WHAT IS THE BIBLE?

Listening to God through hearing His word

What is the Bible?

At the most basic of levels, we can say that the Bible is a collection of religious texts that are considered sacred and authoritative by Christians.

The canon or official list of books of the Bible is comprised of 72 books (73 if Lamentations is separate from Jeremiah). The Old Testament has 45 (or 46) books and the New Testament has 27.

For Christians, the Bible tells how God revealed himself to the Jewish people first, then to all people through Jesus Christ. Christians believe the Bible tells about how God acts in human history; it is the inspired Word of God.  

Since the Bible is not one book, but a library of books, there are many different writing in it, e.g. prose, proverbs, parables, prophesy, prayers, poetry, narrative hymns, legends, legal documents, letters, sermons, songs, stories. To be able to understand a passage of the Bible we must be alert to: 

• In what form it was written, e.g., prose, poetry, history, etc.   

• Why it was written.  

• When it was written.  

• What the whole book is about  

• What each word means 

• How it fits with other parts of the Bible on the same subject 

• Where it was written

  
  

The languages in which the books of the Bible were written were Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Most of the Old Testament books were written in Hebrew.  

For Christians, the Bible is divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The Old Testament is the first part of the Bible written and preserved by ancient Hebrews before Jesus Christ and 

the New Testament was collected and preserved by early Christians after the time of Jesus Christ.  

What Christians call the Old Testament, is also known as the Hebrew Bible.  It contains the writings of prophets, kings, and priests and is believed to have been written between the 12th and 2nd centuries BC.

The New Testament, which is a part of the Christian Bible, consists of the Gospels, Acts, letters, and Revelation and is believed to have been written between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. The authors of the various texts that make up the Bible are not known with certainty, but they are believed to include prophets, apostles, and other early Christian leaders.

The word evangelist, evangelise and evangelical come from the Greek euangelistes "preacher of the gospel," literally "bringer of good news," from euangelizesthai "bring good news," from eu- "good" + angellein "announce," from angelos "messenger”.

There are no original manuscripts of any books of the Bible in existence today, only copies. The oldest copy is the Book of Isaiah, which is in Hebrew and dates from about 100 BC. It was found in a cave near Jericho in 1947 and is part of the Dead Sea Scrolls. 

The oldest New Testament manuscripts date from approx. 350 AD. 

The contents of the Bible developed in three stages: 

Oral Stage 

Stories were told and shared between communities and from generation to generation by word of mouth. The more important stories were memorised to be retold on special occasions.  In non-literary communities oral traditions retain a level of accuracy far beyond what would be possible in Western communities today.

Writing Stage 

As time went on, people began to write things down. Writing was difficult and very few people could read. For hundreds of years both the oral tradition and the written word existed side by side. Some parts of the Bible were written to meet a particular need of the community. Not all oral traditions were written down.  

Editing Stage  

The material was chosen according to which best represented the religious traditions of the people. The oral and written accounts could have differed slightly, so editing was done to bring unity between the two.

The contents of the Bible came from this last stage. These three stages of development existed for the most part simultaneously, though the oral stage came first and the editing stage came last.

Many different human authors wrote the Bible over a period of approximately 1500 years. Christians believe God inspired these human authors. It was not the intention of these authors to write a book that would be entered into "The Bible," as we know it. The purpose was to preserve the traditions of how God interacted with humanity. 

Until the 17th century, received opinion had it that the first five books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy – were the work of one author: Moses. That theory has since been seriously challenged.

Scholars now believe that the stories that would become the Bible were disseminated by word of mouth across the centuries, in the form of oral tales and poetry – perhaps as a means of forging a collective identity among the tribes of Israel. Eventually, these stories were collated and written down. The question is by whom, and when?

Though collections of sacred writings existed in the various local Churches of Christendom, the canon or official list of Scripture was only compiled by the Church toward the end of the fourth century—at Hippo in 393, Carthage in 397, whence it was sent to Rome for confirmation in 419.  

The Hebrew canon was only finalised somewhere between 150 AD and 250 AD.

