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How to Read the Bible A Layman's Guide

W.L. Chamberlin Revised 01/10/2020 Original 12/13/2018

Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.

Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations; You established the earth, and it stands.

They stand this day according to Your ordinances, For all things are Your servants.

If Your law had not been my delight, Then I would have perished in my affliction.

I will never forget Your precepts, For by them You have revived me.

I am Yours, save me; For I have sought Your precepts.

The wicked wait for me to destroy me; I shall diligently consider Your testimonies.

I have seen a limit to all perfection; Your commandment is exceedingly broad.

O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.

Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For they are ever mine.

I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.

I understand more than the aged, Because I have observed Your precepts.

I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word.

I have not turned aside from Your ordinances, For You Yourself have taught me.

How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.

(from Psalm 119)

All biblical citations are from the NASB (1995 update), unless otherwise indicated. Copyright notices for all cited Bible versions are included at the end of this paper.

How to Read the Bible

I. Introduction 5 ...................................................................................................II. Why Read the Bible? 8 ........................................................................................III.What Is the Bible? 10 ..........................................................................................

The Bible's Self-Declared Identity 10 ..............................................................................................Christian Epistemology 11 ..............................................................................................................Attributes of Scripture 15 ................................................................................................................

Inspiration 15 Authority 16 Infallibility 16 Inerrancy 16 Sufficiency 16 Canonicity 17

Outline of the Bible 17 ....................................................................................................................Literary Genres 20 ...........................................................................................................................Original Languages 20 ....................................................................................................................

IV. Reading Effectively: Beyond Casual Devotions 23 ...................................................Counting the Cost 23 .......................................................................................................................Prayer 25 ..........................................................................................................................................English Translations 25 ....................................................................................................................Visual Formats 27 ............................................................................................................................The Reading Process 28 ..................................................................................................................

Prepare 29 Read 29 Summarize 30 Trace 30 Outline 30 Interpret 31 Apply 32 Memorize 33 Meditate 33 Write 33 Discuss 34

V. Laying the Foundation: Formal Biblical Studies 35 .................................................VI. Purifying the Text: The Science of Textual Criticism 37 ..........................................

Introduction 37 ................................................................................................................................The New Testament 37 ...................................................................................................................The Textus Receptus Only Movement 40 .......................................................................................The Old Testament 43 ....................................................................................................................Conclusion 43 ..................................................................................................................................

VII.Understanding and Interpreting: The Science of Hermeneutics 44 ..........................Presuppositions of Hermeneutics 44 ...............................................................................................Key Principles of Hermeneutics 45 .................................................................................................

Perspicuity of Scripture 45 Literary genres 46 Parallelism in Hebrew poetry 48 Specialized vocabulary 49 Figures of speech 50 Hebrew idioms 50 Symbolism 50

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Types 51 Analogy of Faith 51 Interpreting in Context 52

Historical context 52 Context within the biblical canon 53 Context within the biblical book 54 Immediate context within the surrounding paragraphs 54

Progressive Revelation 55 Covenant Theology 55 Principles of Progressive Revelation 57

Witness of Church History 59 Hermeneutics Checklist 61 ..............................................................................................................Exegesis Checklist 62 .......................................................................................................................

VIII.Building Doctrine: The Science of Theology 63 ....................................................IX.Conclusion 65 ....................................................................................................X. Resources for Beginning Studies 66 ......................................................................Copyright Notices 67...............................................................................................

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I. Introduction

Devotion without doctrine is like fire without fuel; it will quickly burn out.

There are two major failures underlying the doctrinal weakness often observed in churches today. The first is that the Bible is not read. Believers hear the Bible preached during worship services, talk about the Bible with their peers, and read about the Bible in other books, but few spend a great deal of time in the Bible themselves. The second failure is that when the Bible is read, it is often not read well. Some believers pour countless hours into reading Scripture over a period of many years, and yet fail to build a mature and comprehensive understanding of Scripture as a whole. Ask one of these disciples to describe how a particular book is constructed and how its parts fit together, or ask him to call up a dozen interlocking passages in defense of any core doctrine of the faith, or ask him to analyze the misuse of Scripture by heretical preachers, and he would struggle to respond. In the most deficient churches, a sort of institutionalized illiteracy has developed, wherein deep Bible study has become so neglected that it is considered strange and out of place, or even a threat to the leadership due to their own ignorance. Even within healthier churches, the Bible is sometimes barely exalted over man-made theological literature, and biblical doctrine is often inadvertently melded with human traditions or cultural trends. This all has consequences.

True religion is built upon an understanding of objective reality. The house of devotion is constructed upon the foundation of doctrine. A disciplined, consistent understanding of truth is required for the believer to properly comprehend God, and his own identity and purpose as ordained by God. As ultimate truth is only revealed in the Bible, therefore the Bible is the pillar upon which the entire Christian experience is dependent. There can be no Christian love for and communion with God if God's nature and personality as revealed in his Word are not known. There can be no forsaking of human strength if human depravity as taught in the Scriptures is not known. There can be no hatred toward and repentance of sin if God's character as displayed in his Law is not known. Finally, there can be no clear understanding of the gospel itself when even one of these core elements has been lost. Much of modern religion has become entirely subjective in the absence of objective truth, providing only transient emotional experiences in place of spiritual heart surgery and soul-transforming power.

"Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord GOD, "When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the LORD. People will stagger from sea to sea And from the north even to the east;

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They will go to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, But they will not find it. (Amos 8:11-12)

The only cure for this spiritual atrophy is to rediscover the Bible. The Protestant Reformation was famous for its doctrine that later came to be expressed in the "five solas," the first of which was Sola Scriptura (i.e. "Scripture alone"). This precept identified Scripture as the sole ultimate authority for determining Christian doctrine and practice. But spiritual amnesia has prevailed, and today there is a desperate need for a modern reformation and a fresh returning to Scripture. Many professors of religion have wandered so far into unbiblical teaching that they are in danger of receiving Jesus's rebuke to the Sadducees: "You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God." The two questions that must be continually addressed by those who value truth are "What does God actually say, explicitly or implicitly?" and "What does God not say?" Even Jesus's disciples had to face these questions, as is illustrated by their error documented and dismissed in John 21:20-23.

This paper is intended to assist the cause of biblical rediscovery by providing believers with a "quick start" guide to learning how to read and interpret the Bible effectively. The first half of the paper discusses the Bible's identity and attributes, and the practical mechanics of serious Bible reading. The second half discusses the more formal aspects of Bible study, with a primary focus on the science of biblical interpretation. Concepts will be presented in the briefest of fashions, with the understanding that the reader will use this introduction as a launch point for further investigation. The paper is aimed at untrained believers who have no formal theological education, but who do have opportunity to invest substantial time and effort in a disciplined self-study program. Academic vocabulary will be introduced and defined at certain points, so that the reader may engage in consistent discussion with other believers and be prepared for any potential future studies. Scriptural references are provided in support of various statements, but it is understood that these references barely skim the surface of Scripture's complete testimony. The goal of this paper is to equip the reader with a road map toward developing a sound, comprehensive personal knowledge of the Scriptures. The ultimate goal of biblical knowledge itself is to infuse and transform the believer's relationship with God.

It is important for the Christian layman to understand that God has written his Word directly to every believer to hear and understand for himself, supported by the fellowship and oversight of the church. The words of the Bible are designed to be comprehended by everyone. Consider Deuteronomy 30:11-14:

For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?" Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, "Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?" But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.

