How To Read the Bible for All Its Worth (3rd Edition, 2003) by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart

I read this book last month (August) when I was getting ready for a camp. I had already read it in previous years, but after reading the chapter on the Gospel for references, I became completely engaged. I therefore began at the beginning and completed it on the flights, off days, and days in between during the camp. One of the passages that speaks to me is this: "Whether one likes it or not, every reader is at the same time an interpreter. That is, most of us assume as we read that we also understand what we read. We also tend to think that our understanding is the same thing as the Holy Spirit’s or human author’s intent. However, we invariably bring to the text all that we are, with all of our experiences, culture, and prior understandings of words and ideas. Sometimes what we bring to the text, unintentionally to be sure, leads us astray, or else causes us to read all kinds of foreign ideas into the text."

The question is, therefore, not whether we should interpret the Bible or not, but is our interpretation is faithful or not. The goal of the late Gordon D. Fee (1934-2022) and Stuart in this book is to arm us with the awareness, tools, and skills needed to properly interpret the Bible in light of its original intent, audience, and context. The writers urge us to consider the various literary genres (such as poetry, narrative, epistle, etc.) and how those subtle differences influence our understanding. They also teach us to do the works of interpretation based on the conviction that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, while still being honest enough to acknowledge that inspiration may have varied ramifications for the various books of the Bible. Dear students of the Word, buy and read this book!

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #HowToReadTheBibleForAllItsWorth #GordonEFee #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read my other book reviews/summaries, CLICK HERE

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

 

A Survey of Bible Doctrine (1972) by Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Book Review

 

A Survey of Bible Doctrine (1972) by Charles Caldwell Ryrie

When I found this book, there were no covers. I have to make these blue covers by myself 😁 Most seminarian students (I'm not one) and Bible students (I'm one) know or at least have heard about Charles Ryrie (1925–2016). His life and books have influenced many people like Charles Swindoll and John MacArthur. The critical ones will remember him as a dispensationalist only; the learners, however, as a theologian first. Nobody, including me, will agree with everything he writes and teaches. But nobody can deny his contribution of making the written Word of God accessible and understandable through his writings and teachings.

"God intended you to understand what the Bible teaches," encourage Ryrie in the introduction, "This does not mean that you will comprehend all its truths at first reading or even in a lifetime, but it does mean that you can expect to learn a great deal. God used language which He meant to be taken as normally and plainly as the words in this book. So take it that way and assume He means what He said. When a problem arises, look at it again and remember too that God has promised that the Holy Spirit will also help you to understand His truth (John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:12)." Before I ever understand that 'normally and plainly' or 'literal interpretation' of the Bible is synonymous with 'dispensationalism' (false assumption), I already believe that, unless otherwise, the Bible MUST be interpreted literally. And so, as I read this book, I have little disagreements (so far) and am very much pleased by his simple but thoughtful interpretation of the Scripture. Keep in mind though that men of God like Ryrie are not infallible and it is idolatry to expect one redeemed-sinner to know it all. Plus, my knowledge is still limited. In fact, my disagreements might be due to my faulty beliefs and ignorance. I'm glad I'm not yet arrived. By God's grace, I'm still growing 🙏 At the end of the day, we must examine everything with and by the Scripture. Sola Scriptura.

Contents: 

1) What Is God Like?

2) Is the Bible Inspired?

3) Jesus Christ the Lord

4) The Holy Spirit

5) The World of Angels

6) The Nature of Man

7) Christ's Salvation

8) What Is the Church?

9) What Does the Future Hold?

To go in-depth, read his later works such as Basic Theology and The Ryrie Study Bible 😊💪⚡ #1Book1Week #ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain #CharlesRyrie #BibleDoctrine

FB Page: https://facebook.com/LEGASI.tv/                
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/LEGASI.tv/            
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LEGASItv/

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

I Can Do All Things through a Bible Verse Out of Context

People love to quote their favorite verses to encourage and inspire each other - but sometimes, those verses get taken out of context. What can you do to avoid twisting a verse’s meaning and minimize the damage of misusing it? It starts with three simple questions:

> What's the main theme of the book/letter/chapter(s)?

> What is the context of the verse?

> What does it mean?

With these three basic questions, you can quote the verse faithfully and with confidence. If you're nearby in the Kuching area, join us in the chapter-by-chapter Bible Study #DugDownDeep every THURSDAY evening  By properly studying the Bible in its context you can better apply the truth in your life... and share the Good News to others #ServeToLead #GrowingLeader

FB Page: https://facebook.com/LEGASI.tv/ 

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/LEGASI.tv/ 

IG: https://instagram.com/legasi.tv/ 

YouTube: http://bit.ly/LEGASItv 

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Part 3: The Bible - Its Interpretation (iii)

Actually, this series is from Understanding Bible Truth booklets by Robert Hicks and Richard Bewes (1981), but I have expanded some texts for modern readers (to make it easier to read) and added Scripture quotes (I’m using ESV Bible) into these writings to clarify its points more clearly. My purpose of making this series available in the internet is single: So that you can be clear the essential facts about the Bible’s teaching in a readily understandable form.