The Bible is neither a work of men and women nor a collection of books physically written down by God and presented to chosen people in written form.  God did not physically write the Bible but inspired men to write it.

The Church insists on both the divine and human character of the Bible: In interpreting the Bible scientifically, its twofold character must always be kept in view:

·       It is a divine book, in so far as it has God’s involvement in inspiring it but

·       it is also a human book, in so far as it is written by men for men and women around the world.

·        In its human character the Bible is subject to the same rules of interpretation as profane books but

·       in its Divine character it is given into the custody of the Church to be kept and explained.  In doing this the Church needs special rules of interpretation.

What is the centre of the Bible? The Son of God made Man

It is only in the light of Jesus that we can understand the Old Testament, as well as the New. All the great personalities of the Old Testament are vivid to us chiefly as types of him. We can see in them, and in their ministry, reflections of Jesus.

He speaks through the words of both the prophet and of patriarch. His voice is heard in the Psalms of David. The whole of the Old Testament is a looking forward to and a preparation for Christ’s coming. The New Testament looks back and tells the history of that coming and of the fulfilment of Christ’s mission in his Church, and then looks forward once more to that glorious second coming when all things shall be made visibly subject to him, and God shall be all in all.

Built on the apostolic tradition

The “prayer book” method is the way Scripture has been used for thousands of years. It has been taken up and used for worship since its very earliest inception. Even today the Jews recite the Old Testament law in their worship daily. The psalms also formed the hymn book of the Jews as well as their Bible.

The apostles transmitted all they received from Christ and learned from the Holy Spirit to their successors, the bishops, and through them to all generations until the end of the world.   These documents too became a part of their daily prayer.

This is the Apostolic Tradition, the transmission of the message of Christ, brought about from the very beginnings of Christianity through preaching, witness, institutions, worship, and inspired writings.

Apostolic Tradition occurs in two ways:

through the living transmission of the word of God (also simply called Tradition)

and through Sacred Scripture which is the same proclamation of salvation but in written form.

The New Testament is composed of apostolic letters of instruction read to the churches, most of them originating with St Paul.  

The Gospel grew out of the apostles’ preaching about Jesus. In the early Church, they read the letters of the apostles, recited the Psalms, and used portions of Scripture to praise and worship God just as Christians do today. (Ephesians 5:19)

The Church uses the Scripture to determine doctrine and moral principles. As Paul gave Timothy the apostolic authority to Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).  Following this tradition, the Church turns to their bishops who they believe have inherited the authority of the apostles to teach doctrinal and moral truth faithfully.

The Inspiration and Truth of Sacred Scripture

An essential Truth:  God is the initiator of Sacred Scripture. Sacred Scriptures have been written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, hence they are sacred.

A significant definition: 

For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age, accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and the New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their authour, and have been handed on as such to the Church herself.

Because it is divinely inspired, God’s word is free from error.

What does this mean? 

a.     It means readers of the Bible must take care to avoid any and all fundamentalist interpretation of the phrase “freedom from all error”.

b.     We do this by using appropriate language:

a.     the sacred books firmly, faithfully, and without error

b.     teach that Truth

c.     which God wanted included in the sacred writings

d.     for the sake of salvation.

This means that metaphorical language, ancient cosmology and culturally conditioned worldviews are not ‘for the sake of salvation”.  The Bible is not revealing new science, social sciences, or any other human activity.  It reveals as divine Truth only those things needed for salvation.  The rest is a part of the literary framework providing context and background in which the Truth is revealed.

To interpret Scripture correctly, the reader must be attentive to what the human authors truly wanted to affirm, and

to what God wanted to reveal to us by those words, in particular paying attention to literary forms and circumstances of time and culture.

Since Sacred Scripture is inspired, there is another and no less important principle of correct interpretation, without which Scripture would remain a dead letter.

Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted in the light of the same Spirit by whom it was written many centuries ago.  It cannot be changed or updated. 

The literal sense of Scripture is:  the meaning that emerges from the biblical words themselves in their literary and historical context.

