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Proper interpretation of the bible
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10 Ways to Read and Understand the Bible
The Bible is undoubtedly a mysterious Book that unfolds the solutions to all problems and challenges. The understanding I got from the Bible shows that it is the only Book that consistently expresses the personality of God.
The Bible explains your purpose on earth and the right direction to live a successful life. It guides you on how to enjoy peaceful eternity.
But, it is unfortunate that Bible illiteracy is increasing every day in the church.
The Bible in America, a new report from American Bible Society and Barma group, revealed that: In 2016, 71 percent of practicing Catholics and 84 percent of practicing Protestant expressed the desire to read the Bible more.
In spite of this positive perception
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Acknowledge the Bible
Respect the Originator of the Bible and believe the motive for the existence of the Holy Book.
2. Choose a distraction-free area
A silent place is very essential for Bible study. You cannot understand the scriptures in an atmosphere filled with the noise of your electronics gadgets. Shut down your internet connection if you are reading through your electronic devices. The pop-up messages from your social media platform are strong distractions.
3. Pray before reading
To read and understand the scriptures requires the presence of the Lord. So, your prayers to the Lord before reading the scriptures are highly essential. Invite the Holy Spirit to your premises as your co-reader and you will enjoy the company.
4. Consistent reading
You cannot understand the Bible if you read it once in a week. My experience with the Word of God shows that; a day’s failure to read the scriptures is equal to a month’s loss of divine understanding.
A vital step to take for the proper understanding of the word of God is to allot some minutes for Bible study every day.
5. Start small
Some people thought reading ten chapters or the whole book at a time is the best way of understanding the scriptures. That is not always true! God does not give everyone an equal level of intelligence (either physical or spiritual
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Identify the Context and Content
You will understand the passage in the Bible, if you are able to identify the perspective of the author. When reading the bible, always analyze the content and context of the passage. Such analysis in the presence of the Holy Spirit broadens the scope of understanding the subject matter. For instance, when Paul says: “we are no more under the law”… He did not imply that Christians can live a lawless life. He meant that we are no more under the Jewish law of sacrifice, because Jesus Christ had sacrificed Himself on the cross for us.
10. Meditate and Pray
Before closing your Bible, always read the points you jotted. And put the jottings into practical application. Meditate on the word of God, and pray to the Lord as appropriate.
James chapter 1 verse 22 to 25 say: “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he
The Bible is read and interpreted by many people all over the world. Regardless, no one knows the absolute truth behind scripture. Walter Brueggemann, professor of Old Testament, wrote “Biblical Authority” to help people understand what he describes as six different parts that make up the foundation to ones understanding of scripture. He defines these six features as being: inherency, interpretation, imagination, ideology, inspiration, and importance. As Brueggemann explains each individual part, it is easy to see that they are all interconnected because no one can practice one facet without involuntarily practicing at least one other part.
... that just learning about the Bible is not enough, but having a deepening understanding and personal relationship with it, so then there will be a transformation with the individual.
Michael Joseph Brown, unveils new ways to read and examine the Bible in his book, titled “What They Don’t Tell You: A Survivor’s Guide to Biblical Studies”. Although quite technical, the guide, not book, really goes into depth on the process of studying the Bible and its documents. Brown has a new and refreshing way of giving the reader this information that is necessary in a small group, or for a Biblical scholar. This guide is not meant solely for the biblical scholar and talks in detail about the difference between these two, because some may link the two together. Published by the Westminster John Knox Press, WJK for short, this book gives straight forward answers on the best way to thoroughly understand Biblical text. As you read on you will find out more about how they differ and why they appear so similar from an outside perspective. Brown has taken a wide variety of information, and made it into something interesting and extremely useful for the reader. In his own words, “What I have done is to ‘translate’ some foundational concepts in biblical studies into an idiom more people can understand” (xiii)
In a survey of 2,000 Americans 84 percent own more than one Bible, the average person has 4 copies of the English Bible in their home. 37 percent read the Bible every day, 22 percent read it 3-5 times a week, 22 percent read it 1-2 times a week, 11 percent read it 2-3 times a month, and 8 percent read it only once a month (Poll). If people knew the pain, loss, and fear that the early people had to go through to translate the Bible into English, maybe people would read and take care of the Bible better. Without the English translation of the Bible people wouldn’t know God’s truth for themselves.
