Mar 13, 20232 min read

How to Read the Bible

Week 1

Prerequisites to Biblical Interpretation

1. Spiritual Awakening

2. Recognition of the Inerrancy and Authority of Scripture

3. Dependence on God

Types of Bible Readers

(Some Very Few) Principles of Biblical Interpretation

1. Christocentric Emphasis

2. Exceptions are not the Rule.

3. Recognize the Genre.

4. Scripture Interprets Scripture.

5. Explicit Teaching vs Implicit Teaching

6. Progressive Revelation

7. Exegesis vs Eisegesis

8. Interpretation first, Application next

9. Literal vs Analogical Reading

10. Description is not Prescription.

Week 2

Types of Bible Reading

1. _______________

2. _______________

3. _______________

Historical-Grammatical Interpretation

1. Historical-Cultural Context

2. Literary Context

3. Passage Study

4. Word Study

5. Application

Homework for Week 3: Use the above outline to study the following passage:

Philippians 3:12-14

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Week 3

Which Bible translation should I read?

1. Historical Tradition

2. Accuracy to Original Documents

Comparison Of Byzantine And Alexandrian Families In Selected Passages

3. Translation Technique

Formal vs Functional

4. Translator

5. English Language

Comparison of Major English Translations

Horizontal Bible Study

Vertical Bible Study - Philippians 3:12-14

Notes

Bible translation linear chart: https://bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/18110815/Bible-Translations.jpg

Formal vs Functional Chart: Robert L. Thomas, How to Choose a Bible Version: An Introductory Guide to English Translations (Fearn, Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 2000), 96.

Comparison of Major English Translations: Adapted from: Robert L. Thomas, How to Choose a Bible Version: An Introductory Guide to English Translations (Fearn, Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 2000), 146–157.