No matter what other people say about God, or experiences you or others have, it all must be tested by the Word of God, the Bible. God’s primary means of speaking to mankind is through the Bible. If you have a desire to study the Bible, it is because God wants to speak to you. And may God enlighten you as you continue to explore his word.The Bible declares that it is the voice of God recorded for the benefit of His creation. Use the clear passages to understand the obscure passages, and most of all pray. The Bible was written for us – not to us. Text first, original audience second, our perspective last. Interpretation – What the text meant to those to whom it was originally written.Īpplication – How do we respond to the timeless truths of the text today? Observation – What the text actually says. By building these disciplines in students it is possible to train them to truly listen to the text each time they read it, rather than simply seeing what they expect to see. The timeless truths driving the ancient solutions then become the truths directing our modern applications. By identifying the timeless truths at work under the specifics of the text, we can then begin to ask questions about why these truths are significant today. Careful reading of the text in its proper historical context is the key to proper interpretation.Īfter we have discovered the meaning in the original historical context we are finally ready to take that giant leap forward in time and culture to our present time and circumstances. To sum up, understand what the text says, who wrote it, and as much about the original readers as you can. Our situation should not even be considered until we understand what was meant when it was written. This is historical context and it is critical to our understanding of what the text is really saying. To understand the author and original readers of the text we must first identify them and their issues. The text is always right and proper interpretation is defined as what the author meant and what the original readers would have understood. Rather than simply taking our conclusions to the text for testing, or worse yet, merely looking for validation of what we already believe or have been told. We need to let our observations drive our conclusions. Or to put it another way, what people bring to the Bible greatly influences what they take away from the Bible.īy doing all we can to set aside our preconceived ideas about the text and focus on two things- reading and observation-forgoing judgment until we have thoroughly analyzed the text. This story illustrates many points but the one I think is the most relevant to Biblical study is that people tend to see what they expect to see. “You’ll find the same sort in the next town.” “What were the people like where you’ve come from?” replied the farmer once again. “What sort of people live in the next town?” he asked. Some time later another stranger, coming from the same direction, hailed the farmer, and they stopped to talk. “Well, I’m afraid that you’ll find the same sort in the next town.ĭisappointed, the traveler trudged on his way, and the farmer returned to his work. The most selfish people in the world, and not a one of them to be trusted. “What were the people like where you’ve come from?” replied the farmer, answering the question with another question. “What sort of people live in the next town?” asked the stranger. Eager to rest his feet, the wanderer hailed the countryman, who seemed happy enough to straighten his back and talk for a moment. The Two Travelers and the Farmer A North American Folk TaleĪ traveler came upon an old farmer hoeing in his field beside the road. To illustrate let me tell a very old folk tale. Sounds simple, but there are complications. The shortest description I can give of this approach is this, “ Inductive study is an approach to the Bible that helps the student build their conclusions from observations of the text.” In other words – observation first, conclusions second. In fact the “Inductive Method” that we teach in the School of Biblical Studies is really a collection of Bible study techniques combined in such a way as to help the student maintain an “inductive posture” toward the text. Inductive Bible Study is more of an approach to the Bible than it is any particular technique. Unfortunately, there is really no short answer to that question. As a teacher of the Inductive Bible Study Method I am often asked, “What is Inductive Bible Study?”.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |