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Dr. Sam Lamerson
Good News
Whether you have been in
church your entire life or are
brand new to the faith, you will
undoubtedly, at times, encounter
Bible passages that are difficult to
understand. The scriptures them-
selves speak of this, as the Apostle
Peter says, “. . . just as our beloved
brother Paul also wrote to you ac-
cording to the wisdom given him,
as he does in all his letters when
he speaks in them of these mat-
ters. There are some things in
them that are hard to understand,
which the ignorant and unstable
twist to their own destruction, as
they do the other Scriptures” (2
Peter 3:15–16).
Here are a few keys to help
you gain a proper understanding
of what the Bible is actually say-
ing.
1. Read slowly
We live in a culture that val-
ues doing things fast. A simple
look at the available books on
speed reading, time management,
and “getting things done” is
enough to convince anyone that,
for many, faster means better.
This is not so with our reading of
Scripture. We need to slow down
and read carefully. How do we
learn to read slowly? Here are a
few tips. First, if you read in an-
other language (particularly if it is
Hebrew and/or Greek) spend
time reading the text in that lan-
guage. Second, write out the text.
Writing out the text forces the
reader to pay careful attention to
what is being said, and to listen to
even the smallest of words or
phrases. Third, compare several
English versions. This will help
you to see where the translation
of the text is obvious (i.e., the
translator has no problem or
question) and where the transla-
tion is difficult (often versions will
differ greatly). Try using a timer
and forcing yourself to readmuch
more slowly than is your custom.
You will be surprised at what you
might discover.
2. Readwidely
When you come to a difficult
passage in scripture, make sure to
read at least the entire chapter in
which it occurs. I once had a pro-
fessor of Greek tell our class, “If you
fall asleep in class and I call on you
the best answer you can give is,
‘Context!’” Placing the verse or
verses in the proper context (the
passages surrounding the verse you
are studying) is one of themost im-
portant things that any reader can
do. One of the great problemswith
modern-day Bible reading is that
many have been taught to read the
Bible in a way that we would read
no other book. Many simply pick
up the Bible, turn to a page and
read a few verses for that day’s di-
rection. We would never pick up a
novel or a textbook, turn to some
random page, and expect to make
any sense out of the book. Only by
reading the entire book does any-
one really see what the author is
trying to communicate. By under-
standing that books of the Bible
were written to be read (or heard)
as a unit, you can come to under-
stand a great deal simply by reading
through the whole Gospel of
Matthew, book of Isaiah or letter to
the Ephesians.
3. Readmemorably
When you read an entire
book of the Bible, you should do
so by looking for and remember-
ing certain literary devices. You
will often see a word repeated
over and over (for example, for-
giveness inMatthew) and this will
help point out a theme of the
book. Another key can be looking
at the start, finish and center of a
book or of a particular section
(called a “pericope” by theolo-
gians). Whatever is being empha-
sized in the start, finish and center
will often point to the more im-
portant themes in that section.
4. Read prayerfully
Lastly and most importantly,
we should always read prayerfully.
Our final teacher is the Holy Spirit
(John 14:26). Only our relationship
with the triuneGod of the universe
will ever allow us to truly under-
stand the Bible. There is absolutely
no substitute for speaking to the ul-
timate author of the scriptures.
The next time you are reading
your Bible and come across a diffi-
cult passage, you might want to
turn to a commentary or a pastor
to ask for the answer. Don’t turn
too quickly. Read the text yourself
first and meditate upon it, asking
the Lord for help. In this way you
will truly come to know the scrip-
tures.
Dr. Sam Lamerson, Professor of
New Testament and Greek, was just
named Interim President at Knox
Theological Seminary. He can be
reached at
slamerson@knoxseminary.edu or
by calling the Seminary at 954-771-
0376.
goodnewsfl.org
23 February 2014
BIBLE STUDY
Four Keys to Understanding the Bible