Month: June 2020

OBSERVATION: Read with a purpose

As you study the Bible text read with a purpose. As you read ask yourself who, what, when, where, why, and how.

WHO wrote it? Who said it? Who are the major characters? Who are the people mentioned? To whom is the author speaking? About whom is he speaking?

WHAT are the main events? What are the major ideas? What are the major teachings? What are these people like? What does he talk about the most? What is his purpose in saying that?

WHEN was it written? When did this event take place? When will it happen? When did he say it? When did he do it?

WHERE was this done? Where was this said? Where will it happen?

WHY was there a need for this to be written? Why was so much or so little space devoted to this particular event or teaching? Why was this mentioned? Why was this reference mentioned? Why should they do such and such?

HOW is it done? How did it happen? How is this truth illustrated?

When you ask the above referenced 5 W’s and an H of the text, and when you let the text provide the answers, you’ll be amazed at what you learn. These investigative questions are the foundation for accurate Bible interpretation.

Without laying this vital groundwork you could wind up distorting the Scriptures which we are warned against. You won’t always find answers to all your questions because sometimes the answers aren’t there. Your job is to find out what is there and use that information in your evaluation.

2 Peter 3:16 – As also in all his (Paul’s) epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

OBSERVATION: Look first for the obvious

When studying Scripture the first thing to look for are facts about people, places and events. Always remember God doesn’t do fluff. Every single word in the Bible God has placed there for a reason. Many facts in the Bible are repeated which makes them easy to see. When God repeats something it’s important for us to know. Repeated ideas often show the context of the verse or verses you are studying. The obvious will establish a framework from which to conduct your Bible study.

OBSERVATION: Be objective

Don’t study Scripture with preconceived expectations or ideas. Follow the evidence and let the text speak for itself. Let the text come to you. Your primary objective when studying Scripture is to establish the context which will then allow you to interpret what God is saying. The ultimate goal is to know God’s truth so we can adjust our beliefs and our lives accordingly. The context of God’s Word never changes and neither does the absolute truth of God. Make sure whatever spiritual guidance you receive matches the Word of God or it is false information. Don’t be spoon fed Christianity. Study so you will know what is truth.

John 17:17 – (Jesus speaking) – Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Objective Bible study lets you know what God says and means. Then you can personalize the Word for yourself. As you reflect on God’s message to all men you must also reflect on how it applies to you. You must study your Bible objectively (inductively) and subjectively (devotionally) at the same time. God the Holy Spirit quickens His Word in your heart when you seek Him and take time to listen to your God. God is intimately involved in every aspect of our lives and He has messages for each one of us at specific points in our lives but often we fail to be receptive and wind up missing God’s counsel.

OBSERVATION: Identify the context

People will often pull out a verse of Scripture that is ambiguous on its own and then give it their own interpretation and meaning. The Bible is God’s absolute truth and it doesn’t matter what we think of it. It’s only important what God says is the truth. When it comes to determining the true meaning of Scripture you must study its context. In Bible study, the context is the words, phrases and sentences surrounding a particular word, phrase or sentence. Context means “that which goes within the text” and the text is written words than can be a verse, a chapter, a book of the Bible or the entire Bible itself. The trick is to start closest to the verse you’re trying to interpret and work outward until the meaning of the Scripture is clear in your mind. When it comes to Bible interpretation the context always rules! Knowing the context is critical. Otherwise you have no sure way of knowing what God is telling you.

God does a magnificent job in the Bible of making sure that the context explains the meaning of verses that, on their own, appear unclear or too complex to be understood easily. In inductive Bible study, context is determined or identified in the same way – by carefully observing what is repeated in the text and seeing how it all relates. You must develop your observation skills to a greater degree to effectively study the Bible. Sometimes when I’m blogging and searching for a verse of Scripture to corroborate what I’m sharing with the reader the verse I want doesn’t make sense on its own. When that happens I then broaden the context to include the verse or verses before or after the verse I want until the meaning is clear and easily understood.

OBSERVATION: Begin with prayer

Each of the sixty six books of the Bible is a complete message from God and therefore the text should be observed and studied as a whole. Each book, in turn, relates in a special way to the whole Word of God so that there is a consistency of message and unity within the Bible. This was pulled off by 40 writers over a period of 1500 years as they were each moved by the Holy Spirit. The wisdom of the Bible is self-evident. The Bible is without error and all efforts to disprove it have failed. Archeology has confirmed as true stories related in the Bible. To me all this is proof of God and it verifies the Bible is God’s Word. There is no other possible explanation. You can learn nothing of importance from the Bible apart from the work of the Holy spirit. Scripture tells us the Word of God is foolishness to the unbeliever. Therefore, as you begin each session of Bible study approach it with reverence by starting with prayer. Ask God, by His Spirit, to lead you into all truth and to open your eyes and your heart that you may behold wondrous things out of His Word. As you study maintain an attitude of prayer.

