Whoever does not do such works, however, is an unbeliever. He gropes and looks around for faith and good works, but knows neither what faith is nor what good works are. Yet he talks and talks, with many words, about faith and good works. In many ways, we listen to the book of James because it echoes the teaching of Jesus.
There are at least fifteen allusions to the Sermon on the Mount in James. A man who knew the teaching of Jesus and took it seriously wrote this letter. The salutation Greetings was the customary Greek way of opening a letter. Paul never used it; he preferred to salute his readers with the words grace and peace. But here, James uses this more customary salutation. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Count it all joy when you fall into various trials: James regards trials as inevitable. He says when , not if you fall into various trials. At the same time, trials are occasions for joy , not discouraged resignation. We can count it all joy in the midst of trials, because they are used to produce patience.
Patience is the ancient Greek word hupomone. This word does not describe a passive waiting, but an active endurance. It isn't so much the quality that helps you sit quietly in the doctor's waiting room as it is the quality that helps you finish a marathon. The ancient Greek word hupomone comes from hupo under and meno to stay, abide, remain. At its root, it means to remain under. It has the picture of someone under a heavy load and resolutely staying there instead of trying to escape.
The philosopher Philo called hupomone "the queen of virtues. Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience: Faith is tested through trials, not produced by trials. Trials reveal what faith we do have, not because God doesn't know how much faith we have, but to make our faith evident to ourselves and those around us. If trials do not produce faith, what does? So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Faith is built in us as we hear and understand and trust in God's word. Trials don't produce faith, but when trials are received with faith, it produces patience. But patience is not inevitably produced in times of trial. If difficulties are received in unbelief and grumbling, trials can produce bitterness and discouragement. This is why James exhorts us to count it all joy. Counting it all joy is faith's response to a time of trial. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing: The work of patient endurance comes slowly, and must be allowed to have full bloom.
Patient endurance is a mark of the person who is perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
If any of you lacks wisdom: Trials are a necessary season to seek wisdom from God. We often didn't know we needed wisdom until our trial. Once in a time of trial, we need to know if a particular trial is something God wants us to eliminate by faith or persevere in by faith. In trials, we need wisdom a lot more than we need knowledge.
Knowledge is raw information, but wisdom knows how to use it. Someone has said that knowledge is the ability to take things apart, but wisdom is the ability to put things together. Let him ask of God: To receive wisdom, we simply ask of God - who gives wisdom generously liberally , and without despising our request without reproach. We need to understand that He is the God of the open hand, not the god of the clenched fist. When we want wisdom, the place to begin is in the Bible. The place to end is in the Bible. True wisdom will always be consistent with God's word.
But let him ask in faith: Our request for wisdom must be made like any other request - in faith , without doubting God's ability or desire to give us His wisdom. This shows the kind of heart we need in seeking God's wisdom from the Scriptures: With no doubting … let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord: The one who doubts and lacks faith should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
This lack of faith and trust in God also shows that we have no foundation, being unstable in all our ways. A double-minded man, unstable in all his ways: To ask God, but to ask Him in a doubting way, shows that we are double-minded. If we had no faith, we would never ask at all. If we had no unbelief, we would have no doubting. To be in the middle ground between faith and unbelief is to be double-minded. The man who came to Jesus and said Lord, I believe; help my unbelief Mark 9: He wanted to believe, and declared his belief.
His faith was weak, but it wasn't tinged with a double-minded doubt. Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes.
So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation: As much as it is appropriate for the lowly to rejoice when they are lifted up by God, so it is appropriate but far more difficult for the high the rich to rejoice when they are brought to humiliation by trials.
By faith in Christ the two are equals. Because as a flower of the field he will pass away: Trials serve to remind the rich and the high that though they are comfortable in this life, it is still only this life, which fades as the grass grows brown and the flowers fade away. In the land of Israel, there are a variety of beautiful flowers that spring to life when the rains come, but they last for only a short time before withering away. On the scale of eternity, this is how quickly the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. The riches of this world will certainly fade away - but James says that the rich man also will fade away.
If we put our life and our identity into things that fade away , we will fade away also. How much better to put our life and our identity into things that will never fade! If a man is only rich in this world, when he dies, he leaves his riches. But if a man is rich before God, when he dies he goes to his riches! Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Blessed is the man: In those great statements of blessing, Jesus wasn't finished telling us how we can be blessed. Here, we learn we can be blessed as we endure temptation.
