Effective Bible Study Methods and Presuppositions for a Fruitful Learning Journey
Discover essential presuppositions and effective Bible study methods outlined by Robert Thurman from MABS Brookes Bible College in Spring 2016. Embrace the unique nature of the Scriptures and cultivate a mindset of growth, respect, and understanding on your journey of exploring the divine Word.
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Bible Study Methods Robert Thurman, MABS Brookes Bible College, Spring 2016
Presuppositions Everyone has presuppositions. Here are the ones I am bringing to this course 1. I presuppose that we are here today because of our mutual love for God s Word and that you are willing to engage in hard work and study to learn how to handle the Scriptures properly. 2. I presuppose we agree that the Scriptures are our ultimate authority and that they are uniquely sufficient to provide answers to the questions we will wrestle with during this course.
Presuppositions I presuppose that you will not always agree with my understanding of the Scriptures. You are always free to disagree, but if you want to debate, I presuppose you will make your case using the Scriptures and in a loving and respectful spirit. 3. I presuppose I presuppose that you expect to get your money s worth out of this class, and that you expect me to challenge your thinking and to stretch you academically. 4.
Presuppositions I presuppose that you will not always understand everything in the assigned readings. I expect you to read them anyway and get what you can. 5. I presuppose that you will not always understand everything I communicate during lectures. I expect you to ask me questions and don t stop until I ve made myself clear. 6.
Presuppositions I presuppose that you want to do your best work, and that you want me to tell you how you can improve the work you submit to me. 7. I presuppose that you will face many challenges as you seek to complete this course. I presuppose that you will communicate with me if there s something I can do to help. 8.
Presuppositions I presuppose that we will grow in Christian love and in mutual respect for each other. 8. I presuppose that you are not here for mere intellectual stimulation, but to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Savior. 9. 10. I presuppose that you will desire and make every effort to turn your theology into doxology.
Bible Study Methods Before we talk about how to study the Bible, we need to understand the nature of the Bible. When we study the Bible, we are not studying an ordinary work of literature, but we are seeking to understand the divinely inspired and inerrant testimonies of the Lord.
Bible Study Methods The doctrine of inspiration: God carried along the human writers of the Bible so that they composed and recorded without error His message to mankind in the words of their original writings. The doctrine of inspiration is not something that men have imposed upon the Bible. Rather, it is a teaching of the Bible itself.
Bible Study Methods 2 Timothy 3:16 shows us the extentof inspiration: All Scriptureis inspired. What is Scripture? The New Testament uses the word Scripture 51 times.
Bible Study Methods Sometimes Scripturerefers to the entire Old Testament (Luke 24:45; John 10:35). Sometimes Scripturerefers to a particular passage of the Old Testament (Luke 4:21). Sometimes Scripturerefers to a particular passage of the New Testament (1 Timothy 5:18; cf. Luke 10:7).
Bible Study Methods 1 Timothy 5:18 is significant because it combines a New Testament passage with an Old Testament passage designating them both as Scripture. Sometimes Scripturerefers to a larger portion of the New Testament (2 Peter 3:16).
Bible Study Methods 2 Timothy 3:16 also shows us the meansof inspiration: All Scripture is God-breathed. 2 Timothy 3:16 also shows us the purposeof inspiration: All Scripture is profitable to make us fully equipped for every good work.
Bible Study Methods 2 Peter 1:21 shows us the processof inspiration: God moved and bore the writers along (cf. Acts 27:15). 2 Peter 1:21 shows us the sourceof inspiration: The writers did not write from their own wills.
Bible Study Methods Some argue that only the thoughts or ideas expressed by Scripture are inspired. 1 Corinthians 2:13 shows us that the actual words(not just the thoughts) of the Bible are inspired.
Bible Study Methods The Bible is unlike other books because of the variety of materials it contains. Genres or types of inspired materials in the Bible... 1. Material that came directly from God (Duet. 9:10; 1 Corinthians 11:23) 2. Researched material (Luke 1:1-4).
Bible Study Methods Letters 3. Songs, poetry, wise sayings 4. Prophetic material (1/4 of the Bible) 5. Historical Materials 6. Other materials (Gen. 3:4-5; Titus 1:12; Rom. 9:1-3) 7.
Bible Study Methods-Quiz 1 Second Timothy 2:15 highlights three basic ideas. List them. True or False- 1. 2. 3. 4. _____William Tyndale was responsible for the first printed English Bible. 5. _____ The process of copying the books of the Bible is called transmission. Bonus: Orthotomeomeans __________________.
Bible Study Methods The Bible s inspiration teaches us something about how it must be interpreted. The Bible s inspiration tells us that it is a human book.
Bible Study Methods Because the Bible is a human book we assume: That it communicates its message according to the normal rules of human language and logic. That the Bible s meaning is shaped by the historical contexts and intents of its human authors. The Bible s meaning is going to be impacted by the culture and language of its human authors. 1. 2. 3.
Bible Study Methods Because the Bible is inspired we also know that it is supernatural. Therefore we can assume: That humans need divine guidance and power to fully understand its meaning That it reveals the nature and character of God That it is inerrant.
