Bible Interpretation, Student Workbook, SW05

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B I B L E I N T E R P R E T A T I O N

knowledge gap between our culture and that of the biblical authors and their audiences?

* Of the basic tools, which do you use least of all, and why? Correspondingly, of the additional tools, which do use most and least of all, and why? * Which commentary series do you use most? Are you aware of their particular commitments and ideas that they are committed to? How does this influence your uses of them? * What translation of the Bible do you use most often? How many translations of the Bible do you own, and how do you use them in your study of the Word? How do they help you capture the meaning of different passages of Scripture? * When do you find time most often to actually study the Bible–do you have any regular habits, or do you study when you can? Do you study the Bible in a small group, with a friend or mentor, with the pastor, or at the church? What kinds of changes in your schedule will you need to make in order to ensure a steady, focused study of the Bible? * How do you record the fruits of your study–on computer, on hand written notes, some other way? How do you store your notes, and do you have a system to retrieve them, once you have finished a study? * Is your first impulse when you encounter a hard saying or difficult passage of the Bible to go to other Scriptures to understand it, or immediately to commentaries and dictionaries? Is this a good habit, or not? Explain. * What is the one attitude you need to acquire if you are going to use the tools more effectively in your own personal study of the Bible? Explain.

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From the Page to the Pulpit

(Based on a True Story). Recently in a growing urban church, a pastor was relieved of his position as senior pastor because it was found that he was actually in large measure merely reading his sermons from a book, with virtually no edit, citation, or communication that he was doing so! The elder board was so deeply troubled at this, that they felt it necessary to suspend his ministry in the church, not so much