Been struggling lately. Getting my kids and sometimes myself to church has become more difficult. My youngest son asked “Why do we have to go when we can watch online? I can learn about God right where I’m at.”. So, I ended the title here “Don’t Need Church_” with an underscore; for you what punctuation goes there?
I know some that would place an exclamation‼️ point or two there; they want nothing to do with church and God in general. I know other’s it would be a question❓mark. Maybe they are wondering and want to know if they should start going. Maybe they are going and wonder why they should continue. I know other’s the punctuation would be a period and it’s not that they don’t need worship or teaching but they feel the church has become so corrupt that they can do it better or find better on their own.
Before anything, shouldn’t our question be, “What does the Bible say about gathering with other Christians?” Well, it says in Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” We meet with others because God chooses to be more present where more than one person is located with others. But isn’t God everywhere you might ask? Why, yes, yes He is. The question is not one of location but of awareness and focus. In school a teacher may have said “Mikey, be present with the rest of us”. Mikey may be there and somewhat aware of what is going on but not focused or focused on other things. God has promised that where we gather “in His name” with others “in His name” He will definitely be there with a greater focus and awareness.
(Heb 10:24-25 NKJV) 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as [is] the manner of some, but exhorting [one another], and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Paul under the direction of the Holy Spirit tells us not to “forsake the assembly of ourselves”. The word assembly there is episynagōgē which is formed in part from the words that make up synagog referring to the place Jews would gather on the sabbath to hear the words of scripture read and be explained. The root words epi one place and synago to collect or gather together the whole in one place. It is a command to not stop meeting together but to gather together in one place. It is more than just two or three but all the two or threes meeting through out the week in home groups into one place. How are we doing this if we are just watching online? But what benefit is there for getting together? The same passage tells us. We are supposed to “stir up” one another to “love and good works”. The word “stir up” is paroxysmos and it means to provoke, incite or irritate one another to good works. It says in (Pro 27:17 LSB) “17 Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.” You can hide behind a screen or on the other end of a phone or chat, but it is hard to hide forever when you are face to face. We need this face to face to challenge us to become more like Christ.
Well, we just go to church and run out the door after service. It is clear from the Bible that this is not what God intended. So then do we get closer to what God intended by watching from home, since we are going to run out of service anyway? My oldest son came home from the Army and his station in Fairbanks Alaska this year. He had started working with a Christian group EYD or Engage Your Destiny. It was Christian organization started to combat suicide with Faith. Growing up we would go to Sunday School and then Church. Now many churches no longer have Adult Sunday school, and you just go to service and run out. At EYD it doesn’t work that way. You have the service and then breakout into small groups right after to discuss worship and the teaching. Now that sounds like a shift in paradigm that might change things.
It was 507 years ago that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle church in Wittenberg. Now we have about 41,000 denominations world wide and so many different views of what the Bible teaches. It was the day before the anniversary of the reformation and I went to a bible study that night. We were reading from 1 Corinthians and we read how the Corinthians were arguing about who they followed whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas. Paul said he was glad that he hadn’t baptized any of them lest they say they were baptized in Paul’s name. Paul said that while he was among them he choose to know nothing except Christ and Him crucified.
We find ourselves at a time in history where children are lead into confusion about their gender. A small group with influence and power spearhead this cause and even make laws allowing schools to mutilate these children without their parents’ consent. Birth rates are on a decline and fewer are getting married. We find ourselves at a time in history where even some that brought us here are stepping back wondering if we went too far. How did we get here? Will it get worse?
This all goes back to the “free love” of the 60s when we started accepting promiscuity as normal under the guise of love. Then with the Stonewall riots the media and those with cultural influence started asking “what does it matter what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their own home? and Why do you care about what someone else does?” Schools started teaching sex education with birth control and many parents started shifting their perspective and the unacceptable started moving toward being more acceptable. Then in 1988 Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen wrote After the Ball a homosexual manifesto in which they put forward a strategy of how to make homosexuality acceptible. They proposed using documented methods of brainwashing in a 3 step process on society.
1. Desensitization
Make homosexuals and their practices more regularly visible in society through media, parades, movies, books so people become desensitized to it.