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While secondhand Christian scholarship in both the seminary and the church is greatly to be treasured, the foundation of every personal Christian experience ultimately lies in a firsthand intimate acquaintance with the words spoken by a personal God to generation after generation of personal men. The great men and women of faith throughout history arrived at doctrinal and spiritual maturity not by studying each other, but by studying and responding to the Scriptures in the context of fellowship among one another. Any extra-biblical resource serves only as an instrument by which the believer may learn to better understand the truths contained within the Bible itself. It is the prayer of the writer that this paper may serve such a purpose.

As this introduction draws to a close, consider the astonishing advantages provided to the English-speaking disciple of the twenty-first century. Bibles and Bible study tools have never been so plentiful and accessible as they are in the modern era. There have never been so many accumulated hours of labor poured into sound Bible translations. There have never been so many printed edition formats, or downloadable digital editions. There have never been so many carefully researched commentaries, study notes and textbooks accessible to laymen at so low a cost. But there have also never been more false teachers, outrageous heresies, and subtle deviations from truth as there are today. We possess an unspeakable treasure of divine revelation and devoted human scholarship hiding in plain sight, and the need for it is greater than ever. "Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required." There is no excuse for us to fail in our pursuit of God's Word. We must read the Bible!

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II. Why Read the Bible?

First, because God commands us to. (1) The very identity of the Bible as the authoritative Word of God inherently demands that it receive attention. (2) God speaks many commands in the Bible and warns against failure to obey. The Bible must be read in order to know what God's commands are (Deuteronomy 29:29, Psalm 119:9-16), and avoid the consequences of disobedience resulting from lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Ignorance of God's commands does not remove the guilt of breaking those commands (Leviticus 5:17-19, Psalm 19:12-13, Luke 12:47-48). (3) Believers are commanded to teach God's Word to new disciples, which necessitates their own knowledge of the Bible. This applies to all believers (Matthew 28:18-20), and even more so to church elders (2 Timothy 2:15, Titus 1:5-9). (4) There are numerous biblical examples of believers studying the Scriptures (2 Kings 22:1-23:27, Ezra 7:1-10, Psalm 119:97-104, Acts 17:10-12, 2 Timothy 3:10-17). (5) Finally, the Bible contains many explicit commands to read and study the Word. Consider the following abbreviated sampling:

You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth. (Deuteronomy 11:18-21)

Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. (Joshua 1:7-8)

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16)

Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. (1 Peter 2:1-3)

Second, because the Bible is our sole ultimate source of truth and doctrine. Scripture declares itself to possess divine authority, and delegates this authority to nothing and no one else. Therefore, Scripture cannot be

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subjected to any philosophy, tradition, book, person or institution. Scripture alone is inherently authoritative for both doctrine and practice:

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (2 Peter 1:20-21)

Third, because Scripture reveals the God we love and long to know better. The Bible presents the revelation of God as occurring on three increasing levels: first in nature (Psalm 19:1-6, Romans 1:18-23), second in the inscripturated Word (Hebrews 1:1), and finally in the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:1-18, Hebrews 1:1-4). Because we do not yet see Christ "just as he is" (1 John 3:2), we therefore are utterly reliant upon his written revelation. The more we love a person, the more we desire to know about him. The more we know about him, the better we are able to love him. So it is with our love to the three persons of the Trinity.

Fourth, because Scripture reveals the nature of man, sin and the gospel. Our entire Christian experience of putting faith in Christ and walking with him is founded upon his Word (Deuteronomy 8:3, Psalm 19:7-14, Psalm 119:105-112, Matthew 4:4, Acts 20:32, Romans 10:17, Hebrews 4:8-13, James 1:19-25, 1 Peter 1:22-2:4).

Fifth, because having Scripture embedded in our minds makes prayer a two-way conversation. The Holy Spirit sometimes responds to our prayers by reminding us of specific portions of Scripture. If we do not invest in reading and memorizing Scripture, we have robbed ourselves of one of the key components of communion with Christ. When our Lord was entering his greatest time of suffering on the cross, his cry was "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Because he was intimately familiar with the Word of God, in quoting Psalm 22 he was able to remember the ultimate promise of that psalm:

For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from him; But when he cried to Him for help, He heard.

Sixth, because the Bible is our sword for spiritual warfare. Consider the temptation of our Lord in the wilderness. During all three climactic temptations, Jesus wielded Scripture as a weapon to defeat Satan (Matthew 4:1-11). Paul likewise portrays the Word of God as the "sword of the Spirit" when describing the Christian's battle armor in Ephesians 6:10-17. If the Son of God relied upon his own Word during his spiritual battles, how much more ought we!

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III.What Is the Bible?

The Bible's Self-Declared Identity Scripture is permeated with assertions of divine origin, from documenting words "God said" in

Genesis 1:3 prior to any human existence, to announcing "the Revelation of Jesus Christ" in Revelation 1:1 regarding events yet in mankind's future.

First, the Old Testament continuously proclaims the "word" or "words" of God, identifying God himself as "saying" or "giving" the words. Various passages additionally corroborate other passages as authentic revelation (e.g. Daniel 9:2, Zechariah 7:12) or quote them directly (e.g. Isaiah 12:2b after Exodus 15:2a); a primary example is how the entire testament is permeated with assumptions of the truthfulness of the Mosaic Law recorded in the first five books. The authenticity of the Old Testament is also affirmed by the New Testament, often with the phrase "it is written" or in conjunction with the term γραφή (graphē: writing, holy Scripture). In the gospels, Jesus Christ identified himself as the fulfillment of Old Testament Scripture and quoted from it repeatedly. In the epistles, the writers make frequent appeals to Old Testament Scripture to support their teaching. This pattern continues into the final book of the New Testament, which is woven almost entirely from a fabric of Old Testament imagery and symbolism.

Second, the New Testament contains many similar claims of divine origin, plus specific doctrinal statements concerning the divine inspiration of the complete body of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16). The New Testament also identifies itself as being equal in stature to the inscripturated Old Testament (2 Peter 3:1-2, 3:14-16), and 1 Timothy 5:18 cites both Deuteronomy 25:4 and Luke 10:7 as "Scripture." The references among Old and New Testament books to divine origin and to one other are quite extensive and provide a beautiful testimony to the supernatural unity of Scripture.

The Bible takes its truth claims seriously. A profitable exercise for the student is to examine the use of the term ἀλήθεια (alētheia: truth) in the New Testament. Observe the following cursory selection from the gospel of John:

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'" For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. (John 1:14-18)

You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. (John 5:33)

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So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." (John 8:31-32)

But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. (John 8:40)

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. (John 14:6)

I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you. (John 16:12-15)

Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. (John 17:17)

Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" (John 18:37-38)

Such are the claims of the Bible regarding its own identity. Accepting the Bible as a rational book while rejecting its central premise is an incoherent position. If the Bible is not the revealed Word of God, then it is either hopelessly delusional or egregiously deceitful.

What leads the Christian to believe the Bible's claims? Does the Christian's confidence in the Bible ensue from philosophical and scientific analysis, or does his confidence proceed from the Bible itself ? Does he build up to the Bible using external standards for truth, or does he begin with the Bible and work downward from it to derive truth? These are questions of "epistemology," i.e. the study of the nature of knowledge. In the words of Pilate, "What is truth?" This question will be addressed in the next section.

