Know Your Bible 12
Al Krumennacher
Know Your Bible 12
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Know Your Bible 12 Text
Know Your Bible 12 Text
Know Your Bible Week Twelve
How to study the bible - In Three Not-So-Easy Steps
Step One
What did this mean for the original audience?
• Who was the intended audience?
• Were they Jewish or Gentile?
• Were they “inner circle” or a crowd of outsiders?
• Was the audience mixed-gender?
Step Two
What did this mean for the early church?
• How did it relate to their struggles?
• How did it confirm, or challenge, their practice of the Christian faith?
• How did they “see God” in the passage?
• What bias, or pre-conceived ideas, clouded their understanding?
Step Three
What does this mean for us today?
• How does it speak to our current political/social/cultural struggles?
• How does this speak to my personal life experience?
• What bias, or pre-conceived ideas, may be clouding my understanding?
• What is God saying to me?
• What is God saying to the church?
Guidelines for Interpreting Scripture
From Biblical Authority and Interpretation,
a resource document affirmed by the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1992
Recognize that Jesus Christ is the center of Scripture
“The Scriptures are the cradle that holds the Christ child” - Martin Luther
Genocide is biblical and Loving your enemy is biblical
Only one is Christ –like
Slavery is biblical and Breaking the bonds of oppression is biblical
Only one is Christ-like
Patriarchy is biblical and Treating women as equal partners is biblical
Only one is Christ-like
Segregation and division is biblical and Unity and inclusion is biblical
Only one is Christ-like
Let the focus be on the plain text of Scripture, to the grammatical and historical context, rather than to allegory or subjective fantasy
“Just stick to the facts”
Depend upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit in interpreting and applying God’s message
“All true knowledge is gift, given to us by God”
Be guided by the doctrinal consensus of the church, which is the rule of faith.
“The Confessions of the Church offer guidance to what the scriptures are teaching”
Let all interpretations be in accord with the rule of love
“God is love,and all who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them”
1 John 4:16
Interpretation of the Bible requires earnest study in order to establish the best text and to interpret the influence of the historical and cultural context in which the divine message has come
“There are no shortcuts on the road to glory”
Seek to interpret a particular passage of the Bible
in light of the whole Bible
Moabites are Bad, don’t trust them (Deut 23)
Except for Ruth, she changes the perception of Moabites
People from UZ are evil (Jer 25)
Except Job, he was the “most blameless man on earth”.
Eunuchs are an abomination (Deut 23)
Until the Apostle Phillip baptizes one
Nothing good comes from Nazareth (John 1)
Until Jesus comes preaching the Good News of God’s love
The Bible is God’s Gift to You