First, What is “Interpretation”?

Interpretation, in Biblical term, simply put, the discovery of the true meaning of the Bible. The tasks of interpretation involve basically two levels: “First, one has to hear the Word they heard; you must try to understand what was said to them back then and there (exegesis). Second, you must learn to hear that same Word in the here and now (hermeneutics)” [See How the Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart for more detail guidelines on how to interpret the Bible correctly].

Here are 5 things that are important to remember as we try to understand the Bible’s teaching more clearly:

It Must be Seen in Its Historical Setting

One of the ways in which we can understand the meaning of a Bible passage is to gain an understanding of its original meaning to the earliest readers. The more we know about the customs and politics of the Biblical times, the clearer its meaning will be.

For example, the New Testament commands that slaves should obey their masters. “Slaves, obey your earthly masters” (Ephesians 6:5). We must understand this in light of the fact that slavery was generally accepted at that time (even though it was seen as part of the order that was passing away because of Christ). It was a norm in the ancient times for rich people to have slaves in their homes.

Similarly, knowledge of customs at that time helps the modern reader to understand the meaning of Jesus’ command to His disciples to wash one another’s feet – which might otherwise seem irrelevant today.

It Must be Consistent with Its Surrounding Passage

We can better understand the meaning of a Bible word when we examine the sentence in which it occurs. In the same way, we can truly understand a sentence only when we look at the surrounding paragraph (the context). The leaders of many false cults and sects often twist the truth of the Bible by taking the sentence out of its context. In this way they use the Bible to support their own beliefs (I fear that most of us treated the Scripture like this, cut and paste, quote and claim verses out of its context – this attitude grief my heart greatly and displeased the God of the Bible. Forbid us from this error O Lord I pray).

Christians must be careful to find out what the Bible is really saying (even when it hurts). Nehemiah 8:8 recorded, “They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly (or with interpretation, or paragraph by paragraph), and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading”.

It Must be in Harmony with the Rest of Scripture

Individual passages of Scripture are to be interpreted in the light of the whole Bible. When this is done, no one part of Scripture will be found to conflict with another. When we are confronted with apparent contradictions in the Bible, it is probably because we do not know the consistent teaching of the Bible as a whole. The challenge to the reader of the Bible is to develop a truly biblical way of thinking. Paul reminded us to “rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). And with that, we should try to understand and know the rest of Scripture also – not just little bits here and there – but the whole Big-Picture of the Bible.

It Must be Consistent with the Purpose of God’s Revelation

The Bible tells us all that we need to know about God’s plan for His creation and for mankind. There are many questions which we might want answered about which the Bible says very little or nothing. But God’s Word tells us all we need to know, sufficiently (not whatever we want to know) about Him and His plans (see Deuteronomy 29:29).

We must recognize that the Bible is first of all a book of salvation. Therefore, we should avoid making clever interpretations on matters outside its main purpose.

It Must be Understood in Changing Cultures

The Bible has a living message, with power to transform lives and characters. Although it was given in cultures far removed from those of modern times, its relevance to life is undiminished today. As we interpret the Bible, however, we must be prepared to wrestle with the words and term used by the biblical writers, and to translate them in ways that the modern reader can understand without watering down the truth and principles that are clearly taught in it.

My conclusion about the Bible “Its Interpretation”

Whenever I were asked to conduct Bible Study in colleges and universities’ Christian Fellowship I would introduce them to OIRA method. It is a standard and basic method of Bible Study. ‘O’ stand for Observation, ‘I’ stand for Interpretation, ‘R’ stand for Reflection, and ‘A’ stand for Application (Normally, I includes ‘Reflection’ together with ‘Application’). I think it is a good summary for all above points and good conclusion on how to interpret the Bible properly:

Observation always comes first. It considers what a text means. It asks what it says plainly in the text. What does it say? What is the actual content in the text? It answers questions: who, what, when, where, why and how.

Then Interpretation comes second. It determining the meaning of a text once all of the facts are in. our task is to discover the original intent and meaning of the author. What does it mean? What did God mean by what He said?

Finally, Application comes last. What does it mean to me? How does it apply to my life? Robert M. West writes, “Bible study doesn’t end with interpretation; it continues to the question, So what? The goal of Bible study isn’t only gaining information but also experiencing transformation. We’re not just trying to get through the Bible; we’re letter the Bible get through us. If there’s a good example, follow it. If there’s warning, heed it. If there’s a command, obey it. If there’s a promise, believe it.”  

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.