tie them back together again” into a coherent whole. Like the fog rolling away under the morning sun, the diligent study of a book in this manner dispels the “fog” in our minds and enables us to see clearly the message of the book.
This is unfortunately where most people fall off the horse [:-(]. For them the Bible is a collection of loosely connected verses with no real beginning, middle, or end. It’s kinda’ like Humpty Dumpty, who while he had the help of all the king’s horses and all the king’s men, could not be put back together again! After reading the Bible more or less faithfully for years, they’re still not sure what it says, much less what it means by what it says. And even when they’ve understood the importance of reading and studying a book as a whole, they’ve seldom sat down and thought their way through the entire argument or overall message of the particular book they’re studying. They can take it apart, but they can’t put it back together. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not criticizing just for something to do. Many of these people to whom I refer have never been taught how to read properly for better comprehension and understanding. I hope that if this is true of your Bible reading you will decide to change it by sticking with this course and working at it. God places no premium on ignorance and richly blesses all, who with humble hearts, study his word (2 Tim 2:15; Jas 1:21-22).
Read the book through in one sitting. Focus on the paragraphs and ask yourself some of these questions: (1) What are the various topics represented in each of the paragraphs? Give the paragraph a title; (2) How do they relate to each other? (3) Is there a unifying theme in the book? Record your thoughts on a piece of paper or enter them on your computer. You may want to read through the book more than once. Sometimes I read a book dozens of times over the course of a week or so in order to get a better “handle” on the “big picture.”
Step 3: Pick A Paragraph in the Book
After you have read through the book, paragraph by paragraph, choose one of the paragraphs to study in more detail. Obviously if you are going to study the whole book in detail, start with the first paragraph. Perhaps it was a particular verse that led you to the book you wanted to study. If so, then choose the paragraph in which the verse is found and study it in light of the whole book.
Step 4: Study the Paragraph
A. Read It Several Times
1. What is the connecting word that starts the paragraph? (e.g., therefore, for, because, since, but, as a result, so, so that, at that time, then, now, when, for this reason, etc.)
2. What are the main function words in the paragraph (e.g., therefore, for, because, since, but, as a result, so, so that, at that time, then, now, when, for this reason, etc.)
B. Notice the Structure. For example:
1. General–Specific
Notice that some paragraphs begin with a general statement and then more details are given as you read along. This can also be the relationship between paragraphs. One paragraph may be general in nature followed by another which attempts to unpack some of the generalities of the first paragraph by giving examples or details that “flesh out” what is meant earlier.
This is the case, for example, in Romans 12:1-2. In these two verses, which make up a paragraph, Paul urges Christians, in light of the mercies of God, to offer their bodies as living sacrifices, not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of their minds. These are three powerful, yet general statements that clamor to be filled in as it were. The rest of 12:3-8 as well as the entire section of Romans running from 12:3-15:13 is an exposition of the details of the kinds of things Paul had in mind when he made the comments in 12:1-2. It is important to realize that 12:3-15:13 does not exhaust the particulars that could fall under the general statements found in 12:1-2, but that they are concrete examples of the kind of things he was thinking of.
Another good example of a general statement followed by the specifics is in Matthew 6:1-18. Jesus first says, in 6:1, that his disciples should be careful not to do their righteous acts before men in order to be seen by them. Then in vv. 2-4 he discusses giving, in vv. 5-15 he talks about prayer, and in vv. 16-18 he finishes off with some comments about fasting. Thus the kind of “acts of righteousness” Jesus was referring to included giving, prayer, and fasting. All of them are to be done with pure, God-centered motives, as 6:1 implies.
If we recognize that a paragraph or group of paragraphs hang together on the basis of a movement from the general to the specific, then we are in a better place to understand each of the various comments: we now have a framework in which to look at some of the details at the sentence level.