2. Jamming
Label any opposition as hateful, bigoted, or racist and then assoicate that person with groups like Nazis or white supremacists. Keep making these associations and labels until when anyone has an objection to such sensual practices in the public space that these negative images come to mind and shutdown the opposition.
3. Conversion
Transform those that oppose normalization of sensual and homosexual practices into allies.
After surveying a book of the Bible you should now have a good idea of the themes or topics written about in that book. With these topics in mind and the summaries you have written as a foundation for the context you will need you are ready to look more deeply at each chapter. The things to look for and symbols you can use expands at this point to include all those in the symbol guide pictured here.
Here we will go over the basic method for inspection and interpretation, understanding what you read, and general things to look for. During the survey we limited what we looked for and the questions we asked but here the field is wide open. Look for every category, ask whatever question comes to mind and think deeply. There are more specific things to look for and questions you can ask based upon the genre and literary devices which deserve their own chapters. We will address those later down the road.
The Inspection Journal
Rather than dive right into what to look for and the deeper methods of observation and interrogation let us start with the tools and how to use them. During the survey you used some symbols, colored pens and marking guides along with a few basic questions and recorded the key words and summaries in a Survey worksheet. Now you will broaden your marking and observations in the bible and instead of a worksheet it will be a bit freer form using a Journal similar to what Johnathan Edwards called a Miscellanies Journal. If you have a wide margin bible, you could use that space for a journal but even in wide margin bibles space is still limited.
The 18th Century Pastor and Theologian, Johnathan Edwards, would take a journal and label it with a letter starting with M for Miscellanies. He would reserve the first few pages for an index and then he would date his first entry and label it with M0001 and the Bible reference he was studying, say Joshua 1. In the margins of his Bible for Joshua 1 he would write M0001 to cross reference with the journal and then record his thoughts and questions about the passages as he read it in the journal. He would then list the journal pages along with the label, reference, and theme in the index. With this method he could write as much as he wanted and years later if he were rereading the passage, he could add to the notes with a new journal just referencing it with its letter and sequence number in the Bible’s margin.
The Inspect process will use this same tool. For a journal I would recommend an A5 (6×8) dotted or lined journal which are easy to find. After I reached 50 writing and reading smaller text became increasingly difficult, so I started using either a letter/A4 size or B5 (7×10) dotted or lined journal. A dotted journal provides free space and guides if you like drawing diagrams or pictures; yes, draw away. As you look more deeply at a passage marking more significant or important words and drawing lines to see relationships you will then start asking questions and thinking about answers. Write these questions and answers and any other thoughts you may have in a journal. Do not feel as if you must answer every question that comes to mind. If some of your questions don’t seem to have answers write them in the journal anyway and leave some space after the question for a future answer. You may also want to use a colored sticky tab to mark the unanswered questions in the journal. Look back and review your questions and as you move forward reading the Bible you may find answers to those questions at which point you can write the answer and cross reference it with different color ink to where you are in the Bible using that future entry’s label and reference where you find the answer and then toss out the tab.
If you believe God is saying something significant to us, His People, record it as a thesis statement and use a sticky tab to mark it for further verification. You would then take this idea or hypothesis and reexamine them during the examination phase.
Interrogating the Bible Passage
Let’s get back to asking questions. During the survey questions were limited to finding the setting. Now ask any question that comes to mind. To start let’s revisit the five Ws and a H. Asking where and when is what we started with in the survey but is there anything more we could ask about location and time? If the bible is saying something is happening at a certain time or place is it where or when it should happen? An example is Deuteronomy 6 and 11 where God tells the people to talk about His words at home when they sit down, when they rise up and when they travel.
We talked about asking who are the characters involved and identifying God’s involvement. Who is the author and who is it written to or about? The Bible is God’s word written for God’s people but some words were for unbelievers, those that are not God’s people. In these cases the words used and the practices described will fall into that context and usually are ridiculed or contrasted with what is right. Having a clear picture of “who” becomes critical to understanding what God is saying.
Next what is being described or what is happening? Then the follow up question is why. Why did this happen? Why is God calling attention to this? When you are trying to find the reason or cause for something be prepared to ask why more than once. Why did “A” happen? Well because “B” happened. Why did “B” happen? Well because “C” circumstances were encountered. Why were “C” circumstances encountered? Well because “D” decisions were made. You may have to ask why up to five times to get to the root of the matter.
