What do we do if we have questions about a passage we’re studying? Back when I started this blog nearly two and a half years ago, I gave several Bible study methods the Bible student can use to better understand God’s Word. There were the word study, character study, ABCD study, and the topical study methods. But, even with these methods we’ll run across portions of Scripture that puzzle us. How do we check those passages to better understand them? Here are some of the methods I use.
- Pray: Always pray first and listen for the answer. God will often open my eyes on the spot when I ask Him. After all, we have access to the Author of the Book. Why not use it?
- Read the context: First and foremost, we need to read the surrounding verses, the verses before and after the passage in question, to get the feel and better understand the topic being covered in the passage.
- Who was
the book written to, what was the purpose, etc? Even if the salutations of Paul’s letters
identify the recipient, we still need to know more about the occasion of the
book, why it was written and if there are problems the book is addressing. You can get this information from at least four
sources.
- Study Bibles. A good study Bible normally contains an outline to each book as well as an introduction to that book. A study Bible will also have notes that address particular passages, so if your passage is puzzling, sometimes the footnotes will clear up the confusion.
- Bible dictionary. Bible dictionaries are books that are written to explain topics and events in the Bible. You’ll usually get book outlines for every book of the Bible. You’ll get information on characters and geographic locations mentioned in the Bible. So, if you need info on a specific book, a Bible dictionary is the place to start.
- Bible encyclopedia. Bible encyclopedias contain the same information Bible dictionaries offer plus more. You can look up theological terms, heresies, and all sorts of things you won’t normally find in a Bible dictionary although Bible dictionaries are becoming broader in the scope. Still, a good Bible encyclopedia goes more in depth on the subjects it contains than does a Bible dictionary.
- Commentaries: Commentaries will give you a considerable amount of information about a Bible book and particular passages within that book. More on how I use commentaries later.
- What type of book is it? The Bible contains a number of book types. In fact, the books are ordered by their type. We have the five books of Moses, historical books, the writings (poetic writings), then prophetic books. In the New Testament we have the biographies (gospels), historical book, writings (epistles), and prophetic (Revelation). Each type of book has it’s own style of writing. We need to understand the type of book before we judge a passage that confuses us. A prophetic book will read very differently from a poetic book.
When I have a problem that these resources don’t handle, I turn to commentaries. I don’t like using commentaries during my study because I believe Bible study is personal. God wants to speak to the student as directly as possible, so I try to keep my study as pure as possible. Commentaries are what someone else sees in the passage. True, they are much better educated in the Bible than I am, but still I have God’s phone number, and He has mine. He can talk with me. Normally, I use commentaries at the end of my study to check what I’ve already decided the passage says. A few times I’ve looked in a commentary and found something like, “some people think this means ‘X’, but that would be a major mistake because ‘Y’.” I’ve found myself way out of line. Good thing I checked before I wrote or taught what I had initially found. We need to be careful with what we teach and accept as true.
I also use some language helps. I don’t understand Greek or Hebrew, so I look to someone who does. Because I don’t speak these languages, I can get into trouble here if I’m not extremely careful. Greek and Hebrew are very different from each other and from English, so anything I think I understand should be checked if it doesn’t align with what I already know the Bible says.
If I still haven’t found help and am unsure of my conclusion about the passage, I’ll check with a more knowledgeable Christian friend. I have a few pastors I can talk with comfortably about these questions, and I do. Make friends with your pastor. He wants to be a resource for your study and will almost always be glad you checked on a passage you’re unsure of.
If I still haven’t arrived at a satisfactory answer to the puzzling passage, and I think it’s extremely important, I’ll go to an expert. I go to a seminary I trust, look up their faculty list, and I will usually find email addresses for the various professors. If I have a theological question, I’ll send an email to a professor of theology. If my question is a language question, then I send an email to the language department or a specific professor in that department. If I can’t find email addresses, I’ll call the school and ask for the department I need information from. They will usually direct me to someone who can help.
Lastly, once in a while there just is no answer this side of heaven. We need to accept it and move on.
Speaking of questions, I’d like to initiate a new policy and open this blog up to your questions. You might inspire a blog post, and that would be great! No names will be mentioned. You can comment here or email me at answersaz@gmail.com
Believers Armed and Dangerous 