How to Study the Word of God

[JohnDB]

That's funny
I like the method of kicking the bible out of my bed and having a nap with the Holy Spirit and use osmosis to receive whatever dreams He wants me to receive direct truth through.

I have a very twisted sense of humor....I agree.

Scholarly hermeneutics is almost a lost skill....mostly because most people have an agenda of a pet theology that somehow gains them their "all access pass" into Heaven.

Others have a position in an altruistic organization that they believe does the same thing....whether they have the requisite skills for that position or not. (And woe to the person who challenges their role in that position)

The whole concept of actually taking the accurately understood scriptures to heart and changing your attitudes and actions is too much for them to accomplish. They don't want to self reflect as it will bring them too much anguish and make them uncomfortable.
"I haven't always been right but I'm never wrong now" mentality firmly in place.

And it's always somewhat of a surprise to me....
When we read Acts or any of the apostles' letters...we see how carefully they were about stating ANY doctrine because they were deathly afraid of creating a new one. (Healthy fear of God)
Today...no such fear exists. We live in the days of the "Buddy Christ" (To quote a Jay and Silent Bob movie) whom I advise about how He should do his job and tell him about all the wicked things you do. (Just so he knows for sure how your wicked ways offend me)
There's days I think "God likely has had enough of this mess" but the sun keeps rising...so...

 

[Davy]

Oh....
I guess I need my Holy Spirit Glasses put on before I read the scriptures....

Available for $239.95 when I give a sizable donation to the Holy Roller Full Gospel Church of Apostolic Bereans.

Some brethren need more than those glasses. They also need special filtering ear plugs for when their preachers say things like, "I want 20 people down here at the pulpit right now! and each give me $100!"

OR...

... when their preachers say falsehoods like, "Jesus Christ was JUST a human man like us, and NOT GOD come in the flesh!"

OR...

When their preachers falsely teach, "Don't worry about all this endtime stuff others say, you won't be here for the great tribulation; you're gonna' fly away!"

Etc., etc., etc.,....

 

[JohnD]

That's because it isn't true. The entire Bible is not prophetic. Parts of it are history, poetry, law, etc.

Why didn't you just receive the plain meaning of the verse?

Okay, Wick, how did the entire Bible come into being?

 

[Wick Stick]

Okay, Wick, how did the entire Bible come into being?

I once attended a 2.5 hour lecture on that topic at the Bible symposium that's held annually near where I live.

The short answer is... not all at once. There were multiple canonization events, and a bunch of redaction. Did you want an actual answer, or was this meant to be rhetorical?

 

[JohnD]

I once attended a 2.5 hour lecture on that topic at the Bible symposium that's held annually near where I live.

The short answer is... not all at once. There were multiple canonization events, and a bunch of redaction. Did you want an actual answer, or was this meant to be rhetorical?

2 Peter 1:21 is how.

 

[Wick Stick]

2 Peter 1:21 is how.

The verse only refers to prophecy. You shouldn't add to Scripture.

 

[Davy]

Isaiah 28 is where God showed HOW... to study His Word.

God said it to the Jews who were rebellious, and He used their own mocking of how to study His Word.

Isa 28:9-14
9 Whom shall He teach knowledge? and whom shall He make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

God speaking this through His prophet Isaiah to rebellious leaders of Judah at Jerusalem.

Recall Hebrews 5 where Apostle Paul rebuked brethren because when they ought to be teachers, they instead were in need of the "milk" of the first principles of Christ. He admonished them to come to the "strong meat" of God's Word instead. That is what this being weaned from the milk here suggests as symbolic of maturity in God's Word.


10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

God is using their own mocking of what they say about study of His Word. In the Hebrew it sounds like a song...

"For it is zav lazav
kav lakav, kav lakav
ze'er sham, ze'er sham.

(from E. W. Bullinger's Companion Bible: Notes and Appendices. Biblesoft Formatted Electronic Database Copyright © 2014 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)


11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people.

God is referring to the king of Assyria that He was getting ready to send upon them because of their rebellion against Him.


12 To whom He said, "This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear."
13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
KJV

Thus for the mockers, study of His Word "precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little;" is just too much work!

And for that reason, that TRUE study of His Word is to be that way, the mockers instead will "...go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken." That means the mockers will be 'taken' in deception because of not keeping God's Word using that method.

How's your Church preachers doing brethren with teaching how to study and cover God's Word? Are they continually just reading one verse of Scripture and then go on a one hour rant talking about things not even in the context of that single verse? How often do your teachers in Sunday school cover a whole Bible chapter verse by verse, line upon line? Could you do that skipping around in a text when first learning how to repair a car or airplane?

 

[JohnD]

The verse only refers to prophecy. You shouldn't add to Scripture.

Read it again.

Verse 21 is how the entire Bible came into being.

The entire Bible is prophetic.

Not to mention that the term Prophecy does not strictly mean predictive prophecy.

Prophecy is to profess. Same root word.

Prophet / professor same thing.

To prophesy is to profess something that could be about the past, present or future.

Now read the passage again along with Matthew 16:23 / Mark 7:7 / Mark 7:13 / and John 8:40-45 and accuse me again about adding to the Word of God.

 

[Wick Stick]

Read it again.

Ok... done.

Verse 21 is how the entire Bible came into being.

That isn't what the verses say. They specifically say "prophecy" at least twice. This is the part where you're adding to Scripture.

The entire Bible is prophetic.

Nope. There's a whole group of books collectively known as "the prophets" that are prophetic. Then there are other groups - law, history, poetry, gospels, acts, epistles... that aren't prophetic.

Not to mention that the term Prophecy does not strictly mean predictive prophecy.

Prophecy is to profess. Same root word.

