Lesson 4 - Examine

September 9th 2018 Sunday Night Bible Study @ RHCC Examine How to R.E.A.P. The Bible by Chris Reighley Outline • • In Observation (Read) we ask the question “What do I see?” In Interpretation (Examine) we ask the question “What does it mean?” EXPLANATION AND SCRIPTURAL BASIS 2 Timothy 2:15 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. A. Interpretation 1. The Value of Interpretation Psalms 119:34 Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law And keep it with all my heart. a. Do You Understand What You Are Reading? It is impossible to apply the Word of God until you understand it. Acts 8:25-40 Acts 8:30 Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” b. What Do We Mean by Interpretation? We can refer to the steps of interpretation as the “recreation” process. We are attempting to stand in the author’s shoes and to recreate his experience. We are asking “What did this me to him?” before we ever ask, “What does it mean to us?” c. The Construction of Meaning In Observation or by Reading, we excavate, in Interpretation or by Examine scripture, we erect, and buildings are always determined by their foundation. d. Why Interpretation? Time and distance have thrown up barriers between us and the biblical writers, which block our understanding. i. ii. iii. iv. Language barriers Cultural barriers Literary barriers Communication barriers Prepared by Chris Reighley Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RHCCBibleStudy/ Page 1 of 4 September 9th 2018 Sunday Night Bible Study @ RHCC 2. Handle with Care! a. Six Pitfalls of Interpretation i. Misreading the text John 14:6 – “I am the way” or “I am a way” 1 Timothy 6:10 – “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil” vs. “Money is the root of all evil” ii. Distorting the text 2 Peter 3:16 as also in all his (Paul) letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. iii. Contradicting the text Compare Genesis 3:1-4 vs. Genesis 2:16-17 iv. Subjectivism The meaning of the text is in the text, not in our subjective response to the text. v. Relativism Some folks will approach scripture assuming that the Bible changes meaning over time. When we get to Application we will see that a passage can have numerous practical implications. But it can have only one proper interpretation, one meaning, ultimately the meeting the original writer had for it. vi. Overconfidence The minute you think that you’ve mastered a portion of scripture, you are setting yourself up for trouble. b. The Right to Disagree Differences in interpretation are fine as long as we keep in mind that the conflict is not in the text, but in our limited understand of the text. God is not confused about what He has said, even if we are. Prepared by Chris Reighley Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RHCCBibleStudy/ Page 2 of 4 Sunday Night Bible Study @ RHCC B. September 9th 2018 Five Keys to Interpretation 1. Content There is a direct cause-effect relationship between content and meaning. The content of a passage is the raw material, the database, that we will use to interpret the text. 2. Context Context refers to that which goes before and that which follows after. Whenever you study a verse, a paragraph, a section, even an entire book – always consult the neighbors of that verse, that paragraph, that section, that book. a. Literary context b. Historical context c. Cultural context d. Geographic context e. Theological context 3. Comparison Sola scriptura Scripture alone. In comparison we compare Scripture with Scripture. 4. Culture When you study any portion of the Word of God, make sure you study the background. Recreate the culture, because then and only then will the text come alive. 5. Consultation a. Concordances b. Bible dictionaries c. Bible handbooks d. Atlases (Maps) e. Bible commentaries Prepared by Chris Reighley Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RHCCBibleStudy/ Page 3 of 4 Sunday Night Bible Study @ RHCC September 9th 2018 AN EXAMPLE OF R.E.A.P. TITLE: SCRIPTURE: THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT MARK 12:28-31 One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” READ Jesus tells the scribes that the most important commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. He continues, saying that the second most important commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. EXAMINE God made us with different faculties: a heart to have emotion, a mind to think, strength to do, and a soul that is eternal, and I am commanded to love God with the fullness of all of my faculties. This is the first and greatest commandment; every other area of obedience flows out of this. Jesus says the command to love our neighbors is like the first commandment. Loving others as myself is somehow connected to loving God with all of my being. APPLY Do I think of loving God with all that I am as the greatest and first call on my life? No. I have reduced obedience to praying or being kind to my family and friends, or fighting the desire to lie. Do I love God with my mind: Do I seek to study His Word daily, think about Him and learn about Him? Do I love God with my heart and soul: Do I have affection toward something that is stronger than my affection toward Him? Do I love God with my strength: Do I actually live out his Word rather than just knowing his Word? I can think of several people that I am far from loving well. How is that lack of love for others connected to my lack of love for God? PRAY Father, I confess that I can’t muster up the love that you want from me. Give me a new mind, a new heart, a new soul, and new strength, and give me the ability to love you fully with all of my faculties. I pray for my mind specifically – that I would honor you today with my thoughts and love you well. I pray for my relationship with my father and my brother. Help me to love them because I love you and you made them! Living By the Book: The Art and Science of Reading the Bible Howard G. Hendricks Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. www.Lockman.org Prepared by Chris Reighley Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RHCCBibleStudy/ Page 4 of 4