Finally, ask how. How did they get to this point? How did they do that and why? How important is this or what is its significance? Is the Bible saying this is how things should be done or is it just how something was done? If it is how things should be done usually God will be involved either showing his approval or giving a command. Otherwise, God will show his disapproval. If God’s point of view is not clear then be careful not to draw a conclusion or pass judgements when God Himself doesn’t do so.
Coming to an Understanding
The answers to the questions you ask form the basis for your understanding of what God wants to say. The practice of understanding the bible is called interpretation. The methods used to understand the Bible are called hermeneutics. As you are asking questions and making observations there are some guidelines you should keep in mind before you draw any conclusions and as you answer questions.
It is not advisable to develop a guiding principle or draw a conclusion based on a single obscure verse in the Bible. An example would be Mark 16:18 “they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it shall not hurt them;”. Another verse is 1 Corinthians 15:29 which says, “what will they do those who are baptized for the dead”. Baptism for the dead is obscure and could have several possible meanings but there are no available ancient manuscripts that help explain this verse.
The Bible itself is its best interpreter. As the inspired word of God the bible is consistent and coherent. If some passage doesn’t seem to make sense, is unclear or has many possible meanings, especially if they do not align, the correct meaning is the one supported by other passages in the Bible.
Understand historical accounts in the Bible by the teachings in the Bible. For example the letters written by Paul and the other Apostles provide explanations and teachings for the church. That should be used to understand the history recorded in the gospels and Acts.
What someone does in the Bible should not necessarily be considered prescriptive; the way we should always do things. Unless it is specifically commanded something done may just be the way someone did something and not necessarily the way we should do something. For example; just because Gideon requested a specific sign from God does not mean that is how we should approach God for direction.
It is not advisable to pass judgement on what God’s anointed followers do in a passage of the Bible unless God Himself does so either in the passage or somewhere else explicitly in the Bible. If God judges someone’s actions in the Bible do not add to it. Something may sound wrong but could just be from our own modern sensibilities. For example we tend to look down on arranged marriages but most in the Bible were arranged including the very first marriage between Adam and Eve, arranged by God.
Do not let man’s conclusions, methods or principles dictate what the Bible must mean. If you find yourself saying, “Well, the Bible can’t mean that!” be careful that you are not lifting an idea or theology, a system of man above the Bible.
If God tells a specific group or type of person to do something that doesn’t mean the scope is limited to that group or type of person. Just because the letters to Timothy were written to a pastor doesn’t mean we don’t need to read them nor that nothing in them applies to us who are not pastors. Just because God tells fathers to do something with their children doesn’t mean mothers are not to do it as well.
The first goal of the Washed in the Word R.INS.E study method is to Read the book of the bible you are studying chapter by chapter trying to grasp the big picture so that you have a high-level idea of the topics of each chapter. This forms the context that you need to have before you can read any passage in that book of the Bible more deeply. In the survey worksheet the heading of the first page for each book has a form for recording the book name, genre, author, audience, date and location of writing. This is followed by a block section where after reading the book you record its theme and purpose and any other notes or thoughts.
Some of this basic information you may be able to find in each book as you read it otherwise a good study bible or commentary will have this information. To make it easier, at the end of this section there will be two tables, one for the Old Testament and one for the New with this information.
Surveying the Text
Identify
To do a survey you will be concentrating on the setting and keywords which you will mark in brown and God marked in purple. Start by looking for and circling repeated words and their synonyms. If they match one of the categories depicted in the earlier section, then circle them in that categories color. Why do you start by looking for repeated words? With anything written the author has some ideas or points he wants to communicate to the reader. The terms that describe these points will be repeated as they are exponded upon or will be stressed using repetition. Therefore to grasp the major topics one needs to look for repeated terms and these form the basis for the context of what is written.
As you identify key repeated words make note of the genre if it differs from the book’s general genre. Books of law may also have history and poetry. Identify people, places and things that make up the setting and key events or commands and mark these following the symbols guide below. These might be obvious, but they might not stand out. At this point you can start using inquiry or some simple questions to help identify elements of the setting and circumstances.
