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

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. 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.
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