In the past few years, the older way of reading the Bible has become irrelevant and implausible for people. Therefore, a pressing need to find a new way of reading the Bible has arisen. In order to address this, many Christian religious groups have started looking for a contemporary way to read the Bible and appreciate its richness. In his book, Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, Marcus Borg gives people methods to encounter the Bible in a new way that breaks the boundaries of simple literalism, while respecting tradition, and also understand the Bible in a powerful and vibrant way. This has led to what he calls the historical-metaphorical way of reading the Bible, which means that the Bible be taken seriously, but not literally.
The most important question one must ask is how should the Bible be interpreted? The first and obvious, yet important thing to say about the Bible is that it is literature. In fact, it is a whole library of books: some of them history, some poetry, and some in the form of letters. When we approach literature, one usually asks the question “How does the author want it to be understood?” When reading the Bible, one should always try and follow the natural understanding of a passage in its context. Dr. John Lennox, who is a professor at Oxford University explains this idea well, by showing how the early Christian fathers used this “literal understanding” to counter a metaphorical interpretation.
To begin, before a person can debate the validity of anything, they must first understand the topic they are debating. So is the case here. A person must first understand the Bible and its origins before they can try and prove or disprove it. The Bible itself is composed of 66 books divided int...
Harris, Stephen. Understanding The Bible. 6 ed. New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2002. Print.
Authority of Scripture reconciles the community with God and can transform our lives. To participate in the fuller blessing of understanding, it is important to view Scripture with historical and literary sensitivity, interpret theocentrically, ecclesially, and contextually. I realize each of these can be overwhelming to the average person who is seeking direction for a specific concern in their life. Therefore, Migliore reminds us, interpreting Scripture is practical engagement in the living of Christian faith, love, and hope in a still redeemed world. When we listen carefully to the voices of the past, from a worldwide culture, and guided by the Holy Spirit, we will open ourselves to those transformational opportunities.
The authors acknowledge that many books have been written on this topic. Their goal is to be unique by focusing on different types of literature (genres) so their readers will understand how to properly interpret them in the context they were written. This review will examine the principles the authors use to interpret the Bible. The review will summarize the book, followed by a critique, and a conclusion.
... In order to understand the Bible we must read it as the Psalmist says “O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.” (Psa. 119:97). However there some suggestions to cope with the study of the Bible in effective manner. The Bible was written a long time ago before us. That is why we need to deal with some back grounds, context, and theology differs with our time. Some hermeneutics principles can help us how to work in the better frame of interpret the Bible, such as the literary context, historical context and how to compare Scripture.
Also, Biblical narrative includes groupings or numbers to represent symbolic meanings (Schnittjer 212). Furthermore, biblical narrators of the Pentateuch use repetition as a way of driving home a theme (Schnittjer 239). By understanding each literary device at the disposal of the writers, a reader can grasp the full theological meaning of the Scriptures. Also, Schnittjer points out, “The storyteller controls what readers hear and what they do not hear and how they hear what they hear” (Schnittjer 285). His point doubles down on the intentionality in which the Pentateuch was compiled. The greatest effort a reader can make is to understand the purpose of the
power. The reasons for studying the Bible will also be discussed along with scriptures and
The desire to study God’s word to obtain a personal connection is a pursuit for many believers. Beginning a course to study and engage with the word at a collegiate level can be overwhelming and intimidating. Even though one may read the word countless times during their lifetime, understanding the reading material academically and historically is a different concept to master. Personally, I was apprehensive about my overall ability to retain the information and comprehend the context of the scientific and historical aspect of God’s word. However, Tarwater wrote in a manner that was engaging and invited me into the historical importance of the words and understanding God. From beginning to end, Tarwater
The bible is what helps keeps our faith alive as it contains a rich amount of history that tells us of God’s revelation and the ways how our faith works. Although the bible contains numerous works of different people, it is still a work of God that helps our faith remain constant and grow, as everything written was under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In some way, I was able to understand the value also of the other books, as before I did not really take interest of the other books included bible, aside from the likes of the Gospels, Genesis, Exodus, Psalms, and Proverbs. Nevertheless, I realized that the books are all part of the bible as each has a purpose to serve and stands as a testament to the infidelity of humanity, and of God’s unfailing love for