The Living Word (Lesson 10)

Putting It All Together

We have now examined foundational principles of bible study relating to the divine nature of the word, as well as principles relating to its human nature. With respect to the latter, we have looked at the necessity of studying with a historical, grammatical, contextual hermeneutic, and examined some methods of putting those three principles to use. In the next five lessons, we will look at some differences in the various genres of scripture (e.g. histories, psalms, prophecies, New Testament epistles, etc.), and how those differences will affect the way we study. But for now, it may be beneficial to have a review of the last five lessons, and put it all together in an overview of how to approach a thorough study of any passage. The following steps may help us to bring all of the related concepts we’ve been studying into one unified plan of attack.

  1. Before beginning the study, pray that the Spirit of God would open your eyes to the glories of the truths in the passage. Confess your faith in him, and sincerely and fervently ask for him to show you Christ, and change you into that same image, through the verses that you are about to study.

  2. Study the history of the passage. Use the historical indicators of the book you are studying, as well as relevant material from the rest of the bible. It may be helpful to consult Bible histories, atlases, and background commentaries.

  3. Study the context of the passage, relating the verses you are studying to the themes of the book, and the Christological focus of the bible.

  4. Do a word study on the significant words in the passage. Find the word used in the original language, and study its range of meanings from different occurrences of the word in scripture, as well as the specific meaning that it must have in the context.

  5. Divide each phrase, and label it according to its relationship to the phrases surrounding it.

  6. With this better understanding of the passage, relate it to its biblical context once again.

  7. Take the timeless truths of human nature, Christ, his work, and the effects of his work on believers, and apply them to specific circumstances in your own life.

  8. Share the results of your study with other believers in the body, and listen to any insights they may have from studying the same passage or related passages.

  9. Thank God for the riches of his revelation of Christ to us, and glorify and worship the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world!

Helpful Electronic Tools

By now, you may realize the many benefits of extra-biblical resources that God has provided for us through his saints from all ages. You may not have the ability to purchase many of these resources on your own, or the time to spend hours thumbing through pages. God has graciously led one of his servants to put together a software program (e-Sword) that contains many helpful resources in an easy-to-use format, and to make it available for all believers at no cost. This program will install various translations of the bible on your computer, valuable dictionaries based on the original languages, the ability to look up the original words with a click of the mouse on the text you are studying, and a variety of historical/background works, grammatical and devotional commentaries, systematic theologies, etc. It will greatly aid you in your search for deep and accurate study of the Word of God, and save you much of the time and money involved in doing the same kinds of study with books.

Another valuable electronic resource that God has been using to aid in the growth of his body is the recent phenomenon of thelogical websites. Many websites today provide a wealth of valuable material for studying and understanding scriptures. One of the best websites that I am aware of is www.monergism.com.

3 Responses to “The Living Word (Lesson 10)”

  1. Mike Matthews says:
    January 23, 2007 at 4:16 pm

    Greetings Nathan, (Mike here. From Yakutia, formerly.) Nathan, I was wondering if there was a specific reason why you did not include a lesson in this whole study on the hermeneutical principle of “Christology”? That is, looking at all of Scripture Christologically – seeing how all the Bible points to Him. Just wondering.

  2. pitchford says:
    January 24, 2007 at 12:03 pm

    Mike,

    I tried to get the Christological principle of hermeneutics across in lesson 3, “The Centrality of Christ”. Were you thinking of something different from what I discussed in that lesson? If so, what in particular?

    Thanks, Nathan

  3. Mike Matthews says:
    January 24, 2007 at 7:35 pm

    I admit blindness. I missed chapter three! Now that I’ve read it, I think it is the CENTER. Thanks for “gently” setting me straight.

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