Bible Study Methods The doctrine of Inerrancy: Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching. Inerrancy applies only to the original manuscripts. However, this does not minimize the importance of this doctrine.
Bible Study Methods There is deductive evidence for the Bible s inerrancy. A deduction consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.
Bible Study Methods A. God breathed out the words of the Bible (2 Timothy 3:15-17). B. God is true. C. Therefore, the Bible is true.
Bible Study Methods A. God superintended over the transmission of His Word (2 Peter 2:20-21). B. God does not fail. C. Therefore the Bible does not fail to accurately transmit His Word to us.
Bible Study Methods There is also inductive evidence for the Bible s inerrancy. Inductive reasoning bases a conclusion upon the examination of evidence.
Bible Study Methods Jesus accepted the plenary inspiration of the Bible (Matthew 4:4, 11-12). Plenary means complete.
Bible Study Methods Jesus accepted the truth of the propositions of the Bible (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10).
Bible Study Methods Jesus referred to historical figures and events in the Old Testament as factual. For instance...
Bible Study Methods He affirmed that Adam and Eve and Abel were actual people (Matthew 19:3-5; Mark 10:6-8; Matthew 23:35).
Bible Study Methods He affirmed the Old Testament account of Noah and the ark (Matthew 24:38- 39; Luke 17:26-27).
Bible Study Methods He affirmed that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were real people (Matthew 8:11; John 8:39).
Bible Study Methods He affirmed the story of Lot and his wife and Sodom s destruction (Matthew 10:15; Luke 17:28-29).
Bible Study Methods He affirmed Moses and his writings Matthew 8:4; John 5:46). He affirmed that David was a real person (Matthew 22:45).
Bible Study Methods He affirmed the story of Jonah as true (Matthew 12:40). He affirmed that Isaiah was a real person (Matthew 12:40).
Bible Study Methods He affirmed that Elijah was a real person (Matthew 17:11- 12). He affirmed that Daniel was a real person (Matthew 24:15).
Bible Study Methods He affirmed that Zechariah was a real person (Matthew 23:35). Jesus promised that all the Old Testament promises would be fulfilled (Matthew 5:17-18).
Bible Study Methods Jesus based an important teaching on one small word of an ordinary passage (John 10:31-38; Psalm 82).
Bible Study Methods Jesus based an important teaching on the verb tense of a Scripture passage (Matthew 22:23-33; Exodus 3:6).
Bible Study Methods Jesus based an important teaching on one letter of a Scripture verse (Matthew 22:441- 46; Psalm 110:1).
Bible Study Methods Robert Thurman, MABS Brookes Bible College, Fall 2015
Bible Study Methods Christians believe in the inerrancy of Scripture because God is ultimately the author of the Bible and because God is incapable of inspiring falsehood or failing.
Bible Study Methods If the Bible is inspired and inerrant, logic dictates it must also be understandable. Theologians refer to this doctrine as the perspicuity of the Bible. We assume that because God superintended over the transmission of the text and guarded its content, that God intended to communicate His message with clarity.
Bible Study Methods That God demands that His Word be obeyed (with nothing added to it or taken away) also tells us that the Bible is understandable. This doesn t mean that there will not be difficult passages, and it doesn t mean that the truth of the Bible can be apprehended in a transforming way apart from the illumination of the Holy Spirit. However, the Bible must be understandable for it to be obeyed.
Bible Study Methods Definitions- Hermeneutics: The study or practice of interpretive philosophies or the study or practice of a particular set of interpretive principles
Bible Study Methods Definitions- Hermeneutic: A set of principles guiding the interpretation of a text All of us use a hermeneutic every time we read.
Bible Study Methods Definitions- Exegesis: The process of implementing valid interpretive principles. Exegesis involves investigation into the history, grammar, genre, and literary context of the text.
Bible Study Methods Definitions- Meaning: The truth intention of the author. How many truth intentions can an author have in a particular text? What is truth?
History of Western Thought Pre-Modern Thought (pre 1700s) Absolute truth exists and it is objective Absolute truth comes to us via divine revelation Absolute truth is authoritative and binding Dependence on the supernatural
History of Western Thought Pre-Modern Thought (pre 1700s) Modern Thought (Enlightenment until 1989) Absolute truth exists and it is objective Absolute truth exists and it is objective Absolute truth comes to us via divine revelation Absolute truth comes to us via human reason/science Absolute truth is authoritative and binding Absolute truth is authoritative and binding Dependence on the supernatural Rejection of the supernatural
History of Western Thought Pre-Modern Thought (pre 1700s) Modern Thought (Enlightenment until 1989) Absolute truth exists and it is objective Post-Modern Thought (1989-?) Absolute truth exists and it is objective Absolute truth does not exist; truth is subjective Absolute truth comes to us via divine revelation Absolute truth comes to us via human reason/science Subjective truth may come from an infinite number of sources Absolute truth is authoritative and binding Absolute truth is authoritative and binding No truth can be authoritative or binding Dependence on the supernatural Rejection of the supernatural Open to the supernatural
