Sermon Tone Analysis

Two Worked Examples

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Introduction

Throughout our time together, we’ve learned many essential things for how to read the Bible: inductive bible study, studying the Old and New Testaments, understanding the different genres, understanding how passages fit together, and applying them to ourselves today.

Today, our goal is to apply these principles when looking at two types of passages: difficult passages and familiar passages.

Difficult passages can leave us puzzled.

Familiar passages can leave us bored.

The problem isn’t with the passages themselves, but with us.

God’s Word is always perfect and glorious, but our understanding and hearts are flawed.

And so, today we are going to look at several principles for interpreting difficult and familiar passages.

Then, we are going to apply those principles to particular passages.

My hope is to make this class more interactive, so that we can dive into the passages together.

Studying Difficult Passages

Name some difficult passages in the Bible.

Why are they difficult?

Passages of Scripture can be difficult for various different reasons.

Here are some reasons: First, there’s the Culture Gap.

Sometimes we simply don’t understand the cultural setting of passages.

Second, there’s the Apparent Contradiction.

I say ‘apparent contradiction,’ because these aren’t true contradictions.

They simply appear to contradict.

Third, there’s the Mystery.

These passages are nearly impossible for anyone to understand.

Sometimes, you just have to leave a passage and say, “God, your ways are higher than mine.

But, the things I do know in the Bible far outweigh the things I don’t.

Scripture’s main message is clear, so I trust you.”

So, with those things stated, there are some steps that we can generally take for studying difficult passages.

Here are four.

1) Pray.

Don’t underestimate the power of pouring over the Scriptures on your knees in prayer.

Some of the clearest thinking is done on your knees.

Martin Luther once wrote in a letter to his barber, “Many times I have learned more from one prayer than I might have learned from much reading and speculation.”[1]

God’s Spirit has spoken through God’s Word and it takes God’s Spirit to understand and apply it to ourselves.

So pray.

2) Examine the context.

Have you ever entered the middle of a conversation and had no idea what it was about?

Well, if you were wise, you waited and listened before you spoke.

Why?

Because you can’t speak intelligently unless you understand the context.

How much more important is it to examine the context of God’s Word to us?

Start with asking, “What is the larger context?”

Read the book to know the author, the audience, and the purpose.

Then, even more specific, zoom in to the immediate context.

What comes before?

What comes after?

What words are repeated?

How does this passage fit in structurally?

If the passage is like a puzzle piece, context is like the picture on the box cover.

It is so much easier to fit the puzzle piece into the puzzle when you look at the picture.

Examine the context.

3) Let Scripture Interpret Scripture.

The Bible is the best “fence” for interpreting the Bible.

It creates boundaries so that we aren’t led into false doctrine.

We must let the clear passages govern the unclear passages.

That’s so important, I’m going to repeat it: let the clear passages govern the unclear passages.

This is key for understanding difficult passages.

How do we do this?

Well, the way we don’t do this is what can be called “cross-reference mania.”

That’s where you spend so much time outside of the text that you never let it speak for itself.

Always, always, always look at the context and let the text speak for itself before you go to other passages.

Once you’ve done that, you can do a few things to let Scripture interpret Scripture:

(1) Diagnose the difficulty.

Ask yourself the question, “What is confusing in this passage?”

Like a doctor, you need to diagnose the difficulty before you can find the answer.

(2) Find relevant passages.

Now, go to other Bible passages that are relevant to the difficulty.

Start with the same book, and then branch out.

One of the best ways to do this is to use the cross-reference tool.

(3) Synthesize.

Try to synthesize your passage and other relevant passages together.

Which passages are clearest?

Let those govern your understanding of the passages that are less clear.

This can be hard work.

Don’t feel like you need to look at absolutely every possible passage on a given subject.

But, take a few similar passages and see how they fit together.

Let Scripture interpret Scripture.

Finally,

4) Ask for Help.

You need help!

God created us to need each other.

He has composed the church so that we aren’t sufficient in ourselves, but need each other’s gifts.

So, go to a brother or sister in Christ who is older in the faith and ask him or her, “Can you help me to understand this passage?

I’m having trouble.”

Or, “I think this is what this passage says.

But, can you tell me what you think?”

This is the place where study bibles or commentaries can be useful.

In a way, they can be like godly Christians in written form.

Instead of talking in person, you are talking by reading.

Ask for help.

So, those are four principles for studying difficult passages: Pray, Examine the Context, Let Scripture Interpret Scripture, and Ask for Help.

Any questions before we apply this to a passage of Scripture?

Worked Example of a Difficult Passage:

“31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

What questions come to mind as you read this passage?

1) Pray

[Pray briefly.

Here is an example: O Father, we come to you and ask you to open our eyes to understand your Word.

We are beggars before you.

So, please help us.

Please feed us with your Word.