.::Food for thought::.

Last night was my first time hearing Pastor Rummage of BSBC speak. The series we are on is "Dwell Deep." Last night we discussed our Bible. Below are the notes I got from it and though it seems simple I really think that if we do this we will get more out of God's word.

Principles for interpreting your Bible:

Revelation-God did something to reveal himself. People saw what he did.
Progress-The Bible becomes more complete as it moves from beginning to end.
Meaning-Every passage of scripture is about something.
Consistency- A passage cannot mean now what it never meant then.
[There's a difference between application and interpretation]
Discovery-Find the meaning of a passage, don't create a meaning for it.
Clarity- Look for the clearest and most obvious meaning of the passage.
Simplicity-Most passages have only one meaning.
Harmony- The Bible speaks consistently with itself.
Language- Interpretation must be rooted in the words of the passage itself.
Honesty- Ignorance as to the meaning of some passages must be admitted.
Obscurity-Don't base major doctrines on unclear passages.
Humility- Check your interpretation against the interpretation of other believers.
Redemption-The cross of Jesus Christ is the central theme of all scripture.


Guidelines for studying your Bible:

-Use a bible translation you can use and understand.
-Focus your study on a paragraph of scripture.
-Read the passage repeatedly.
-Outline the big flow of ideas in the passage.
-Write each verse of the passage on a separate sheet of paper.
-Make observations of the detail you see in each verse.
-Ask questions about each verse.
-Based on your study write the BIG IDEA of the passage in one sentence.
-Identify and articulate the supporting ideas of the passage.
-Now that you have discovered what the passage means consider what it means to you and to others and how you are called to respond to this portion of God's word.

Your words are my food and your breath my wine. You are everything to me.