Inquire
In English classes you should have run into the five Ws and a H. While surveying and later when you inspect the text you will need to start asking who, what, when, where, why, and how. While surveying the level of questioning doesn’t need to be as probing as when you are rereading the text during the Inspection phase and you will limit yourself to specific questions focusing on the setting and keywords to just gain a basic understanding of the topic that is being addressed in the chapter.
Start by asking who are the main characters or groups of characters and are they a protagonist or antagonist? What does God do or what does He command or promise? Marking what he does with a purple double underline and God’s promises with a purple arch and His commands with a green exclamation point and underline. What are the main events? Mark antagonists and protagonists with a brown underline ending in an A or P respectively. If it is a king or kingdom draw a blue crown at the beginning. Mark references to God with a purple triangle or angel of the Lord with a red cross. But only mark these when God is actively at work or responding. If the chapter is just talking about God such as saying “we have sinned against God” then these references do not need to be marked. You only want to call attention to God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit when they are an active character in the chapter so you can see when God is responding. The goal here and and more so during the Inspection phase is to grasp what His feelings are about the circumstances recorded.
Then ask where is this happening or where is the author seeing what he is writing? When is this happening? Underline and mark the location with a blue at sign @ and times with a blue circle with clock hands (/). If the author is writing from a particular vantage point rather than use an at sign start with a semi-encircled v into an (V underline. For example when Moses is describing the creation of the world in Genesis 1 where is he? He is with “(V the Spirit hovering over the waters“.
The vantage point and use of phenomenal language can be key to understanding what the bible is saying. Phenomenal language is the use of words to describe what you see or feel happening from the perspective of your senses and from your vantage point. We use this every day when we say “the sun rose” or “the sun set”. The sun doesn’t really go up or rise nor does it go down or set. When Moses describes the sky as a firmament he isn’t saying it is a solid dome, he is saying it looks like a dome. If you accept that it must be a dome then you run into the problem of a clash with reality that is not necessary at all. While the bible is not a science text book it does describe things that actually happened and that exist. Whatever may be described more precisely or scientifically should be able to match what the author describes if he were to experience it, the bible does not make mistakes.
Digest / Summarize
Since this is a survey you don’t want to spend much time asking how and why. If an explanation of how or why is apparent take note of it but we will spend time on this during the inspection phase. After you have read the chapter and marked the obvious keywords and setting record the keywords in the keyword’s column in the survey form and in the margin of your bible. Then write a short one or two sentence summary in the middle summary section of the form. If the genre is different from that of the book record that in parenthesis.
These summaries and the worksheets will become a reference in the future as you inspect and re-examine a passage in the Bible. It will form the context that limits or qualifies what may be understood. Finally, they will help you better remember what you have read and will develop Biblical Intelligence.
“Perhaps the best test of a man’s intelligence is the capacity for making a summary.” – Lyton Stachey Then the best exercise to develop biblical intelligence is to practice making summaries.
Roll Up into a Breakdown
In the Bible survey worksheet you have been recording the keywords and summaries. Now it’s time to pull it all together. Consider the keywords column from each chapter and the categories they might fall into. Can you group the keywords in any way? Use the breakdown columns to group the chapters and their keywords into categories. You are rolling up the chapters’ settings and key words into main points of an outline which becomes the breakdown of the book.
You are looking for relationships between chapters and you will need to do this as part of an end of book review but if you notice a change or turning point or transition while reading don’t hesitate to make note of it using a pencil in the breakdown column so you don’t forget it. To use the breakdown columns you will want to turn the page horizontal and draw lines between these changes you see in categories and then write a short title for that break or segment. Some categories or ways of grouping keywords and circumstances of the setting include:
Composition or Literary Devices
Pivotal Points / Turning Points
Progression and Climax
Radiation
Others
Time / Place / Vantage Point
Reigns
Topics
Doctrines
Events / Tasks
Signs
Goals / Objectives
Finally, in the heading block of the worksheet write a theme and purpose for the entire book. The theme can be thought of as if someone were to ask you “write me a title for that book”. Next write down why you think the book was written and any other notes you feel may be helpful. Now you have completed your survey of the book. You will want to keep these surveys for future reference whenever you come back to study a passage in that particular book of the Bible.
