BIBLE BOOT CAMP 2016 READING THE BIBLE WITHIN PROPER CONTEXT

CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING!! Definition= Context is simply, the setting of a word (s) or event. Always look at the surrounding words, verses, and chapters. You can make the Bible say anything you want if you just pull words and phrases out of the surrounding text!

READ THE BIBLE WITH THESE QUESTIONS IN MIND : Who wrote it? When was it written? Why does this matter? Because God has divided all of history into specific periods of time. God deals with people a little differently depending on which time period it is. For instance, what we today as a church looks a little different than what the children of Israel did in the book Exodus. As you read, ask “What time is it?” Who is it written to?

This brings us to another important principle- All the Bible is written for us, but not all of it is written to us. So who is the Bible written to? 1 Cor. 10:32 gives us the answer. There are 3 groups of people all scripture is addressed to: Jews Gentiles The Church (See the handout titled “Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth”)

Once you have established the “who” & “when”, consider these questions- What is the theme? This is another important thing to keep in mind as you read God’s word. You should be able to sum up the central idea of a passage in just a few words. Hebrews 1 What would you say is the theme of this chapter? Understanding the theme of the passage as a whole, allows us to view each individual word and sentence through the proper lens.

CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING!! Remembering to ask these simple questions (“who”, “when”, “what”) as you read through God’s word will guard you from confusion and false teachings. *Just like Satan’s attack on Adam & Eve was taking what God had said and twisting it, he would love nothing more than to get us reading the Bible out of context. Satan would love to see us spreading false teachings and twisting the Word to say something that it actually doesn’t say at all.

PRACTICE- 1 CORINTHIANS 12 Consider our questions- What time is it?? Who wrote it? Who is it written to? Consider the surrounding verses and passages! when we apply these simple rules of Bible study and consider God’s word in proper context, we get a right understanding of what the Bible actually says and how it applies to us!

BE A STUDENT, A WORKMAN IN GOD’S WORD!