Introduction

 Bible study is something that you will be doing for a long time.  You do Bible study when you are in Sunday school and when you are in small groups.

The worst question you can possibly ask in a Bible study is “What does that verse mean to you?”  This is known as the reader-centered approach.  The problem with the reader-centered approach is that every person has had a different set of experiences.  And when we read we bring those experiences to the text.  And that can lead to a wrong interpretation.

The questions we should be asking is “What did the author mean?”  This is known as the author-centered approach.

If you adopt a reader-centered approach then “any doctrine of inspiration is ultimately irrelevant.”  With this approach the biblical text is an inkblot.

Our goal is to arrive at the biblical author’s intended meeting.

• How do I interpret the Bible?
• Where is the meaning of the text to be found?
• What is the meaning of the text?

Exegesis - What did the text originally mean?
Hermeneutics – How does the exegetical meaning apply to today?

Genres

The different categories of scripture: Letters, Narratives, Gospels, Parables, Law, Psalms, Prophecy, Wisdom and Apocalyptic.

Rule 1:  Read and study scripture as a genre.

The goal is to understand the scripture for today.

You need to ask the right questions of each biblical genre.

The ultimate goal is to read, understand and obey the Bible.  This is what followers of Christ do.

Read Phil 2:14a.  What does this text mean?  What is our problem with it?

The goal of interpretation is not uniqueness.  We’re not trying to discover what no one else has seen before.
 

Bad interpretation
How can you recognize a Christian cult?  They have an authority in addition to the Bible.

Read 3 Jn 2 The health, wealth and prosperity gospel.

Exegesis
God’s Word was first written to them so that they could understand it.  The problem is that we are removed from them by time and thought.  This requires Exegesis (Then and there).

This is when you sit down to study scripture to discover the original, intended meaning.

One of the problems is we don’t study the scripture.  We just read it.

How many of your parents or grandparents have said, “back in those days” we didn’t have cell phones.  This is an exegetical statement getting at the then and there.

The first task is to think exegetically.

1. Ask the right questions about context.

 What is the date, culture, geography, political and occasion?  You need a Bible dictionary for this. (www.crosswalk.com look for Bible Study tools)

 What is the purpose of the book? This is found in the book.

 Make your own observations first!

 Read the words in relation to the sentence.  Read the sentence in relation to the preceding and succeeding sentences.

 What is the author’s point?

 In a group you can pool your resources not to find out what something means to you, but what do you know about the time, culture, geography, political and occasion.

 It’s kind of like being on an inter-disciplinary team.

2. Ask the right questions about content.

 We’re talking grammer.  What is the subject?

 You might need a commentary.  NIV Application Commentary.

 
Hermeneutics
Herem involves interpreting the word of God here and now.

What does the text mean here and now?

If you don’t do exegesis first then Bible texts can be made to mean whatever you want them to mean.

Hermeneutical Principles
Bring the meaning into the 21st century.

Is there another place in scripture that talks about the subject.  Sell all your possessions.

Rule 1:  A text cannot mean what it never could have meant to its author or his readers.

That’s why exegesis is so important.

This helps us to determine what the text cannot mean.

Rule 2: If there are similar situations with the 1st century, then the meaning is the same.

What is the principle?

The Gospels

The Gospels are sayings of Jesus and stories of Jesus.  They’re not like Acts and the Epistles of Paul.  This is how God gave us the ministry of Jesus.

 What does the word synonym mean?  The first three are called the Synoptic Gospels.  Because they are similar.

Exegesis of the Gospels

 What was 1st century Judaism like?

 Jesus taught with parables.  One form was exaggeration.  Gouge out your eye. Matt 5:29.
 Jesus taught with proverbs.
 Similes and metaphors.
 Questions
 Irony

 Who is the audience?  Is it the disciples, the crowds or his opponents.

What was the purpose of the authors.
Matthew – Jesus as the Messiah.
Mark – Who is Jesus and discipleship.
Luke – Jesus as the center of God’s redemptive plan.
John – Evangelistic and instruction.

1. Think horizontally
Be aware of the parallels in the other gospels.
Do not fill-in the gaps.  Look for differences.  It’s the reason God gave us four instead of one.

2. Think vertically
Read the paragraph, chapter, and book.

Concerns and techniques of the authors
1. Selectivity
Each author was selective in what he wrote or did not write.

Lynnette “Do you know the Christian meaning of the story.”
Hermeneutics – How to Interpret the Bible

Genres

Exegesis
“There and then”

1. Ask the right questions about ______________.

Date, culture, geography, political and occasion.

2. Ask the right questions about ______________.

Grammar: Subject, verb, …

Hermeneutics
“Here and now”

Rule 1:  A text cannot mean what it never could have meant to its author or his readers.

Rule 2: If there are similar situations with the 1st century, then the meaning is the same.

• What is the principle?

Gospels

1. Think _______________.

2. Think _______________.

• Who is the audience?  Disciples, crowds, or his opponents.
• What is the purpose?
 
Hermeneutics – How to Interpret the Bible

Genres

Exegesis
“There and then”

1. Ask the right questions about ______________.

Date, culture, geography, political and occasion.

2. Ask the right questions about ______________.

Grammar: Subject, verb, …

Hermeneutics
“Here and now”

Rule 1:  A text cannot mean what it never could have meant to its author or his readers.

Rule 2: If there are similar situations with the 1st century, then the meaning is the same.

• What is the principle?

Gospels

1. Think _______________.

2. Think _______________.

• Who is the audience?  Disciples, crowds, or his opponents.
What is the purpose?
Read Matt. 5:43-47  Love our enemies.

Read Mark 16:1-8  Jesus demonstrated his divinity by his resurrection.

Read Luke 12:49-53  Real allegiance to Christ will create conflicts.

Read John 20:19-31 We can be confident that our sins have been forgiven in Christ.