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Lesson OneWhat is Biblical Interpretation?4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TwoA Short History of Interpretation4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson ThreeBasic Principles of Interpretation4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson FourInterpreting Narratives or Stories4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson FiveInterpreting Poetry and Wisdom4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson SixInterpreting Prophecy4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson SevenThe New Testament Use of the Old Testament4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson EightThe Theological Use of the Bible: Putting it All Together4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson NineContemporary Approaches to Biblical Interpretation4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TenInterpreting the Cultural Aspects of the Bible4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson ElevenWhen the Bible Doesn’t Address Our Questions4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TwelveInterpreting the Bible Devotionally4 Activities1 Assessment
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Course Wrap-UpCourse Completion1 Activity1 Assessment
Participants 229
Discussion Questions
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Do you agree with the lecturer that a person must be a born-again Christian in order to understand the Bible? Give reasons for your answer.
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- Yes, to fully understand the Word, we must have the leading of the Holy Spirit. Although, there are principles of right living for all, (the Ten Commandments, loving our neighbor as ourselves, etc) that if followed, anyone will benefit from.
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Absolutely. It is Holy Spirit who gives us the truth of the gospel. Spirit speaks to spirit.
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 1 Corinthians 2:10
For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:2
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Yes, “Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.””
John 3:
“I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?”
John 3:12 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.3.12.NIV
bible.com
I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
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Yes, we need the Holy Spirit to help us discern (1 Cor 2:14). Our hearts must be aligned with Christ!
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Yes to understand biblical truth you must be born again as the bible is a spiritual book the Holy Spirit is reveals and makes its truth spiritually discerned. You must invite him into a surrender heart.
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If we all come to the biblical text with bias and previous conditioning, how can we expect to arrive at an interpretation that resembles the authoritative Word of God?
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1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 states, Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. One type of evil can be manipulating the Word to align with our thinking.
I believe when we interpret the Word with biases and previous conditioning, we are tailoring it to align with our thinking rather than taking our biases and previous conditioning and making them obedient to the Word of God. As mentioned in 2 Corinthians 10:5: We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
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If we are stubborn to hold on to our bias and pre-conceptions, I am afraid we cannot expect to arrive at a fair interpretation of the Bible. Humility to learn is a prerequisite of an interpreter. There is no other way.
#Interpretation
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Although our cultural background and upbringing will play a huge role in how we interpret the text, we can still reduce our biases by being aware of them and inviting Holy Spirit to help us understand the text as God intended it to be. We are all human and will never be able to perfectly interpret the Bible, but we can combine our wisdom with other strong believers and continue to pray and ask for guidance from Holy Spirit.
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We can never come to an interpretation of the Bible that resembles God’s Word if we already have biasness or preconceived ideas of what the Bible means. We must always be open for interpretations to be given to us by the Holy Spirit that may go against any previous teachings or biasness.
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We may arrive at an interpretation that is lead from outside the word of God or the biblical text. It is not lead from the biblical text. Therefore, the interpretation is not Spiritually discerned and may be way off, or far from what the author intended for it to mean.
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When believers interpret a passage differently (either within a church or across denominations), how should they relate to each other in a way that promotes unity in the Body of Christ and yet continues to minister God’s Word with conviction?
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If they are believers that proclaim the Lord Jesus and they do not preach another Gospel, which is not another, then in love, we should reason together. We should love each other as Christ has loved us.
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They should relate to each other with humility, placing the focus completely on the Word of God and his meaning as it applies to our lives, and not as it applies to our goals.
All of this surrounded by prayer and study. -
Focus on the basics and what is agreed
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1 Peter 3:15: “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”
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They should be willing to listen to how each other explains his interpretation, instead of reacting emotionally. They should be open-minded like the Bereans (Acts 17:11) to search the Scriptures for themselves to check on the interpretation, even their own. In searching the Scriptures, they should try their best to discern what the original meaning of the author to his readers was. Once they have come to a conclusion, they can share it gently, respecting others’ opinions and patiently understanding that they too may need time to search the Scriptures to check out his interpretation. Just like his own convictions, their convictions cannot come overnight without a process.
#Interpretation
