Cornerstone Curriculum, Official Certification Edition

LESSON 2 | BIBLE INTERPRETATION: THE THREE-STEP MODEL / 121

author and audience, its purpose for being written, as well as its rendering in different translations. • Finding general principles of the text or passage is the second step of the Three-Step Model , and involves finding the central messages, truths, commands, or teachings contained in the text. This step involves going from what the text meant in its original setting , to what the text now means to us in our lives today . These principles must be stated clearly, compared with teachings throughout the Scriptures, and made plain for further study and application. • After we have observed the details and drawn out principles, we go to the third step of the Three-Step Model which is our goal to apply the spiritual principles in the power of the Holy Spirit. An application is an expression of the heart to the truth of God as the Spirit leads . It demands discernment and a readiness to obey God’s will for our lives. • All biblical interpretation is given in order to strengthen our discipleship in Christ, and is essentially a variation on the common themes emphasized throughout the Scriptures. Love for God and neighbor, using our freedom to build up others and glorify God constitute the heart of the Bible’s ethic in both the Old and New Testaments. Now is the time for you to discuss with your fellow students your questions about your understanding of the Three-Step Model , and methodical Bible study in particular. The kinds of relationships between our own attitude, our chosen method of study, the Spirit, resource tools, other Christians, and our leaders demand clarity and wisdom. Scholars, church workers, pastors and preachers, and lay-persons alike have struggled with the questions of biblical interpretation for centuries, and now is your chance to join the conversation! Use the questions below to start you on your journey of exploration about the nature of your own biblical study. • With all the confusion and doubt caused by modern biblical criticism, should we be skeptical at using any method, including the Three-Step Model as our way of studying Scripture? How do we know that even the Three-Step Model won’t be twisted and lead to a denial of the orthodox doctrines of the Christian faith? • How can we say that employing a method like the Three-Step Model is not merely an enlightened form of “don’t lean on your own understanding” (Prov. 3.5-6)?

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B i b l i ca l S tud i e s

Student Application and Implications