It is the sense that the author intended.

Note:  Attention to the literal sense (or the literary sense) has nothing to do with the naïve literalism of biblical fundamentalism, since the literal sense can be metaphorical or mythic, and proper attention to literary form is a prime criterion for finding the literal sense.

In Church tradition the literary sense is often distinguished from the spiritual sense. The spiritual sense of Scripture refers to any and all meaning and interpretation beyond what the author intended.

It is the sense expressed by the text when read under the influence of the Holy Spirit in light of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

One example is the way Christians can see the passion of Jesus in Isaiah’s fourth song of the suffering servant (Is 52:13 – 53:12).  Of course, Isaiah is not talking about Jesus of Nazareth the future messiah.  Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, however, we can see how the Suffering Servant prefigures the future Passion.  Helps us understand it.

Fundamentalism: Bible reading that is not biblical at all

Six things fundamentalists believe about the Bible are that it is (1) supernatural, (2) inspired, (3) infallible, (4) sufficient, (5) authoritative, (6) literal. 

1.     Fundamentalists stress Scripture's divine, supernatural origin: It is the Word of God, not the words of men.  The author of all its books is the same God; that's why for them it is one book, not just many. 

Orthodox Christians agree to a certain extent.  A problem with fundamentalists is the way they are usually reluctant to emphasise or even admit the human side of the Bible's authorship.  This creates difficulties when it comes to obvious statements that are scientifically impossible – the sun revolves around the earth, or we live in a three-tiered universe that is held up by giant pillars.  God was not setting out to reveal science to his people! 

2.     Fundamentalists believe the Bible was inspired ("in-breathed") by God, that it was from God’s mouth to the author’s pen. God’s hand was on the pen.  They believe God directed what was written, word for word, no errors of any kind, scientific, theological, none at all.  It is all true and to be believed   However, we do not have the original copies of any of the books of the Bible, and so it is not possible to be absolutely sure what the original words were. 

The commendable motive behind fundamentalism was to hold the line against Modernism even in Bible translation.  They accused many of the modern translations of the Bible as not being true translations at all.  They were more interpretations or paraphrases using the dubious principle of "dynamic equivalence" — i.e., the translator imagines what the writer would have written if he had written the text in modern English.  While the intent was commendable the result was a Bible founded on errors.   But this does help us understand their reliance on the use of the King James Bible, even though we now know its translation is far from adequate in the light of modern advancements in language, semantics and archaeology. 

3.     Christians agree that Scripture is infallible, or free from theological error, but not necessarily free from grammatical, mathematical, or scientific error, only error in its message.  God was not revealing scientific truths.

4.     The crucial difference between fundamentalists and Christians in general concerns the sufficiency of Scripture, Luther's principle of "sola scripture."

Fundamentalists insists there is no need to have the Church validate interpretations, claiming that (a) Scripture is clear, or that (b) it interprets itself, or that (c) the Holy Spirit interprets it directly to the individual reader. Christians agree with the fundamentalists in holding that Scripture is sufficient in that it contains everything necessary for salvation.

The fundamentalists insist that all dogmas must be present explicitly in Scripture.  This would omit the doctrine of the Trinity as the word is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible.

5.     As for the Bible's authority, orthodox Christians agree with fundamentalists that its authority is absolute and unimpeachable. 

But it is not the only absolute authority.  Church tradition is also an authority.  The Spirit has been guiding the Church from the beginning, even before a canon of the Scriptures was finalised, from the very day of the first Pentecost.

6.     The weakest plank in the fundamentalist's platform is surely his insistence on a literal interpretation of everything in the Bible — or almost everything.  Here the fundamentalist makes the same mistake as the Modernist: confusing objective interpretation with personal belief, interpreting Scripture in light of his own beliefs rather than those of the authour. 

The literary style of Genesis 1-3 and Revelation are clearly symbolic, just as the miracle stories are clearly literal.   Fundamentalists confuse literalness with authority, fearing that if you interpret a passage nonliterally, you remove its authority and so the authority of the entire Bible is brought into question.  But this isn't so.