You're trying to change the definition of the word to broaden it, so you can justify yourself.

Prophet / professor same thing.

Not hardly. Did you really just say that?

To prophesy is to profess something that could be about the past, present or future.

Now read the passage again along with Matthew 16:23 / Mark 7:7 / Mark 7:13 / and John 8:40-45 and accuse me again about adding to the Word of God.

Yeah, you did.

 

[JohnD]

Ok... done.

That isn't what the verses say. They specifically say "prophecy" at least twice. This is the part where you're adding to Scripture.


Nope. There's a whole group of books collectively known as "the prophets" that are prophetic. Then there are other groups - law, history, poetry, gospels, acts, epistles... that aren't prophetic.


You're trying to change the definition of the word to broaden it, so you can justify yourself.

Not hardly. Did you really just say that?


Yeah, you did.

If you can't see that the entire Bible came through the PROPHETS as described in 2 Peter 1:21... then you need help.
Sadly, I no longer possess enough patience to help folks like you.
I bid you peace.

 

[GRACE ambassador]

Pray the Holy Spirit opens the Word of God and read / study it with a passion.

Amen! With Bible study Rules:

 

[12question]

Amen! With Bible study Rules:

View attachment 41838

I agree that studying scripture is profitable for certain purposes but not essential.

Walking is profitable. Eating rice is profitable. But they are not essential for a healthy life.

I don't require scripture to live a godly life. My relationship with my Creators has been greatly benefited by not making use of scripture.

My diet has changed and the Spirit of Christ is so much more a part of my everyday life as a result.

Has applying scripture to my daily life benefited me over the years? Yes it had.

But even moreso has the personal intimate relationship with the Spirit of God without the scripture, that is, since I repented of my relationship with what is called the bible. Unfortunately this book became an idol for me.

 

[JunChosen]

2 Peter 1:20–21 (KJV)

20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

On the surface this appears to be only about prophecy. When in fact, the entire Bible is prophetic in that it came by the method described in verse 21. The Holy Spirit wrote the Bible, the Holy Spirit interprets the Bible. Not man. And we are to know this first.

Few know or practice this.

And that’s why there are so many (false) interpretations in the world.

Secondly:

1 John 4:1 (KJV)

1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Test the spirits because we human beings are gullible and what we think might be the Holy Spirit informing us may not be him at all.

Also 1 Thessalonians 5:21 tells us to prove all things because God gives us evidence and does not want us to be chumps putting blind faith into practice. There are times when we must trust God when the answers are not available at the time. But Christianity is about facts and accepting them as truth.

Test all things especially the spirits / biblical interpretation by the Bible itself:

Acts 17:11 (KJV)

11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

2 Peter 1:20–21 says we are to know this first because the truth is derailed from the start if we do not seek God as the Source of truth and as our approach to his Word.

Man may sound accurate, but the flaws in his interpretation compound exponentially. Think of a ship at sea whose course is generally in the right direction but it is off a degree or two. Eventually this error will destine the ship to the wrong port entirely.

Proverbs 14:12 / 16:25 (KJV)

12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

There is more to scripture than meets the human eye:

Proverbs 25:2 (KJV)

2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.

Deuteronomy 29:29 (KJV)

29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Isaiah 28:9–13 (KJV)

9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Pray the Holy Spirit opens the Word of God and read / study it with a passion.

If I may add to your post, it is BECAUSE most people do not understand Bible doctrines and its' interpretations!!

To God Be The Glory

 

[O'Darby]

2 Peter 1:20–21 (KJV)

20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

On the surface this appears to be only about prophecy. When in fact, the entire Bible is prophetic in that it came by the method described in verse 21. The Holy Spirit wrote the Bible, the Holy Spirit interprets the Bible. Not man. And we are to know this first.

Few know or practice this.

And that’s why there are so many (false) interpretations in the world.

Pray the Holy Spirit opens the Word of God and read / study it with a passion.

This all sounds good, but it just doesn't work. Unless you hear an audible voice of the Holy Spirit in your head, YOU (and I and everyone else) are indeed privately interpreting the Bible. Even if you surround yourself with teachers and commentaries, it still amounts to a private interpretation.

This is precisely the point of the Eastern Orthodox: What Protestants purport to be sola scriptura is really nothing more than hundreds or thousands of different interpretations.

The only way this works is in the context of Orthodoxy and Catholicism: THE CHURCH will tell you, authoritatively as the earthly representative of God, what those Bible verses mean. Both branches in the past actively discouraged members from reading the Bible for themselves.

Since I am neither Orthodox nor Catholic, I fully accept that my understanding of the Bible is my own interpretation - informed by scholars and hopefully guided by the Spirit, but ultimately my interpretation.

 

[12question]

This all sounds good, but it just doesn't work. Unless you hear an audible voice of the Holy Spirit in your head, YOU (and I and everyone else) are indeed privately interpreting the Bible. Even if you surround yourself with teachers and commentaries, it still amounts to a private interpretation.

This is precisely the point of the Eastern Orthodox: What Protestants purport to be sola scriptura is really nothing more than hundreds or thousands of different interpretations.

The only way this works is in the context of Orthodoxy and Catholicism: THE CHURCH will tell you, authoritatively as the earthly representative of God, what those Bible verses mean. Both branches in the past actively discouraged members from reading the Bible for themselves.

Since I am neither Orthodox nor Catholic, I fully accept that my understanding of the Bible is my own interpretation - informed by scholars and hopefully guided by the Spirit, but ultimately my interpretation.

Personally, I'm not concerned about the scripture of the past as you refer to them. But rather focused on the same Spirit who moved holy men and women in the past, to move men and women post scripture, now. I don't know why so many people remain in the past when the Spirit of Christ is here in the present.