Bible Study 101 Theory

The reasons why some Bible study methods are better than others

Bible Study 101 Theory

Augustine’s Principles of Interpretation

Augustine’s Principles of Interpretation

Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, was a theologian and philosopher who lived from 354-430 AD. He is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers, and his writings influenced the development of Western philosophy. Here are his principles of interpretation.

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Bible Study 201

Bible Study 201

Bible Study 201: Teach the Bible. Take your Bible study to the next step. Learn to teach the bible with Wednesday in the Word.

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Interpretation

Interpretation

After you’ve done your observation, word studies, outlining and answered the questions you generated, it’s time to start putting it all together. In this step, you want to collect, refine and organize all those details you observed into a coherent meaning.

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Figurative Language

Figurative Language

We use figurative language all the time: “I’ll have to face the music.” “I’m bored to tears.” “She has a green thumb.” “Don’t let the cat out of the bag.” “He died of embarrassment.” Biblical writers also used figurative language and vivid imagery. How are we to understand it?

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Bible Study Procedure

Bible Study Procedure

Wondering how to put all the tools and pieces of Bible study together so that you can tackle a specific passage of Scripture? Here’s the overall procedure.

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Observation

Observation

The first step in Bible study is observation. The goal is to slow down your reading and generate a list of questions that must be answered to understand the passage. I tend to break observation into the following 4 steps which generally correspond to my first few readings through the passage.

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How NOT to interpret the Bible

How NOT to interpret the Bible

One of the most common mistakes in interpreting the Bible is riffing on a particular word or phrase at the expense of context. No one thinks they fall into this trap and yet, if you listen for it, you’ll hear it everywhere.

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Basics of Bible Interpretation

Basics of Bible Interpretation

If you’re looking for a refresher course on how to study the Bible or want to start learning, Bob Smith’s Basics of Bible Interpretation is still a good choice.

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Handling Disagreement

Handling Disagreement

Why do we have so much interpretative disagreement over the meaning of the Bible? Two explanations: one we can solve and one we can’t.

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Starting Convictions

Starting Convictions

How do you know if you’ve successfully understood a passage of Scripture? Start by understanding and embracing these basic interpretative convictions.

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Goal of Bible Study

Goal of Bible Study

If Scripture is profitable for teaching, then we are expected to know and understand Scripture. If Scripture is profitable for reproof and correction, then we have to be able to determine what it means such that we have a objective standard by we can decide if one or both of us is wrong.

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