Lesson #05

Bible Perspectives: How to Study the Bible for Yourself — Part I
Lesson #05
The View From the Mountain Top

• Spiritual Diary Discussion
• Homework Discussion: The Parable Bible Study [To go to the Homework Answers–for the teacher]
• Luk 8:4-15

• Class Lesson: The Word’s Broad Principles

• One unique thing about the Bible is it’s timeless application. Even though it was written in a different time period and in different cultures, the Word of God is based on basic principles that do not change. Therefore, it is essential to know how to look for general, broad principles that you can apply to your life today. It is as though you are looking at life and the Bible from the mountain top.
• Discovering Biblical Principles:
• =1= You first need to understand the original situation in which the Bible was written.
• =2= Obtain an overview of the situation by reading the whole book or the whole chapter.
• =3= Look to see if the author of the book states the general principles. Sometimes they do.
• =4= Ask yourself, why was the specific command or instruction given? What was the purpose of the command?
• =5= You must ask if the command given is in the Old Testament or the New Testament, under the Old Covenant of Law or under the New Covenant of grace.
• This is a critical point in rightly dividing the Word of God that will determine your interpretation of the Word.
• If a command is in the Old Testament, is it re-stated in the New Testament?
• If a command is in the Old Testament, is it revoked in the New Testament?
• =6= Pay attention to whether the author tells you if the example given is good or bad.
• Applying Biblical principles to your life:
• =1= Apply the general principle to the identical situation in your life, or,
• =2= Apply the general principle to a comparable situation in your life.
• =3= If you apply the general principle to a different situation, you must have the same key elements.
• Applying Biblical Promises to your life:
• =1= Is it given under the Old Covenant in the Old Testament, or is it given under the New Covenant in the New Testament?
• =2= To whom is the promise given?
• Often Christians wrongly claim promises strictly given to the Jews.
• Example: 3Joh 1:2 is a standard form of greeting and it is spoken personally to Gaius. It is not a promise to all of us.
• =3= Is the promise conditional or unconditional?
• =4= The book of proverbs is not a book of promises but a book of probabilities.
• =5= The book of Psalms is a book of promises.

• Types of Bible Study Methods: #4 The ABC Bible Study—Part 1

• This Bible Study method is more in depth and more non-directed. In other words, you are to decide meanings and direction as God lead you. The form of the study gives you only broad guidance as to what to look for.
• This study method asks you to meditate on the Word. In order to do this, we need to understand Biblical meditation.
• Meditation = chewing the cud.
• Definition: Meditation is a devotional practice of pondering the words or verses with a receptive heart, allowing the Holy Spirit to take the Word and apply it as the Living Word (Manna verses) to your inner being. The purpose is to bring a response from you toward God.
• The word meditation comes from the Latin word,”medicalus” from which we obtain the word medicine. This is what it means to “feed” on Christ, the bread of life, which must be taken internally. (Pro 4:20-22)
• The Benefits of Meditation:
• Guidance (Joh 16:13-14)
• It builds the inner man in faith (Rom 10:17)
• It imparts divine truth (2Tim 3:16)
• It brings success in life (Jos 1:7-8)
• It brings happiness (Psa 1:1)
• It brings stability (Psa 1:3)
• It brings fruitfulness (Psa 1:3)
• It brings freshness (Psa 1:3)
• It brings prosperity (Psa 1:3 Jos 1:8)
• Practicing Meditation:
• Never let your mind go blank. Secular meditation encourages this, and it is called Transcendental Meditation..
• Read over the whole passage to gain the context.
• Go back over it verse by verse. In other words, it is like a cow chewing his cud. You bring it up and go over it again and again, word by word, phrase by phrase.

• Homework

• =1= Work on your Spiritual Diary 15 minutes every day. Congratulations!! If you have been doing this part of the homework consistently since we began, you have established a good habit of personal devotions.
• =2= Don’t neglect My Personal Concordance. Be sure to add any Bible references that seem to meet specific needs as you come across them in either your reading of Psalms or in your method of study during the week.
• =3= Using the ABC Bible Study sheet – Part 1
• Study Col 2:1-23
• Day 1 – Read the entire passage 3 times while writing down on scratch paper any possible titles of the passage as you read. Then pick one best title that best tells the passage content. Write this title on your homework sheet.
• Day 2 – Read the passage one time through. Pick a best verse that is outstanding to you even though it may not contain the main theme. – or – Pick a basic passage of not more than 3 verses from Col 2:1-23 that includes the central message and is the key to the contents of the passage. Mark which verses you picked on your homework sheet.
• Day 3 – Read the passage through. Pick a short term challenge for this study, asking God to challenge your heart from some portion of your study. Pick out the verse that brought the challenge to mind. Write the challenge and verse on your sheet. After the phrase, truth of the challenge, state the verse you picked in your own words.
• Day 4 – Personal application. Read the passage and pray that the Lord will show you specific things to do this week. Fill in what your action will be regarding the challenge.
• Day 5 – Read the passage. Meditate on the word. Then write down any questions or difficulties that come to mind.
• Day 6 – Read the passage. Do some research to solve your own questions that you wrote on day 5. Write down any answers you find.

#4 ABC Bible Study – Part 1

Date:

Scripture Passage to Study: Col 2:1-23

1. Title:

B. Best Verse – or – Best Passage:

C. Challenge:

Verse of the Challenge:

Truth of the Challenge:

Personal Application of the Challenge:

D. Difficulties:

Verse:                                                 Difficulty: