The question, “How do I study the Bible?” was posed as a
suggested topic in my youth group last week, so I am posting a summary of what
I covered for the sake of those who weren’t there to hear it. To start off, I introduced some keys terms that are necessary
to the conversation.
Hermeneutics: the methodology of
interpreting a text. (Or, how you
read what you read.)
The interpretation of any text, be it ancient manuscripts or
modern day poetry, is fair game to the world of hermeneutics. This is because
the human mind interprets anything and everything it reads, but it doesn’t
always interpret what it reads correctly. For instance,
Exegesis:
(When you let the text decide what it
means)
&
Eisegesis: (When YOU decide what the text means)
are two different hermeneutic methods. In today’s modern
literary world, Eisegesis has become rampant, if not the new normal. It used to
be that the significance and meaning of a book, poem, or piece of art was
determined by the author or the artist. Things had objective meaning, because they were created and intended to.
Unfortunately, with the subjectivity of post-modernism came the disappearance
of objective truth from works of art, poetry, and even more tragically, moral
rule. Our culture expects each person to determine significance, meaning, and
moral truth for himself, and forbids anyone else from determining meaning that
holds authority over another; and when this expectation is lived out, nothing
has true meaning anymore, because everyone’s interpretation of an object’s
meaning is different and valid in their own eyes. I think most Christians are
able to rightly submit themselves under the authority of moral truth and
objective meaning, but still, it is really easy for Christians to study the
Bible and, at the end of the day, decide what it means for themselves.
Having said all of this, here are some tips for how you can
study the Bible well:
1) Recognize
that the Bible contains the words of God, and that God has meant these words to
be authoritative over you. (Instead of you
being authoritative over the bible).
2)
When studying, use the method of exegesis. (Study the
text with humility to see what it means)
This is a critical issue that deserves to be stressed! But
let’s move on.
The Bible is a unique composition of many literary types. For
instance, there is poetry in the Bible, there is history/narrative stories,
there are words of wisdom, prophecies, letters, Gospel eyewitness accounts,
etc. These types are called genres.
Identifying the literary genre that you are studying may be one of the first
steps to take when trying to interpret its meaning. Whether the text is a poem,
a story, a commandment, or a letter, may change the way you are supposed to
read it.
Also, studying the historical & cultural background of
the time in which the Bible was written is a helpful and even necessary tool in
order to discover what the text means. Idioms and figures of speech are just one
example of words that do not carry the same meaning from culture to culture, or
in time from history to present. If I were to say, “Cat got your tongue” to
someone like Peter or Paul, they might be confused and think of a gruesome,
literal situation. (I.e. did a Roman soldier cut out someone’s tongue and feed
it to a cat?) So studying the historical culture can help in your understanding
of the text. You can do this by means of a study bible, a commentary, or a
history book/historian (I.e. The works of the Jewish historian, Josephus),
highlighting major historical events and the cultural lifestyle of different
people groups. Together with the study of biblical genre and grammar, this
hermeneutic is commonly called the “Historical/Literal/Grammatical method”,
which is the exegetical approach that most Christian scholars take.
3)
Identify the genre of your passage. What is its
literary function?
4)
Seek to understand the historical background of your
passage. What is happening at the time?
5)
Read the text literally, unless the genre or context
should imply that it is drawing an analogy or a simile, using words such as
‘like’ or ‘as’. What is the text saying?
This brings us to another important tip to bible study, and
that is to look at the context. If you do not get anything else out of this
blog, get this: study the context. The context of a passage is the content that
comes directly before and after it. For instance, the context of verse 5 is
both verse 4 and verse 6. Additionally, the context of v4-6 is the entire
paragraph from which it is taken, and even the paragraphs & chapters that
come before and after. Taking a single verse and using it to prove a point is
one of the easiest ways that people can misinterpret the bible. By the
discipline of always studying to
context before and after your
passage, you can be sure to grasp an understanding of what the text is saying.
Another way to accomplish this goal is to ask yourself,
"What is the big idea of what I’m reading?" When you are reading just
a single verse or just a small group of verses, you will have a small handful
of ideas that are being discussed. But when you expand your mind to examine the
flow of the surrounding chapters, even up to the flow of the entire book, or
the flow of the book in light of its surrounding books, then you can understand
what the Big Idea of the passage is. You can think of it like a thesis
statement in a research paper; every book has a main theme or idea that the
rest of the book supports. So, if you have a single verse, but the conclusion
being drawn is contrary or entirely alien to the Big Idea of the book, you
might want to look at your context again. That, or NEVER use just a single
verse (or collection of single verses) to support a claim or theological
position.
6)
“Context is King”. Always read the context of your
passage. What does the surrounding text say about the text you’re studying?
7)
Look for the Big Idea that surrounds the little idea
of your passage. What is the flow of the context trying to say? What is the
main point?
8)
NEVER draw a hard conclusion off of a single verse
without considering the context of that verse.
Another helpful practice that I have enjoyed using in my
Bible study is to physically write down key observations, and questions. If
there is something significant that stands out, write it down. It may come in
handy later, especially if you’re not keen on remembering things. (Like me! :) ) Also, if there is
something you don’t understand, write it down in a question. If there is a word
that you don’t know or a verse that boggles your mind, write it down as a
question! That way you can systematically come back and analyze the ‘unknowns’
that you have with the passage. Sometimes looking at the greater context of the
Bible may help to answer a question, or by looking up a definition in a Bible
dictionary or commentary, or by conducting a word study. If there is a word you
don’t understand, you don’t have to know Hebrew or Greek to figure it out!
Instead, try looking up the word in the concordance and examining every way
that that word is used. Libraries or churches may have comprehensive
concordances that are much fuller and more thorough than the often small
concordances that are in the back of your bible.
9)
Write down any & every observation you can find in
the passage!
10)
Write down any
questions you have!
11)
Utilize
concordances Bible dictionaries, and commentaries! Remember that one man’s commentary is not authoritative over the Bible, but the bible alone is
authoritative.
Lastly, (extra credit!) recognize that the Bible is the Word
of God written to His people, as a guide and instructions for the church. It
emphasizes the unity that is supposed to dwell in the Body of Christ. The Bible
is not just a literary work like the Shakespeare or Harry Potter; it is a tool that
God uses to work in & sanctify His people. It is something that all
believers in Jesus have in common, because it is true and authoritative over
all of our lives. Therefore, approaching the Word with humility may also mean
that you are keeping an eye open for how it is impacting the lives of
Christians around you. (This is why commentaries may be helpful, because if the
majority of commentaries say the same thing, you may deduce that the Lord is
working His unchanging truth in the hearts of several learned men throughout
history). Similarly, the way that your friends or church family interpret
Scripture may in fact be the Holy Spirit’s press upon their hearts, with which
you may end up being impacted by as well.
The point of studying the bible is not to determine your own
theological position- to then raise up a flag or tartan of your own in rivalry
or challenge to everyone else who disagrees with you; but the point is to
become more and more like Jesus, as we allow the Holy Spirit to work love,
gentleness, and kindness in our hearts. Thus, disagreements that you find with
other people over the Bible that are not essential issues, such as the identity
of Jesus or His salvation given through grace, may be set aside and put behind
you as a difference that is not incredibly important. Since you are letting the
Bible decide its own meaning, it will determine your battles to fight and your
“hills to die on”.
12)
Have humility when studying the Bible, with a heart
open to the working of the Holy Spirit in your life. Don't use your knowledge of
the Bible to judge others, but use your knowledge to reprove yourself, to love
and serve those around you the same way that God in Christ has loved you.
Thanks for reading!
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and
admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16