Temptation is one of the various trials James 1: As we persevere through temptation, we are approved , and will be rewarded as the work of God in us is evident through our resistance of temptation. The crown of life which the Lord has promised reminds us that it really is worth it to endure under the temptations we face. Our steadfastness will be rewarded as we demonstrate our love for Jesus to those who love Him by resisting temptation.
Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God": Temptation does not come from God. Though He allows it, He Himself does not entice us to evil, though God may test our faith without a solicitation to evil nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
We live in a fast paced society and honing the vital skill of observation is not the natural inclination for most of us. We want answers fast How many times have you heard someone say "Just Google it"? But frankly, what better object to linger upon lovingly and long, than the eternal Word of Truth, the very revelation from the Creator to His creatures! We dare not let His precious Word "bore" us! And so we need to learn and practice the art of observation for as Yogi Berra once said Dr H T Kuist would agree with Yogi for he defined observation as "the art of seeing things as they really are.
Kuist goes on to add that observation entails seeing "impartially, intensely and fearlessly. Robert Traina rightly concludes that the goal of observation "is to enable one to become saturated with Ed: Observation is the means by which the data Ed: Don't let that word " data " discourage you - observation should never become a mechanical, pedantic exercise, but should always be like a much anticipated journey which eventually leads to the matchless joy of discovering for yourself what God has said in a particular passage of the Bible of a passage becomes part of the mentality of the student.
It supplies the raw materials upon which the mind may operate in the interpretative process Ed: As led by the Holy Spirit - Jn You may be surprised and maybe even a bit insulted by the suggestion that most of us have never really been taught how to read a book, much less a divinely inspired book. Mortimer Adler's How to Read a Book is a recommended secular work and makes for fascinating reading on this topic.
Most of us really don't know what to look for in order to effectively and efficiently carry out the observation of a specific book of the Bible because we've never been instructed. To take an analogy from life, it's hard to go fishing unless you've got the proper gear. The goal of this section is to present some general guidelines on "how to read the 'Best Book'" but you will find the principles applicable to anything you are reading.
The Bible is unlike any other book for it is essentially a "love letter" from God to mankind. Stop for a moment and ponder this awesome truth.
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You have probably received a letter from your sweetheart when you were dating or courting. Do you remember how you responded when you received that letter? First, you were eagerly anticipating it. You couldn't wait for it to arrive in the mail. You kept checking the mailbox to see if the mail had arrived. And when it did come, you blocked out everything, opened the envelope and devoured every word, every nuance, every innuendo, as you read the letter from your beloved You permitted nothing to interfere with reading the letter from beginning to end. The phone might have rung, but you paid little attention to the ringing.
You were far more focused on observing and interpreting what the the love of your life had written. Is not this the approach we should take to "the letter" called the Bible written by the One Who "demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" Ro 5: Is this how you approach His word? Or have you "left your first love" Re 2: Martin Luther whom God used to return His church to a Sola Scriptura approach only the Scriptures which birthed the Reformation, described what in essence is an inductive approach to Bible study when he said I study my Bible as I gather apples.
First, I shake the whole tree that the ripest might fall. Then I shake each limb, and when I have shaken each limb, I shake each branch and every twig.
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Then I look under every leaf. A T Pierson a well known 19th century preacher once wrote this comment regarding a passage he was studying. Regarding Context, Pierson said As in any organism, no member or part, however minute, can be fully understood aside from its relation to the whole; so, in Scripture, every paragraph and sentence is part of its totality, and must be studied in relation to all the rest. The text will be illumined by the context, or scripture immediately preceding and following. Every occurrence and utterance should be studied in its surroundings. How, why, when a word was spoken or an act done, helps to explain it, is its local coloring.
Hidden relationships must be traced like underground roots and subterranean channels. So here we see this great seasoned student of the Scripture saying "I've got to read it repeatedly and the more I read it the more I observe. F B Meyer has an interesting suggestion if your "appetite" for the Word is at "low tide" Do not always read your Bible because you like to do so, or desire it, but because it is right to do it, and as a matter of simple duty to your own life. Study the Word under the light of the Holy Spirit, as the ancient saint, when blindness was setting in, was wont to carry his Bible to the window, and place the open page in the full beams of the western sun.
