Christian Living

---

There are two elements that, for many people, may hinder Bible study. One, they do not know how to interpret it, and two, they do not know how to study it. Improper interpretation can cause more harm than good. This could be why some people have rejected the Bible. Not only has it, in some cases, hurt more than helped, but they have been unable to see any practical relevance to their lives.

Part and parcel with interpretation is the question that has many times been asked, "To what degree can one interpret the Bible literally?"

A brief listing of principles of interpretation will be helpful. In seminary this is called hermeneutics. To be properly interpreted and applied the Bible must be read and studied with the following considerations. There are 9 which I believe to be the most common.
1. The meaning in the original languages.
2. The people to whom particular books were written.
3. The context of verses or passages.
4. The cultural or historical background.
5. Themes of individual books.
6. Word studies
7. Writing down observations and insights as you read
8. Some things are written to nations as a whole.
9. The type of language used is important to know. The Bible
consists of literal language, symbolism, parables, figures of
speech, personal stories, the supernatural, and everything
that good literature has combined with Divine authority.

A good rule to follow is to take the Bible literally, unless one of the other items listed in the above paragraph is obvious. To put it another way, if Scripture can be taken in a literal sense, seek no other sense. Did Jesus literally walk on water? Because He was capable of doing the supernatural, yes, He did. In contrast to this, however, the Book of Revelation is full of a lot of symbolism.

Let's turn now to Bible study methods. I would like to suggest 5 relatively easy ways that anyone can apply to studying the Bible.
1. Read up on the culture.
2. Compare scripture with scripture. The Bible interprets itself.
3. Write down observations or insights as you read.
4. Pick out key verses, phrases, or words that are repeated a
lot.
5. As you read, ask the Holy Spirit to impress particular things
upon you mind and heart.

By learning and applying principles of interpretation and Bible study methods, you can begin to feed yourself on the truths of God's word. You will not have to rely solely upon a pastor or Bible teacher to do it. Even the Bible itself tells us to "examine these things to see if they are true."

There are biblical resources that one can use to aid in Bible study, like Study Bibles, Bible Encyclopedias, and Bible Atlases.

Many people may have rejected the Bible because of what they have seen in religion: hypocrisy, lack of love and acceptance, a meaningless form of worship, and even one religion fighting against another. But too often religion or going to church is just another routine without a relationship, with people never coming to know the God of the Bible.

The Word of God offers hope. If the Bible was just another book of literature and history, it would offer no hope. Because the Bible is inspired by the God of the universe and Jesus Christ died and rose again, there is hope for change in this life and eternal existence with Him. The Bible talks about relationship, but religion has gotten in the way.

We all must, however, learn the truths of the Bible, to know if what we are being taught is really what the Bible teaches. And to do this, we must learn how to study it properly.

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE