|
Building Your Own Bible Study
A
high art – and life blessing activity
Essential tools:
- Bible- perhaps the
Concordia Self-Study edition
- A concordance- a book
that list the words in the bible in alphabetical order, gives brief
definitions, the lists them in order of occurrence (the Concordia Self-Study Bible includes one)
- Small Catechism
- Pen/paper
- Everything biblical you
have learned up to this point in life
- A willingness to let
the Bible teach you (not trying to prove your point) God wants to ‘reveal’
Himself to you
- Some time, as the devil
will try to keep you from doing this.
Nice
tools: if you can get them
- Concordia Self-Study
Commentary
- Bible search software Bible
Gateway
- Bible word books, such
as Bible Dictionaries or Encyclopedias
- Lutheran Cyclopedia
- Bible commentaries –
many available, but be careful, as every version has its own particular
viewpoint, and some get pretty deep into the original languages. It may be
best to ask pastor for some of his volumes.
- CTCR documents- The
Inspiration of Scripture, Gospel and Scripture
Tools you don’t need
- Somebody’s else’s Bible
study- you learn more when you do it yourself, the Holy Spirit helping you
Getting
started: Things to remember
- God is happy that you
want to study Him and His Word
- Because you have been
Confirmed in the Lutheran Christian faith, you have a solid background from
which to start, therefore all Scripture:
- Testifies to God’s
love for His creation, and His plan of salvation in Law or Gospel
- Is the movement of
God’s plan as the record of, and witness to God’s mighty acts,
undertaken within history for the redemption of mankind
- Has significance
inherent in the faith that the Bible is a book by, about, and for the
people of God
- Is cumulative – so
that the Old Testament is best understood in the light of the New
Testament.
Blessings
and Benefits:
It would be good to remember
at this point that Bible study is complex, and one of the most rewarding things
you will ever do in your life. And, that the Holy Spirit will help you. You
will develop a sense of wonder and gratitude for the revelation that God has
given us. This Book points beyond itself to the living God, specifically to
Jesus Christ as the center of God’s revelation of His will and grace. You will
develop an attitude of deep reverence and humility toward Scripture as the
inspired Word of God, and the sole norm (guide/rule) for faith and life.
Finally, there will be a desire whining you to communicate faithfully and
winsomely to others the content of the Biblical revelation.
Getting Started:
What do you
want to know?
Sample questions: What does the Bible teach
on the subject of worship? Worship is one of the key
words to look up. So are:
temple,
synagogue, tabernacle, Lord’s Supper and others
- Make some notations of
what you learn
- Add addition words or
subjects that you may want to research on another sheet of paper
- Seek to understand what
the text you are reading said to the people of that time
- Check to see if there
are any parallel passages – those that record the same event
- Check other
translations to help clarify any unclear meaning
- Ruminate – put down
thought as they come to you
- Finalize you thoughts
in a logical order
- Present your findings
There are other approaches
to creating a Bible Study, but the tools are the same, Some samples:
- What are the issues
that Paul is dealing with in the congregation at Corinth?
- What does John’s Gospel
record about Jesus’ miracles, and what purpose do they serve?
- How does the structure
of Matthew support Jesus as the center of his testimony?
- Why is the concept of
grace so important to the book of Ephesians?
May God richly bless you as your study His
revelation!
Home
|
