"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15) In this lesson we will become engaged in understanding and applying the Word. This is essential to spiritual growth and discipleship! However, we need to first clarify what we mean by the Word. In the first chapter of John’s Gospel, we see that Jesus is the Word.

John 1:1, 14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (NIV)

It is this Word of God that is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword; it is our Lord Jesus who is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. For there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. (paraphrase of Hebrews 4:12-13) The Scripture was given to us by inspiration from God, and therefore, is also referred to as the Word. God has given us this completed revelation of Himself so that we might accurately handle the communication we receive daily from The Word, Jesus. The Bible is our template for correctly interpreting what the Lord has to say to us individually. It is profitable for establishing a solid doctrinal foundation, for showing us where our lives need to change, for restoring us to right thinking and living, and for teaching us how to live Godly lives. (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16) However, The Word (Jesus) has much to share with us about specific people, events, opportunities, and trials in our lives that are not mentioned in the Bible. The relationship between the Word of God (the Bible) and The Word of God (Jesus) is that the specific communication we receive from the Lord will never contradict, add to, nor subtract from the Scriptures. The Bible is our guide to assist us in properly understanding what Jesus wants to tell us specifically. It keeps us from getting confused by other spiritual and mental messages. As we dwell on the Bible through study, memorization, and meditation we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. This mind renewal enables us to understand the promptings of the Spirit of God, Who teaches us all things from Christ. As we tune our spirits to the Spirit of God we are transformed, and we will come to know the good and perfect will of God. (cf. John 14:26, John 16:13-15, and Romans 12:2)

Getting a handle on the Bible requires time and work. We need to hear it, read it, study it, memorize it and meditate on it. Our grasp of it increases with each of those actions. Just receiving the Word through the teaching of others is better than not being exposed to it at all, but it will not give a working knowledge of the Bible. Personal quiet time reading the Bible provides great benefit, but not as much as studying it. Memorizing it means you can have it with you anywhere for any situation. Meditating on the Word leads to direct communication with God and insight into His thoughts that will completely transform your life.

Many believers were first introduced to the Lord Jesus by hearing the Word preached. This is an effective means of initiating a growing relationship.

John 5:24

24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. (NIV)

Romans 10:17

17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (NIV)

Throughout the Bible we are encouraged to hear the word of the Lord and act according to it. This is a great start, but it cannot sustain healthy growth. Hearing the Word is like grasping the Bible with just your little finger. You can hold it, but not very well. Your mind and spirit need to be more involved in the Word than hearing alone provides.

The next activity that we can use to take in the Word is reading it. Reading requires greater mental involvement than hearing. Both require concentration and effort to comprehend, but unlike hearing, reading is entirely under your control. You must initiate the activity; you are in control of the speed of input and the amount of time spent, and you alone are responsible for translating the written words into understandable thoughts. Reading combined with hearing is like grasping the Bible with both your little finger and your ring finger. Your grasp of the Word is improved.

Holding the Bible with the little finger (hearing), the ring finger (reading), and the middle finger (studying) provides an even better grasp of the Word. Studying picks up where reading leaves off. Studying pushes on to deeper levels of understanding and personal application. Studying is systematic, analytical, and documented consumption of the Word of God. It requires diligence, perseverance, and a searching heart. During this lesson we will practice Bible study techniques to improve your grasp of the Word.

The next method of Biblical intake is memorization. Throughout this course you have been asked to memorize small passages of Scripture each week. David wrote in Psalm 119:11 "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee." (KJV) By storing Scripture in your mind you have been immunizing yourself against sin. In addition, memorization gives us the ability to use Scripture when we do not have our Bibles in hand. Memorizing Scripture improves our grasp of the Word like holding the Bible with all four fingers improves our grasp of the physical book.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and all Scripture is likewise understood by His inspiration. Bible study is not simply an intellectual exercise. It is first and foremost an exercise of the spirit. Our spirit is to be in tune with the Spirit of God learning and applying what He teaches. We work in harmony with the Spirit only when we are living in obedience to God. If we are rebelling against Him, the sin in our lives and the resulting guilt will drive a wedge between us and the Lord causing us to be spiritually blinded. As we approach Bible study we need to allow God to search our hearts and reveal to us the sin in our lives. We must then confess it to Him and allow the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