The Scriptures are one:

Scripture is one because the Word of God is one. God’s plan of salvation is one, and the divine inspiration of both Testaments is one. The Old Testament prepares for the New and the New Testament fulfils the Old; both shed light on each other.

The Church has always venerated the Sacred Scriptures just as she venerates the Body of the Lord, since,

especially in the sacred liturgy,

she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful

the bread of life from the table both of God’s word and of Christ’s body.

She has always maintained them and continues to do so, together with sacred tradition, as the supreme rule of faith

The Bible evolved over some 1200 years and almost every book includes earlier oral and written traditions. Sometimes the process took many centuries (in the case of the Pentateuch), or in the case of the Gospels, several decades.

The written text is the third stage of development that follows the oral traditions or earlier writings.

The first stage in each text is the events that gave rise to the traditions. The study of the Bible operates on these three levels:

• At the final or third stage – the writing – it tries to establish as far as possible, the intention, meaning and message of the original authors.

  
  

  • Using this or that literary form, what did the biblical authors intend to say to their audience?

    
    

  • In the contexts in which they wrote and used the resources of their culture, what did the sacred writers have in mind?

• As regards the second stage, it tries to identify the nature of the oral traditions formed and handed on prior to the composition of the texts. What function did these oral traditions have?

• Finally, historical-critical exegesis also attempts to go back to stage one: the actual events that gave rise to the oral tradition and written text.

·       This exegesis is historical because it tries to go back to the historical contexts in which the biblical texts were fashioned.

·       This exegesis is critical because it requires professional knowledge and judgment to determine, even to some extent, what the writer wanted to communicate and what sources were used. The exegete uses a wide range of techniques that are found in other fields of endeavour. 

Often among Bible scholars, one might hear these words spoken in the same conversation: hermeneutics, eisegesis, and exegesis. Although they may seem similar, we need to draw a clear distinction between all three. 

Definitions: Exegesis, Eisegesis, and Hermeneutics.

Exegesis Definition: 

Exegesis essentially means using, interpreting and applying the words of the text in Scripture, through the lens of their original context, to determine their intent. In other words, if one analyses Scripture exegetically, we will try not to come to the text with any conclusions. 

Interpreters let the text itself reveal what the writer is revealing to the reader. By doing this, we do not read anything into Scripture that was not there before, and we study the meaning of the passage that was intended for a specific audience.

Eisegesis Definition: 

Eisegesis means reading into the text with a preconceived notion we may have already formulated. This can often mean coming to the Scripture with a biased cultural lens that did not exist during the time the Bible was written. It can also lead to applying a meaning of the text that we have preformed, one that cannot be validated by the actual text itself.  Of course, theologians frown upon this approach because it is not rooted in Scripture.   At its worst, it can be used to twist Scripture to assert a certain belief that was far removed to its original intent.

Hermeneutics Definition: 

Hermeneutics goes somewhat hand in hand with exegesis. Hermeneutics is more concerned about how you interpret a passage, how you develop the application. In exegesis, we do the researching, analysing and discovering the meaning behind the text as it was written and then in our hermeneutics we apply our discoveries to the invitation to follow Christ and to bring the Good News alive for the world.   Theologians pair hermeneutics with exegesis because you cannot have one without the other.

APPENDIX

Books of the Bible:  The Biblical Canon

Old Testament

Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings  1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Tobit Judith Esther 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees Job Psalms The Proverbs 

Ecclesiastes The Song of Songs Wisdom Ecclesiasticus / Sirach Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Baruch Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel  Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi 

New Testament

Matthew Mark Luke John Acts of Apostles Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians  1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter  2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation 

The King James Bible

There are many Protestant Christians who insist that the King James Bible is the only true Bible English speakers should be using.  It is a line of thinking that originated in the USA but one that seems to have spread across the world.   This point of view is seriously erroneous.