Some paragraphs work in the opposite direction. They move from the specifics to the general statement. See for example 1 Corinthians 8:1-11:1 which works through several specific problems in the church including (1) food sacrificed to idols; (2) Paul’s apostleship; (3) warnings from Israel’s history; (4) Idol feasts and the Lord’s Supper; (5) the freedom of the believer. All this is understood, though, in light of the general statements found in 10:31-11:1: “Do everything to the glory of God and the benefit of others!”
2. Cause–Effect
Some paragraphs demonstrate that their central meaning is really an effect from a previous cause. That is, “because of that, this is true.” This is the case in Romans 2:1 with the use of the “therefore.” See also Ephesians 2:11-22. Anytime you see “therefore” you must ask yourself, what came before (or ahead) to give rise to this effect. Then ask yourself how that is so. For example, you might ask yourself how the unification of Jew and Gentile in one new man—discussed in Ephesians 2:11-22—is the effect from Ephesians 2:1-10 which talks about doing good works as a result being saved by grace. Many brilliant discoveries have been made by those who ask such questions.
3. Repetition
This is where an author will use the same terms or concepts repeatedly. This should be noted and taken into account when identifying the “big idea” of the paragraph or book. Compare the use of “heavenlies” in the book of Ephesians (1:10; 3:15; 4:10; 6:9).
4. Contrast/Comparison
The Bible is also full of contrasts either implied or made explicit through the use of words like “but” and “nevertheless.” An example of an implied contrast comes in Mark 11:27-12:44. The entire scene takes place in the temple. There are seven separate yet well connected paragraphs in this section. The first six concern the attempts of the religious leaders to trap Jesus. The last paragraph speaks about a poor widow and the selfless manner in which she gave money to the temple. When seen in the light of the previous paragraphs—which focus on this “temple scene”—it becomes clear that Mark is not just making a statement about the widow’s faith, but he is implicitly criticizing the religious leaders for their lack of faith, and the reader is to understand that this lack of faith is connected to issues like money! (See also the implied contrasts between Nicodemus and the woman at the well in John 3 and 4.)
Ephesians 2:1-10 is a paragraph built around one great contrast: the sinfulness of man on one hand, and the abundant grace of God on the other. The contrast comes in v. 4. After Paul has said in vv. 1-3 that we are dead in sin, he then begins v. 4 with “But God being rich in mercy…” The question we need to ask at this point is, “How is the mercy of God contrasted with my helpless estate?” In other words, what are the details of the contrast?
A paragraph that is built around the idea of comparison is Hebrews 5:1-10. The “so also” in verse 5 gives it away. The question we must ask ourselves, then, is “what are the similarities the writer wants us to see between Christ and the High Priesthood.
C. Examine Key Terms
We use words in a number of ways, including referring to objects and concepts, e.g., car, plane, boat, grace, mercy, science, etc. Words can function to simply point to something and/or they can also communicate feeling and emotion. The same word can point to an object and also convey an emotion or feeling at the same time. We also use words and language in a performative way, that is, to get things done, e.g., the parent who says to their teenager, “Be home at ten!” We will discuss this last usage in another lesson.
1. Referent: To what does the term actually refer?
First try and nail down that to which a word actually refers. Matthew quotes Zechariah 9:9 (primarily) in 21:5 of his gospel in order to set up Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The referent for the term “king” in the quotation is “Jesus.” That is the person to whom the citation points. He is the referent.
2. Sense? What is the sense? What feelings are evoked in the use of this term?
The use of the term “king,” however, in Matt 21:5 functions at another level beyond that of just identifying Jesus. It carries with it a certain sense and evokes certain images in the mind of the reader that if they are missed his/her interpretation has been incomplete or perhaps even wrong. The term “king” connotes ideas of victory, grandeur, pomp, and the like. While both the OT and Matthew envision Jesus’ kingship ultimately in this fashion, here his “kingship” is juxtaposed with ideas of gentleness and peace (regarding riding on a donkey, see Judges 5:10; 1 Kings 1:33; cf. Rev 19:11). The irony is profound and should not be missed by failing to ask, not only who the term “king” refers to, but also what sense the term “king” in this context is intended to evoke in the reader. Notice that the other part of Zechariah 9:9, namely, “righteous and having salvation” has been omitted in Matthew’s citation so that emphasis can be placed upon the humility of this king and the guilt of the religious leaders for their violent treatment of him (see Matt 21:23-46).