While Bible study is not exclusively an exercise of the intellect, it nonetheless is an activity that will require all of our mental capacity. As the Lord reveals Himself and His work to us, we comprehend far more in our spirit than our mind can grasp. As it is written:

1 Corinthians 2:9-16

9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"--

10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment:

16 "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ. (NIV)

In order to understand what God is revealing to us we must stay mentally alert and work systematically and analytically. Studying systematically means we have a specific objective for each study, we are methodical, and we integrate what we learn with all that we already know. Studying analytically means we ask questions and search for answers.

Set an Objective:

When you set out to study the Bible, establish an objective. As you begin studying the Bible, one of your first objectives is to learn what is in it. A very good way to do that is to work on one book at a time. Most people begin with one of the Gospels because here we see Emmanuel, the Word become flesh dwelling among us full of grace and truth. As you become more thoroughly familiar with what Jesus said to His disciples, you will find it interesting to learn how they assimilated His words in their lives (the Book of Acts) or what they had to say to us as a result of living a life centered on Christ (the Epistles). As you study these keep integrating what you learn with what you learned previously. Develop your own cross-references. Throughout the Gospels, The Acts of the Apostles, and the various Epistles their are numerous references to the Scriptures (the Books of the Old Testament). You might set an objective of your Bible study to learn the way God developed the nation of Israel starting with Abraham the grandfather of Jacob (whom God renamed Israel) in the Book of Genesis and proceeding through their slavery in Egypt, the wandering in the wilderness, the conquest of the Promised Land, the establishment of Judges then Kings, the dividing of the Kingdom, the overthrow of Israel by the Assyrians and Judah by the Babylonians, and the eventual return and rebuilding of the temple and Jerusalem.

As you become familiar with the Bible content, you may want to set objectives that are more topical in nature. You may be led of the Lord to understand and be able to explain to others the meaning of grace, salvation, reconciliation, propitiation, the attributes of God, Heaven, Hell, and the coming Day of the Lord. Topical Bible study is not confined or centered on a single book of the Bible. It spans several books and tends to require some knowledge of what is in each book so you can follow the thread of the particular topic throughout the entire Bible. Two very useful tools are a Topical Bible and a Chain Reference Bible. These can get you started finding all the Scripture references for a given topic.

One more objective that you may have in your Bible study is to better understand the character of the various people of the Bible. There is a lesson to be learned from every life that is put on display in the Scriptures. Some of these people never got it right, but we can learn from their mistakes. Some were true men and women of God, and we may find how the Lord wants to work in our lives through their examples.

There is much to learn from the Bible. The wisdom of God reflected there is so profound that we can spend a lifetime studying it and still find much more to learn. If we approach it haphazardly, we may get lost and miss much of what He wants us to learn. Let God lead you in establishing a plan for learning His Word.

Basic Approach:

Once you have chosen an objective and have the Scripture passages identified that you will study, follow these three steps:

• Observation
• Interpretation
• Application

and document everything you learn.

Observation:

The process of Bible study begins with observation. It involves our asking a lot of questions. Ask and seek to learn what is being said, to whom, by whom, when, where, and for what reason. Think about what was going on when these word were originally spoken. What were the people like? What was their mindset at the time? What were the conditions surrounding this time and place? Why did the person speaking feel the need to share these thoughts with these people? As you consider this passage of Scripture, do you find any promises given and do the people have to do anything to receive the promise? Are there any commandments given? Observation is looking at the Word from every conceivable perspective. Define any words you do not understand. Consider the sentence structures. Look for connective words and phrases. Words like "and", "or", "but", "however", and "therefore" connect thoughts that need to be understood together. Check marginal references and concordances to locate similar thoughts in other parts of the Bible and follow the same observation procedures there. Write down your questions and observations. During the observation part of your study, don’t try to draw any conclusions; just write down the facts that you observe.