John 16:13-15 – (Jesus speaking) – However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on his own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

Psalm 119:18 – Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.

The Bible is written so simply anyone can read and understand it yet so complex scholars will never unravel all the mysteries it contains. Anyone who reads the entire Bible with an open mind has a better than 95% chance of becoming a believer. At some point it will hit the reader like a ton of bricks that they are holding in their hands the words of Almighty God. The Holy Spirit is the teacher of spiritual truths for those whose hearts are ready for the message and we are the student. Inductive Bible study is a method of studying God’s Word that can be applied to any portion of Scripture at any time. In this method you personally explore the Scriptures to come up with your own observations and conclusions.

Then compare what you believe with what Bible scholars are saying. Personal Bible study will strengthen your convictions and deepen your faith. You will be less likely to fall for false teachings and believe in false prophets that will proliferate in the these end times. You will discover God’s purpose for your life. You will discover true happiness which can only come by obeying God. Inductive Bible study consists of observation, interpretation and application of God’s Word. Observation answers the question: What does the passage say? Interpretation answers the question: What does the passage mean? We can make use of numerous cross-references in the Bible to determine what God is saying. Let Scripture interpret Scripture.

Application answers the question: How does the meaning of this passage apply to me? What is God commanding me to do? How do I go about complying? It’s time to stop being spoon-fed Christianity by others no matter how well-intentioned they are. This is too important an issue to leave to others. They could be wrong. Your eternal soul hangs in the balance. Your rewards in heaven depend on you knowing what God expects from you and then doing it without fail. We are only here on this earth for a short time so make the most of the opportunity you have. God has a plan for your life so find it and do it to the best of your ability. That’s all God asks of you.

The Bible is God’s Word. The Bible is God’s wisdom. The Bible is a special gift from God to His children (us) so that He can speak to us and so that we can know Him and the plans He has for our lives. The Bible is the ultimate source of all the knowledge, understanding and wisdom we will ever need to live happy prosperous lives. There is a fundamental problem. Parents have stopped teaching their children from the Bible. Schools no longer provide any religious instruction whatsoever. In our increasingly secular world Christianity has been removed from the classroom and the halls of government. Our founding fathers created a country based on Judeo-Christian principles and would be appalled by our current state. We can all feel things are getting worse in our country and the world. Our society is crumbling, violence is increasing, morality is in decline and evil pervades everywhere. This all began to take shape as our society started to remove God from our lives and from the public square. We are reaping what we have sown.

We see the same thing play out in the Bible over and over. God would bless Israel, they would disobey God and move away from His law, and God would be forced to destroy Israel. We are not exempt from God’s judgement. God has blessed America above all nations but we have abandoned God and a righteous God will give us what we deserve. I don’t want to be all doom and gloom. There is a silver lining. In the Bible God told us this would happen. Once we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we have been given the gift of eternal life from Father God and we are instructed not to worry. God commands us to study His Word so that He can speak to us and guide us through these end times. If you don’t want to remain in the dark about the world and future events then delve into your Bible and study it as if your life depended on it, because it does!

2 Timothy 3:16-17 – All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

When you know what God says, what He means, and how to put His truths into practice, you will be equipped for every circumstance of life. Let’s begin in earnest, right now this minute, by praying for God’s help and then opening your Bible anywhere and start reading. God is always with you and the Holy spirit will help you understand what you read.

The main theme of all my blogs is studying God’s Word and witnessing for Christ. I’ve told you over and over to study your Bible without telling you how to do it. Now is the time. Bible study is more than reading your Bible and reading what someone else has said about the Bible. While these are both important components of learning about God’s kingdom, the key to knowing God’s will for you individually is for you to interact with God’s Word personally. You must absorb God’s message for yourself and let God engrave His truth on you heart and mind and life. You must seek spiritual truth for yourself. There is no shortcut. You must discern what God’s spiritual truths mean and then you must apply them to your life. This will take great effort and discipline on your part.

Daniel 11:32 – Those who do wickedly against the covenant he (the devil) shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.

Ruth 2:12 – The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.

We are in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. Satan does not want you to know your Bible. The devil will attempt to convince you that Bible study is too hard to do. The evil one will say you’ll never get it done and it’s useless to even try. Do not listen to him!

John 8:44 – (Jesus speaking) – You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Revelation 2:10 – (Jesus speaking) – Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.