Old Testament Books – Author, Date, Location and Genre
New Testament Books – Author, Date, Location and Genre
The Washed in the Word method of Bible Study is made up of three phases or degrees of study called R.INS.E, followed by Reflection and Response. During each phase you will use methods of observation and interrogation of the Bible passages you are studying to progress to ever deeper levels of understanding. The R.INS.E acronym stands for Read, Inspect and Examine.
R.INS.E – Reflect – Respond Method of Bible Study Diagram
First you Read a book of the Bible chapter by chapter with the goal of grasping the big picture. This big picture should be captured in survey journal worksheets with lists of keywords and summaries for each chapter that then become the context for the next phase of study, Inspection. While you are reading and during inspection you will use colored pens to mark keywords, circumstances and God’s responses through which He reveals Himself to His people. The colors you use for marking should use consistent categories and symbols. The category color guide below is a suggestion of colors and their categories for your consideration. You can use these or come up with your own, or just start with these and then when you get a new journaling Bible you can always consider coming up with your own categories.
During inspection you ask deeper questions and look for other concepts and connecting words that show the relationships between statements. The questions you have and answers you find should be recorded in a journal called a Miscellanies (invented by Johnathan Edwards). A Miscellanies journal is designated with a letter code and then each entry with that code and a four digit sequence number and the bible reference being studied. The code and sequence number are then written in the bible margin of the passage being studied. This method allows you to write much more about a passage than you would be able to in the margins of any Bible. A dotted journal even allows you to draw diagrams and pictures to help visualize what a passage is saying.
The third phase or degree is Examination where you use concordances to look for what else the bible has to say on the topics and keywords realted to the passage you have inspected. After Inspection you should have used methods of interpretation and reached a level of understanding of the passage. During Examination you write down what you understand and compare it to the other similar passages found in cross reference resources using the cross reference worksheets to evaluate your understanding.
After both Inspection and Examination you should spend time reflecting upon what you have observed and understood from the passage. Based on what your have understood and reflection on your own life you may find verses you should memorise or things you should do. You will capture the Bible verses to memorize and the things you need to do in verse and task kanbans. These give you a set of things to work on that will become your response to what God’s spirit has revealed in scripture that you should do.
23 Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. 25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works—this person will be blessed in what he does.
Now that you have set out to study God’s word there are some things you will need and some things you may want to consider adding to your tools for studying the Bible. The first and most obvious would be a Bible. But which Bible is the best choice? As mentioned previously there are many translations. The Bible was written in Hebrew and Greek. What you may not know is that not only are the words different in another language but the order of words may also be different. For example, not only is Hebrew written from right to left but while English sentences have the order subject-verb-object, SVO, in Hebrew the word order in a sentence is subject-object-verb, SOV, and it only switches to subject-verb-object in Hebrew poetry. Further adjectives and adverbs do not precede the noun or verb as in English but come after them. Other differences would be idioms or sayings. In Hebrew they would say “it doesn’t touch me” but in English we would say “It doesn’t ring a bell”. So, when a translator sits down to translate the Bible from its original language, they have a lot to consider communicating the intended meaning.
Choosing a Good Translation
There are three methods translators use: formal equivalence, dynamic equivalence or paraphrase.
Formal equivalent translations have the goal of capturing the broadest meaning of the original language and try to use a single word in English whose possible meanings are as close to that of each word in the original language and then adjust the word order for English and where necessary reword sayings so that we can understand them. The words chosen will often be more academic or formal English words since the goal is the broadest sense of meaning.
The dynamic equivalent focuses more on the meaning and spirit of the original text, rather than rigidly adhering to its structure and form. There are two types of dynamic equivalents.
The Functional equivalent will approach each phrase constructing a phrase in English choose the best word or words leaning more toward the formal equivalent where possible.
The Natural equivalent will look at the phrases that make up a single thought and craft a phrase to communicate the intended meaning using common language or the simplest wording possible.
A paraphrase will take each sentence and write it in English with as many words and descriptions as the translator feels are necessary to communicate what they think the author was saying.
LSB/NASB/NKJV
GNT
NLT
I will make you fishers of men.
I will teach you to catch people.
I will show you how to fish for people!