And slowly the appetite will re-assert itself, and you will come to esteem the Word of God more than your necessary food Job Begin with and maintain an attitude of prayer. Go to the Author of the Book before you go to the Book. And think about this - How many books have you ever read where you had the benefit of the author's presence to help you discern his original intent? The Bible is not men's truth but God's special revelation of Truth. We must always begin by conversing with the Author, beseeching Him to open the eyes of our heart to see, understand put together the pieces so to speak and illuminate His supernatural "love letter" to us see Col 1: The psalmist recognized his dependence on the God of the Word for illumination of the Word of God and cried out Open my eyes, Remember to ask 5W's?
George Sweeting once said "Prayer is the "open sesame" to the Bible. Always begin your Bible reading with prayer for divine guidance. All of us in reading some current book have wished the author were present to answer and explain some things, but this is rarely possible. Amazing as it seems, this is possible when reading the Bible. Open thou mine eyes. This is a part of the bountiful dealing which he has asked for; no bounty is greater than that which benefits our person, our soul, our mind, and benefits it in so important an organ as the eye.
It is far better to have the eyes opened than to be placed in the midst of the noblest prospects and remain blind to their beauty. That l may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Some men can perceive no wonders in the Gospel, but the psalmist felt sure that there were glorious things in the law: He felt that God had laid up great bounties in His word, and he begs for power to perceive, appreciate and enjoy the same. We need not so much that God should give us more benefits, as the ability to see what he has given. The prayer implies a conscious darkness, a dimness of spiritual vision, a powerlessness to remove that defect, and a full assurance that God can remove it.
It shows also that the writer knew that there were vast treasures in the Word which he had not yet fully seen, marvels which he had not yet beheld, mysteries which he had scarcely believed. The Scriptures teem with marvels; the Bible is a wonder land.
It not only relates miracles, but it is itself a world of wonders. Yet what are these to closed eyes? And what man can open his own eyes, since he is born blind? God Himself must reveal revelation to each heart. Scripture needs opening, but not one half so much as our eyes do: What perfect precepts, what precious promises, what priceless privileges are neglected by us because we wander among them like blind men among the beauties of nature, and they are to us as a landscape shrouded in darkness! The Psalmist had a measure of spiritual perception, or he would never have known that there were wondrous things to be seen, nor would he have prayed, " open Thou mine eyes " but what he had seen made him long for a clearer and wider sight.
This longing proved the genuineness of what he possessed, for it is a test mark of the true knowledge of God that it causes its possessor to thirst for deeper knowledge. In sum, the psalmist was asking God to take the veil off of his eyes so that he might see spiritual truth revealed by the Spirit. He was acknowledging his inability to observe spiritual truth without the Spirit's illumination cp 1Co 2: Skip Heitzig commenting on Psalm Lord, I submit myself to You as Your servant Ro I pray that You would speak to me personally as I now open Your Word.
Sharpen my powers of observation and open my eyes to what the text is saying. Give me wisdom and insight as I seek to interpret what the text means. And help me to apply Your truth to the specific areas in my life that need Your touch. Gently convict me of any issues I'm neglecting or trying to hide. Lord, I give You complete permission to search my heart to see if there is anything in me that is contrary to Your will Ps Challenge me with Your holiness and comfort me with Your promises, in Jesus' name.
How to Study the Bible and Enjoy It. Dale quipped that "Study without prayer is "atheism," and prayer without study is presumption. Luke teaches that after His resurrection Jesus " opened open thoroughly what had been closed [His disciples'] minds to understand suniemi - see also related noun form sunesis the Scriptures. Here Luke uses the Greek word for understand which describes the assembling of individual facts into an organized whole, as collecting the pieces of a puzzle and putting them together.
Martin Luther wrote the following on our desperate need for prayer when we study God's Word - You should completely despair of your own sense and reason, for by these you will not attain the goal Rather kneel down in your private little room and with sincere humility and earnestness pray God through His dear Son, graciously to grant you His Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you and give you understanding Since the Holy Writ wants to be dealt with in fear and humility and penetrated more by studying with pious prayer than with keenness of intellect, therefore it is impossible for those who rely only on their intellect and rush into Scripture with dirty feet, like pigs, as though Scripture were merely a sort of human knowledge not to harm themselves and others whom they instruct.