Christian Epistemology Modern man has decided for himself that absolute truth is either unknowable, or else does not even

exist. God says otherwise.

Man is a finite being. As such, he is unable to know anything by his own power, because only an infinite being can possess absolute knowledge within himself. Apparent knowledge devoid of absolutes is no knowledge, so man must look outside of himself to an infinite, omniscient source of truth if he wishes

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to truly know anything at all. In fact, man is unable even to function as a living, rational being without relying upon some external source of absolute truth. Even to doubt the existence or knowability of truth implies the exercise of rational, meaningful thought, which itself requires some absolute reference point against which the meaning of thought can be measured. Therefore, any attempt by man to absolutely declare that absolute truth does not exist is incoherent and absurd. Likewise, any attempt by man to self-reference his own intellect or experience as an ultimate standard for truth is equally preposterous. Man is therefore left with two options: either (1) he must live as a total skeptic without attempting to ascertain truth or make sense of his situation, or else (2) he must choose to trust something greater than himself to communicate truth to him. This act of trusting a greater power to communicate truth is called "faith."

If man chooses the first option, then the question immediately arises: what if there is an omniscient being who desires to communicate truth to man? What if that being had created man to live in the light of that revealed truth? What if that being had created man with the linguistic and intellectual capabilities required to hear and understand that truth, and had revealed the truth via a medium perfectly suited to the capacities he created within man to receive it? Since such a scenario is certainly possible, then why would a man ever choose to live in self-imposed darkness, rather than make diligent inquiry into whether such a revelation exists? Furthermore, does not man's introspective self-perception of rationality not cry out for objective justification?

If man chooses the second option, then he has decided to appeal to an ultimate authority. The ultimate authority that a man decides to trust becomes the presupposition of his epistemology and worldview. Every worldview is presuppositional because every worldview eventually appeals to an ultimate authority; if that authority is authenticated by some other means, then those means themselves must become the ultimate authority. Putting faith in a final authority has often incorrectly been labeled "circular" thinking, when in fact it is simply linear thinking with a self-referencing terminating point.

The question follows: to what or whom should man look as an ultimate authority? The question may be rephrased: in what or whom should man exercise faith? Many choose to exercise faith in the material universe and the "scientific method"; but this is a sham faith, for it ultimately restricts man's knowledge to that which his physical nature can observe and measure, or rather to that which he perceives himself to be observing and measuring. Others look to the laws of logic; but logical syllogisms are empty constructions unless they are fed meaningful premises from which to derive meaningful conclusions. Some men profess to believe in so-called "neutral facts," but as soon as they are required to define those facts, their position is found to be far from neutral. Unregenerate man ultimately places faith in himself, which is only coherent if he considers himself to be an omniscient god; it is a testimony to the blindness of man's sinful nature that he usually does view himself more or less in this fashion. But in contrast to all the above, some men place their faith in divine revelation.

The Christian places his faith in the Bible as the Word of God revealing absolute truth to man. He places his confidence in the Bible rather than any other purported revelation, because the Bible's intrinsic

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character evidences itself to be divine in nature, and the testimony of God through the Holy Spirit in the heart of the believer confirms it to be so. The believer commits himself entirely to God's care, trusting God both to declare truth and to ensure that declaration is perceivable and comprehensible to his finite human mind. Though he reads the Scriptures using his physical eyes, processes its words using his finite intellect, and interprets its language using historical contextual knowledge, he understands that these physical and intellectual activities are not authorities in themselves, but are merely tools which God has provided to gain access to his revelation. Though the believer cannot know truth absolutely because he is finite, yet he can know absolute truth because God has disclosed it to him.

The believer begins with the Scriptures and derives all truth from them. He does not attempt to "climb up" toward faith in God's Word through analysis of external evidence, because whatever evidence is required to "prove" the authenticity of the Bible must of necessity have greater authority than the Bible itself. The Scriptures themselves never seek to prove their own veracity by external means, or even prove the existence of God; rather, they presuppositionally declare "in the beginning, God" (Genesis 1:1) and "in the beginning was the Word" (John 1:1). The fear of the Lord is the very "beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7); not the beginning of knowledge of the Lord, but of knowledge itself. As Jesus himself confessed to the Father, "Your word is truth" (John 17:17). The Christian's rational capacities are fully employed in his exercise of faith, but these capacities themselves are shaped and guided by faith (Proverbs 3:5-6). Hebrews 11:3 does not read "we understand the worlds in order to have faith," but rather declares "by faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." Faith is the means by which the Christian believes both that God "exists" and that "he rewards those who seek him" (Hebrews 11:6, ESV).

Though faith in the Bible is rooted within the Bible itself, it is not a blind leap in the face of opposing external evidence. When the believer applies the biblical worldview toward an examination of the material universe and his own human nature, he finds this natural (or general) revelation to be gloriously coherent with the Scriptures (special revelation). The evidential case for the Bible is far stronger than is the case for any other standard of truth. But evidential analysis is limited to providing probabilities rather than certainties, and material evidence can only be properly perceived and interpreted in light of a biblical worldview. Natural revelation supports special revelation, but it is subordinate because (1) special revelation provides the epistemological justification for natural revelation, (2) special revelation confirms human personhood by speaking specifically to human beings as persons (John 20:30-31), and (3) special revelation includes the gospel message which is entirely absent from general revelation. Even the testimony of supernatural miracles cannot compete with the light of the written Word. When the rich man of Luke 16 begged Abraham in Hades to send Lazarus from the dead as a miraculous warning to his brothers still living on Earth, Abraham coldly replied that "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead." Jesus's own resurrection was the greatest miracle of all, but after his resurrection he chided Thomas for failing to believe on word alone: "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."

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It should be noted that general revelation apart from special revelation is enough to morally condemn fallen man. Though fallen man has been divorced from the epistemological foundation he was originally designed to live upon (which in the Garden of Eden took the form of spoken words from God, but today resides in the written words of Scripture), there yet remains a conscience embedded within the very core of his nature that allows him to recognize God's attributes (Romans 1:18-23) and moral laws (Romans 2:12-16) by means of natural revelation alone, though he is utterly unable to profit from it. Some Christian thinkers have assumed the Apostle Paul is teaching the epistemological viability of natural revelation in Romans 1, but Paul is only addressing the moral accountability that results from man suppressing the subjective knowledge God has left within him. The reason men are "without excuse" is not because they should have known God "through what has been made," but rather because men have already known God through what has been made by means of what God makes "evident within them." Human beings severed from God are in a lamentable state; they have no epistemological justification for their worldviews, and yet they still condemn themselves by rebelling against the "Law written in their hearts" (Romans 2:15). Natural revelation can sometimes be enough to destroy certain incoherent worldviews, but it is never enough to set up ultimate truth in their place. Natural revelation can convict, but not convince; condemn, but not convert. Only by the Holy Spirit can the natural man learn to understand the things of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2). When the Holy Spirit regenerates a soul, the man's nature is brought to accept the truths of both special and general revelation.

