Principles of Bible Study Part 3

by | Jan 29, 2024 | The Bible

PRINCIPLES OF BIBLE STUDY Part 3

David E. Mullis, B.S., M.A., J.D., LL.M

INTRODUCTION

In Principles of Bible Study Part 3 we will establish a sound, fundamental method of practical bible study.  We have previously discussed why we should study the Bible, the Bible’s authority, how to choose a translation, what study aids we should use, general methods of logical study and reason, and various methods of study/analysis.  In Principles of Bible Study Part 3, we outline the components of a proper method of inductive bible studies using methodical reasoning.

I.  Methodical Reasoning

LOGIC (Principles of Bible Study Part 3)

Logic is one of the essential principles of bible study Part 3.  Logic means correct reasoning or the study of correct reasoning.  Correct reasoning is a justified explanation.  Basically, it is the process of determining or assuming facts and drawing inferences and conclusions in a coherent manner.  Keep in mind that we are trying to get as close to the Absolute Truth of God as we can.  If we allow bias and false presumptions to enter into our logic, we will veer off into logical error where a premise although stated logically as true is actually false, which is heresy.

PRESUMPTIONS (Principles of Bible Study Part 3)

Presumptions are also essential principles of bible study.  A presumption is the acceptance of a fact as true based upon evidence in favor of its truth and the lack of evidence to the contrary.  The following is a list of presumptions a Christian can make based upon their consistency and their historical acceptance by the Church.  Of course, you should satisfy yourself by study that they are true. However, once determined, they should be the basis of your inductive inquiries and the foundation of your deductive conclusions.

          God is One.

The Scriptures establish that there is only one God with three distinct personalities of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Deuteronomy 6:4. Hear, O Israel:  The LORD our God, the LORD is one.  ESV

          The Bible is Authoritative and Internally Consistent. 

The Christian church has accepted the Bible as we have it today as the official Word of God containing His true Word to His Church.  There is no inconsistency proposed in Scripture that cannot also be explained consistently.  2 Timothy 3:16-17.  All Scripture is given by inspiration o God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. ESV

          The Truth is Absolute.

God and His Word is truth.  It is up to us to seek to understand the truth as accurately as we can.  There is an absolute truth and our goal is to get as close to absolute truth as we can.  We should always leave room to adjust our understanding of God’s truth upon obtaining additional information.  John 14:6, Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  ESV.  Psalm 119:160, the sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.  ESV.  Psalm 86:11, Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.  ESV.  John 18:37-38, Jesus told Pilate, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” ESV.  John 8:31-32, So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  ESV.

         Saving faith and the Holy Spirit are necessary for us to understand and properly interpret the Scriptures.

The Bible in the hand of an unbeliever can be a dangerous thing.  It is only through the saving faith in Jesus and the guidance of the Holy Spirit that we have eyes to see and ears to hear.  John 14:15-17, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither see him nor knows him.  You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”  ESV

         Biblical examples do not require your similar response or action unless supported by a command.

We are commanded to have communion in remembrance of Jesus (Luke 22:19-20), we are commanded to be baptized (Matthew 28:18-20), and we are commanded to love one another (John 13:34), etc.  However, foot washing is not commanded although it followed The Lord’s Supper in John 13.  Jesus said the Disciples “ought” or “should” wash the feet of one another and that He gave them that as an example.  Foot washing is a symbol of humility, but it is not the only method of showing humility.  The message is to act humbly toward one another in a very intimate manner, not that there is some ritual requirement for it through foot washing, exclusively.  John 13:12-17.

         The primary purpose of the Bible is to change our lives, not increase our knowledge.

Although we will gain knowledge through reading the Bible, knowledge in the hands of a dishonest reader can be dangerous.  If we read the Scriptures with an honest search for the Truth, our lives will change to conform to the Will of God.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.  Romans 10:17.

          Each Christian has the right and responsibility to investigate and interpret the Word of God for himself/herself.

When the Veil in the Holy of Holies was torn (Luke 23:44-47), there was no longer a need for an earthly priest to atone for the sins of the people.  Jesus had paid the price once and for all.  He is our Priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Heb 5:6). After His resurrection, He commanded ordinary men to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.  He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.” Mark 16:15 and 16.