As you begin your inductive adventure through the Bible, may a determined effort to stick close to the Author with an attitude of prayer Begin your study by careful observation with the goal being to establish the context which will lay the foundation for accurate interpretation. Accurate interpretation is almost certain to be compromised if one fails to carry out careful accurate observation see example of misinterpretation of a well known verse.
Thus even the derivation gives us a picture of the value of context in accurate interpretation -- it "weaves" the text together in an orderly, logical flow, a flow inspired by God intended to convey His message. Context is the setting in which a passage occurs or simply what precedes and what follows the text you are studying. Thus context includes those verses immediately before and after the passage, then the paragraph and book in which the passage appears, then other books by this author, as well as the overall message of the entire Bible. Picture a set of concentric circles with the text you are observing in the center and surrounded by the next circle which is the paragraph or subdivision in which that text "lives.
Never observe a passage without looking at the "circles", especially the immediate paragraph, which means you need to not rush, but be willing to take a moment and do some more reading. Establishing the context forces the reader to examine the biblical writer's overall flow of thought.
The meaning of any passage is nearly always determined, controlled, or limited by what appears immediately beforehand and afterward in the text. Context is "king" in interpretation. Since context always "rules" in interpretation and Scripture must always be interpreted in light of its context, the first step in the study of any book of the Bible is to get an OVERVIEW of the book you are studying.
Because when you get an overview of the entire book, it will help you discover the context. Great Fish Tale Illustrating importance of context. While there may be a certain value in hanging up texts on the walls of our homes or reading a collection of texts in a book like Daily Light, let us never forget that such practices can be dangerous, because there is a balance in Scripture, and the context of each and every verse is always important It is the simple truth to say that most of the heresies that have troubled the Church throughout her long history have arisen because men and women have forgotten this simple principle.
They have taken a text out of its context , and have formulated a doctrine out of it. If they had but taken it in its context they would have been saved from the error they have embraced. Christian Unity - Studies in Ephesians. You should scrutinize it with what Ruskin calls "the innocence of the eye"—as if you had never seen it before. As you weigh each part, there should be calmness, deliberateness, and extreme care in concentration.
You breathe the air of expectancy and cherish your eye as an honest servant of the mind. What you should desire above all else, in a true scientific approach, is to see things as they really are. Everything in a given book must be considered and analyzed within its setting, which means we can never isolate one verse or portion of the book from the rest of what is written. Setting is context and context is central if you are to arrive at a correct understanding of the text. Two other sources of context to always consider and which may shed significant light on the understanding of a passage are the cultural environment when the passage was written and the historical when the passage was written e.
As discussed in the section on " Interpretation ", " context is king " and vital for accurate interpretation. Most misinterpretation and subsequently misapplication of Scripture is the result of taking the text out of its proper context. So the first task is to carefully observe the passage to establish the context. The natural tendency for most of us is to take a verse or verses out of context in order to support some point of view that we espouse or favor.
This is called "proof-texting" and represents our attempt to make the Bible say what we want it to say or what we want to hear, rather than letting the Scripture say what God intended the passage to communicate. It is probably not an exaggeration to say that the most common failure in interpretation is to violate basic principle of allowing context to control how the passage is interpreted. The simple answer is that one needs to read, re-read and carefully observe the text for repeated facts and truths. As one observes what is said, giving special attention to repeated words, phrases, or ideas, he or she should begin to understand the context.
But careful observation is "easier said than done" for we live in a society which continually promulgates "instant gratification" and the "natural" approach to studying Scripture is to want to know immediately "What is in it for me? Since most of us don't really know the basic principles of observation, we may read through the chapter or book without truly "observing" the text.
How many times have you read a chapter in the morning and by noon you can barely remember what you read? The Bible is meant to be bread for daily use, not cake for special occasions. We must approach God's Word as if our lives depended on it--because they do cp Deut However, left to our human nature, we all tend to read the Bible more like Dr.
