Principles of Bible Study: Context
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Intro: There are principles really in everything we do… Whether building, designing, or cooking you follow certain principles which are there to guide you to accomplish a certain task correctly. You would never build a house without blue prints to follow and we don’t typically cook without a recipe for ingredient, instructions and cook times.
The same is true of our Bible study…
Before even context though, we must first understand that this is a supernatural book, and it requires supernatural help!
1 Corinthians 2:9-16
Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Another thing...
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
William Tyndale “I defy the Pope and all his laws. If God spare my life, ere many years, I will cause a boy who drives the plough to know more of the Scriptures that he does.”
It is easy to pick up our Bible and want to understand it all. We want answers and we want them now but sometimes answers come only through the labor of prayer, study and waiting. Sometimes we take things by faith, not having all, or any of the answers we seek… If I could challenge us this morning with this, we must not let our want for answers to drive us to a place of vulnerability. That is the place the devil would love to feed us a lie. Sometimes Bible study take much patience, and endurance which in return will lead to proper discernment.
That being said, understanding the Bible is not as difficult as we sometimes make it out to be. The principles for Bible study will help us along our journey of seeking the Lord through His word!
Context: 1828: The general series or composition of a discourse; more particularly, the parts of a discourse… The sense of a passage of scripture is often illustrated by the context.
Will full context we will be able to answer the “why” something is being said. It is important because it sets the table for us so to speak for the truth we are about the receive. You may here me say that context is “king” or “key” it is the part of our study that is vital to us properly interpreting the passage we are studying.
Taking something out of context is very easy to do, so using this Bible principle will help guide us to proper interpretation. When we remove the word out of its context we also remove the power from it…
And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
First let’s consider the book of John as a whole because context will always remain within the book it is written in.
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
The context of John’s gospel is pointing us to Christ the Son of God. So even though Jesus is here in human flesh, He is being showed as the Son of God and God Himself.
Back to our passage in John 2...
“And the third day...” By comparing spiritual with spiritual:
Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
We know that Jesus was dead three days and three nights but the emphasis is not the fourth day, but on the fulfillment of three days and that remains true throughout the word of God.
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Already, through just considering the context of the book, and this one phrase we can begin to understand the miracle and its teaching.
“… mine hour is not yet come.” By comparing spiritual with spiritual:
These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
Read: Matthew 26:45, Mark 14:35, 41, Luke 22:53.
This is the hour in which Jesus would be offered for the sin of mankind and become our Passover Lamb. By His statement about the hour and the third day reference we can now clearly understand the context of His first miracle and what it is teaching us. This miracle isn’t simply just turning one liquid into another… It is speaking of His resurrection and the new birth offered to all through what He would suffer on the the cross!
And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
In context:
A Thirsty Crowd - The lost...
The water pots began empty - What we offer God… (These water pots were used for ceremonial cleansing, religion offered nothing.)
Filled first with water - The word of God is clearly seen here, but faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God...
Water to wine - A picture of the new birth of a believer! The entrance of the Holy Ghost, the new creature is purified, and something that he could never be on his own.
Closing: Keeping this in mind, lets consider quickly in closing John 3.
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
The pots of stones (natural) were water pots… The water in John 3 is talking about the natural birth.
“… and of the Spirit...” Turning that water into wine...
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.