Hello everyone. I was born again on 10/1/95 and am simply unsure what I believe and what is right and true. There are so many man made theories and so many interpretations of the Bible. I still have my version of what God is saying or what He means by a certain verse. I mean...."how am I to know without a teacher"? Thank you for your help and advice and guidance.
I think it is important to be able to interpret the Word of God for ourselves and not rely on other's opinions all the time. It is certainly helpful to get the insights of grounded believers but we all must be able to study for ourselves, after all it is a personal relationship with Christ and so we must be able to have that relationship and not use a surrogate. I have a method of study that helps me and I suggest you use a Bible that is not too heavy on modern language and liberal in its translations. I recommend King James, New King James for the actual study, you can use other Bibles for general understanding.
Bible study includes three approaches (1) Observation, (2) Interpretation, (3) Application.
Broken down further
Observation includes these questions to asked of the text: (1)
Who are the people in the text.
(2)
What is happening in the text? What are the events? In what order? What happens to the characters? If it is a passage that argues a point: What is the argument? What is the point? What is the writer trying to communicate?
(3)
When did the events take place? When did they occur in relation to other events in Scripture? When was the writer writing?
(4)
Where is the narrative taking place? Where are the people in the story? Where are they coming from? Where are they going? Where is the writer? Where were the original readers in the text?
(5)
Why is this included? Why is it place here? Why does this follow that? Why does this precede that? Why does this person say that? Why does this person say nothing? There are many whys.
(6)
Wherefore What difference would it make if I applied this truth?
Six things to look for in
each of the headings Who, What, When, Where, Why, and Wherefore: Things that are Emphasized, Repeated, Related, Alike, Unalike, True to Life.
Emphasized- Amount of space taken, stated purpose, what order the material place in the text, movement from lesser to greater or visa versa.
Repeated- Terms, phrases, clauses, character, incidents, circumstances, patterns, and New Testament use of Old Testament passages.
Related Movement from general to specific, questions and answers, cause and effect.
Alike Similes, Metaphors.
Unalike Use of but, metaphors, irony.
True to Life What does the passage tell you about reality? How does the text resonate with your experience?
Five Keys to Interpretation:
Content Raw material.
Context Literary, Historical, Cultural, Geographic, and Theological.
Comparison Sola Scriptura = Scripture alone is our final authority. Compare scripture with scripture.
Culture What was the culture like at the time of the writing and for the hearers?
Consultation Concordances, Bible Dictionaries, Atlases, Bible handbooks, and Commentaries. Remember that commentaries are someone elses views and that will change from commentary to commentary regarding some verses.
Four steps of Application:
Step (1) Know the text and yourself.
(2) Relate it to our experience.
(3) Meditate on what you have learned.
(4) Practice the truth.
Proper application requires accurate interpretation.