They claim that the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts (handwritten copies) used for the Bible translation commissioned by King James around 1611, were “given” providentially by God himself to the translators. They call it the Textus Receptus, meaning the “received text”. They were the texts God wanted the translators to be using.   Thus, the King James Bible that resulted is the translation God himself wants English speakers to be using.  No other text has that divine blessing.

They further insist that when English translations vary from the text of the KJV, Satan has been at work in the mind of the translators seeking to water down the Word of God and harming the lives of people with their God.

The truth could not be more different.  Newer English translations differ from the KJV because they have access to thousands of more reliable manuscripts that have been discovered by archaeologists after the time of the textus receptus.

The original 1611 King James venison had over 30,000 mistakes most of which have been corrected in later translations.

Why is this so important?  For KJV lovers it is because when the Bible is translated into other languages, say Chinese, there must be questions of their accuracy because God only inspired one translation – the English of the KJV. 

What is their most basic error?

Their error stems from the erroneous belief that God has inspired only the one manuscript and only one translation.

The reality is that the only inspired texts are those original texts (called autographa) written by the original authors.  They would have been put down in Hebrew and Greek. We do not have any of these originals and so we are left to reconstruct them by comparing the thousands of manuscripts that have been found.

The basic Geography of the biblical times

It is important for a more profound understanding of what is happening our biblical texts to be able to locate the action on a map.  God’s saving activities extended well beyond the borders of Israel herself, even venturing outside of the Mediterranean area into the regions of Babylon and Persia. 

It helps to be able to see the route taken by Abraham, and Moses during the Exodus, the exile into Babylon and to pinpoint her greatest enemies.  The names will be familiar and the easiest way to learn our way around is to locate the places as the names appear in our reading of the text.  Investing in a good biblical map is something worth considering.

Time to read the Bible – things to keep in mind

Old Testament

The Old Testament is categorised into four sections (genres): law, history, poetry, and prophets.

·       Books of Law: The Book of Genesis opens with the story of creation and explains the plan God has to redeem the world. This book recounts how God chose one nation as His own and picked a man named Abraham, whose grandson Jacob has sons who become the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The other books in the Law genre describe how the Israelites became the people of God, such as when He chose them and rescued them from Egypt during the time of Moses.

• Books of History: These books recount the history of Israel, including how the Twelve Tribes united and became a single nation and how they later separated into two kingdoms, the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel. One of the main themes within these books is many people choose to leave God and follow their desires, such as wealth, pleasure, and other idols, before turning back to Him.

  
  

• Books of Poetry: This section includes five books of hymns known as Psalms, which are often used during worship. These books are also used as wisdom literature, including the Book of Proverbs. These books represent the songs and wisdom of the people of Israel and cover many topics, including children, marriage, and work.

• Books of Prophets: Finally, the section of the Prophets is divided into Minor Prophets and Major Prophets. The four Major Prophets are longer books, while the 12 Minor Prophets are shorter books. The overall theme of the Books of Prophets is that those who do not turn back to God will face judgment. The Prophets provide hope that God will bring His people back to His land.

New Testament

The New Testament is divided into four sections: the Gospels, history, letters, and prophecy.

• The Gospels: The four accounts of Jesus’s life are in the books of John, Luke, Mark, and Matthew. These authors each provide their unique perspective of the Savior’s life and journey. The Gospels help explain why Jesus came, what His message is, how He lived His life, and why He died and rose from the dead.

• History: The Book of Acts is the only book in the history section, and it describes how Jesus’s followers continued to spread His mission and message throughout the world in the early days of the Church.

• Letters: The letters are also known as Epistles and include the 13 letters written by Paul. Various followers of Jesus, including James, Peter, and John, wrote the remaining letters. These letters include teachings, instructions for the Church and its leaders, and more. Some letters were named after the city they were addressed to. Philippians, Romans, and Corinthians were written to churches in the cities of Philippi, Rome, and Corinth. Some other letters were named after their author or the recipients.

• Prophecy: The final book of the New Testament is the Book of Prophecy, and it explains Jesus’s leadership at the end of time. The Book of Revelation affirms Jesus as the King and Judge of humankind.

