Elizabeth Inrig
I grew up in a godly Evangelical Christian home in Vancouver, B.C. Among my earliest memories as an eight year old girl was catching my first and only fish! My father did everything that needed to be done for me so I could fish: he obtained the license and provided the ride to the lake, the rod, the line, the hook, the squeezed worm, and the bucket. He gave me the rod and told me to throw the line into the water saying. “If you feel a tug on the line, pull the line in!” That day I caught a seven-inch fish! My mother cooked it, and we ate it for dinner!
If you’d asked me after I caught the fish, “Do you know how to fish?” or “Could you teach me to fish?” I’d have had to say: “Not really.” Catching a fish is not the same as learning the personal tasks that prepare someone for a lifetime of fishing. I could show you a picture of me holding a dead fish by its tail, but I’d have to admit my father did the things needed to enable me to fish. He’d set me up to catch that fish, but I could never be considered a fisherman who depends on fishing for my livelihood.
I still eat fish, but I let others catch the fish and others cook it for me!
Fifteen years later, as a young bride sitting in a Thursday night Wives’ Fellowship Class at Dallas Theological Seminary, Dr. Howard Hendricks taught us Bible Study Methods. He stressed the importance of learning simple guidelines that would help us learn and understand what we had read and memorized. He illustrated his point by sharing an old saying about fishing: “Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man to Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime.”
That fall, Prof, as he was frequently called, urged us as Christ-followers to keep reading our Bibles and learning its truths but to be willing to follow normal grammatical and literary skills that help us discover what a treasure trove Scripture is! I will share some of my insights that I have come to understand as a result of that long-ago class.
There are foundational points that explain why we need to have a good hermeneutic in order to understand Scripture, and in future articles I will share “next steps” as we learn to delve into God’s word and discover its treasures.
Why study the Bible?
The Bible has some central passages that urge us to study Scripture. Here are a few reminding us how important Bible study is for Christ-followers in the present age. They give us essential reasons to want to learn more and grow.
1. Bible Study is necessary for spiritual growth. 1 Peter 2:1-3 NASB
- 2 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
2. Bible Study is necessary for spiritual maturity. Hebrews 5:11-14 NASB
- 11 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.
3. Bible Study is necessary for every good spiritual work. 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 NASB
- 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
4. Bible Study is necessary for believers to be able to teach God’s Word. Ezra 7:10
- 10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.
What makes the Bible unique?
The biblical story is God’s story on the canvas of time. The Bible is a unique book, one of a kind, never to be replaced by lesser gods or ideologies. It is God’s Story, not ours, and it reveals how God has interacted with us and called us into His story.
Four words or phrases describe this book, and together they confirm the treasure we hold in our hands:
- The word Bible is from biblios meaning a “roll” or “book”, as in Luke 4:17.
- The term Scripture is a term Paul uses for the Old Testament to tell us it is inspired. Peter uses the same word of the New Testament writings as well (2 Tim. 3:16; Romans 3:2 and 2 Peter 3:16).
- The Word of God is used of Old and New Testaments in written form (Matt. 15:6; John 10:35; Heb. 4:12).
- The Canon is a term referring to the final collection of the sixty-six books together.
In addition, four more words are historically true of this amazing book, and they confirm our decision to study God’s Word. Scripture is:
- Inspired—Scripture is breathed out by God, and the product is produced by the Holy Spirit of God.
- Inerrant—Scripture is without error in the original texts; what God has said is what His prophets wrote.
- Infallible—Scripture will not fail in what it says; it is truthful, and every promises will be kept as spoken by God
- Illuminating—the Holy Spirit opens human eyes to understand God’s Word as written so it will reveal truth to us.
Finally, two facts commend Scripture to us as the source of truth and reality:
- The Bible is self-authenticating; church councils have recognized its authority inherent in the books.
- God guided the councils so that the Canon was recognized as His Word.
How do we start?
For us to understand why the Bible is worthy of studying, we should confirm its primary focus:
The story of the Bible is the story of the true and living Triune God who has divinely revealed Himself by His Spirit through His Son. The Son carried out His Father’s plan of Salvation so God’s purposes and promises to mankind—written over a period of 1500 years by 40 authors—will come to pass.
Things to know before we start
Every time you read a book, you are following a set of guidelines you learned in school. You learned there are things to know before you study. You know that basics are important, and when you follow them, they last you a lifetime! You learned there is a beginning and an ending as well as an historical, geographical, biographical, national, political, and grammatical context for every book.
Each book belongs to a literary genre, and there is a main idea (often revealed in the title) that the book’s details will explain. Furthermore, words in a book must be grammatically placed in order to make sense, and there are different kinds of sentences and figures of speech that illuminate the book’s purpose. For example, indicative sentences state facts; they indicate truths such as “The sky is blue”, or “You have been saved by grace through faith”. Imperative sentences, on the other hand, give commands such as “Shut the door!” or “Preach the gospel in season and out.”
In addition, literary devices such as metaphors, similes, and allegories help us understand the author’s points. For example, Solomon famously described his beloved with these similes: “Your hair is like a flock of goats…your lips are like a scarlet thread…your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate…your neck is like the tower of David” (Song of Solomon 4:1, 3).
When these literary conventions are properly fitted together, they reveal the purpose and content of the book. The Bible is no exception; when we read it using the normal rules of grammar, vocabulary, and literary devices, its story and purpose will become clear.
Another detail about the Bible is that there are two Testaments, Old and New. They can only be understood together, not in competition. They are concurrent with each other; they fit together and complement each other. The Old Testament prophesies are what the New Testament fulfills. and the New Testament explains the Old Testament symbols that Jesus represents. Thus both Testaments bear witness to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Finally, the books of the Old Testament canon were collected and recognized by Ezra in the fifth century, B.C. The books of the New Testament Canon were collected and recognized by the Council of Carthage in 397 A.D. Importantly, the first complete English Bible was translated from Latin in 1382 by John Wycliffe. Many of the copies of his Bible were burned. Only 150 copies survive, and of them only one is complete.
In spite of the death penalty issued as a result of the reaction to Wycliffe’s translation, William Tyndale translated the New Testament into English in 1526 and took advantage of the printing press to publish copies of the English Bible, sending them into England from Germany. Roman authorities and King Henry VIII ordered him to stop, but he did not! British agents caught him in Belgium, strangled him, and burned him at the stake.
The personal copy of your Bible is yours only because others paid a great price.
In my next article we will pursue guidelines for reading the Bible in such a way that we will not miss the meanings and details of its 66 books. Stay tuned!
- In Hermeneutics, Even Little Words Matter - August 11, 2022
- Reviewing Bible Knowledge: A Schematic Map for Words - April 7, 2022
- Lips that Honor God - January 20, 2022
This foundational information is necessary, beneficial, and educational. The Lord expects us to be literate and to use our minds, and a good Christian is willing to put in some effort to gain knowledge and understanding (Prov 1:1-7). Thanks.