           Church history is important but not decisive in the interpretation of Scripture.

There is only one Canon and all other writings are considered to contain   some fault or bias.  Some will be more so than others.  Therefore, the history of the New Testament Church is useful, but it would be inadvisable to assume that an early church father’s interpretation of Scripture is infallible and should be accepted over current interpretation based upon new discoveries.

II.  Inductive Bible Study (Principles of Bible Study Part 3)

Inductive bible study can be summarized as Observation, Interpretation, Correlation, and Application. Generally, the reader will observe/read biblical text, interpret the information by asking and answering questions, correlate the information by comparing to other scripture, and then applying the information to the Church and/or the life of the reader.  Below is a detailed summary of the above four steps of inductive bible study.

Observation – What do I see?

Terms

Identify the Key Words and conduct a word study

Definition of a term

A term is a word used in context to convey a specific meaning or to add a specific factor to the meaning of a message.  Keep in mind that a term has no real meaning except in context.  For example, if I hit my finger with a hammer and yell “ouch”, the person that hears me will understand that I hit my finger and that I am in pain and may need help because they are present at the scene and understand the context.  On the other hand, if I go to my computer and email a friend that I haven’t heard from in ten years a one-word message that states “ouch.”  The reader may understand that I am experiencing some pain because he has seen the word used in that context.  However, he does not know if I am accusing him of hurting me, or if I am in mental or physical pain, and he does not know if he needs to respond quickly to provide help.  Then again, if I email the same message to someone who only understands another language, the word has no meaning to him whatsoever.

Routine and Non-Routine Terms

A term should be identified as a term used in its natural (routine) meaning or in some modified (non-routine) meaning.  Using our previous discussion of the term “fired” in stating that our employment was terminated, we can understand from the context that the term “fired” was not used in its routine usage and meaning, but had a modified meaning in this context.  In other words, we were not set on fire as a result of our performance, but merely lost our right to work at that business for wages.

Literal and Figurative Terms

In a similar manner, you must also determine if a term is used literally to expressly state a principle or if it is used figuratively to convey an implied meaning.  For example, Jesus’ death on the cross is literal.  Some components of the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ are clearly figurative in meaning, such as the dragon.  The context will give you the clues to decide if a passage is literal or figurative.

Structure

In reading the Scriptures, you should pay attention to the structure of the writing.  The writers often times structure their writing for a purpose.  While our English translations provide structure, often times we may fail to recognize structures that are visible in the original languages but lost in the translation.  For example, certain nuances of poetry in the Bible found in Hebrew are not obvious in English.  Below is a list of various elements of structure that you should consider and study.

Structure and Structural Units
  •            Phrase
  •            Clause
  •            Sentence
  •            Paragraph
  •           Segment
  •            Subsection
  •            Section
  •            Division
  •            Book
Structural Relationships
  •            Subject to Verb
  •            Verb to Predicate
  •            Modifier to Modified
  •            Preposition to Object
  •            Pronoun to Antecedent
  •            Independent and Dependent Clauses

Temporal (Chronological) – When

Local (Geographical) – Where

Logical

  •              Reason
  •              Result
  •              Purpose
  •              Contrast
  •              Comparison
  •              Series (First and Last)
  •              Condition

Emphatic

  •              Emphasis
  •              Exclamation
Major Structural Units
  •              Comparison – Like Things
  •              Contrast – Opposite Things
  •              Repetition – Same Terms and Ideas
  •              Continuity – Similar Terms and Ideas
  •              Continuation – Extended Ideas
  •              Climax – From lesser to greater
  •              Cruciality – Pivotal facts
  •              Interchange – Alternating Elements
  •              Generalization and Particularization
  •              Causation and Substantiation – cause/effect
  •              Instrumentation – Purpose
  •              Explanation/Analysis
  •              Introduction
  •              Summarization
  •              Interrogation
  •              Harmony
 Literary Forms
  •              Logic (Discourse)
  •              Prose (Narrative)
  •              Poetry
  •              Drama (Personification or vivid description)
  •              Parabolic (Analogy)
  •              Apocalyptic (uncovering or revelation)
Atmosphere
  •                despair
  •                thanksgiving
  •                awe
  •                urgency
  •                joy
  •                humility
  •                tenderness

Interpretation – What does it mean?

