Bible Study Overview and Tips

When I was in high school, I developed a bad attitude towards Sunday school. I was born and raised in the church and felt like I had heard all the stories and could not learn something new. I found every excuse to not go to Sunday school and even when through a time where I didn't read the Bible outside of church for years.

One day I met a man named Adam and started going to his young adult's class. He challenged my perspective to look at scripture through context. Who is writing the book, who is it being written to, what is happening in the culture, read the chapter before your passage. Taking into consideration context and some Bible study tips, Adam relit my flame for God's Word. In this blog, I will share some thoughts on Bible Study.

I once hear this statement: Does context matter? Are 4 followers a lot? Not on Instagram but at night in a dark alley it makes a difference.

Context is everything. Who is the author? Who are they talking to? Jew/gentile? What was going during that time? We will hit this a little later.

2 Timothy 3:16

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

We have John Wycliffe to thank for the first English Bible (New Testament only). He translated it word for word to English from an early Latin translation. But the Bible was not for everyone or the normal ordinary person.

John Wycliffe was accused of being a heretic and suffered persecution for his willingness to translate the Bible into a language for ordinary folk. People were even threaten with severe penalties for reading the forbidden Bible.

This was the only English bible for some 200 years, but the printing press changed all of that. In 1526 William Tyndall produced an English New Testament based on the Greek instead of the Latin. Sadly, he did not live to complete his translation of the Old Testament

William Tyndale was executed, and his body burned for his resolute commitment to Bible translation and his desire. He is known for saying, “to make the boy that works the fields in England know more scripture.”

In 1604 King James the First authorized a complete translation of the Bible for all England churches. In 1611 we got the Authorized Version of the Bible or you might know this as the King James Verizon

Chapter and verse divisions are not a part of original manuscripts or documents but added much later.

There are two main approaches to translation: the formal approach (sometimes titled “literal” or word-for-word”) and functional (idiomatic or through for thought)

We have new translations because the way speak has changed. You might be familiar with the NIV it was first printed in 1973 as the middle ground for word for word translation and thought for thought. Then printed again in 1978 and 1984. In 2011 a Bible translation committee came together to update and reprint the NIV as we now know it.

ESV 2001. (Word for word) NLT 1996 (thought for thought)

Joshua 1: 1-9 Example provided by: Grasping God's Word Textbook written by J. Duvall & J. Hays

Step 1: Grasp the text in their town. What did it mean to the original audience

Step 2: Measure how big is the gap or river is to cross. What are the differences between the biblical audience and us?

Step 3: Cross the bridge. What is the theological principle in the text?

Step 4: Consult the biblical map.

Step 5: Grasp the text in our town. How should individual Christians today live out the theological principles?

Step 1: The Lord commanded Joshua, the new leader of Israel, to draw strength and courage from God’s empowering presence, to be obedient to the law of Moses, and meditate on the law.

STep 2: We are not leaders of the nation of Israel and we are not embarking on a conquest of the Promised Land

Step 3: To be effective in serving God and successful in the task to which he has called us, we must draw strength and courage from HIs presence. We also must obey God’s Word and meditate on it.

Step 4: The rest of the Bible consistently affirms that God’s people can draw strength and courage through His presence.

Step 5: Spend more time meditating on God’s Word this could even include listening to more Christian music. Be obedient and keep focusing on Scripture.

Other things to look at when reading scripture and studying your Bible Sentences:

1. Repetition of Words ( Until you know the meaning of certain words, you will not know the true meaning of the passage)

2. Contrasts

3. Comparisons

4. Lists

5. Cause and Effect

6. Figures of speech

7. Conjunctions

8. Verbs

9. Pronouns Romans 12:1-2 example

Paragraphs

1. General and Specifics

   1. General: dessert-Specific: apple pie, chocolate ice cream

2. Questions and answers Romans 6:1-2

3.Dialouge

4. Purpose/Result Statements

5. Means

6. Conditional Clauses

7. Emotional Terms

8. Tone Example Colossians 1:3-8

Context

The way we approach the Bible (the way we listen to God) should match how God gave us the Bible) the way God chose to speak.

New Testament letters are situational or occasional, meaning that they were written to address specific situations faced by the churches. Letters should be read in one sitting as they were traditionally read aloud this way.

Knowing the historical-cultural background of the Bible makes it come alive with power and relevance.

All us tend to be influenced by our culture subconsciously. The challenge is to critique our culture with the Bible and not vice vera. Our culture is a combination of our family, national heritage, friends, and experiences. For example our culture is comprised of cheese burgers, instagram, technology, wall-mart, facebook, movies. But also George Washington, Babe Ruth, and the Mississippi River

We often become closed-minded to any understanding of the Bible that conflicts with the status quo of our culture. The most important principle of biblical interpretation is that context determines meaning.

If we view the text as communication, then we must seek the meaning that the author intended.

If we never make our applications specific, then we may not know specifically how to live out the message of the Bible.

Luckily for us many people have come up with simplifying a bible study with some acronyms.

It would be incorrect for us to ask when reading What does this passage mean to me? The correct sequence is, what does the passage mean? How should I apply this meaning to my life.

SOAP (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer)

HEAR (Highlight [what stood out to you] Explain, Apply, Respond in prayer

CHAT (Context, Highlight, Ask, Thank)