Before closing this series out and leaving you to study the Scriptures, there are two more topics we need to talk about. The first is using the original languages. The second is repeating the process through a spiral.

What about original languages?

Don’t I need to be an expert in Greek and Hebrew to really study the Scriptures?

Understanding the original languages can enhance—and potentially even revolutionize—your study of the Scriptures. On the other hand, God is smart enough to create a text that is, by and large, translatable to other languages while retaining some large percentage of its meaning.

Further, using the languages incorrectly is also one widespread source of error.

As an example, I recently heard two sermons claiming the original Greek says Jesus was “recording” the religious leaders who brough the woman caught in adultery in John 8:3. One pastor even said: “It’s like Jesus took out his cell phone and recorded each of their faces for use in a court of law later …” This sound significant, creating a strong wow moment—but as far as I can tell, it isn’t true.

I find understanding the original languages useful when I want to investigate an expert’s claim about the text, or when I run into translations that vary widely from one another. Other than these cases, working from the English text will get you a long way.

The entire argument over original languages is a lot like cooks arguing over whether you should make your own chicken stock or use stock you buy at a store. Making your own is probably better—if you know what you are doing—but soup made from the right kind of store-bought stock can still be very good.

Bottom line:

• Don’t get too hung up on the original languages.
• Don’t be ashamed of using tools to help you dive into the original languages.
• Don’t trust an expert just because they say: “In the original language…”
• If you are going to dive into Hebrew, you’ll often find Rabbinical and Jewish sources equally as—or even more—useful than Christian resources. Jews have been reading and understanding Hebrew a lot longer than Christians have

Consolidate & spiral

Once you have outlined the argument, looked for textual hints, and studied the background, you will often have an “aha moment” when you think: “I understand this text better than I did before!”

Remember, though, that you might not get it right the first time—and you certainly won’t learn everything you can from a passage the first time through. Some possibly useful hints:

• Intentionally approach each section of text, and the entire Scriptures, differently across time. This year read and study book by book, just trying to get a flow of events in your head. Next year, study through in chronological order, then perhaps focus in on some individual topic. Each time you change your perspective a little, you will understand the text a little better.
• Build up a variety of resources—even resources you do not agree with.

Studying the Scriptures is a spiral:

• The more you know the rest of the Scriptures, the more you will learn from studying this passage.
• The more you know about individual passages, the more you will know the Scriptures.
• The more you understand a Scriptural view of God, the more you will be able to place each passage into context.

It takes time to really study and understand the Scriptures—but you do not need to know everything all at once. Don’t be frustrated at how much you know, or how hard it seems—just “put one foot in front of the other, and soon you’ll be walking ‘cross the floor.”