The Resurgence recently posted an article on Philippians 1:6 that marvelously demonstrates the beauty of simple but careful observation. Every word matters!
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Every Word Matters
How’d You Do That? (5/3/12)
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.
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My Assumptions
Here are a few points I won’t take time to defend or argue. I figured I’d just get them out up front.
Please note: I believe the defense of these points is a worthwhile endeavor; it’s just not my purpose on this site. For helpful resources, check out a site like Apologetics 315.
- The Bible is God’s Word.
- God wants people to understand his Word.
- God spoke through human authors by means of ordinary written communication that was understandable in its time.
- The Bible should be translated into modern languages so modern people can know it. Many English translations faithfully capture the meaning of the original text.
- God wants all kinds of people to know him and have life. Therefore, our method for studying the Bible should be simple enough to engage young children yet profound enough to occupy erudite scholars.
- The Bible is all about Jesus (who is the Word of God), and how God’s plans are worked out in Him.
- Preachers and teachers have an important role in Christ’s Church. Part of that role is to teach God’s Word to God’s people. Teaching God’s Word includes teaching people how to read and study it.
- I’m not the only one in the world who cares about God, Jesus, and the Bible. I’m neither a better person nor a more committed Christian than other Bible teachers. I need God’s help, and I invite your help.
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Why Should You Read this Blog?
When God sets everything on fire, two things will endure: his Word and his people. I want to invest my efforts there, and I hope you do too. I’m sure it will be worth it. Sort of like those who put their money in Apple stock all those years ago, but even better.
Many online resources excel at teaching what the Bible says. What makes this site unique is that I want to help you learn how to study the Bible. God’s Word is a Knowable Word.
I don’t want to give you great Bible studies; I want to help you become great Bible studiers.
I don’t want to publish a Sunday School curriculum; I want to train skilled Sunday School teachers.
I don’t want to tell you what to think or do; I urge you to trace every thought and action from the text of Scripture.
I don’t just want to influence you for Christ; I want you to influence your world for Christ.
In fact, I don’t just want you to influence your world for Christ; I want you to teach others to influence their world for Christ.
Everything on this blog aims for this purpose: to help you understand the Knowable Word, be changed by Him, and teach others to do the same.
I strive to be:
- Clear – written in plain language for ordinary people. The epistemological and hermeneutic nomenclature ought never obfuscate either our ecclesiological praxis or the post-diluvian orthographic transmittal and its linguistic ramifications for the faith community. In other words, I’ll do my best to avoid too much technical Christianese jargon.
- Accurate – true to the text. I believe God has communicated to us through the Bible, and we can understand him rightly only when we understand the text rightly. I’ll focus on the main points of passages rather than on minor sub-points, personal feelings, or preconceptions. Guest bloggers might even disagree with each other on some points, but we all agree to submit to the clear teaching of the Knowable Word.
- Imitable – I want you to try this at home. I hope you’ll imitate me as I imitate Jesus, who knew the Word because He Himself was the Knowable Word. Those who know Him represent Him. I’d like readers to respond more often with “I can do this, too” than with “That was an awesome post!” Please let me know if you ever have trouble identifying how I did what I did.
Jesus promised that knowing Him is eternal life. He’s made Himself available to ordinary folk like us. Would you join me for the ride?
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