Matthew 4:19
What are the issues with these methods? A good example is Matthew 4:19 in the preceding table. The NLT translates “make” as “show you how” and this is easy to understand but it doesn’t capture the full meaning of the original language where as “teach” in the GNT includes “show you how” but also involves explanation and opportunities for practice and captures a broader meaning closer to the original. The word “make” however includes all these meanings but also captures the fact that God is in charge and actively working in the lives of the disciples. The simpler translation is missing a lot of meaning. All translations require the translator to understand to varying degrees what the original author was trying to say, which is interpretation. However, you must ask the question; at what point am I just listening to what someone thinks the Bible is saying instead of trying to understand what it is saying for myself?
This is God’s word to us, and we should want to know what He is really saying. You should always start with reading the bible to get a basic idea of topics and a paraphrase or dynamic equivalent may be good enough but to really study the bible you will need a Natural or Formal Equivalent. The quadrant chart shows bible translations by their reading level and how close they are to the original meaning. The upper right quadrant are translations that have balance between being easy to read and being as close as possible to the original language.
Choosing a Good Bible Format
Once you choose a translation the Bible comes in many formats including digital online bibles as well as journaling, study, reference, and compact printed bibles. The Logos, Olive Tree and Blue Letter digital bibles have many resources and the ability to take notes, and highlight. Blue Letter ScriptureMark and Logos have some marking ability, but most digital bibles do not have the ability to draw lines and symbols. Print Bibles will either have two columns or a single column. Study bibles will have introductions, outlines, references to other similar bible verses either in between columns or in the gutter and commentaries at the bottom of each page. Study bibles have many tools that are useful to help understand the bible however most have so much information that the margins are too narrow to take notes. To study the bible and take notes one of the best formats is a single column bible with the references in the gutter and wide outside margins for notes such as the NKJV wide-margin reference bible, ESV/NASB Inductive Study Bible or Baker Illustrated CSB Study Bible.
Study Bible
Journaling Reference Bible
Bible Marking and Journals
After selecting a bible to start journaling you will need to consider highlighters and marking pens. You will want to decide on a color code so that what you emphasize uses a color with a meaning behind it. Highlighters draw attention to verses that stand out or are significant in a chapter. The problem is many highlighters bleed through thin paper. The gel highlighters meant to solve this problem are more like crayons and do not bleed but leave a waxy film which prevents using pens for marking later and when they warm up in a car the pages tend to stick together. The best highlighters I have found are the Zebra Midliners.
Still highlighters are limited to drawing attention to a verse. Using fine-liner or gel pens you can focus on individual words or phrases by circling, boxing, underlining, or even drawing symbols and lines may be drawn between these symbols to show relationships. Bible marking helps to show repeated words and to see relationships visually between words and phrases. I have found the best marking pens to be Charsoco or Micron MicroLine pens, followed by the Uni Style fit and the Zebra Sarasa Clip gel pens. The Uni Style fit and Zebra Clip pens also have customizable multi-pen options great for travel.
While you can journal in your bible even the wide margin journaling bibles are limited with space. You can get A5 or Letter size binders to use custom forms like those in the resource section of this blog. The Survey forms are a good place to start and we will discuss these in upcoming articles. A page numbered dotted grid journal may be used to write further notes and even draw pictures. You can use a code for the journal such as M followed by numbers, 0001, which you write in your bible and then write at the top of the journal page and reference in a table of contents in the journal. With this method you can even journal using a bible with small margins and add multiple notes from multiple journals with different codes as you read God’s word over time. I suggested the first journal as M because this method was invented by Jonathan Edwards and he called it the Miscellanies journal method of bible study. In the next articles we will go over how to use these journals. Additionally you may want to add on some page marker tabs so you can mark questions you’ve recorded in your journal for which you may not know the answer but as you read on in the bible the answer may become apparent. If they are marked then you can come back to them.
Finally, there are many reference tools available that can help you on your journey. Many pastors and scholars have studied the bible and written down notes and their own thoughts about bible passages and these have been published in Commentaries. Many are available online in the Blue Letter Bible, and Bible Hub or you can buy copies in print. Some examples are the Moody Bible Commentary, Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Matthew Henry, John MacArthur, the Archaeology Study Bible and Dr. J. Vernon McGee. These tools are good to check your understanding of a bible passage and to learn about the culture and people to whom the bible was written.