The Apostle Paul famously exemplified a Christian epistemology in his sermon at the Areopagus from Acts 17. After appealing to his listeners' own presuppositional acceptance of the existence of deity, he began with a doctrine of God affirmed both by Scripture and by the human conscience, and then worked down from that doctrine to demonstrate that his listeners' religious worship was not worthy of God (or in Romans 1 terms, "even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God"). He then began to preach the scriptural gospel before his sermon was cut short, though due to the ignorance of his audience he did not employ Scripture directly beyond utilizing a specific phrase from Psalm 9:8, 96:13 and 98:9. Paul's method of approaching these pagan philosophers was squarely centered around the Word of God; though he did appeal to Jesus's resurrection as supporting evidence, this was only after he had laid a foundation of revealed truth. His apostolic ministry was driven by the "foolishness of the message preached," not supernatural signs or philosophical wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5). Throughout the entire Bible, the preaching of Jesus, the prophets and the apostles was always firmly rooted in Scripture.

As a final note, the reader should understand that the faith here described as the foundation of the believer's worldview is not equivalent to the saving faith through which a person obtains salvation in Christ. Saving faith includes one crucial component not present in epistemological faith: that of helplessly depending upon God for the forgiveness of sins that he offers in Christ.

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Attributes of Scripture An authentic understanding of Scripture's attributes must be derived from Scripture's own truth

claims. The primary self-proclaimed attributes of Scripture are as follows:

• Inspiration • Authority • Infallibility • Inerrancy • Sufficiency • Canonicity

Inspiration

The term "inspiration" refers to Scripture being "God-breathed" (θεόπνευστος, theopneustos, from 2 Timothy 3:16), i.e. the Holy Spirit filling and influencing the human writers such that their writings were and are the very words of God (2 Samuel 23:2, Jeremiah 1:9, John 14:26, Acts 4:23-26, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 Peter 1:10-12, 2 Peter 1:20-21). A special exception is the ten commandments, which were written directly onto stone tablets twice by God himself (Exodus 31:18, Exodus 32:15-16, Exodus 34:28, Deuteronomy 9:9-11, Deuteronomy 10:1-5).

Inspiration extends to the exact words and syntax of the original writings in the original languages; this is known as verbal inspiration (Jeremiah 1:9, Matthew 5:18). That this inspiration specifically extends to the written words is made plain by such passages as John 10:34 (where Jesus argues from a single inscripturated word) and Galatians 3:16 (where Paul builds an argument on the singular form of one inscripturated word). In addition, inspiration permeates all of Scripture equally; this is known as plenary inspiration (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21).

While all Scripture is inspired, not all Scripture is revealed. Portions of biblical history were written by men who conducted thorough research into the events they were documenting in order to present an accurate summary (e.g. see Luke 1:1-4). While the results of their research were not supernaturally revealed to them, the words which they employed in their scriptural writing were nonetheless inspired by the Spirit and kept free from error.

The doctrine of verbal, plenary inspiration is the only approach to the Bible that is both internally consistent and consistent with Scripture's own teachings. It is integral to a sound theological foundation. There are many hazardous deviations from this doctrine, such as: (1) the belief that the human authors received divine inspiration regarding general concepts but not the exact wording of Scripture, (2) the belief that the doctrinal portions of Scripture are inspired, but other portions covering world history and natural science are not, and (3) the belief that the human authors mechanically received verbal dictation without being personally involved in the composition process.

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The doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture, combined with the scope of Scripture's intended audience, necessarily leads to the doctrine of the preservation of Scripture, which states that the God who is pleased to reveal himself to mankind is likewise pleased to preserve that revelation throughout history (Psalm 119:89, Isaiah 30:8, Isaiah 40:8, Matthew 5:18, Matthew 24:35). The authoritative use of the preserved Old Testament by Christ and the apostles illustrates this doctrine.

Authority

Because Scripture is given by God, it carries the authority of God.

Scripture is the sole ultimate authority for doctrine and practice, but this truth should not be misunderstood to mean that no other authority exists at all. God has instituted certain derived authorities in the context of the covenant community to help guide believers in their Christian walk. This authority rests in the spoken and written teaching provided by church elders, to the extent (and only to the extent) that such teaching accurately reflects Scripture.

The concept of doctrinal authority should also not be confused with the concept of civil authority. The believer is subject to all civil authorities under which he has been providentially placed (Romans 13:1-7), though in cases where a civil command explicitly opposes a divine command, the divine command must be given preference (Acts 5:27-29).

Infallibility

Because Scripture is given by God, it reflects God's revealed truthfulness and infallibility. It is free of deception and incapable of error (Psalm 12:6, Proverbs 30:5-6, John 10:35, Titus 1:1-3).

Inerrancy

This is a more specific term than "infallibility," and was introduced later into the standard theological vocabulary. It speaks of the total veracity of all of Scripture, specifically including matters of history and science. In theological parlance, "infallibility" and "inerrancy" are essentially synonyms.

Sufficiency

Scripture, as the one and only ultimate authority for doctrine and practice, is sufficient for both.

This doctrine is not to be confused with biblicism, which is the idea that the exact words of Scripture are the only words which should be used to proclaim biblical truth. This belief superstitiously exalts the words of God above the truths God wishes to communicate in those words. Scripture is indeed the only ultimate authority for the believer, but the truths taught by Scripture can be expounded, restated or taught using words external to Scripture. This principle is illustrated in the sermons of historical characters

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within the Bible itself. It is dangerous to rely too heavily on secondary sources for exposition of biblical truth at the expense of the ultimate authority, but it is also dangerous to ignore secondary sources altogether. Such an approach inevitably leads to idiosyncratic biblical interpretations, because the believer begins to overvalue his own isolated studies and undervalue the Spirit-led wisdom of historic and contemporary elders of the faith which ought to be balancing his own interpretational shortcomings.

Canonicity

The Bible comprises sixty-six self-authenticating books. The process of distinguishing these books from all other writings is known as canonization. Canonization of Scripture marks the recognition by the early church of the authority of Scripture, but is not itself the source of that authority.

The measures used by the early church to identify the books of the Bible include the books' self-declared divine authority, intrinsic character, coherence with the body of Scripture, exhibition of the power of God working through the written words, authenticity of secondary human authorship, recognition by the early church fathers and acceptance by the early churches in general.

Canonization of the Old Testament first began at the time of Moses and progressed through Jewish history as new books were written. By the time of Christ, most Jews recognized the same Old Testament canon recognized by the New Testament and possessed by the church today. Canonization of the New Testament began in the time of the apostles. The recognition by the church of the canonicity of many New Testament books is documented as early as the late first century. While there is no single date marking the finalization of the New Testament canon, it is clear that the core of the canon (including such books as the gospels and the epistles of Paul) enjoyed immediate universal acceptance, while all remaining books had been fully recognized as canonical by the end of the fourth century. Certain non-inspired books were occasionally considered canonical by some men; but ultimately all inauthentic books, including the Apocrypha from both the Old and New Testament eras, were rejected.

It is recognized that the biblical canon does not contain all revelation given by God (i.e. all inspired words spoken by Old Testament prophets, all sermons preached by Jesus, all letters written by apostles, etc.); however, the biblical canon does necessarily contain all written revelation that God has designed to be preserved for use by his church.

Outline of the Bible The overall design of the Bible is one of unfolding historical revelation of redemption, from the

creation and fall of the universe in Genesis, to the consummation of all things at the end of Revelation. In other words, the Bible is redemptive-historical in nature. It is a complete and coherent whole, with a single author and a single purpose: to reveal the person and work of Jesus Christ. At the same time, it exhibits great variety of literary genre and style, historical context, and topical focus.