Watson than like Sherlock Holmes Click here for illustration. To effectively establish context, you need to learn to read like Holmes rather than Watson. Be encouraged beloved for you will find that if you persevere in this critical stage of inductive study, the passage will begin to open up to you as never before. So from a practical standpoint, how should you begin to establish the context? Simply reading and re-reading a text could become very boring and non-productive. So let's look at some basic principles that will help us achieve our goal of determining the context In the epistles observation of the facts about the author and the recipients is a good place to begin to establish context.
Have you ever put together a jigsaw puzzle? How do you usually begin? Which pieces do you try to find first? Don't you look carefully for the most obvious pieces F. O , the corner pieces. Which pieces do you try to identify next? The next most obvious pieces are those with straight edges. Can you see how this analogy relates to the study of a book of the Bible? Once you have connected all these puzzle pieces together, you have a framework or " context " in which to place "understand" the less obvious pieces of the puzzle.
You will find that by beginning to observe the obvious, then the things within a book that are not easy to see or understand will eventually become clearer, "rising" to the surface even as you focus on those things that are obvious. And as you begin to grasp the context of the book, it will help you in your interpretation of the difficult, unclear or obscure parts of the book. But even as you have to invest some time to find the obvious pieces to establish the context of the puzzle, so too you will usually need to read a book chapter several times in order to begin to see the context and to begin to understand what the author is repeating or emphasizing see key words below.
Read through the book chapter you are studying, observing for the obvious facts, details, events or ideas, those things which are usually repeated. As already stated, the three things that are usually most obvious and easiest to see are people , places and events.
Inductive Bible Study: Observation | Precept Austin
Please do not be distracted by minute details, by verses you do not understand or by your favorite passage. Remember that you are attempting to establish the context and you do so by observing and marking the most obvious facts. Let the acronym F. Resist the temptation to look at the study notes of you Bible, especially if the passage is unclear.
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You do not want to spoil the priceless joy of self-discovery. It is only when truth is discovered that it is appropriated. When a man is simply told the truth, it remains external to him and he can quite easily forget it. When he is led to discover the truth himself it becomes an integral part of him and he never forgets. Remember that once you begin to observe and identify the OBVIOUS facts, then those facts and truths that are not as easy to see or understand will begin to become clearer, "rising to the surface" so to speak.
Please do not be discouraged or frustrated, for if you persevere in reading and re-reading the text with a specific purpose e. As you begin your journey in inductive Bible study, seek to have the mindset of an explorer searching diligently for priceless, hidden treasures Ps Avoid reading the passage with the attitude of a tourist who is on a leisurely holiday for as Michael Green explains There is a basic difference between and explorer and a tourist. The tourist travels quickly, stopping only to observe the highly noticeable or publicized points of interest.
Too many of us read the Bible like a tourist and then complain that our devotional times are fruitless. It is necessary that we take time to explore the Bible. Notable nooks and crannies will appear as we get beneath the surface. If we do not carefully observe the Bible noting "what it says", taking time to carefully establish the context, we may misunderstand "what it really means" and worst of all we may misapply our misunderstanding with potentially calamitous results see the following anecdotal story for the danger of " Incorrect Interpretation ".
It is a shameful thing to carelessly ignore the context. To deliberately violate the context is more than shameful; it is sinful, for it is a deliberate substitution of one's own words for the Word of God. The student of Scripture, though he may not understand the original languages, nevertheless has at his command the single most important tool -- the context. Let him use it diligently! LET me read to you the verse that comes before our text Hebrews It is always a good habit to look at texts in their connection. It is an injury to the Word of God and, sometimes, a passage of Scripture loses much of its beauty, its true teaching and its real meaning, by being taken from the context.
So, always look at texts in the connection in which they stand. We are not to treat the verses of the Bible as pigeons might treat a bushel of peas—picking out one here and another there, without any thought of the surroundings of that particular passage! No, this blessed Book was written for men to read right through—and if they are to understand the meaning of it, they must read each sentence in the connection in which it is found.
John Piper is undoubtedly one of the most gifted and influential preachers of the st Centuries, and thus it is not surprising to hear him frequently allude to the importance of context in his sermons Google search of Desiringgod. Here are a few quotes from a variety of Piper's sermons and since we are discussing the importance of context links to entire message are included to see the full and proper " context " We can see two clues in the immediate context From Advice to Pastors- Preach the Word.
