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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 203
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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It is not what I think but what is stated in the new covenant. Someone who is saved is baptized by one Spirit into one body (Romans 8:9). The person without the Spirit does not accept the thing that comes from the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). This sounds like geometric proof, but it is that simple. Those who study the Bible and are lost, are always learning but never able to come to a full knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3:7).
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I could watch a 3D movie without the special glasses, and gain understanding of the plot and characters fairly easily. Yet it would not have as much meaning, and cause me more distress, by the fact that my whole being would be bothered by the fuzziness of the film before me. Details would be missed or left out completely, facial expressions would be muffled and therefore seriousness could be lost.
To be born again means to have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit inside you, therefore If a person does not have Him, they are not spiritually discerned. They can possess academic understanding, but they will not have the ability to interpret scripture correctly. They would be stunted at hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit and hindered to following His guidance -
Yes, 1 Corinthians 2:14 is where I feel this is made clear.
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Yes, simply because it’s through the born-again experience that our eyes and hearts will be open to the Word of God as His Spirit gives insight and revelation to the Word.
Ephesians 1:17 – That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.
1 Corinthians 2:10 – But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
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I agree with this because it is the Holy Ghost who gives us the understanding.
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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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Using our own bias cannot correctly interpret the Word of God. To do so, one has to one has to submit to the text, using the rules of hermeneutics. The original writer had only one meaning in mind when the text was written, it is our responsibility to determine what that meaning was, not what our own understanding to it is.
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I have found out, sometimes the hard way, in my teaching and preaching of scripture that pure interpretation of the Word can only come about in peace and harmony among Christians if we all have our eyes upon Jesus, no where else- especially ourselves. The love of God transcends everything.
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This is probably the most difficult area to overcome but we can through prayer and an openness to understanding the truth being conveyed in the Scriptures by the help of the Holy Spirit.
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We need exegesis to understand the true meaning of what the author intended it to mean.
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How is the thought woven together.
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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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The Bible calls us not to be people of argument. One must provide respect in love without compromising one’s belief through faith. One must always speak truth in love.
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In the book of 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses the issue of divisions in the church in 1:10-17, and provides a further argument on why human wisdom is insufficient in understanding the Gospel. Therefore our opinions on what the Bible teaches on non-essential things (such as the day of worship, significance of sacraments/ordinances, etc.) should be considered all in light of how they connect to the Gospel. It isn’t a matter always of preaching the right thing with the right explanation. The Gospel reveals God’s power and wisdom. (1:24-25) We need to keep the Gospel the heart of our preaching and leave the end times theories for friendly discussion. We also need to keep in mind the incomprehensibility of God. He will never make sense to us 100% because of his infinitude. This ought to remove legalistic approaches to dogmatic theology that doesn’t change anyone’s heart toward God. I’m excited to take this class!
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Listen to what others have to say. We should be mindful that we all bring our preconceived ideas to the text. We all bring our own biases to the text, whether it is individually or a denomination. The other thing is that we can all learn from one another and so when we approach others openly, we can promote unity. We can interpret passages differently and still be on the same page about God’s overall message to us.
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Believers should relate to each other in a spirit of love even if they interpret a passage differently. Believers are defined by their love for each other not by their ability to interpret scripture the same way.
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We must interpret every Bible verse using exegetical method and it’s interpretation should related to the Gospel.
