How should we read and study the Scriptures? This might seem like an odd question. You just pick up the Bible and read it, right? Even if you just pick the Bible up and read it, you are going to use a process and a set of presuppositions about the Bible that will impact the…

How, then, should we read and study the Scriptures? Start with this: it takes time and effort to really study the Scriptures. I am not an expert in hermeneutics. I am an average person who has spent years studying philosophy and theology, including taking several courses and reading a range of books on the topic…

Once you have set out a section of the text to study, you need to find the text’s structure. Every author uses a flow or tells a story when writing. What is this flow or story? How do you find this flow or story? Outline the argument Begin by formulating a statement describing the main…

Taking the text out of the context leaves you with a con. One of the most important pieces of context in studying the Scriptures is a passages or pericope’s background. What should be included in a background study? Contextual Elements The Audience The audience is often directly named in a pericope. When the audience is…

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…

Be careful when a pastor says: “It says in the Greek …” In this video clip: from here Around 39 minutes in, the pastor says (according to the transcript): John didn’t tell us but I tell you what John did do John gave us the Greek word … and I will give credit to David…