My approach is to assume that the New Testament writers built on the Old Testament meaning of the psalms and other books unless something in the context forces me to think otherwise If you try to skip the Old Testament and interpret Jesus within your own context first without the Biblical-historical context and categories, you may make him a coach or a therapist or a good example or a guru or a mentor or a hero or a trailblazer.
And there may be some truth in each of these. But they will not be as true and deep and authoritative and helpful as the categories that the Bible itself uses In understanding what this verse sermon discussing Heb One is encouraging another and another is encouraging one. Each is doing or saying something that encourages. But now think what this means in context. From Magnifying God with Money. So it is clear that for this young minister of the Word see 2Ti 2: And the context of 2Ti 3: In order to ascertain the meaning of any written statement, whether secular or sacred, we must read each sentence in the light of its context—i.
In the Bible we ought to study passages rather than verses. The length of a 'passage' varies according to circumstances, and it may not be always easy to say where one passage ends and another begins. The sectional marks in some Bibles may help us, and the division into paragraphs and sub-paragraphs ought to make the matter clear, and where this is not the case, practice and the use of our common-sense will generally enable us to decide.
The advantages of this method of study are manifold. First , it usually enables us to see clearly who is the speaker or actor in each passage. It may be God, or it may be a prophet, or it may be an ordinary man; the view expressed may be inspired, or it may simply be the belief at the period. One of the first questions we ask concerning any statement recorded in the Bible is, Who makes it? Its influence on our life will vary according to the answer.
Again , the studying of the context enables us to see whether the statement contained in a verse or fragment of a verse is conditional or unconditional , or whether it needs to be qualified by the circumstances under which it is uttered No text is more familiar, and few have been more blessed than that which we read in 1John 1: Again , the study of the context will keep us from misapplying a text or throwing its force into the wrong direction.
Thus, in Phil 2: But take a step further back, and the passage reads thus: You might also read Girdlestone on the topic "Examine the Meaning of Words" which begins this way —"Words are little things, but they are not to be despised. A little key opens a precious casket, and a little coin will purchase what may save a life; and so, a little word may suggest a world of meaning, or become the turning-point of a destiny. It has been said that words are finite, whilst the things which they represent are infinite. That is true; but we cannot get at the infinite truth except through finite words.
Bible words need to be carefully studied and well weighed; their usage must be mastered, and we must be prepared to give 'small change' for them, that is, to translate them into the language of our present daily life. A Christian who studies a book of the Bible with serious intentions must learn its facts by way of its form, or, stated another way, he must learn its teaching by way of its structural context. He shouldn't study some parts and overlook others as though he were selecting the most lustrous jewels from the store counter and rejecting others.
Rather, he will consider the total message of the book as likened to a beautiful plant, with a stream of life flowing through all its parts. Tenney, in writing of the "genius" of the Gospels, asserts that the basic presupposition of his approach is that "the content, form, and doctrine of the Gospels are the product of the Holy Spirit, to Whom they owe their vital power. When you, the student—face to face with the minute parts of Scripture including even the punctuation—wrestle to know its intent in its context , you are engaging in the study process known as analysis.
Analysis is distinguished by its exactness, minuteness, and comprehensiveness. Tenney makes a high appraisal of the analytical method when he says, "In order to ascertain exactly what a given body of text says one should employ the analytical method. The process of using Scripture to interpret Scripture has been one of the soundest maxims in exegesis. But for segment studies, it is best first to concentrate your study on the words and thoughts in their immediate context and use, cross-reference study later as a supplementary guide If an ambiguous word or phrase occurs in a segment of study, you will not be satisfied until the context sheds some light on its meaning For example, the word " shepherd " could in a certain context emphasize the lowly aspect of such a man's occupation.
However, for the phrase " The Lord is my shepherd ," Ps Common sense and context , then, are two key helpmates in identifying the Bible author's intentions in his use of literal and figurative language Among the various maxims for interpreting parables, the rule of surrounding context offers us the most light for our interpretation. Any context that answers the following two questions is gold to the interpreter: Because parables speak of daily life, an understanding of the items in the parable relating to custom, culture, and geography of the biblical days is also essential to a full appreciation of the intent of the parable The Bible is its best interpreter, and such self-interpretation involves cross-reference study, distant context reference, and, of greatest aid, the immediate or surrounding context.