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The biblical books are divided into an Old Testament (OT) and a New Testament (NT). This distinguishes divine revelation under the Old Covenant from that under the New Covenant. (The principle of progressive revelation and its relation to covenant theology will be discussed later in this paper.) Within each Testament, the books of the English Bible are placed in a traditional pseudo-logical (not chronological) order as shown below. Though the ordering of the books is often referred to as the canonical order, this order is not inspired and is merely traditional.

1. The Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). This provides the history of the world from the time of creation up through the establishment of Israel as the chosen people of God under the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants. God's personal relationships with various patriarchal figures, and the redemption of his chosen people from slavery in Egypt, are highlighted throughout this history. These books also contain the Mosaic Law imposed upon Israel from the time of their exodus from Egypt up to the coming of the Messiah. The Mosaic Law consists of moral laws, ceremonial laws and civil laws. The New Testament marks the ceremonial and civil laws as having been abrogated under the New Covenant; notwithstanding, those laws still contain invaluable revelation of the character of God and his design for human society. The moral law is the codified expression of God's nature; it began with creation and stands firm for all time. The Mosaic Law in general serves as a cornerstone to the entire Bible. It reveals the perfection of holiness required of man by God, and teaches that man's failure to conform to this standard of holiness would eventually be atoned for by a sacrificial substitute.

2. The OT historical books (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther). These build on the Pentateuch and record the history of Israel, including their establishment as a nation in the promised land, their many rebellions against God, and God's many kindnesses to them. The books appear in approximate chronological order, and 1-2 Kings overlaps with 1-2 Chronicles. The books focus on the relationships between God and his corporate people and various individual believers. The shortcomings of the human prophets, priests and kings in these stories point to the need for a greater Prophet, Priest and King. There are numerous pictures or "types" of Christ in these narratives.

3. The OT poetic books (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon). i. Job is a record of a great trial in the life of Job. As the most upright man on all the earth who was then inexplicably subjected to a vicious outpouring of divine judgment, Job stands as a type of Christ. The book poetically pictures the suffering that Christ would later endure, and also presents a challenging revelation of the sovereignty of God over human affairs. Job's own defects come to light as the story progresses, and like other scriptural figures he is found to fall short of the One whom he pictures.

ii. The book of Psalms is a collection of devotional songs. They span every aspect of the Christian experience and serve as a devotional guide, a primer in prayer, and lyrics for songs sung in corporate church worship. The Psalter is the only book of the Bible consisting entirely of words given to man to speak back to God, and stands as a powerful testimony to the

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continuity of the believer's experience across the Old and New Covenants. The Psalms can be sorted into a number of genres, including Messianic psalms, testimonial psalms, lamentation psalms, thanksgiving psalms, repentance psalms, and many others. Many Psalms are sung from the mouth of Christ, and some can only be fully owned by him.

iii. Proverbs is a library of wisdom attained through godly understanding.

iv. Ecclesiastes is an examination of the hardest questions of life, namely those concerning the identity and purpose of man (i.e. "Who am I?" and "Why am I here?"). Ecclesiastes is in a sense a philosophical book, chronicling the writer's life experience of wrestling with difficult questions, attempting to appease himself with partially unsatisfying answers, then finally learning the truth of man's ultimate purpose in light of his Creator's revelation.

v. The Song of Solomon is perhaps the most deeply devotional book in all of the Bible. It is written as a love song between Solomon and his bride, and is altogether pertinent to the domain of earthly marriage; but this is because it points to the far greater spiritual reality of the love between Christ and his church. Many today teach that the book was never meant to be understood spiritually, and that Solomon simply intended to celebrate the beauty of God's gift of earthly marriage; but this would seem to be at odds with the book's intrinsic character, its context within Solomon's other inspired writings (especially Ecclesiastes), its context within the biblical canon (e.g. Psalm 45, OT prophecies speaking of Israel as an adulterous bride, Ephesians 5:25-33), and with various historic interpretations of the church.

4. The OT prophetic books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.) These books are arranged in general order of greater to lesser length (i.e. from major prophets [Isaiah - Daniel] to minor prophets [Hosea - Malachi]). They generally contain warnings of the consequences of Israel's rebellion and promises of deliverance and of the coming Messiah, and though they are directed at the nation of Israel corporately, they are entirely applicable and profitable to the New Testament saint. These are some of the more challenging books for new readers to understand, but they house great riches.

5. The NT historical books (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts). These provide the history of Jesus Christ's life, death and resurrection, and the history of the first activities of the early church. Matthew, Mark and Luke are referred to as the synoptic gospels due to their similarity as straightforward historical accounts, while the gospel of John stands separately as a portrait of the divine Christ drawn by a disciple who was deeply in love with him. The book of Acts is the history of the early church beginning with the ascension of Christ into heaven.

6. The NT epistles (Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude). The epistles provide in-depth doctrinal instruction and practical exhortation to the early churches in various environments and situations. Romans through Philemon are referred to as the Pauline Epistles due to their authorship by the Apostle Paul. Traditionally, Hebrews has been attributed to

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Paul as well, though today it is recognized that the identity of the author is uncertain. James through Jude are termed the General Epistles or Catholic Epistles, as most of them seem to be formally addressed to God's people in general rather than to specific churches or individuals as in the Pauline Epistles.

7. Revelation. This is the sole New Testament book of prophecy, speaking of the ultimate victory of Christ and the church over the world, and the final consummation of all things. This is a difficult book to interpret in detail, but its overall message is plain. One plausible theory of the book is that it contains seven parallel narratives of the present age and end-time events.

The modern canonical order of Old and New Testament books has departed somewhat from the historic traditions. By the time of Christ, the Old Testament books had been organized into three sections, known as the Law or Torah (i.e. the Pentateuch), the Prophets or Nevi'im (containing most prophetic books and some historical books) and the Writings or Ketuvim (containing the poetic books in addition to the remaining historical and prophetic books). The three sections are collectively represented by the acronym TNK or Tanakh. This threefold division is assumed by the New Testament authors in such places as Luke 24:44. The New Testament itself was often organized into four sections, containing the gospels, Acts plus the Catholic Epistles, the Pauline Epistles, and Revelation.

Literary Genres The canonical order of the biblical books was obtained by sorting the books within each Testament

according to their literary genre. Each book belongs to one primary genre, but often more than one genre will appear within the same book. It is imperative for the reader to recognize the various genres, because different principles of interpretation apply to each genre.

The four primary genres seen in the Bible are history, prophecy, poetry, and doctrinal or instructional writings. The Old Testament writings are mostly historical, poetic and prophetic, while the New Testament writings are mostly historical, doctrinal (instructional) and prophetic. The relationship between literary genre and biblical interpretation will be discussed later in this paper.

Original Languages The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, with a few passages written in Aramaic. The

New Testament was originally written in Greek. The doctrine of inspiration applies to the exact words of Scripture as written in these original languages, and does not apply to translations made from those languages. Nevertheless, a translation may be considered to be the authoritative, infallible, inerrant and sufficient Word of God to the extent that it accurately captures the meaning of the original text. This is illustrated by the New Testament's extensive quoting of the Septuagint (ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament).