3. Define Words and Concepts
When you run across words or expressions that you are not clear about, consult the notes in the NET Bible for help. If nothing is written on the term in question then look at parallel passages to help determine the force and meaning of terms. Make sure that any meanings for words acquired outside the passage under consideration really do fit in the context of the passage being studied. Sometimes a good English dictionary is all one needs to clarify a word, though the same caution applies here as well. We will cover the use of concordances for word studies in a subsequent lesson. The important point here is to see words first in their immediate context.
For example, Paul says in Philippians 1:19 that he knows that his deliverance will be affected through the prayers of the Philippians and the help of the Spirit of Christ. The Greek term translated deliverance is the same Greek word used most commonly to refer to spiritual salvation. As translators, we know that Paul was already “saved,” so that what he means is not spiritual salvation, but delivered or saved if you will, from death in his upcoming trial. Now if I were studying along in my Greek Bible and decided that every time I saw the word for salvation (swthriva) it must mean initial, spiritual salvation, I would have a hard time with Philippians 1:19 because now I'd have to admit that the one who had been an apostle for 30 years wasn’t even a Christian! Obviously, this is ludicrous. So when you cross reference to other passages and you see similar English words or concepts, try and discern if the word or idea you're cross-referencing bears the same meaning as the word you're studying in your primary passage.
D. Summarize the Argument
This is one of the hardest phases for new students to grasp. Up to this point you have read the book through a few times. Then you read your paragraph through a number of times. Then you looked for any structural clues to help you see how the paragraph hangs together (e.g., general-specific, cause-effect). Finally, you attempted, having “seen” the overall movement of your paragraph, to interpret certain words—to understand their referent and sense. Now you must summarize the message of the paragraph as a whole. Beginning students tend to want to include too much in their “big idea” or they are so general that basically any text in the Bible could fall under their summary. Don’t be discouraged if this is difficult at first. We will be doing these in the rest of the lessons and before no time at all you’ll be an expert showing others how to do it!
As we said above, a summary of the idea can be broken down into two parts: (1) subject; (2) complement. Some people refer to these as topic and theme, subject and predicate, etc.
1. Subject: What is he talking about?
2. Complement: What does he say about what he’s talking about?
3. Examples:
In these examples we will assume that the book and paragraph have been read several times and the context is fairly well understood.
1 Peter 1:17-19
1:17 And if you address as Father the one who impartially judges according to each one’s work, live out the time of your temporary residence here in reverence. 1:18 You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, you were ransomed—not by perishable things like silver or gold, 1:19 but by precious blood like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, Christ.
What is his main assertion in this paragraph (actually it’s three verses from a larger paragraph)? Peter seems to be commanding his readers to “live in reverence” (v. 17). The rest of the material is structured around this command and offers a two part rationale for living a reverent life. Verse 17 indicates that since (i.e., “if”= since) we call on an impartial judge, we must live our lives in reverence. Verse 18 provides yet another reason for living a life of reverence, namely, because we have been ransomed by the precious blood of Christ. Let’s show that now in terms of a subject and complement.
Subject (What he’s talking about): The reason Christians are to live a life a reverence before God
Complement (What he says about what he’s talking about): is because he is an impartial judge and because he has ransomed us with the precious blood of the lamb.
Now obviously these examples assume that you have defined such words as “reverence” and “ransomed.” What’s most important here is to see how the subject/complement was formulated. In the case of a command, look for supporting rationale or the manner in which the command is to be carried out. Let’s look at another example, this time in narrative literature.