Since the inductive method of study that is being urged in these pages emphasizes this immediate context study, involving terms as well as structure, a devotion to the disciplines of this method is sure to aid the Bible student in arriving at the true interpretation You will find that the Bible passage explains much of itself by its own context Independent Bible Study- Irving L. How important is context? I would propose that context played a vital role in the initiation of the "Reformation! Read Martin Luther's own words regarding the importance of context Thus I raged with a fierce and troubled conscience.
Nevertheless, I beat importunately upon Paul at [Romans 1: If we confine ourselves to that text, we have not said all that God meant to say in that connection. For instance, we often hear sermons from the verse ". Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" John 8: But the first word in the verse is " And " which indicates that something has gone before. The preceding verse says, ". If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. First, the positive, then the negative nonconformity to the world, and finally the positive again, "Be ye transformed.
Torn out of context, one verse does not say all that God has said on that matter. We must preach not only the truth and nothing but the truth, but the whole truth in a given passage. Click for an exercise on establishing context on 1Thessalonians 1. What are key words or key phrases? Think about the keys to your car or house. What is their purpose? What happens when you misplace them? By analogy, in simple terms key words or phrases function like keys to help the reader "unlock" the meaning of a passage, a paragraph, a chapter or a book. How do we go about identifying these crucial words and phrases?
First, we need to understand a few more details about the "keys" and then we can take "action". Similar or recurring ideas and words will guide you to the author's main idea. The study of key words and phrases will help you discover the author's logic and flow of ideas. Don't become frustrated at this point. Remember that you are reading and re-reading in order to establish the context which is crucial for arriving at an accurate interpretation. After several readings of a section focusing on author, recipient these first two are only found in epistles , key words and key phrases, you will begin to understand what the main subject s are, which in turn will reveal the theme unifying idea repeated or developed throughout a work of the chapter or book you are observing.
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To reiterate, as you read the Scriptural text, be alert for key words and phrases which help to establish the context, the overall theme, and the author's specific purpose for writing the book. Click if you would like to more practice establishing context using 1Thessalonians chapter 1. Once you determine a symbol for the key word or phrase, it will be helpful to use this marking system throughout your Bible to facilitate quick recognition. Here are some examples of how you might mark some common key words place symbol over the key word:.
The symbols in the table are available in Microsoft Word's fonts - scroll down to "webdings" and "wingdings" If you do not have Microsoft Word on your computer, these symbols will not be accurately displayed but you should still be able to understand the idea from the description of the symbol. Precept Ministries has an inexpensive bookmark entitled "How to Mark Key Words in Your Bible" with a number of examples for common Biblical words call to order. Remember that although God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are always key words , they may occur many times in a given chapter or paragraph.
In these situations, you may elect not to mark every occurrence lest you end up with so many marks that you can barely read the actual Scriptures! Use common sense about when to mark and when not to mark. A synonym is a word that has the same meaning as another word within a particular context and is used in place of the word.
A synonym is like saying the same thing with a different word. For practice, read through 1 Thessalonians 1 Click and make note of the key word " gospel ". If you have time print this chapter off as an "Observation Worksheet" so you can mark the text. How would you mark " gospel "? What do you learn about the gospel? What other " 5W's and H " questions can you ask of this key word? Now read through 1 Thessalonians 1 a second time, but this time read with the purpose of observing for any synonyms including phrases for " gospel ". Did you see any words or phrases that refer to the gospel?
If you didn't see them, read it through a third time and you will probably see the two phrases that refer to the gospel. After reading through this chapter two or three times, you have begun to understand the context. Click for more complete instructions on how to practice the inductive technique on 1 Thessalonians 1. Marking helps make the Scriptures your own because it helps remember the text.
In addition as with all of the Inductive "techniques" marking the text tends to slow us down, which is our desperate need. Marking in a sense helps us "be still" Ps Marking allows one to quickly scan the page and see the key words that are emphasized in that section. Use the same symbols for key words from Genesis to Revelation as this will facilitate recognition throughout the Scriptures.
