Fourth Annual Bible Seminar. Grasping God s Word

Transcription

1 Fourth Annual Bible Seminar Grasping God s Word

2 Seminar Agenda Introduction 9:00a Q & A 11:45a Lunch 12:00p 12:45p Q & A 2:45p Conclusions and End 3:00p SAVE THE DATE! Join us on Saturday, January 26, 2019 for our next Bible Seminar on the Book of Isaiah 2

3 PRESENTATION OUTLINE 1. Foundational Beliefs 2. Bible Translations 3. The Interpretive Journey 4. The Historical/Cultural Context 5. Biblical Genres 6. Letters 7. Gospels 8. Acts 9. Old Testament Narratives 10. Old Testament Law 11. Old Testament Poetry 12. Old Testament Prophets 3

4 1. Foundational Beliefs Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Scripture Alone and Christ Alone. The Bible is God s inspired and perfect Word. The chief teaching of the Bible is justification by grace, through faith in Jesus. Jesus is the Bible s central focus. Though the Bible is diverse, it is unified. God has entered human history. 2. Bible Translations What is translation? Transferring the message of one language into another language. What is biblical translation? Transferring God s message, which was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, into our language. 4

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7 3. The Interpretive Journey 7

8 Inspiration The Holy Spirit s work in the lives of the human authors of Scripture with the result that they wrote what God wanted to communicate (2 Tim 3:16). A finished work. Illumination The Holy Spirit s work of bringing believers to understand and receive the truth of Scripture. An ongoing work. Joshua 1:1-9 8

9 4. The Historical/Cultural Context God did not say, Because I m God I will speak directly to everybody in all times and cultures. God spoke through the human writers of Scripture to address the real-life needs of people at a particular time in a particular culture. The truth of the matter is that each passage of Scripture was God s Word to other people before it became God s Word to us. WHAT IS A HISTORICAL-CULTURAL CONTEXT? 1. The Biblical Writer What is the author s background? When did the author write? What type of ministry did the author have? What type of relationship did the author have with his audience? 2. The Biblical Audience What circumstances does the audience face? Persecution Destruction of the Temple Exile in Babylon False Teaching 9

10 3. Other Historical-Cultural Elements Social Factors Geographical Features Religious Life Political Climate Economic Practices Amos 1:1 5. Biblical Genres Genres of Old Testament Literature Narrative Law Poetry Prophecy Wisdom Genres of New Testament Literature Gospel History Letter Apocalyptic 10

11 6. Letters Carefully written and delivered The actual job of writing down a letter was normally assigned to a trained scribe or secretary (amanuensis). I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord. (Rom 16:22) It was customary for the author to add a final greeting in his own handwriting. I Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. (1 Cor 16:21) 11

12 Cosenders played a significant role. Paul, Silas and Timothy (1 Thess 1:1) Delivery depended on trusted letter carriers. Tychichus will tell you all the news about me. (Col 4:7) Letters were authoritative substitutes for the author's personal presence (Gal 1:1; 2 Pet 1:1). Situational written to address specific situations or problems in the churches. To clarify an issue. (Thessalonians) To address a doctrinal problem. (Colossians) To confront the ethical behavior of readers. (James) Implications of the occasional nature of letters. They were never meant to be read as exhaustive dictionaries of doctrine. Be careful not to conclude too much from any one letter. Galatians freedom 1 Corinthians obedience Reconstruct the original situation that called for the letter in the first place. 12

13 We go to the Epistles again and again for Christian theology; they are loaded with it. But we must always keep in mind that they were not primarily written to expound Christian theology. It is always theology applied to or directed to a particular need. Philippians 2:12 7. Gospels 13

14 τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Isaiah 40:9 News of political or military victory News of the birth of an emperor News proclaimed by or about Jesus Gospels are ancient biographies rather than modern biographies. They don t cover Christ s entire life. They are most concerned with Jesus death. They are not obsessed with strict chronological sequencing; e.g., Jn 2: Variation in wording; e.g., Lk 3:6. Variation in order of events; e.g., Mt 4:1-11; Lk 4:

15 Four Gospels four different versions of the one story of Jesus How the Gospels are related 661 verses in Mark 500 of them in Matthew 350 of them in Luke 235 verses common to Matthew and Luke, but not in Mark. 15

16 Markan Priority Mark s details are the most vivid. Mark 1:32, after sunset (Cf. Mt 8:16) Mark 6:39, the green grass (Cf. Mt 14:19) Mark 14:5, 300 denarii (Cf. Mt. 26:9) Mark s Gospel is the shortest, yet his stories are often the longest. Of the 92 passages Mark and Luke have in common, Mark is longer 71 times. Of the 104 passages that Mark and Matthew have in common, Mark is longer 63 times. Less than 10% of Mark is not included in Matthew and Luke. Mark contains the most Aramaic words preserved in Greek transliteration. Boanerges (Mark 3:17) Talitha koum (Mark 5:41) Corban (Mark 7:11) Ephphatha (Mark 7:34) Abba (Mark 14:36) Mark omits all the material common to Matthew and Luke. 16

