Knowing God's Word #9

Chapter 9: Word Studies

Word studies help ensure we know a word's meaning and how it is used throughout Scripture. Online resources such as Bible Gateway, Vine's Expository Dictionary, and Strong's Concordance make it so easy to find out what the meaning of a word and all the places it's found in Scripture.

One of the questions in this chapter asked us to do a word study for "approved" in 2 Timothy 2:15.  First I go to Strong's Concordance and enter the verse's citation in the search box. This takes me to a page that shows the verse and assigns each word or phrase a number.

The number for "approved" is 1384. I click on the number and land on another page that shows the Greek word, it's transliteration, definitions, and the other passages where the same Greek word, dokimos, appears.

The info on dokimos provides fascinating insight on our mundane word "approved." Check it out!

Knowing God's Word #8

Chapter 8: Outlines

Outlining a passage of Scripture may reveal patterns we might otherwise miss. Here's my outline of the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8):

Farmer went out to sow his seed

• Path -- trampled / eaten by birds
• Rock -- withered among thorns / grew and choked
• Good soil -- yielded a bountiful crop

The meaning of the parable: the seed is the word of God

• Path -- Satan takes the word from them
• Rock -- no root among thorns / choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures
• Good soil -- noble and good hearts and persevere

Since I don't have access to a tab function, the above outline isn't exactly like I created it in WordPerfect, but you can still get the idea.

Usually, though, I prefer to write out an entire verse or passage, separating and indenting the lines as if creating a poem. This simple exercise helps me pay attention to the prepositions and conjunctions, nouns and verbs.

Knowing God's Word #7

Chapter 7: Back to the Basics

The colored pencils are back again! This time, we looked at the first twenty-four verses of Scripture's longest chapter, Psalm 119. Here's our color code:

Blue: right actions and attitudes
Orange: wrong actions and attitudes
Purple: what God does to/for those who obey Him
Green: what God does to/for those who resist Him
Yellow: the mentions of God's Word

The colors create a visual of this passage that aids our understanding of God's Word.

Knowing God's Word #6

Chapter 6: Pitfalls

When studying Scripture, we need to guard against distorting the truth of God's Word. Neither should we substitute our opinion for truth.

We avoid such pitfalls through careful study of Scripture. Sure, that takes some effort. After all, even Peter said that some of Paul's writings were hard to understand (2 Peter 3:15-16)!

But we have excellent translations, commentaries, and other resources to help us in our studies.

And we're promised that our prayers for wisdom and discernment will not go unanswered.

Knowing God's Word #5

Chapter 5: Dare to Compare

Break out the colored pencils!

In this chapter, we colored-coded the phrases of 1 Peter 1:25 in four different versions. The visual comparisons made it easy to see how different versions translate the same verse.

Which translation is the best?

Generally speaking, scholarly study requires a "formal equivalent" translation, one that translates the original languages practically word-for-word into English. Two popular translations are the New King James Version and the New American Standard Bible.

A "dynamic equivalent" translation, like the New International Version, translates phrase-by-phrase. The NIV is immensely popular because it's easier to read and understand than the NKJV.

Paraphrases, such as The Living Bible, simplify the English language for readers. Even though paraphrases may be easy to understand, they shouldn't be relied upon for theological study.

Knowing God's Word #4

Chapter 4: We Have a Teacher

When we met last week, we dug into Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary for Hebrews 5:12-14. More importantly, we talked about Jesus' promise to send us a Teacher, a Counselor, who guides us into all truth.

We begin our Christian walk as newbies, spiritual babes needing to learn the basics. But as we grow and mature, we long for solid food. "We start with the input of truth, exercising the principle of readiness for learning. We gradually implement the principle of practice for retention of truth. Consistent and persistent practice of truth results in growth to maturity" (p. 45).

Through our Hearts Above spiritual journey, we are learning new study tools so that we can gain a better understanding of Biblical teachings as we are guided by the Holy Spirit.

Nelson's Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts

I received my copy of Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, Third Edition as I was preparing a Bible study lesson on Biblical resources and reference books. After only a few minutes of flipping through the colorful pages, I was excited to share this book with the other women in our group.

The two major sections are Old Testament and The New Testament. Each book of the Bible has its own chapter and these are appropriately grouped. For example, the first five books of the Old Testament are under the heading of “The Pentateuch.”

Between the two major sections is a brief section called “The Intertestamental Period.” It shows four maps that illustrate the “shifts of political power over Palestine” between 750 B.C. until 63 B.C.

The chapters for each Biblical book contain a survey of the book which includes authorship, date written, themes and literary structure, and an outline. Important events recorded in the book are discussed. Charts and maps provide additional information.

The chapter on 2 Samuel, for example, includes a map that shows the locations for important events in the life of King David and a genealogy. Two charts list “David’s Triumphs” and “David’s Troubles.”

The New Testament section opens with charts on “The Miracles of Jesus Christ” and “The Parables of Jesus Christ.” It also includes a “Harmony of the Gospels,” Herod’s family tree, “The Plan of Herod’s Temple,” and a chart showing the “New Testament Political Rulers.”

Photographs, such as the East gate of Jerusalem and Ephesian temple ruins, are scattered throughout the text.

The easy-to-read chapters provide a wealth of historical and cultural background. Bible study leaders and Sunday School teachers will appreciate the many charts and maps, which are reproducible and can be downloaded. But anyone who wants a deeper appreciation and understanding of what they are reading in Scriptures will find this book an invaluable resource.

(NOTE: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson, Inc.)