Biblical Hermeneutics Introduction to Bible Study I ... - Balboa Software

Biblical HermeneuticsIntroduction to Bible StudyI. The importance of knowing and obeying the Bible.A. “How would you recognize a person who loves God's Word?”B. Even though evangelicals say the Bible is important, our lifestyles often reflect a different story.C. Why should we study the Bible?1. God commands it (Col. 3:16; 2 Tim. 2:15)2. The Bible is our only sure source of knowledge of God.a. The Bible is inspired by God. It is God’s revelation about His nature and His desires for our lives.(1) 2 Tim 3:16-17--Scripture is inspired by God(2) 2 Pet. 1:20-21--The Holy Spirit guided the authors of Scripture to say what God wanted tocommunicate to humanity.b. Many people in Western society seek knowledge of God through their experience. Relativismand pluralism stress that only you are the authority of truth for yourself.(1) Some Christians want God to speak privately and personally to them. Their experiencebecomes the final measure of divine truth.(2) While God may at times work through personal experiences such as visions and dreams, hisnormal method of communicating His truth is through his written Word. Since God’s wordis always truth (Ps. 119:160; Jn 17:17; 2 Tim. 2:15; Tit 1:2), anything He communicates willbe consistent with the revelation He has already given to us in His written Word. Scripture isthe final authority and the measure of the truth of any alleged prophecy or vision. If we donot have Scripture as a touchstone, we can easily be misled by our own subjectiveexperiences, desires, emotions and even evil spiritual forces.3. The Bible is food for spiritual growtha. 1 Pet 2:2; Ps. 1:1-3; Mt 4:4b. cf. 2 Tim 3:16-17: “profitable for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness”c. The Holy Spirit works in conjunction with the Scripture to transform us to become more likeJesus.4. There is great joy in studying and obeying God's Worda. Jer. 15:16; Rom. 15:4; cf. Ps. 1: “blessed”Copyright © 2014 Dr. Harry A. Hahne

. There is great joy in discovering God's truth in the Bible for yourself.Hermeneutics: Introduction Page 2c. There is also great joy in obedience to the Word: James 1:22, 25--blessed is the person who doeswhat is in the Word, not simply the one who hears it.II.Some helpful attitudes in Bible studyA. The Bible is God's love letter to humanity (Ps. 119:72, 97).1. This attitude gives us hunger to read and study God's word and helps keep us from being threatenedby changes in our lives that the Bible demands.B. Worship (Ps. 119:12).1. Bible study should not be simply an intellectual exercise, but a way of coming to know God betterand to bring glory to Him.2. Come to the Word with an attitude of praise and prayer.C. Reliance on the Holy Spirit to teach you (Ps. 119:18).1. Illumination: The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see the truth in Scripture. He convicts us of sin andshows us how to apply the teachings of the Bible to our lives.a. 2 Cor 4:4-6: Satan blinds people's minds so they cannot see the truth of the Gospel but the HolySpirit opens their eyes and shines the light of truth in their hearts..b. 1 Cor 2:14--the Holy Spirit enables a spiritual person to see the truth God has revealed.Unbelievers have a distinct disadvantage in understanding spiritual truth in Scripture.2. This does not mean that we have no need to use careful techniques for studying the Bible. The HolySpirit works in conjunction with our careful study of Scripture. Good study techniques help keep usfrom reading our own ideas in the Bible and then assuming God showed it to us.3. Illumination is especially important for application. The Holy Spirit opens our hearts to see how toapply the Bible to today's world and our personal needs.D. Expectancy (Ps. 119:38).1. Believe that God is going to teach you and guide you to personal application of His WordE. Willingness to obey (Ps. 119:33).1. A prerequisite for knowing the truth is the willingness to do it (Jn 7:17).2. The goal of Bible study is a changed life (James 1:22-25).F. Perseverance1. Some concepts in the Bible are very difficult to understand and only yield their meaning withprayerful, diligent study.