Concordances such as the Open Bible Cross References, Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, Thomson’s Chain References and Strongs have lists of references, key words found in the bible or topics and give references to other similar verses in the Bible. This can help you find other passages in the bible that talk about the same topic and would be used to examine scripture with a cross reference study. Word study dictionaries such as Mounces or Vines allow you to look up an English word used in the Bible or if you have a word study bible with Strongs numbers you can look up the original Greek or Hebrew word using a code number and get its definitions and examples of how it used. These are good tools for doing word studies that can be found online at Blue Letter Lexical Resources or may be purchased in print format.
I have been watching the Expedition Bible videos on YouTube for a while now and the way Joel Kramer presents recent discoveries in archaeology from the Holy Land that support what the Bible says have been most helpful. The videos take you to the sites that match events recorded in the Bible and you get to see 3D Diagrams of what it might have looked like in the past as well as drone fly overs with interactive arrows showing where people went. This has helped me to visualize what the Bible describes and clarified what happened during some events. You need to watch and subscribe to this channel.
Beyond visualizing what happened the information given supports the church and our faith showing that we are not blindly following manmade stories but events that happened. It is a great tool for apologetics, showing proof to the world that the Bible can be trusted. These are resources along with others like Timothy Mahoney’s Patterns of Evidence that both help us to see and give us hope and reasons for confidence.
For example, the picture below is from the vblog about where Jacob wrestled God. I had always found it odd that Jacob sent his family ahead of him crossing the ford, seemed kind of cowardly. But what I saw here was that the road was on the right side of the river and when he sent his family ahead across the ford that would have been to the left where the river curves while he went up the hill to watch for his brother Esau. It was to protect his family. You can understand passages in the bible better when you can see where they happened.
In the past two articles we have talked about significance of the Bible being worthy of our admiration and respect. We talked about how we get in the way of what God wants to tell us because of our attitudes and preconceptions. Setting out to read the Bible these are some of the first things that must be dealt with and finally the last thing is to have integrity when approaching the Bible.
Approach the Bible in Context with Integrity
The word Context means the text that goes with the text. The meaning of words and sentences is dictated or determined considering the surrounding words and sentences. For example, the word cast has two meanings; to toss or to form in a mold but how do we know which meaning is intended by an author. Well, the fisherman casts a net, and the artists casts a statue. We know that fishermen throw nets and lines into the water to catch fish and therefore the meaning is to throw. We know that artists cast bronze into a mold to create a statue, so the meaning is to form in a mold. What the author, God, means to tell us will not contradict the context. There is a saying, “context is king”, because it is the authority that determines the intended meaning.
Now what does this have to do with integrity? If someone has ever taken some words you said and then some other words you said and strung them together falsely accusing you of lying, or slander then you know how upsetting that can be. This is called taking what someone said out of context. Sometimes people do this to make someone who they don’t like look bad. Other times someone might do this not realizing it when they hope someone whose ideas they disagree with would be found saying something that most would not accept and then they would be discredited. Other times someone has an idea that they want to be accepted and they might look for anything a person in authority has said that would back up their idea. You do not want to be found doing the same thing with God’s words.
2 Timothy 2:15 – Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed accurately handling the word of truth.
Often we just look for some encouraging verses, maybe about God’s promises or exhortations that is inspirational. These can be great resources, but it is like going to a banquet and only eating the hors d’oeuvres but missing the meal. Worse yet sometimes without the verses arround it an encouraging verse or promise may be based on a misunderstanding, in which case it is junk food.
If there is a passage or chapter of the Bible you want to study you must first read the chapter before it and after it as well before you then re-read it to consider it more carefully and more deeply. In fact you should read the whole book, notice I said read not study, not slowly but at a high level looking for the obvious topics and themes. Once you have done this then you can read a chapter or some verses in the Bible slowly and more deeply making sure you have a right understanding directed by what came before and after it.
Approach the Bible using a good Translation
Finally, the text matters. The Bible was written in Hebrew and later Aramaic and then Greek. Then, someone had to take all the various copies throughout history and compare them to compile what is called a text removing typos, and errors; this process is called textual criticism. Then groups of translators come and write a translation of these words into our common language. We have been blessed with several hundred English translations of the Bible but not all are good for study. Someone has even translated the Bible into pirate speech; maybe they were having fun or poking fun at something which deserves to be admired and respected.