Lamberski and Dwyer studied color coding and concluding that color-coding techniques improved attention, increased learner motivation and aided remembrance. Avoid the temptation to "speed read" a passage and seeking to mechanically mark each occurrence of a key word or reference to Author or Recipient if you are reading an epistle. And don't forget that each encounter with a key word fact about author or recipient should stimulate a 5W's and H " question. Why is this used here?
How does it impact the flow of thought? Who does this relate to? When did this occur? The more you practice this valuable skill, the more "sophisticated" your questions will become and the more profound will be the insights that the Spirit illuminates. And don't worry, for you can never run out of questions for the Word of God because it is a living Word!
As you seek to establish the context of the chapter or book, continually reading with a "marking, interrogating mindset", you will find yourself engaging more and more in active versus passive reading. Active reading not only stimulates your thinking and interaction with the text, it also slows you down. Active reading engages you in conversation with the Author. In a sense, by reading actively you are practicing the essence of the all but lost art of meditation on the Scriptures. Yes, marking and interrogating will slow you down somewhat, but you will gain so much more from the passage than if you had simply read through it in obedience to your "read through the Bible in a year" schedule.
Marking a book is not an act mutilation but of love. You may own the book but you've not really made it your own. Someone has well said that a Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who is not! Don't try to identify, mark and interrogate every " key word " in the first reading of a paragraph, chapter or book. A recommended approach is to read through a section e. Then read through the same chapter again and mark another key word. To reiterate, "God", "Jesus", "Christ", "Lord" and "Spirit" are always "key words" and therefore should generally always be marked, unless they are so concentrated that marking them would make it difficult to see other key words in the text.
As you read and reread a chapter making observations on the key words, you will notice that you are beginning to understand and establish the context , which as "king" in the interpretation. One day in St. Louis, Missouri, a young convert named C. Scofield walked into the office of a friend. He found him with a new copy of the Scriptures on his desk and a pencil in his hand.
His older friend pointed him to Acts 8 , where he had underscored the fifth verse, "Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. Remember that while it is good to mark your Bible, it is better to let your Bible mark you because the value of the Bible is not in just knowing it, but in obeying it. What kind of pen do I use to mark my Bible? Note this link is provided as a starting point so that you can see what Pigma Micron pens look like and their price range. I have never ordered from this link and so appropriate caution and shopping around are recommended.
The best investigative reporters are the best interrogators - I think this truth applies to getting the most out of one's time in the Word of God, as long as one does not become too mechanical or pedantic. Mortimer Adler in his excellent book " How to Read a Book " writes If you ask a living teacher a question, he may really answer you. If you are puzzled by what he says, you may save yourself the trouble of thinking by asking him what he means. I note any names and places, and I look for the most important words typically action words or key adjectives.
Then I spend time studying a little on those items I observed, especially trying to understand any historical or geographical references found in the text, references to Old Testament scripture as well as any Hebrew and Greek words that I found especially interesting. Too often we try to move the events and words of the Bible into our present day experience before we have completely understood them in their own historical context. This would be similar to a teacher living in the first century trying to explain the meaning of a Tom Clancy novel without an understanding of our technology and culture.
It would result in utter nonsense. You may have wondered if I know Hebrew and Greek, and the answer is no.
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Nevertheless, I have a method for understanding the meaning of specific words in these languages. Again, I use an inductive style of research to identify the meaning of these words. Specifically, I find every occurrence of a given Greek or Hebrew word in the Bible and arrive at an understanding of all possible meanings from the context of its various uses.
Studying the Bible: Observation, Interpretation, and Application
I have some other techniques and resources for understanding the underlying meaning of the original languages as well, and taken together I can usually get to the heart of a word's meaning without actually knowing the language. The Holy Spirit will bring you what He wants you to know.
Of the three steps in inductive study, the observation step is the most important, because it will guard against confusion, misunderstanding or the misconceptions brought by poor teaching you have heard in the past. I usually don't read commentaries or other teaching texts other than for language studies , because I don't want my view of the text to be biased. I trust the Holy Spirit to guide me to what are the key points He wants me to find.
I also know I can't learn it all the first time or even the fifth time! When I have completed the observation step, I move on to interpretation. This is the step most often neglected by teachers, in my experience. I frequently hear sermons where the speaker gives some brief observations of the text and jumps directly to application i.