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The original-language text of Scripture is important for three reasons. First, it is the inspired Word of God. Second, every translation loses a layer of detail from the original text; the downgrade from New Testament Greek to English is particularly noteworthy. Third, every translation of necessity introduces an invisible layer of interpretation upon the original text. The original text must be studied to reduce dependency upon this layer of interpretation.

A simple example of precision lost in translation can be seen in John 3:7:

Do not be amazed that I said to you, "You must be born again."

Because the modern English language has no distinction between second person singular and plural, it is not immediately obvious that Jesus is addressing more than Nicodemus's own need for the new birth. Jesus's meaning may of course be easily deduced from the context, but it is richer in the original language:

Do not be amazed that I said to you (s), "You (p) must be born again."

While ambiguity between singular and plural is a very straightforward issue, there are countless others of far greater complexity throughout the Bible. However, the reader should be cautioned against getting lost in the weeds. A good translation captures the meaning of the original text; it is only the richness and precision of the text that tends to be obscured.

There are three areas of biblical language studies:

• New Testament/Septuagint Greek: This is generally given priority over Old Testament Hebrew and Aramaic, since the New Testament contains the majority of the clearest doctrinal passages requiring thorough exegesis. The New Testament was written in Koine (κοινή: common) Greek, which was the everyday informal form of the language in widespread use among the common people in the Roman Empire during the time of Christ. The Septuagint (sometimes abbreviated as "LXX") is the Koine Greek translation of the Old Testament which was produced during the third century BC. Since Koine Greek and Aramaic were the common tongues of the Jews during the time of Christ, the Septuagint and the Aramaic Targums were essentially their common Bibles of that period, though many of the Targums probably still existed only in oral form at that time. The books of the Septuagint exhibit varying levels of quality in translation. There are often noticeable differences between the original Hebrew reading and the translated Septuagint reading, which partially accounts for why some of the New Testament quotations of the Old Testament read differently from the Old Testament itself. (In other cases, the New Testament writers were simply providing their own loose rendering from either the Hebrew Bible or the Septuagint.)

• Old Testament Hebrew: This can be somewhat more challenging at first than the study of Greek, because the cultural background of the language is less familiar to Western students.

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• Old Testament Aramaic: The passages written in Aramaic are Daniel 2:4b-7:28, Ezra 4:8-6:18, Ezra 7:12-26 and Jeremiah 10:11. Aramaic became a common tongue of the Jews after the Babylonian exile. The Targums are loose Aramaic translations or paraphrases of the Old Testament that seek to interpret and explain the original text. The Targums in general existed first as oral traditions, and were later written down in the early centuries after Christ.

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IV. Reading Effectively: Beyond Casual Devotions

Counting the Cost Reading the Bible takes time. In the twenty-first century, many believers are choked with the duties

and pursuits of this world and spend far less time in the Scriptures than they should. Many profess great respect for the Word, but betray their true estimation of its worth by how little they sacrifice for it. A believer who limits himself to a ten-minute session of Bible reading per day will never obtain a mature knowledge of the Word; how can he? An earnest pursuit of Scripture must be predicated upon the commitment to spend time. This should not come as a surprise; as the people of this world choose to spend their time in that which they value most, so likewise the people of God should naturally expect to invest their time in the things of God. Ponder the words of our Lord in Matthew 6:19-33:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, "What will we eat?" or "What will we drink?" or "What will we wear for clothing?" For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

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Because the serious study of Scripture includes more than the casual reading of words on a page, it must be noted that the cost includes more than simply time on a clock. Reading the Bible takes time; studying the Bible takes effort. Bible study requires intellectual energy and focus, which can be difficult to conserve in the rushed and fragmented world of the twenty-first century. Christians are exhorted to manage both their time and their energy, and avoid slothfulness. The author freely admits that he often fails to live up to his own goals in this regard.

Each believer's life situation is different, and varies day to day. There is no single reading plan or schedule that is tuned to every believer's strengths and study methods; instead, each student must find the techniques that serve him best, and stick with them. The believer should strive to read the Bible every day, and perform his readings during the most advantageous portion(s) of the day. For many, this will be early in the morning prior to the commencement of daily labors; for others, it will be in the evening after the hubbub of the world has subsided into tranquility. Some readers may have opportunity to habitually spend a large quantity of time in their Scripture studies. These advantages should not be taken lightly. This writer would strongly urge younger unmarried believers to devote as much time as possible to scriptural study, for the day will come when their opportunities will be greatly diminished. Older believers who have retired from daily vocational employment are likewise encouraged to make full use of the time God has given them.

Most readers will be unable to spend as much time and energy as they desire in the Scriptures, and may become disheartened when they consider how much they have yet to learn. But believers should take courage, for the goal is not to obtain perfect knowledge of the Bible, but rather to be ever on the path of increasing their Bible learning in order to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). No believer, no matter how dedicated, has ever mastered the Word of God to his own satisfaction, for it is inexhaustible.

There are a variety of means by which all believers may increase their exposure to Scripture, even in the midst of busy lifestyles. Some have benefited by listening to audio recordings of the Bible during their daily commute to work. Others through memorization are able to recall portions of Scripture to mind at a moment's notice for meditation. In the Psalms, David speaks of meditating even in bed at night! Most of all, believers are exhorted to take full advantage of the Sabbath day. God instituted the Sabbath precisely for this purpose: to allow men to rest from their ordinary responsibilities, and spend one day in seven for the benefit of their souls and the recuperation of their bodies.

In conclusion, reading the Bible should become integral to the believer's lifestyle, transcending the bounds of a simple legalistically-scheduled activity. The study of the Word of God is the highest academic activity to which man may apply himself, and it undergirds the believer's personal daily walk with God. This principle extends to the people of God corporately. The spiritual health of any church is determined, not by how much its pastors invest in the study of the Bible and in prayerful communion with God, but by how much its most average member invests in these activities.

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Prayer In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul teaches that no one can discern the things of God without the agency of the

Holy Spirit. Because man's intellect has been distorted by the fall (the noetic effects of sin), the Holy Spirit must open the heart and mind (divine illumination) to make the Word effective. In Luke 11:9-13, Jesus teaches that God will provide the Holy Spirit to those who ask him:

So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?

Therefore, prayer for aid from the Holy Spirit is an intrinsic part of Bible reading for anyone who wishes to receive more than clinical academic knowledge from the Bible. Pray before reading that God would prepare your heart to receive his truth. Pray during reading as you rejoice in God's revelation of himself, and as you find the Word convicting you of sin. Pray after reading that God would impress his words on your memory, and plant them in your heart so that you will be a doer of the Word, and not a hearer only (James 1:22).

English Translations Several issues should be considered when selecting English translations with which to study.

First, it is imperative for the reader to select accurate, scholarly translations. There are two approaches to the science of translation. The method of formal equivalence focuses on translating the text more literally (i.e. "word for word"), while the method of dynamic equivalence (or functional equivalence) focuses on translating the text more naturally (i.e. "thought for thought"). Extreme formal equivalence can be almost unreadable in the new language, while extreme dynamic equivalence can lose much of the detail of the original language and is more vulnerable to reflecting the translator's own interpretation of the text. Most translations are based upon one of these two methods, but incorporate elements from the other method to maintain a balance. Both types of translations are helpful in their own ways, but readers often receive greater benefit from the more literal translations due to their richness and faithfulness to the originally-intended meaning.

Second, the reader should not limit himself to any single English translation. It is usually not possible to capture the full meaning of the original text in a single translation, so examining multiple translations is often helpful.