Mark 2:13-17
2:13 Jesus went out again by the sea. The whole crowd came to him, and he taught them. 2:14 As he was going along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” He got up and followed him. 2:15 As he dined in Levi’s home, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 2:16 When the experts in the law and the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why is he eating with tax collectors and sinners?” 2:17 When Jesus heard this he said to them, “It is not the strong who need a physician, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
Subject: The kind of people Jesus came to save
Complement: includes tax-collectors and sinners
E. Correlate the Passage
Preliminary caution: Do not do this until you have a good understanding of what your paragraph is all about. Do not go on a train ride through all the other passages in Bible-land before you have sufficiently understood the paragraph you’re presently working in. You cannot compare what you do not understand.
Method: Look for other passages that handle the same or similar themes. We touched on this concept above in our discussion concerning defining words and concepts. While each passage must have the right to speak on its own, cross-referencing to other passages can help one better understand the meaning and significance of the passage their presently studying.
1. With Other Passages in Books by the Same Author
When you study a passage, say for example, Titus 2:11-15, you should read and think about other passages having to do with similar themes such as the grace of God, salvation, unrighteousness, self-control, godliness—passages like Romans 3:21-31; 1 Cor 15:10; Gal 5:16-26; 6:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-10; Phil. 2:11-12; etc.
2. With Other Passages in Bible
Matt 5:16; Luke 1:47, etc.
3. Tighten up Your Subject/Complement If You Need To
If, after you have cross-referenced other related passages and found that they shed particular light on the meaning of your passage, alter your subject/complement as you see fit.
Step 5: Relate the Paragraph to Your Original Synthesis of the Book
As pointed above, the initial step in Bible study is to synthesize the message of the whole book. After you have done that, you are ready to dive into the details, all the while never losing sight of the message of the whole book. But, after you have synthesized a book, and then studied one of its paragraphs in detail, you need to relate the message of that paragraph to your original synthetic message of the book as a whole. This will enable you to see if your original synthesis needs tweaking.
Step 6: Apply the Message
A. Theoretically
In the process of application the first thing you must do is to think about what sort of application follows from the truth(s) taught in the paragraph. Then you must apply the passage in theory first to think through the ramifications of what you’re going to do. For example, if I read about the need for prayer (cf. Eph 6:18) in a believer’s life and decide that I need to grow in this area, I must decide in principle what I will do. This could include reading books on prayer for encouragement and, of course, setting aside a time and place to pray. I may want to evaluate my prayer time as I go, to see if I’m really doing what the Bible commanded and in the way that it commanded it (remember our little discussion above on Matthew 6:1-18). Reflection is good, very good in fact. Now that I (you) have some idea of the impact that applying a particular biblical truth to my life has, I can then go about actually doing it. Finally, but in no way to be regarded as least, whenever you apply the Bible, try and think about it in terms of fostering relationship with God and people and against the spiritual forces of evil.
B. Practically (Ephesians 6:18)
1. Practical
Recognizing that I am in a battle with spiritual forces, I will establish a daily prayer time in which I will pray for friends and family.
2. Measurable
Each day between 6:30-7:00am I will praise God and pray for my family, other Christians, the lost and myself. I will need to develop a list of people and things to pray for before I get to my prayer time.
3. Attainable
The important thing about applying the Bible in the long haul is that I attempt by the Spirit of God to do things that are attainable. Saying that I will pray for three hours a day is nice, and some people are at the place where they can do that, but this is usually not the place to start out. Try setting aside 15 minutes, or 30 minutes a day and build your life around that. There is an odd mix of the human and divine in the Christian life, but attempting to do the impossible (and God can do it) all the time usually leads to defeat. Set a time for prayer which will work for you. You will learn a lot about yourself as you begin to apply the Bible; strengths and weaknesses will appear.
5 While we will study words and sentences, the basic unit of study will be the paragraph since it provides enough context in which a sentence functions so as to give us some reasonable idea as to what that sentence means. The NET Bible has clearly marked each paragraph by indenting the first line. If we find that a paragraph is simply too long for a beginner to work with, we may use less verses to make it more manageable.
Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Teaching the Bible, Bible Study Methods