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The Living Tradition

The Church believes the teachings of the Apostles and Jesus were preserved through the Bible, Scripture, and word of mouth. The term “Living Tradition” refers to these stories and information passed down through generations. Living Tradition includes anything that contributes toward and increases faith in God and His work.

How to Read the Bible for Beginners

There is no single way that is the correct way to read the Bible. Instead, finding the best order to read the Bible for the first time depends on what you are looking to learn from this important book. While you can read the Bible chronologically, it is not required. You can read the passages in any order, as each contains a message from God.

Here are a few points that may assist in the next steps.

1. Pick a Bible Version

While many people may think there is one version of the Bible, there are several differences between Bibles. The Bible used in the Catholic Church comprises all the books the early Church deemed inspired by God that belonged in the Bible. In non-Catholic versions of the Bible, some of these stories were removed or not included. 

The top three Bibles in English suitable for Bible study are:

• New American Bible (NAB).

• Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE

• New Jerusalem Bible (NJB).

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It is always useful to have at least two Bibles for our use.  One that is our favourite and the second so that we can see variations in the translations.  No translation is ever going to be 100% accurate.  It is important that we have a Bible that we enjoy reading, and whose use of English appeals to the reader.

The best Bibles are those with footnotes and introductions to each book.

2. Set a Time to Read

It is of some importance that we find a time we can put aside each day for reading the Bible.  It becomes easy then to keep part of our day aside just for that. Equally important is to find a place we can also set aside for our reading and reflection.  Somewhere comfortable, free of distractions where we can be alone with God. If you feel alert and focused early in the morning, you may want to set this time aside. Or, if you have free time each week on a particular day, this period could be a great time to sit and read the Bible.

3. Choose What You Want to Learn About

The Bible is rich with information and advice about numerous topics. While the main Biblical themes include God’s promises, covenant, creation, judgment, and deliverance, there are many other topics discussed throughout Scripture. The Bible covers many areas that can help us develop our spiritual lives, become closer to God, and follow His will for our lives more closely.

4. Pray Before Reading

It is imperative that before we approach the word of God we spend some time in prayer. It not only tunes us into God, but it also draws our minds out of those activities and things around us that demand our attention. You can ask God for guidance and to help you find enlightenment as you read the Bible. Praying before reading the Bible can strengthen your connection to God and His word while helping us understand what He wants us to know as we read.

A final suggestion is that we keep a notebook at hand so that we can write down any thoughts, questions, inspirations, or realisations you may have when reading the Bible.

 

5. Understand the Context Behind the Scripture

A critical part of finding God speaking to us through the words of the Bible is to understand the context behind the Scripture. For example, we should consider the author of the text, the history, and the culture that led to this piece of writing. We should try to approach the Bible in a variety of ways, and one of the most effective methods to do this is to put ourselves in the scene as an observer.

Picturing yourself watching the scene unfold can help us to understand the magnitude and importance of the story. It can be useful to try and fully visualise the scene and fill in details as the story continues. The question we should be asking ourselves at each step of our reading is:  what God is trying to tell me in each passage. God delivers important messages in every aspect of the Bible, even if we may not notice them at the time.  Let the text speak.

6. Reflect on Your Reading

Reading the Bible is an effective method of strengthening our faith, but there is a way to enhance the experience. It is important to spend time reflecting on each passage trying to determine the messages God may be sending us through the Scripture. God knows what we need and will speak to us through our reading.

It can be helpful to pause after each verse and briefly reflect on it, helping us unpack and better understand the passage as a whole. While reading the Bible without stopping is okay, frequently pausing to absorb information and think critically about God’s message is helpful.

Use Bible Study Tools

While we can read and interpret the Scripture ourselves, we may have difficulty with some passages or specific verses. Various Bible study tools can be beneficial and provide additional context to a passage. Bible commentaries and annotations offer an interpretative explanation of a Bible passage.

These useful tools can help us learn more about our faith. One of the biggest benefits of the Church is that, over the past two millennia, there have been intelligent individuals guided by the Holy Spirit who spent their lives studying the Bible. By using those resources and knowledge available to us, we can come to a deeper understanding of our faith and its impact on our daily lives as disciples.

