- The Holy Spirit in the Fundamentals of our Faith
- Lesson 1: Sword of the Spirit: How do I study the Bible?
- Sword of the Sprit: How do I study the Bible? Part 1: Why Bible study is important
- Sword of the Sprit: How do I study the Bible? Part 2: How to study the Bible
- The Holy Spirit in Salvation: Can I lose my salvation?
- The Spirit Sanctifies: How does change happen in my life?
- The Struggle of the Spirit (The old nature vs the new nature): Why do I still struggle with sin?
- The Spirit Separates: What does it mean to be "worldly"? How can I be separate from the "world"?
- The Spirit Intercedes: How does prayer work?
- The Holy Spirit and the Church: What is the significance of the local church?
1 Corinthians 2:9-13
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Intro questions:
- Do you have a daily Bible reading habit?
- What is difficult about reading the Bible?
- do you like to read? dili hingbasa (you can listen to audio books)
- Why is it important to read the Bible?
- Psalms give us prayers to sing
- Stories help us get to know who God is (Hosea)
- Epistles give us practical guidelines for our relationships with others
Texts:
- Reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness
- Word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against thee
- Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path
!! Illustration
All across the Bible tells God's story how he created us to live in a beautiful world in fellowship with him, our fall into sin and rebellion against him, and his centuries long rescue plan worked out, and then skipping to the end to show that He is ultimately victorious and his original plan restored
Important to study the bible because of all the different teaching of those who call themselves Christians:
- Women preachers
- losing salvation
- baptism by immersion
cults - have authority in addition to the Bible
select texts to support their beliefs
- Jehovah's Witnesses - Jesus is not God
- Mormons - baptize for the dead
Bible study techniques also teaches us to have insightful Bible devotional readings
So how do we study the Bible to find the correct interpretation, the real meaning? Next week
Because it's God's Word, revealed through human words in history
Both:
- Eternal relevance: speaks to all human kind in every age and every culture
- Historical particularity: writings conditioned by a specific time, culture, and language
In order to understand what the Bible means to us here and now, we need to understand what the Bible meant to it's original readers there and then.
2 Timothy 2:13-21
13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
- why do we need to learn how to study? shouldn't we just read and rely on the Holy Spirit to show us the meaning of the text?
- why should I study the Bible myself? Isn't that the job of pastors and sunday school teachers?
Find out what was the originial intent of the words of the Bible
- culture, language, history
- occasion and purpose of each biblical book
Biblical sentences only have clear meaning in relation to preceding and succeeding sentences
- Content: meanings of words, relationships of words in sentences, choice of translators when source manuscripts (handwritten copies) differ from one another
- Tools: Bible translation, dictionary, commentaries
Sidebar: why are there so many Bible versions? Because of translation philosophies:
- Formal equivalence: "word for word" (KJV, NKJV, NASB, NASU, RSV, NRSV, ESV)
- Functional equivalence: "thought for thought" (NIV, TNIV, NAB, NJB, GNB, REB, JB, NLT)
- Free translation: paraphrase, less concern of exact words (NEB, LB, Message)
A text cannot mean for us what it never meant for them
- Subjectivity in interpretation (solved by objective exegesis)
- Additional meaning beyond it's original intent?