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Third, there is no substitute for a working knowledge of the original languages. Most readers will not have the time and resources to learn the original languages, but those who do should pursue such learning with vigor and share their knowledge with those who do not.

The archaic gold standard for English translations is the King James Version (KJV), which was the culmination of a series of earlier similar translations and was based on a formal equivalence approach. Today, the English Standard Version (ESV) is generally accepted as the standard for reliable literal translations. The New American Standard Bible (NASB) is highly recommended for academic studies, due to its scholarly approach that sacrifices some of the poetic beauty of the ESV in favor of a more precisely literal reading. The current NASB version is the 1995 update; there is a new update scheduled for 2020, but it appears the update is softening some of the NASB's focus on precisely literal translation, which is unfortunate.

A warning must be given to avoid the many poor translations in circulation today. These range from "scholarly" skeptical translations that subtly distort important passages, to sloppy paraphrase Bibles that grossly pervert the plain teaching of the Scriptures. Consider the opening of Psalm 1 when three sound translations are contrasted with a poor translation:

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; And in his law doth he meditate day and night. (KJV)

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stands in the way of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of scoffers; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And on his law he meditates day and night. (ESV)

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. (NASB)

How well God must like you— you don't hang out at Sin Saloon, you don't slink along Dead-End Road, you don't go to Smart-Mouth College. Instead you thrill to GOD's Word, you chew on Scripture day and night. (MSG)

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While it is granted that this is a rather extreme example, note the complete reversal of the biblical teaching by The Message (MSG): "blessed is the man" speaks of God's grace poured out upon a man, while "how well God must like you" speaks instead of God reacting to something he sees within man! In addition, the Hebrew poetic progression in the first three lines of walking, then standing, then sitting is completely lost in The Message. Finally, the general poetic spirit of The Message is far removed from the spiritual, reverent attitude of the psalmist. Thus for a variety of reasons it is critical to limit one's reading to faithful translations.

Visual Formats The visual format of the English Bible should be considered in addition to the translation itself.

First, the Bible must be visually paragraph-formatted with the column of text divided into paragraphs, not verse-formatted with each verse beginning on a new line. This is a major feature whose importance cannot be overstated. The Bible was written as a collection of books, not a collection of verses. Except for the distinction between psalms in the book of Psalms, the chapter and verse divisions of the Bible are not inspired, were added long after the original composition simply for convenience, and are often extremely unhelpful. Unfortunately, many English editions have traditionally placed each verse on its own line, utterly destroying the continuity of the text. Many believers through the use of such editions have psychologically preconditioned themselves to interpret the Bible verse by verse instead of tracing complete thoughts through paragraphs and sections. A paragraph-formatted Bible provides for much better reading comprehension and more closely mirrors the original-language format in which the Word was originally written.

Second, poetry should be visually formatted by verse. The Old Testament poetic books and large portions of the prophets are composed of poetry. Shorter poetic passages also appear in other Old Testament books and in various New Testament passages. Because poetry is interpreted differently from prose, it is critical to know which parts of Scripture are poetic. In a paragraph-formatted Bible, verse-formatted poetry will immediately stand out from the prose.

Third, an ideal Bible should have a single column of text per page. Many English editions have two columns of text per page, but most readers will probably find that a single-column edition is easier to read since it matches the standard format of modern books in the Western world. This visual feature may have no value for some students.

Fourth, red-letter Bibles are generally not recommended. Red-letter Bibles use red text to identify the words spoken by Jesus in the four gospels. Though they may be useful in some cases, or inconsequential in others, these editions can sometimes distract from the truth that all of God's Word is equally inspired. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Word, and his sermons from the gospels are no more or less his words than are the words of Genesis 1:1.

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Fifth, an ideal Bible should clearly mark citations from other passages of Scripture. Most Bible editions include a column of cross-references to help the reader identify such passages as well as other intra-scriptural relationships. The NASB actually displays New Testament quotations of Old Testament passages in all-capital letters within the body of the text; this is particularly helpful because the New Testament contains many lengthy passages, short statements and even phrases quoted from the Old Testament.

Sixth, a "reader's Bible" or computer program may sometimes prove helpful. Reader's Bibles contain the text of Scripture in a simple paragraph format, with no chapter or verse notations. A good Bible software program will likewise allow chapter and verse divisions to be turned off in the display. These tools can help readers who are struggling to piece together Scripture's long lines of thought, and who wish to completely remove the subconscious influence of the man-made divisions.

The Reading Process An in-depth Bible reading consists of several steps. Though many of these steps are executed

concurrently, this paper will present them individually as follows:

• Prepare • Read • Summarize • Trace • Outline • Interpret • Apply • Memorize • Meditate • Write • Discuss

By repeating this process continually, the reader begins to build a framework with which to understand each biblical book and the Bible as a whole. Executing the process for the first time on a biblical book produces an infant framework which, however flawed, aids the reader the second time he works through the same biblical book. This second reading in turn improves and refines the framework for use during the third reading. Bible reading is thus an iterative process. Though the believer will never achieve flawless understanding of all of Scripture, yet by iteratively purifying his interpretive framework he will continually spiral ever closer toward perfect understanding.

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Prepare

Before sitting down to read the Bible, first prepare your heart to hear from God. The soil of the heart must be plowed in order for the seed of the Word to take root. Pray for understanding of the mind and receptiveness of the soul.

Read

The first component of Bible study is always the simple reading of the text. Different techniques work for different students, but the following suggestions should prove helpful:

• First, brand new readers should commence their studies by reading through the entire Bible at least once. Though the reader will not at first understand many of the passages, this overview is necessary to establish the big picture in the reader's mind. It is not necessary to read the books in canonical order from Genesis to Revelation; in fact, the easiest books should be approached first and the most difficult saved for last. Both testaments contain historical books which are both easy to read and necessary to provide the backdrop against which all other books were written. In the Old Testament, the student may begin with Genesis and Exodus, then move on to Joshua through Esther. In the New Testament, the student may begin with the gospels and Acts. After the historical books have been covered, the reader may move on to Old Testament poetry (beginning with the Psalms) and prophecy (beginning with Isaiah), and New Testament epistles (beginning with Romans and 1 John). The most difficult portions of the Bible may be covered last, and include the detailed laws from the last three books of the Pentateuch and the challenging prophecies of Ezekiel and Revelation. Once the foundation of a complete Bible reading has been laid, the reader may begin a more focused and methodical study routine as outlined in the following points.

• Second, read each book of the Bible as a complete whole. Pick a biblical book for study, read it from beginning to end multiple times, then move on to another book. The reader may find that instead of repeatedly reading a single book, he will benefit from the variety of selecting several dissimilar books and rotating through them repeatedly before moving on to another set. Some books will require more repeated readings to understand than other books.

• Third, always read the Psalms. The book of Psalms is the devotional heart of the entire Bible, and should be treated differently from the other books. One practical approach is to continuously cycle through the book of Psalms from beginning to end, at a rate of a few Psalms per week, in parallel with the other readings.

• Fourth, zoom out or zoom in as appropriate. When first getting to know the books of the Bible, the reader should approach each book in an overview fashion. Shorter books such as the epistles should be read as a whole in one sitting; longer books will require several days to read through. When the reader has become more familiar with a book and wishes to study it further, he may then read the book section by section if he desires, focusing on the details. As with the overview approach, it may be useful to read each section repeatedly before moving on to the next section.