Since the original ancient languages are different from our own and even the order of words are different translators have a balancing act between writing what captures the broadest meaning of each word and interpreting multiple words to decide what the original author meant and then to write it in a way we would understand. Often, we look for a Bible translation that says things in the way we like to hear or that supports our own thinking. I notice some recent Christian books jumping between many translations of the Bible and I find myself wondering; were they looking for the translation that presented the most accurate understanding of the verses in the bible or were they looking for a translation that best backed up the idea they had? Our goal should always be to understand what God wants to communicate, not what we hope He will say. Don’t look for a translation that says things the way you like but one that was intended to be as faithful to the original words of God.
In the next article we will spend more time on translations and bible study tools. The picture above shows the various kinds of translations starting with the formal equivalent where the goal is to capture the meaning of each Hebrew or Greek word with minimal interpretation. Then Dynamic equivalents such as functional and natural try to strike a balance between capturing the meaning of each phrase and explaining the meaning in ways that are more familiar to us. Finally, paraphrases are explanations of the meaning of each verse or paragraph in modern English. For reading a Functional Equivalent or Natural Equivalent is sufficient but for intentional study you should use a natural or formal equivalent. I would avoid hyper-paraphrases as they are rewritten from someone’s perspective to such a degree that they should no longer be called a translation. They should really be called poetic commentaries or stores of the Bible and should only be read for reference understanding that they are the thoughts of someone else and may not reflect what God wanted to communicate.
In the first part of how to approach the bible we were confronted with the uniqueness and need for God’s word. Approaching the Bible with admiration and great expectation was all about our affections and motivations. Next, we must face ourselves and be honest about our purpose and attitudes.
Approach the Bible Objectively
When we read the Bible our aim must be true, we must approach it objectively or selflessly, uninfluenced by our feelings or prejudice. Do not look for what you want to find but be open to anything God wants to reveal. Prepare yourself with prayer saying,
“Lord, help me to accept what Your Word says even if I do not like what it says, even if what it says makes me feel uncomfortable. May Your word wash over me and create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me”
Understand is a Matter of desiring or being willing to do God’s Will.
You must have such integrity if you are going to understand what the Bible says. Often when we have trouble understanding the Bible it is not because it is difficult to comprehend but it is hard because we lack the will to do God’s Will. Understanding the Bible starts with having the will to do God’s will; our persistent intent and purpose must be to accept God’s will and to do it. Then Proverbs calls us to treasure knowledge, the next step is to value knowing what God wants to reveal in His Word
John 8: 43 – “Why don’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot accept my teaching.”
John 7:17-18 – “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”
What God wants us to know He tells us clearly in the Bible.
What God wants to tell us, is He not able to make it clear to every generation and people? What He wants to tell us about the future, is He not able to keep is hidden until the time that it is necessary? The Bible was written to an ancient culture, and we may feel like outsiders trying to look into a very different world. But this sense of remoteness, this disconnect is an illusion that comes from trying to connect with the Bible in the wrong place; the character’s time and culture. The link between them and us is not found there. The link is God Himself, because the God they dealt with is the same God we must deal with today. Knowledge of ancient cultures will add to understanding but it will not change the meaning found in a good translation by 180 degrees or even 90 degrees for that matter.
If someone says you need special knowledge to understand the Bible and they claim that they and other experts have that special knowledge, watch out! It is more likely they are wolves trying to manipulate the Bible for their own ends. They have more faith in man’s ideas than God’s teachings.
The Bible is clear and brings clarity, we are the ones that bring the fog of confusion. Out of prejudice we determine what is right and wrong and even presume to judge what God says. Out of desire we look to justify our own actions and ideas even searching God’s word for some small phrase that would seem to make us right.
Luke 10: 25-29 – 25 And behold, a scholar of the Law stood up and was putting Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered and said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” 29 But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Do not be like a lawyer looking for the loopholes when you read the Bible. Do not be a politician using it for your own gain. Do not be a religious person trying to show off your list of accomplishments. Come as lowly as you are, as truly needy as you really must be and find waters that never run dry. Find new wine and bread unlike any other. Find freedom and rest for your soul.
2 Timothy 2:15 – 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
John 8:31-32 “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Glory to be Revealed 