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Key verse: II Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
Biblical truth: God desires that we study His word so that we can be included in the work of disciple making and the great commission, and that we can teach truth effectively.
We have been given the Scriptures by the divine inspiration of God. (II Timothy 3:16-17) That means that the Bible is the Word of God. We have been given the Scriptures to make us wise unto salvation, then to teach us doctrine, to tell us where we have sinned, to correct us and to give us instruction on how to live a holy life. The Scriptures are able to make us mature Christians, furnished with the spiritual tools to do good works. We are to study those Scriptures so that we can teach the Bible confidently and rightly explain (divide) its truths for those we teach.
How to Study the Bible (II Timothy 2:15)
Remember from Foundations 1 that the Bible works effectually in those that believe, is profitable when mixed with faith and is understood by faith as it's lived out in our lives. (I Thessalonians 2:13, Hebrews 4:2, Hebrews 11:2) This lesson is about how to develop personal study methods and habits to help you become a good workman with the Bible.
Develop the right attitude as you approach the Bible
a. You can't effectively study the Bible unless you know what it is
i. It is the very Word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13)
ii. All of it is profitable (2 Timothy 3:16)
iii. It will carry you on to maturity and service (2 Timothy 3:17)
iv. It is not open to private interpretation. That is to say that the verses are interpreted in light of the context of the whole Bible (2 Peter 1:20)
v. The Bible is powerful and alive (Hebrews 4:12)
a. Your attitude must not be one of criticism toward the Bible, or the desire to disprove it, but with a desire for the Bible to correct you.
b. You should stand in awe knowing that it is impossible that men could have written this book
i. Some examples of the divine nature of the Bible are seen in the way it presents scientific facts even though it is a nonscientific book. Health and hygiene "discoveries" of science were in the Bible long before science found them.
a. The Bible instructed them to bury human wasted so it did not cause them disease. (Deuteronomy 23:13)
b. Covering food for the same reason (Numbers 19:15)
c. The Bible explains the water cycle (Ecclesiastes 1:7)
d. The life all flesh is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11)
e. Contagious diseases could be prevented by washing and quarantine (Leviticus 15:13)
ii. Prophecies that are being fulfilled before our eyes
a. The European Union (Daniel 7:7-8)
b. A world currency (Revelation 13:16) Nations lobby regularly for this.
c. One world government (Revelation 13, Daniel 7:8, 11, 23)
d. One world religion (Revelation 17)
a. Do your absolute best to find out what the passage is talking about and make that your opinion. Don't come to the passage with a predetermined idea of what it means!
i. It is very dangerous in Bible teaching to start with an opinion and find Scripture
ii. True Bible study is finding out what the Bible says not what you want to say
a. Never study without praying and asking for Holy Spirit guidance (Psalm 119:18)
b. Make a habit to think over the passage until you get almost to the point of memorizing the passage. Think on it at night, in the early morning, when you are driving (Psalm 1:1-3, Joshua 1:8)
What are some questions you have about the Bible that you can discuss with your Foundations partner, Sunday school teacher or pastor?
The Bible should be interpreted literally or giving each word the same exact basic meaning it would have in normal, ordinary, customary usage.
a. Bible interpretation must be grounded in fact, not in the feeling of what it seems to mean to you.
b. Truth and context must control interpretation.
c. Literal interpretation does not rule out figurative language
i. Figurative verses use the term "like" (Luke 13:18, Revelation 2:18)
ii. Figurative verses also use the term "as" (Revelation 19:6)
a. Words have real meanings which don't change, but sometimes the usage is different.
b. Look for words that are repeated in the passage. (Hebrews 8:8-12), such as, "I will"
c. The first time a word is used in Scripture, or "the first mention rule" is an important Bible study method to help you lock down the meaning. Find the words that seem to be central to your study and follow them through the Scripture (Genesis 9:25-27)
i. Servant (James 1:1)
ii. Usage of the word (Deuteronomy 15:17)
d. Compare the use of the word in other passages to get a fuller range of meaning and usage.
e. Be careful not to read how you understand a word into the meaning of a word. Make sure you do not accept the meaning of the word today without researching what the word meant in the time of the translation. For example;
i. Peculiar-- Etymology: Middle English peculier, from Latin peculiaris of private property, special, from peculium private property, from pecu cattle; akin to Latin pecus cattle --- more at fee Date: 15th century (Titus 2:14, 1 Peter 2:9)
Characteristic of only one person, group, or thing: distinctive
Different from the usual or normal:
a. special, particular
b. odd, curious
c. eccentric, queer
d. synonyms see characteristic, strange
e. divers Function: adjective Etymology: Middle English divers, diverse Date: 14th century. Various
f. Look up the word in the dictionary, find its synonyms, use a concordance or books such as; "Treasure of Scripture Knowledge"
g. Look for action verbs to see what is happening in the passage---it may be telling us what to do or what they did.
h. Look for connecting words
Wherefore, therefore (1 Peter 1:13, 2:1, 6, 3:1, 7) (Likewise)
Then, if, and but (1 Peter 2:2, 3)
Look for prepositions. A preposition is a connecting word that links nouns to other words and describes their relationship. In II Timothy 2:15, the word "unto" is a preposition.
Interpretation should be based on the Scriptural context
a. Since we approach the Bible as God's Holy Word we believe in the harmony (agreement together) of the Scriptures.
i. Scripture must be compared with Scripture to be properly understood. Scripture is the best commentary on Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:13)
ii. If there is an apparent contradiction it means you have not studied enough, or have not read enough of the rest of the Bible for the explanation to make sense.
b. You cannot just connect passages of Scripture unless they agree
c. You must examine the words, verses, thoughts around what you are studying
d. Read the passage several times, include the verses from before and after to get the entire context. Make a list of all words you do not understand or could get a better understanding if you researched the word.
e. All through your reading and study be asking the regular questions, who, what, when, where, why, and how!
i. Take notes
ii. Circle words
iii. Ask yourself as you read it through---read it through at least once for every word
f. Look for parallel passages and make sure that they are the same story
g. How does the truth that you think you have found fit the harmony of Scriptures
You must interpret in light of history
a. Who is talking
b. Who are they talking to
c. Be sure as you read it to put yourself in the place of those that originally received the message.
i. What would a person in that culture and society have thought
ii. Study Bible manners and customs so you know who they were and where they were living---read the Old Testament and you will get an idea
d. Ask who is writing the passage.
i. Study his story and life
ii. Learn what you can about his culture
iii. Who is he writing the passage to?
iv. What is the purpose of the passage
Bible study notes
Personal study time and application:
Reading: Knowing how to study the Word of God is an important step in being able to properly teach the Word of God. Teaching is our aim. We are to teach, baptize and teach them to observe all things. (Matthew 28:19-20) A proper understanding of how to interpret the Bible is essential to being able to properly apply the Bible.
Select a Scripture passage and begin to use the systematic process as described in the lesson.
Read the text several times then evaluate how it affects you. Look first at what it says, then what it means then how does it apply to me.
What is the literal and plain explanation of the meaning of the text?
What additional information does the context of the chapter provide?
What is the historical significance? Who is being spoken to and what is the time period?