HOW TO STUDY A PASSAGE FROM THE BIBLE

Transcription

1 HOW TO STUDY A PASSAGE FROM THE BIBLE 1. PRAY! Ask that God would meet you in His living Word. 2. READ the passage as if it was the first time. 3. OBSERVE CAREFULLY: get the story straight (what is the author saying?) Use colored pencils to trace words, phrases, concepts, connections, and themes. Newspaper Reporter Questions: o Who? o What? o When? o Where? o How? Connections / Relationships: o Repetition o Similarity o Contrast o Cause to Effect o General to Particular o Particular to General Enter the Story: o What do you see, smell, hear, and taste? o Become a character in the story o What are you feeling, experiencing? What kind of literature is this? Narrative? Dialogue? Poetry? Letter ( Epistle )? Gospel? Law? History? Genealogy? Apocalyptic? There may be more than one kind in a passage. Mark all logical connectors (therefore, because, since, for, so that, but, etc.) Mark units of thought in the text (change in location, time, theme, thought, action, characters, speaker). You can revise these later. Note especially things about Jesus, what He says and does. Note the unexpected or unusual in the text. If you are studying a New Testament passage, are there any Old Testament references or allusions? Look them up! Read the whole passage in the OT, not just the specific verse or phrase. Why did the author reference this particular OT passage? Is there anything in the passage that raises a question for you? Anything that intrigues, perplexes, or troubles you? Write it down! Manuscript Study Thursday June 21 Page 1

2 4. INTERPRET (what does the author mean?) Look back at the grammatical connections that you made as you observed (repetitions, contrasts, similarities, cause to effect, etc.). What are the main connections in the passage? What are the main threads? Read the passage again and see if you can find more questions than the ones that you wrote when you were observing. o Go back to some of the things that troubled or intrigued you and formulate a good question about it. o Look at the grammatical connections that you found and formulate questions about them why does the author repeat this word? and why is this contrast here? etc. What themes or meanings do these connections point to? What meaning do you think the author is bringing out with each of the main connections? Your questions should start with Why? or What is the significance of...? Refine your questions. Example of an ok question: "Why does Jesus say, 'The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel?' Example of a really good question: "What exactly is it about the Kingdom of God being at hand that should lead people to repent and believe in the Gospel?" Try to narrow down your questions to the most significant ones, questions which arise directly from the text, cover large portions of the text, and help bring out the main meaning. Formulate answers to the most significant questions. o Look first in the text itself read it over again carefully with your questions in mind. Often the text answers its own questions. o Look at the context, at what comes immediately before and after the passage you are studying. o Look in a Bible dictionary, regular dictionary, and map to help define words, phrases, and concepts you don t understand and give you cultural context. o If you are studying a New Testament passage, look again at the Old Testament references and allusions that you found when you were observing. Ask yourself the big question: what did the author intend to communicate to the original readers? What seems to be the main point or main points of this passage? Why is this passage here? Try to write the core message, the main point, in an overall, integrative sentence. Build a case for your answer.. APPLY (What does the passage mean to you? Connect the passage to your own life: how do you see your story in this story? How does this story speak to your story?) Do you sense that God is speaking to any part of your life? Is there a connection here with something in your life? Are you experiencing what any of the characters in the story are living out? Is there a promise to trust, a command to obey, or an example to follow or avoid? Is there a deeper insight into God or your experience with God? What action are you going to take in response to what God is saying to you? By Bob Grahmann, based on Lindsay Olesberg s paper How to Use Individual Study Time. Revised May 2017 Manuscript Study Thursday June 21 Page 2

3 Ephesians 1:1-2: NIV For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among 1 them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the 20 incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Scripture Thursday June 21 Page 3

4 Ephesians 2:11-22 NIV Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called uncircumcised by those who call themselves the circumcision (which is done in the body by human hands) remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole 1 building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Scripture Saturday June 23 Page 1

5 Philippians 4:4-20 NIV Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in 1 the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the 20 gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Scripture Monday June 2 Page 1