Introduction: How to Study the Bible
In the absence of an accureate conception of the Bible, no matter how long we live a religious life, we will not experience any change. People are only listening to sermons because they think they already know the gospel, so they don’t need to hear it again. In reality, we don’t know what the gospel is.
Having knowledge of the gospel can have many meanings, but I want to emphasize that you understand the concept of the gospel, and more specifically, you understand the concept used in the gospel. For us to live the life of sanctification, we must have detailed, full, practical knowledge of the gospel.
As well as correcting wrong ideas at that time, Jesus Christ’s ministry also appeared to correct them. In his teaching, he corrected concepts misrepresented by the wrong teachers at the time.
Specifically, he corrected the notion of marginalized people as fringe members of the mainstream class. Jesus Christ was the first person to practice decentering in that respect. According to Gordon D. Fee and Douglas K. Stuarts, this is the situation as follows.
The Bible story revolves around this theme. In other words, God, who is full of love, came to the world in the form of a human being to restore our vision of God. As a result, we can clearly see the true image of God without the skin covering our eyes. By being crucified and resurrected, we have restored the image of God, and by giving us the Holy Spirit as a gift, they continue to bond with us. The revelations and redemption are almost unbelievable.
The Bible is a collection of narratives
This is why the Bible is more than a collection of propositions to be trusted or a collection of commands to obey. As a whole, the Bible is characterized by narrative. The narrative is not another narrative, but God’s love and salvation of people.
Propositions and commands are essential to the Bible, but they are deeply rooted in the narrative. This is also true of the Bible’s narratives that appear to have no narrative at all. Each book of the Bible tells a small story, which comes together to tell a larger story.
The Bible as a whole is one huge and grand cry for God to make covenant, according to Gordon D. Fee and Douglas K. Stuarts. Despite the fact that we don’t deserve it.
Understanding the background, history, and culture of each book is essential to reading the Bible correctly. There are, however, close connections between the books of the Bible. For example, to read the Old Testament, you need an understanding of the Pentateuch. Following are the words of Reverend Martin Lloyd Jones.
Knowing how the Bible was created and under what circumstances each book was written is essential to understanding it as a whole and each part correctly. You will eventually benefit greatly from interpreting God’s word if you have such knowledge. As a result, we can see how God’s Holy Spirit inspired the lives and thoughts of his holy people deeply and extensively.
What it means to understand the Bible
The Bible alone is one of the concepts we have to consider here. It is a big mistake to understand ‘Sola Scriptura’ as reading only the Bible.
Martin Luther read Augustine’s books as well. Therefore, this also includes reading books that properly explain the Bible.
A Bible introductory book is a good starting point for proper Bible study. Next, it is recommended to read various books on Introduction to the Old Testament and Introduction to the New Testament, as well as studies on Bible interpretation or doctrine.
I then study systematic theology and biblical theology. The final step is to study the Bible one by one. With the help of commentaries, I am able to understand the Bible very well when I study one verse at a time.
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