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• Fifth, understand your reading focus. New readers should first focus on understanding the overall message and structure of each book. Experienced readers may pursue additional goals, such as focusing on a specific topic throughout the Bible, or analyzing relationships among various biblical passages.

• Sixth, approach yearly reading schedules with caution. Yearly reading schedules divide biblical books into piecemeal daily portions, such that the reader will cover the entire Bible in exactly one year of daily reading. Some schedules progress through the Bible books in canonical order; others use a chronological order. Many readers have been helped by these schedules, but others have been harmed. Spending two weeks reading through a book that was designed to be read in two hours, and never returning to it for another year, will inevitably result in missing the forest for the trees.

• Seventh, shake up the reading routine when necessary. Every believer, regardless of skill level or spiritual maturity, experiences days in which reading the Bible feels dry and routine. It may be helpful during these times to vary the reading plan, looking at portions of Scripture that have not been read recently, or focusing on devotional passages. Working through a Psalm at the start of a reading session is always a good way to warm the heart for the work at hand. There are also times when a very small quantity of Scripture combined with a large quantity of meditation or prayer is to be preferred above all else.

• Eighth, never stop reading. The more the Bible is read and comprehended as a whole, the richer it becomes. The believer may be assured that reading a biblical book for the hundredth time will be a far more vibrant and ravishing experience than reading it for the first time.

Summarize

Once you have read a biblical book a few times, think about its central purpose and message. Why was it written? To whom and by whom was it written? What are its dominant themes?

Trace

Follow the central flow of thought through the book. Think about how the focus of the book naturally falls into sections and subsections.

Outline

Now that you have considered the main themes of the book and its flow of thought, think about how the book can be naturally outlined. Note that ancient writings such as the Bible are rarely designed to be outlined to a high level of detail. In the twenty-first century we are accustomed to absorbing information in short snippets, and most of our books are built around highly detailed logical structures. The Bible books are not so constructed, and are rather intended to be patiently absorbed in their entirety.

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Interpret

Once the book has been read, analyzed and outlined, the next step is to interpret its meaning. You have already begun this process by identifying the main purpose, themes and structure of the book. Now focus on each section of the book. What truth is God teaching in each section? How does each section fit into the whole? How do the truths from this book link with those from the rest of the Bible? The general principles of biblical interpretation will be discussed later in this paper.

These first six steps when applied to the book of Romans might produce the following example outline. The book of Romans is the great gospel epistle; it lays out the theology of the gospel in the first eleven chapters, then teaches the consequences of the gospel in the remaining chapters.

1. Romans 1-11: Doctrinal exposition. This is divided into three main sections, each of which concludes on a glorious mountain peak.

i. Romans 1-5: The gospel, applied to both Jew and Gentile. Paul describes human depravity as seen in the pagan Gentile world (Chapter 1), then demonstrates that the breaking of God's law is equally manifest among the religious Jews (Chapter 2). He describes the advantages the Jews received under the Old Covenant, but concludes that both Jew and Gentile are equally condemned in sin under the law, which has no power to save. However, justification apart from law is provided freely through faith in Jesus Christ, equally for Jew and Gentile (Chapter 3). Abraham is shown to be the father of all who have this faith in Christ, whether under the Old Covenant or under the New Covenant (Chapter 4). The overwhelming love of God is displayed in Christ's atoning work. The man Adam as federal representative of the human race is compared and contrasted with the new representative and redeemer Christ, who is shown to be entirely superior (Chapter 5).

ii. Romans 6-8: The defeat of sin at the hands of the gospel. Paul continues the thought by addressing a common objection to his teaching of salvation by faith alone apart from law: what then is the point of obeying the law at all? Paul demonstrates that the doctrine from the previous section actually lays the entire foundation for the believer's fight against sin, rather than creating an excuse for sinning. Though believers still sin in this life, they gain victory over sin because they have been delivered from legalistic slavery to the law and have instead been adopted as sons and heirs of God, empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Paul builds this idea to a climax, describing the ultimate victorious redemption of God's people through the united work of the three persons of the Trinity.

iii. Romans 9-11: Israel's place in the New Covenant. Paul concludes his doctrinal exposition by circling back to the nation of Israel. He demonstrates that God's promises toward Israel were not in vain, for the promises were ultimately spiritual in nature and are indeed being fulfilled in the spiritual seed of Abraham. He expounds on God's sovereign power in choosing to harden Israel while instead showing grace to the Gentiles (Chapter 9). He describes Israel's hardness of heart in seeking after legalistic righteousness through the law (Chapter 10). He

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then reveals that there yet remains a future for Israel: as their hardening led to mercy for the Gentiles, so the mercy for the Gentiles will result in an abundance of mercy shown again to Israel, and God's marvelous scheme will be complete (Chapter 11).

2. Romans 12-15:13: Practical exhortation. One of the main themes from the doctrinal section of the book was the unity of Jew and Gentile in condemnation under the law, and in salvation by grace through faith in Christ. That theme of unity continues into this second section.

i. Romans 12: Unity in the body of Christ. Paul urges holiness founded upon the doctrines he has preached in the previous section. He exhorts believers to view themselves as members of a collective body in Christ, recognizing that each member is not the whole in himself, and each member is given gifts and assigned functions that complement those gifts and functions given to other members.

ii. Romans 13:1-7: Obedience to civil government. Paul commands believers to be in obedience to civil authorities, because government is ordained by God and carries with it the authority of God.

iii. Romans 13:8-10: Love to neighbor. Paul demonstrates that fulfilling the moral law toward one's neighbor is summarized by and equivalent to loving that neighbor.

iv. Romans 13:11-[end]: Urgency of the need for holiness. Paul exhorts believers to lay aside sin and take up Christ, because the time is short. v. Romans 14:1-15:13: Harmony among believers of differing levels of maturity. Paul notes that mature believers generally experience greater freedom of conscience in their use of earthly things for God than do immature believers who are weak in the faith. The primary concern with immature believers is that they tend to judge the mature believers and become bitter against them; the primary concern with mature believers is that they tend to despise the weakness of the immature believers. Paul warns against both tendencies, and concludes by again emphasizing harmony in Christ. Believers are to accept one another, just as Christ has accepted both Jew and Gentile.

3. Romans 15:14-16:[end]: Closing remarks and greetings. Paul concludes the letter by touching on his confidence in the Roman church, his purpose in writing the epistle, his plans for visiting the church, requests for prayer, and requests for greeting various believers. As a final exhortation, he urges the believers to watch those who teach false doctrine, and disassociate from them.

Now that the biblical book has been understood and interpreted, there are a few additional steps to complete.

Apply

Learning God's truth is worthless to our souls if we do not apply that truth to our lives. Examine each thing you have learned from the book. How does this apply to you? What does it reveal about God? About

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you? About your sin? About the gospel? Do you have assumptions that are being challenged? How should your walk with God change in response to these truths? How should your day-to-day life be transformed?

Memorize

Memorization allows ourselves to be equipped with God's truth in every place and circumstance; it also provides a guard against being deceived by false teachers who quote Bible verses out of context. Memorization comes much more easily to some readers than to others. The best place to start is probably to memorize your outline of the book so you can locate specific passages quickly. As you read the book repeatedly, you will find that certain verses or passages begin to stick

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