The study helps that are very useful during this phase of your study are a Bible Atlas, a Bible Dictionary, a standard English Dictionary, an Interlinear Greek & Hebrew Bible along with corresponding Greek and Hebrew Dictionaries, and a comprehensive Concordance.

After observing Luke 6:27-49, Let’s look at some of the results and then move into the next step, interpretation.

Luke 6:27-49

27 "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.

30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.

31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them.

33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that.

34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full.

35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

39 He also told them this parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?

40 A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.

41 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

42 How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

43 "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.

44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers.

45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

46 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?

47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice.

48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.

49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." (NIV)

 

Observations

Who was speaking? Jesus

To whom was the conversation directed? His disciples (vs. 20)

Where were they? a level place on a mountain side (vss. 12, 17)

Where had they been? on the mountain praying with Jesus (vs 12)

What had happened prior to this message? The Pharisees had argued with Jesus’ healing a man’s hand on the Sabbath (vss. 6-11). Most recently Jesus had chosen 12 apostles from among his disciples (vss. 13-16)

Is there anything that is said that probably should not be taken literally? yes

If yes, please explain. In verses 41-42 a literal plank or log was not really in the eye of the one noticing the speck. Further this was not literally about taking something out of someone’s eye, but rather appears to be dealing with criticizing someone for a fault that the critic has in larger measure.

Are there any analogies or metaphors? yes If yes, please list what you have found. The speck and the plank The good and bad trees bearing good and bad fruit The houses built on rock and sand

What directives are given?

38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Are any of the directives simply suggestions? no

What promises are given and what are the conditions for realizing these promises? You will not be judged nor condemned if you do not judge or condemn. You will be forgiven if you forgive. You will be given to with the same measure that you give to other.

Love Unconditionally giving yourself and your resources to meet the needs of others.

Judge Criticizing the actions and attitudes of others. In this context it includes a "shame and blame" mentality

Condemn Declaring someone irrevocably guilty of wrong. It includes separation from and punishment upon the condemned one.

Forgive To cease to feel resentment toward an offender. To stop blaming an offender. To let go of the pain, the grudge, and the requirement for retribution.

Hypocrite An actor. One who pretends to be something they are not.

Lord syn. (Master, Ruler) The one who commands and whose subjects obey.

Who are the Pharisees? A sect of Jewish leaders known as the "Separated Ones" . They were zealous for the Laws of God. They were especially focused on laws surrounding the Sabbath and ritual purity. They appear to have lost sight of God in their zeal to keep His Laws.

What is the Sabbath? The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week that God originally set aside for rest and worship. Many definitions for what constituted work had been set. Both meal preparation and healing the sick were activities that were not allowed by the Jewish religious leaders.

Where do the thoughts in this passage of Scripture appear in other parts of the Bible? Matthew 5-7 The Sermon on the Mount

What additional thoughts are given in these cross references? There are several additional thoughts in the Matthew passage. One of the most significant appears to be that Jesus expands obedience to the Ten Commandments beyond outward actions to inward attitudes of the heart. The central theme of the Matthew passage is found in Matthew 5:48 Be perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect.

Interpretation:

The second step is to interpret what all of your observations are revealing. It is important to rely on the context within which the passage being studied exists as well as continually maintaining alignment of your interpretations with the whole of Scripture. This is the phase of your study where you begin to draw some conclusions. Take into consideration all of the facts that you have written down while observing the passage. The most important aspect of interpretation is that you ask the Holy Spirit to teach you what He wants you to learn. Ask Him what the passage you are studying means and listen for His answer. This phase of your study should conclude with you writing a paraphrase of the Bible passage you are studying. After you have come to some conclusions and have written them down in your words, then you can check Bible Commentaries to see how others have interpreted the same passage.