17 Parables A story with two levels of meaning, where certain details in the story stand for other things. A story where every detail stands for something else? A story with only one point? A story with one main point for each main character. Two Kinds of Parables Kingdom of God Parables Uses stock metaphors (vineyard, harvest, reapers). May be harder to apply because of different hearers (wicked tennants). Generally speak of God's action, Kingdom, Last Day. Piety Parables No comparable use of stock metaphors. More "everyman," like parable of the rich fool. Generally speak about human action. 17

18 Steps for Interpreting Parables Get clues from the context. Distinguish background material. For a Kingdom Parable, are there standard images, e.g., vineyard, harvest, reapers? What are the main characters? How does their reaction to each other and their circumstances contribute to the meaning of the parable? Each parable makes one main point per character-usually two or three [characters] in each case-and these main characters are the most likely elements within the parable to stand for something other than themselves. Consider the shock component of a parable. Be sure that you understand cultural significance of items in the text. Luke 19:

19 8. Acts Four versions of the life and ministry of Jesus, one story of the birth and growth of the early church. Title? The continuing acts of Jesus by his Spirit through the apostles and other early Christian leaders. Acts for short Acts presents unique interpretive challenges. Prescriptive the church in every age should imitate the early church. Descriptive early church valuable and inspiring, but not necessarily binding on us. 19

20 Acts 1:8 holds the key to understanding how Luke organizes his story of the triumphant expansion of the gospel from Jerusalem (heart of Israel) to Rome (heart of the empire). 20

21 The single most helpful guideline is to look for repeated themes and patterns e.g., Peter and Paul [9:40; 20:10] Paul and Jesus [Lk 2:49; 22:37; 24:7, 44; Acts 2:23; Acts 9:16; 19:21; 23:11] The growth of God s word [6:7; 12:24; 19:20). Acts 2:4a 21

22 9. Old Testament Narratives Narrative literary form with sequential action involving plot, setting, and characters. Narrative doesn t tell us what to believe and how to live; it shows us by the actions of the characters. People often use narrative and story interchangeably. The interpretive river is often wide in OT narrative. Locate the story you are studying in the context of the stories that surround it. Keep relating the parts (individual stories) to the big story of the entire book and the whole OT. e.g. Judg 1:1; 20:18 22

23 Not every character is a hero and most characters exhibit both good and bad traits. Yahweh is the central character in OT narrative. 2 Kings 5:

24 10. Old Testament Law A large portion of the Pentateuch (first five books of OT) is comprised of law (over 600 commandments). Some of them are very strange: Exodus 34:26: Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk. Leviticus 19:19: Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material. Why do we adhere to some laws and ignore others? NT believers are no longer under OT law as part of the Mosaic covenant. We must interpret OT law through the grid of NT teaching. Jesus is the final interpreter of OT law. The OT law no longer applies as direct law for us. However, the OT legal material still contains rich principles and lessons for living that are relevant when interpreted through NT teaching. Leviticus 5:2 24

25 11. Old Testament Poetry Over one third of the OT is poetry. OT poetry focuses on our emotional response to God. It connects with us down deep, both in joy and in despair. 25

26 Different literary genres of the Bible are like different museums. 26

27 OT poetry is more like a painting than an essay. Literal, historical truth expressed in picture language. Figures of speech involving analogy: Simile comparison using like or as Metaphor direct comparison. Indirect analogy comparison without stating it. Hyperbole exaggeration for the sake of effect. 27

28 Personification/anthropomorphism/zoomorphism attributes to one entity the characteristics of a totally different entity. Psalm 1 28

29 12. Old Testament Prophets Genres Found In The Prophets Short Sermons Visions Narrative Symbolic Acts 29

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32 Isaiah 2:1-5 32

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35 St. Michael Bible Seminars 2015 Overview of the Old Testament 2016 Biblical Prophecy 2017 Overview of the New Testament 2018 Grasping God s Word 2019 The Book of Isaiah 2020 The Book of Jonah 2021 The Book of Job 2022 The Book of Zechariah 35

36 Lutheran Laymen s League Prayer Breakfast March 17 from 8:30a 10:30a in the Gym Guest Speaker: Dr. Douglas L. Rutt Worship Schedule for Lent (Exodus: Let My People Go!) Ash Wednesday February 14, 1:00p & 6:00p Worship with Holy Communion Dinners Join us each Wednesday at 5:00p for a meal prior to the worship service in the gym. Lenten Worship Wednesday at 6:00p, February 21, 28, March 7, 14, 21 Maundy Thursday March 29 at 1:00p & 7:00p Worship with Holy Communion Good Friday March 30 at 1:00p & 7:00p Tenebrae, A Service of Darkness Easter Easter Breakfast April 1 at 7:00a, 9:00a, 9:09a and 11:00a All worship services will celebrate Holy Communion 7:45a-10:30a served by our senior youth in the gym the menu includes egg casserole, fruit, assorted baked goods, coffee and juice 36