Hermeneutics: Introduction Page 3III.Overview of inductive Bible studyA. Inductive Bible Study seeks to discover the author's intended meaning in a passage by examining thedetails of a passage within the contextB. Deductive study begins with an idea and tries to find support for it in Scripture. It runs the risk oftwisting Scripture to fit your ideas (“proof texting”), rather than letting your ideas be shaped by the Bible.C. Three basic steps in Bible study: Observation, Interpretation, Application1. Observation: “what does it say?”a. Simply list the facts without trying to understand what they mean.b. Record as many details as you can. You never know what will be an important clue to themeaning.c. Write it down. This forces you to focus more. You also can reexamine the details later when youinterpret the passage.d. The more careful you are in observation the more likely your interpretation will be correct.e. Too many people leap to interpretation or application before they have gathered all the facts.This can lead to interpretive errors.2. Interpretation: “what does it mean?”a. What is the author trying to communicate with the words he chose? The only correctinterpretation is the author's intended meaningb. Interpretation finds what the passage meant for the original readers as well as timeless principlesimplied by the passage.c. We determine the correct interpretation from the details we observe in the text.3. Application: “How does this relate to my life?”a. How should my attitudes, behavior and beliefs be changed as a result of the truths this passageteaches?b. There is only one correct interpretation of a statement, but there are many applications.(1) E.g. Eph 5:20: Interpretation: Christians should always thank God for what happens in theirlives. Applications: Thank God for losing a job or receiving an unexpected source of moneyfor school.4. This process is how the mind naturally works, although we normally move from step to step withoutbeing conscious of the process. By taking the discipline to slow up these natural steps andmethodically take one step at a time, it is easier to avoid jumping to unwarranted conclusions. It alsohelps you understand why you believe a certain interpretation.

Hermeneutics: Introduction Page 4D. Illustrations of the inductive method:1. Luke 18:1 (NASB): “Now he was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to prayand not to lose heart”a. Observations:(1) Jesus desires people always to pray.(2) He used a parable to teach this.(3) Jesus wants people to not “lose heart” in prayer.b. Interpretations:(1) To not lose heart means not to get discouraged.(2) One might be tempted to get discouraged and give up in prayer when answers to prayer donot come as quickly as we would like.(3) This seems to imply perseverance. Keep asking God, even when answers do not come.c. Application:(1) My brother is not a Christian. I need to keep praying with perseverance for his salvation andnot be discouraged because he seems to reject the gospel2. Mark 14:32-34:Observations Interpretations Applications1. Jesus prayed thesame request severaltimes (36, 39, 41)2. Jesus made aspecific request (36)3. Nevertheless, Jesussaid, “Yes, not what Iwill, but what youwill” (36)1. It is not wrong to pray thesame request many times,until you get an answer.2, 3. Jesus was submissive,despite his definite desires.-He was willing to do whatthe Father wanted and toaccept the Father’s answer toprayer-Principle: we need to besubmissive and humble inprayer and be willing to obeyGod’s will.2,3. I need to develop an attitude of greater humble willingnessto be obedient to God’s will, regardless of what he may want.*Implementation plan:a. Pray for a change in attitudec. Meditate on biblical promises that will build my confidencethat God’s will is indeed the best (e.g. Rom. 12:2)b. Begin by obeying God in areas I already know are His will(name a specific one)

Hermeneutics: Introduction Page 5E. Read James 1:2-4 in the NIV. Indicate whether the following statements are observations,interpretations, or applications.James 1:2-4: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because youknow that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that youmay be mature and complete, not lacking anything.___ The testing of faith produces perseverance.___ “Perseverance” is repeated twice in the passage.___ Perseverance means not getting discouraged or giving up, no matter what happens.___ I need to rejoice and thank God for my present financial problems.___ Maturity has to do with Christ-like character, such as the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)___ The passage commands the readers to have joy in trials.___ The reason we should have joy in trials is that faith develops perseverance.___ Trials are a means of testing faith.___ “So that” (v. 4) expresses a result.___ I am too easily discouraged when disappointments come and I tend to blame God for my problems.I will share this struggle with my Bible Study Group, so they can pray for me.