Luke 6:27-49 Interpretation Notes:

Jesus spoke to a crowd of people including a number of people He had been healing, foreigners from Tyre & Sidon, people from around Judea and likely some of the religious leaders from Jerusalem, but the focus of His message was directed to His disciples. He had just called twelve of them to be His Apostles. They would lay the foundation of the Church after His death and resurrection. He wanted them to learn the essence of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus taught His disciples a new motive and method for dealing with sin. At first glance, it appears that Jesus was telling His disciples to be totally non-assertive, door mats who unreservedly gave up all their possessions to people. Then He brought up the metaphor of the speck in someone’s eye and the plank in another’s. He said first take out your own obstructions so you can see well enough to help the other person remove the problems in their lives. Jesus told them to put their personal well-being in God’s Hands and when someone mistreated them, minister reconciliation not retaliation, give them kindness not condemnation, and start treating people like you want to be treated (even when you don’t deserve it). He told them to be good trees producing good fruit. And the fruit He referred to was radically different from anything they had ever produced before. In fact, in and of themselves, there would be no way they would produce anything remotely resembling the fruit He talked about. He expected them to have the fruit of unconditional love for everyone, and that fruit comes from only one Tree - Abba Father.

Jesus wanted them to give their lives to meet the deepest needs of people, even the people who would do them harm, take advantage of them and without an ounce of gratitude. Then, lest they think this was an extra credit assignment for the really "super" Christians among them, He asked them a question: "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" Whoa, that hits home!

It’s like this, follow these instructions from Jesus and your life will be on a sure foundation – nothing will shake you. But if you ignore Him, you can count on your life ending up in shambles.

 

Application:

The final aspect of effective Bible study makes it more than just an intellectual exercise. We are expected to apply what we learn to our daily lives. We are expected to be doers of the Word. Along with asking the Lord, what does this mean; we also must ask, how do I need to apply this to my life? In our study of the Bible we will encounter many principles that conflict with our natural tendencies. If we simply store God’s instructions in our memory banks without following them, we miss the whole point of Bible study.

Go to a quiet place and meditate on Luke 6:27-49. The focus of your mediation will be to ask God how He wants you to apply this Scripture to your life today.

Document:

One last point regarding inductive Bible study. It needs to be documented. Write down your objective, your questions and observations, your interpretations, and things you will do to apply what you have learned. When we write things down, we tend to understand them better and retain them longer. By writing our thoughts we are able to later return to them and remind ourselves what God has taught us in the past, and we are able to improve our understanding when at a later date we return to this topic or Bible passage for further study.

Meditation on the Scriptures is a great place to start learning how to converse with God. The Bible provides a continual certification that the "voice" you hear is truly from God since He will never say anything that contradicts the Scriptures.

MEDITATION

The practice of reflection or contemplation. The word meditation or its verb form, to meditate, is found mainly in the Old Testament. This concept is reflected in (Psalm 1:2), where the "blessed man" meditates on God's law day and night. The psalmist also prayed that the meditation of his heart would be acceptable in God's sight (Ps. 19:14). Joshua was instructed to meditate on the Book of the Law for the purpose of obeying all that was written in it (Josh. 1:8).

(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

(Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

Meditation in a Christian context is nearly the exact opposite of a practice by the same name found in Eastern philosophies and religions. There, meditation involves emptying your mind in an attempt to achieve Nirvana - the state of "blissful" nothingness. Meditation on the Word, rather than emptying your mind, encourages you to fill your mind with the very Thoughts of God. It is not mystical; it is not detached from reality, and it is not something you do by repeating a mantra. Mediation means to reflect, ponder, or to mull over something in your mind. It requires a very active mind, and you will do a lot of thinking as you engage in this activity, but it is more than the imaginations of our minds. It is talking with God and listening for His answer. When you study Scripture, ask Him to give you the interpretation. As thoughts come into your consciousness, examine them in light of your knowledge of the Bible. If the thoughts are misaligned with your understanding of Scripture, either these thoughts are not from God or your understanding of the Word needs adjusting. Ask Him for more clarity. Ask Him for discernment. Interact with the Lord and He will converse with you. Continue to work with what He tells you until you understand it well enough that you can explain it to others.

Meditation can also be used to find the direct application of what you have been studying. Ask the Lord to tell you what He wants you to do in response to the interpretation He has given you. Are you to adopt a new way of thinking? Are you to encourage someone to accept the Lordship of Christ in some area of their life? Is there a word of comfort you can apply to your life or the lives of others?