Three Phases of Interpretation
  •               Definitive – Basic meanings of the particulars of a passage.
  •               Rational – The reason or purpose for the writing of the passage
  •               Implication – The significance of the passage
Basic Principles of Interpretation
  • Understand the grammar before attempting to interpret the meaning
  • Understand the historical setting before attempting to interpret the meaning
  • Always read out of rather than into a text
  • Generally, accept the easiest most natural interpretation
  • Terms in context only have one meaning (A dictionary contains different contextual uses of a term. You don’t just pick the definition you like. You pick the one that fits the context.  Thus, a word has no meaning except in context)
  • Be careful in establishing the presumptions under which you will interpret a passage
  • Do not prejudge passages based upon tradition or denominational doctrine
  • Pay attention to an author’s interpretation of his own work
  • Be consistent in the methods you use
  • Do not abandon sound methods of interpretation to deal with difficult passages
  • Do not ignore subtle implications within a text
  • Recognize certain books of the bible that should be studied together
  • Do not neglect the Old Testament context of Old Testament passages quoted in the New Testament
  • Do not forget that parallel passages that seem to differ at points were each written for their own literary purpose and should be interpreted in light of the literary context.
  • Value Judgments should be withheld until the meaning of a passage has been ascertained.
  • Just because a word appears in different passages, does not mean the word means the same thing in each passage. The context will dictate the meaning of the terms.
  • Do not twist scriptures by taking them out of context and twisting them to fit your own personal ideas. An example would be someone taking a passage that says “love one another” and concluding it allows you to have sexual relations with whomever you wish.
  • Likewise, do not collapse context by taking thoughts from one context and forcing them into another context. In other words, do not pull scriptures out of context and put them together to say something not intended by the authors.  An exaggerated example would be taking the passage that says “Judas went out an hung himself” and combine it with the passage that says “go thou and do likewise” to say that the Bible teaches you to take your own life.
  • Never come to the conclusion that you have attained the absolute true meaning of a passage and there is no more room for discussion of the issue.
 Interpretive Questions
  •                Who or what is involved?
  •                What does the author seek to accomplish?
  •                How is this accomplished?
  •                When is it accomplished?
  •                Where is it accomplished?
  •                What does this mean to the original audience?
  •                Why is this said here?
  •                What does this imply?
   Interpretive Answers
  •                 Moral and Spiritual Sense of the Interpreter
  •                 Common Sense of the Interpreter
  •                 Experience (Knowledge and Wisdom)
  •                 Unity – Comparison to known Biblical Principles
  •                 Context
   Potentially Biased Interpretive Approaches
  •                 Fragmentary – Out of Context
  •                 Dogmatic – based upon biased presumption
  •                 Rationalistic – Conformed to reason of Interpreter
  •                 Mythological – Removing historical significance
  •                 Historical – Removing spiritual significance
  •                 Allegorical – Removing historical significance
  •                 Literal – Ignores significance of figures and symbols
  •                 Typological – Old Testament is only significant as it typifies the New Testament
  •                 Predictive – Interprets scripture based upon major historical events.
  •                 Systematized – creating universal doctrines out of statements made in particular historical situations.
  •                 Cross-Reference – Failing to interpret a passage on its own merits before comparing it to other scriptures
  •                 Encyclopedic – Assuming the Bible answers every conceivable question that can be postulated and reading meanings into scriptures that do not exist in an effort to answer a specific question
  •                 Literary – Viewing the Scriptures as a mere literary work.

Correlation

       How does it relate to the rest of the Bible?

 Application

       What does it mean to me and the Church?

  •                  Is the passage universally relevant?
  •                  What is the Universal Truth?
  •                  Does the Universal Truth apply to a contemporary situation?
  •                  What is the theoretical application of the passage?
  •                  What is the practical application of the passage?