Everybody loves show and tell. It’s that time in elementary school when you get to show all your friends something that really excites you, and then explain why it’s so exciting.
That’s why some of our blog posts will be given to showing you how to study the Bible, and others will focus on telling you how to do it. Our hope is that by frequent showing and telling, you will be encouraged to practice these skills in your own study of God’s Knowable Word.
On Thursday, I began a series of posts on the Wisdom of Proverbs. Even though Thursday’s post was a broad introduction, it still involved some weighty Bible study techniques. So I want to briefly comment on the key principles of Bible study demonstrated there.
1. Know what the Bible says about the Bible.
We should read the Bible the way God wants us to read it. Therefore, as we approach any passage of Scripture, we ought to know what the Bible says about the Bible. On Thursday, I referred to 2 Timothy 3:16, which tells us that every passage of Scripture is useful. Thus any Bible study we do ought to provide some sort of practical instruction, correction, or training in righteousness. A Bible study that fails to provide practical help is incomplete.
Also, Jesus himself clearly stated in Luke 24:44-47 that the entire Bible was about Him. He specifically referenced four components: his death, his resurrection, the forgiveness of sins, and the proclamation of these things to all nations. So every Bible study ought to lead us to Jesus by illuminating one or more of these four areas. If we haven’t seen Jesus, we haven’t rightly understood the text.
These two things are not all that the Bible says about the Bible; they’re just the two points I focused on in Thursday’s post. Please feel free to leave a comment below about other sections of God’s Word that can help us in our study of any passage.
We’ll pick up two more principles tomorrow.
Hebrews 4:12-13 is my favorite passage in the Bible, and it tells the power of God's word: For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (NIV 1984)
Great passage, John! We should expect the Bible to penetrate deeply, and not just suggest external changes to our behavior. What power!
I'm catching up on this blog and you guys are off to a great start! I have a question regarding the statement here and that I've heard elsewhere that the whole Bible is about Jesus. The natural reading of the Luke 24 passage seems to me like Jesus is saying that "all the parts of the Bible that are about me are being fulfilled", and not that "all the parts of the Bible are about me".
I agree that it's all knit together to reveal God's plan that ultimately culminates in Jesus Christ's death & resurrection. However it seems to me that saying "it's all about Jesus" or "what do we learn about Jesus in this [small] section?" is sometimes an oversimplification that can lead to missing the main point of a particular section.
Does that make sense?
Jason, thanks for your encouragement. I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment.
I think the reading you proposed is grammatically possible. It depends on whether Jesus is saying "everything about me, which is in the Law and Prophets, must be fulfilled," or "everything in the Law and the Prophets, which are about me, must be fulfilled." Or another way to see it is that he could be saying "everything written, which is about me, which is also in the Law and the Prophets, must be fulfilled."
In other words, I think our understanding hinges on what the phrase "in the Law and the Prophets" modifies. Does it modify "everything written," which would mean that everything written in the Old Testament is about Jesus and is now being fulfilled? Or does it modify "about me," which would mean that only the parts of the Old Testament that are about him are now being fulfilled. As I wrote, both options are grammatically possible.
However, in light of the teaching of the rest of Scripture (including but not limited to John 1:35, John 5:37-40, and 1 Peter 1:10-12, 2 Peter 1:16-21), I think it makes most sense to conclude that Jesus and his disciples believed the entire Old Testament – every section – to be about him.
Now, not every passage is direct messianic prophecy about some detail in Jesus' life. Some passages merely expose our need for forgiveness. Others show how God wants to save all nations. Both of these types of texts are "about Jesus" in that they point us to our need for him.
What do you think?
Well how does one who is studying the bible come to the correct modification of “to whom the law and the prophets”? The bible does seem to take a Christocentric view of itself, but what about taking a passage in its original context (such as the Old Testament)?
“A Bible study that fails to provide practical help is incomplete”
Bible study may also lead to worship of a kind that doesn’t always seem practical (prayer, song).
As another data point on the purpose of Scripture, the Westminster Catechism’s perspective is thus:
Q. 5. What do the Scriptures principally teach?
A. The Scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty
God requires of man.
And then it references 2 Tim 1.13: Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Good point, Daniel. Worship is an important part of application. I covered that somewhat in another post, where I explained that “practical” Bible study is about much more than just “what to do.” It also involves “what to think/believe/worship” and “who to be'”.