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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 because the word says spiritual only can be understood spiritually
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Absolutely yes. I do see some with a lot of head knowledge, and no application. However, the Bible is God’s inspired word (2 Tim 3:16). In several places we can find where Jesus has spoken in ways that we need His understanding to interpret correctly. The parables were a great example with the apostles having to seek out meaning. In surrendering our lives to Christ, He indwells our spirit with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will guide and direct us (John 16:13).
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Absolutely. Scripture supports this view through Jesus’ words during His earthly ministry that only those who have ears will hear the truth of His message, a point He makes repeatedly. And we see in the account of Philip and the Ethiopian official in Acts 8, for example, where Philip interprets scripture for him, then he asks to be baptized as an outward display of his understanding and acceptance of the Gospel. Our acceptance of salvation and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit gives us hunger and means to feed ourselves spiritually by understanding how to feast on the “meat” of the Bible.
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The Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21), therefore to fully understand the Bible one has to be in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit. It is possible to understand the Bible from a purely academic point of view, but to understand the spiritual truth needs prayer and dependence on the Holy Spirit, whose mind we should seek.
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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.
Yes I certainly do agree. I’ve been a Christian for many, many, many years and I still rely totally on the Holy Spirit which fills my life to give me the ability to interpret and exegete scripture properly. The Bible is not “just another book”, it is The Book and thus can be left with a non-believer to provide interpretation because it was given for a specific purpose – salvation and sanctification, moving ever closer to God so, first, one must know God and love with all their heart and mind and soul. Nothing else works right.
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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?
Sorry, there were no replies found.
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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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Believers must relate to each other in love, respect and, I feel, enough knowledge of what is divisive in doctrine and destructive in dogma in order to come to a valid interpretation that is Truth and can be put into practice the way Christ would have put it into practice- to glorify the Father.
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This is a challenging question. When believers interpret a passage differently they should do a deep study of the passage using biblical concordance, checking the biblical culture and language of the scripture. Today, the cause why there are different denominations is for this exact reason.
The main truth that will always promote unity in the Body of Christ is
John 3:16. -
Look at the Scriptures with the aid of biblical helps, I.e. Commentaries, Dictionaries or Concordances together to see what God intended the author to convey with arguing over the interpretation.
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relate to each other in a loving and understanding way to ensure unity but ensure that the true meaning is properly understood through prayer and Holy Spirit.
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The Unity of the Bible
