I love the Word of God. And I love that God made it for everyone. It is available for everyone to read, whether in hard copy, or on your mobile devise. It is, as Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart say, meant to be read and comprehended by everyone from armchair readers to seminary students. Yet, many people struggle with it. The book of Leviticus, the prophecies of Isaiah. I have known too many Christians who struggle to read these wonderful books. Who don’t understand the Word of God, who find the language and the ideas presented there, inaccessible. But that was not God’s intention! His Word is profitable for our lives today (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
So, how can you read the Bible, making sure you understand the Word fully, and be able to apply it to your lives today. In the teaching I have placed on my YouTube channel, given to a group of wonderful women in 2020, I take you through 7 key principles for Bible interpretation. These general principles are not my own, but based on my studies and readings from the sources listed below. And yes, there are others, but these are the ones that consistently make it into the top.
Following these principles, will open up the Bible to you, give you such a clear understanding of the Word of God, and ignite your passion for further study.
References
- Gordon D Fee and Douglas Stuart (2018). How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth [Fourth Edition], HarperCollins.
- Pat Antcliff (2010). Bible Interpretation, C3College.
- Kenneth Boa (2010). Interpreting the Bible, from The Bible Companion Handbook. https://bible.org/seriespage/v-interpreting-bible
- James I. Packer (1958). The Interpretation of Scripture, from ‘Fundamentalism’ and the Word of God, Inter-Varsity Press. http://www.bible-researcher.com/packer1.html
- Don Stewart (accessed 2020). What is progressive revelation? https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_1203.cfm