A Bible dictionary is a helpful study tool to provide definitions for words or terms they may not be familiar with. With a better understanding of what a specific word means, we are more likely to understand and interpret the passage.

Important Questions to Ask As You Study the Bible

1. What is the passage saying? 

It is important to understand what the passage is saying at face value before trying to interpret it. Some passages, especially prophetic books, can be really difficult to understand even on the surface. There are so many names, places, and symbols and it’s easy to lose track. If you come across a passage that you can’t seem to decipher, start by asking yourself the 5W’s and H. 

·        Who is involved

·        What is happening?

·        When is it happening?

·        Where is it happening?

·        Why is it happening?

·        How is it happening? 

You can also paraphrase sections that aren’t clear by restating in your own words. It is usually helpful to read the passages before and after to get a better understanding of the context.

Once you feel comfortable understanding what the passage is actually saying, you can go on to the next question. 

2. What does this passage mean?

Next, ask “What does this passage mean?” This is where interpreting the passage really begins. 

Before we can understand how God wants to speak to us through this passage, we need to be sure of what it means. We have to be careful not to take the Bible out of context and try to fit it into the circumstances of our own lives. We should study the other way around by discovering the passage’s intended meaning and then drawing an application from it. 

Read through the passage a second time. As you read, ask yourself deeper questions about the details. Pay attention to anything that stands out. Make a note of anything you don’t understand. Write down anything that surprises you. Do not be afraid to ask anything that comes to mind. Remember, the best way to learn is by asking frequent questions. 

Keep the following in mind as you interpret scripture:

·        Type of literature

·        Historical Context

·        Cultural Context

·        Intended Audience

·        Author

·        Date of writing

For example, a poetic book will not be interpreted the same way as a law book. A Historical Old Testament book will not be interpreted the same as a New Testament Epistle to Gentile Christians. 

Is the book written to one person or a group of people? What do we know about the audience? Who is the author? What is his background? When was it written? What was taking place at the date of writing? 

Pay attention to the characters in the text. Who are they? Why are they significant? Ask the same questions about cities, nations, and landmarks. 

All of these things will affect how we interpret the passage. If we interpret out of context, we may draw a meaning that God did not intend. 

We should be good stewards of God’s word. It is a treasure that he has given to us.

While it does take some extra time to interpret scripture, it’s worth it because we get to understand what God spoke to his people in the past and what he wants to speak to us now. 

3. What does this tell me about God?

Before considering what the passage means for our lives, think about what it says about God. Primarily, the Bible is a book about God. While it teaches us so much about ourselves, it is mostly about him. We study God’s word so that we can know him more. The more we truly know him, the more we love him. 

Consider asking these questions:

• How would you describe God after reading this passage?

• What do you learn about God’s character and nature?

• How does this passage relate to how society defines God?

• Did you have a wrong view of God before reading this passage? If so, how has your view of him changed?

4. What does this tell me about people?

Reading the Bible will teach us about human nature and how we relate to God and others. Ask yourself what this passage tells us about people. 

• How do they respond to God?

• Do they respond with love or do they disobey God? 

• Do you notice any notable character traits? Any tendencies?

5. How should I live my life based on what I have read?

Finally, it is time to apply the passage and its intended meaning to our lives. Based on what we have learned, how should we be living our lives? It is one thing to read scripture and interpret it well, but it is another thing to take what we have learned and let it guide our lives. As Christians, we should let the Holy Spirit lead us and transform our lives by the Word.

Try asking the following questions:

• What should I change in my life based on what I’ve read?

• Should I be praying about anything?

• Do I need to confess anything?

• Are there any promises I need to take hold of?

• What truths do I need to receive?

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 Finally, and probably most importantly of all, and all encompassing, remember that when we are engaging with the Spirit of God as we engage with his revealed word, we need to pause patiently and listen to what God is saying to his church, to me.

Bishop Michael Hough