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<chapter id="h2-basics"><title>Bible Study Basics</title>
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<sect1 id="h2-basics-purpose">
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<title>Our Purpose as we Approach the Bible</title>
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<blockquote><attribution>Jn.5:39-40</attribution> <para>You search the Scriptures, because you think that
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in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; and you
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are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life.</para>
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<para>The chief purpose of the book is to bring us to the Person. Martin Luther
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said <quote>we go to the cradle only for the sake of the baby</quote>; just so
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in Bible study, we do it not for its own sake but for fellowship with God.
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<blockquote><attribution>John R.W. Stott, <emphasis>Christ the
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Controversialist</emphasis>, InterVarsity Press 1978, pp.97, 104.</attribution>
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<para>The Jews to whom Jesus spoke [...] imagined that to possess Scripture was
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tantamount to possessing life. Hillel used to say, "He who has gotten to
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himself words of Torah has gotten to himself the life of the world to
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come." Their study was an end in itself. In this they were grievously
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deceived. [...]</para>
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<para>There is neither merit nor profit in the reading of
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Scripture for its own sake, but only if it effectively introduces us to Jesus
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Christ. Whenever the Bible is read, what is needed is an eager expectation that
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through it we may meet Christ.</para>
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<sect1 id="h2-basics-approaches"><title>Approaches to God's Word</title>
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<para>Hearing and reading provide a telescopic view of the scripture while study
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and memorization provide a microscopic view of scripture. Meditating on the
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scriptures brings hearing, reading, studying and memorization together and
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cements the word in our minds.</para>
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<sect2 id="h2-basics-approaches-hear"><title>Hear</title>
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<para>Lk.11:28 <quote>blessed are those who hear the word of God, and
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observe it.</quote></para>
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<sect2 id="h2-basics-approaches-read"><title>Read</title>
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<para>Rev.1:3 <quote>Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this
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prophecy [...]</quote></para>
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<para>1 Tim.4:13 <quote>give attention to the public reading of Scripture [...]</quote>
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<sect2 id="h2-basics-approaches-study"><title>Study</title>
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<para>Acts 17:11 <quote>Now these were more noble-minded than those in
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Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the
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Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.</quote>
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<para>2 Tim.2:15 <quote>Be diligent [KJV `Study'] to present yourself
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approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling
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accurately the word of truth.</quote></para>
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<sect2 id="h2-basics-approaches-memorize"><title>Memorize</title>
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<para>Ps.119:11 <quote>Thy word I have hid in my heart, that I may not
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sin against Thee.</quote></para>
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<sect2 id="h2-basics-approaches-meditate"><title>Meditate</title>
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<para>Ps.1:2-3 <quote>But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And
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in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted
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by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not
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wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.</quote>
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<para>The Navigators illustrate this by saying that as the thumb can touch all
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the fingers, we can meditate on the Word as we do any of the first four.
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Meditation is a key to revelation. A new Christian needs to hear and read the
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Bible more than they need to study and memorize it. This is so that they become
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familiar with the overall message of the Bible.</para>
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<sect1 id="h2-basics-types"><title>Types of Bible Studies</title>
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<sect2 id="basics-types-topical"><title>Topical Study</title>
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<para>Pick out a certain topic and follow it through, using cross-references or a
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<sect2 id="h2-basics-types-character"><title>Character Study</title>
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<para>Studying the life of a Bible character, e.g. Joseph's life in
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<sect2 id="basics-types-expository"><title>Expository Study</title>
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<para>Studying a certain passage: paragraph, chapter, or book.</para>
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<sect1 id="h2-basics-interpretation"><title>Basics of Correct Interpretation</title>
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<sect2 id="h2-basics-interpretation-content"><title>Content</title>
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<para>What does it say? What does it say in the original language? Be careful
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with definitions. Don't read into it what it doesn't say.</para>
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<sect2 id="h2-basics-interpretation-context"><title>Context</title>
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<para>What do the verses around it say? "Context is king" is the rule -- the passage must make
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sense within the structure of the entire passage and book.</para>
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<sect2 id="h2-basics-interpretation-cross"><title>Cross-reference</title>
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<para>What do other verses about this subject say through the rest of the Bible? God
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doesn't contradict Himself, so our interpretation needs to stand the test of other scriptures.</para>
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<sect1 id="h2-basics-expository"><title>An Expository Study of Matthew 6:1-18</title>
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<para>Let's study together Mt.6:1-18. Read it to yourself, first looking for the key verse, the verse that sums
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up the whole passage. Think you have it? Test it by picking different places in the passage and asking yourself
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if they relate to the thought of the key verse. Once you find it, write it as Roman numeral One of your outline:</para>
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<orderedlist numeration="upperroman">
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<listitem><para>Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed</para></listitem>
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<para>What does <quote>practicing your righteousness</quote> mean? Does the passage give any examples? What area
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of our lives is being addressed? <emphasis>Our motives!</emphasis> What sub-headings develop this thought?</para>
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<orderedlist numeration="upperalpha">
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<listitem><para>When you give</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>When you fast</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>When you pray</para></listitem>
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<para>Now fill in the outline with specific instructions of how to avoid wrong ways of practicing our
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righteousness:</para>
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<orderedlist numeration="upperalpha">
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<listitem><para>When you give
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<orderedlist numeration="loweralpha">
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<listitem><para>don't sound a trumpet. (how might someone <quote>sound a trumpet</quote> today?)</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>do it secretly.</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>etc.</para></listitem>
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</orderedlist></para>
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<sect1 id="h2-basics-worksheet"><title>Worksheet: How to Use a Concordance</title>
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<sect2 id="h2-basics-worksheet-select"><title>To Find a Particular Verse</title>
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<orderedlist numeration="arabic">
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<listitem><para>Pick out a key word or most-unusual word of the verse.</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>Turn to this word alphabetically.</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>Go down the column of listings until you find your verse.</para></listitem>
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<para>Find these verses:
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<orderedlist numeration="arabic">
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<listitem><para><quote>Faithful are the wounds of a friend</quote></para></listitem>
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<listitem><para><quote>We are ambassadors of Christ.</quote></para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>The story of the rich man and Lazarus.</para></listitem>
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<sect2 id="h2-basics-worksheet-study"><title>To Do a Topical Study </title>
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<para>Let's say you wanted to do a study of the word "redemption." First you would look up that word in the
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concordance and look up references listed for it. Then you could look up related words and references listed for them, e.g.
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"redeem, redeemed, ransom," even "buy" or "bought." </para>
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<sect2 id="h2-basics-worksheet-clarify"><title>To Clarify Word Meanings in the Greek and Hebrew</title>
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<para>What if you noticed a contradiction in the KJV between Mt.7:1 <quote>Judge not lest you be judged</quote> and 1 Cor.2:15
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<quote>He that is spiritual judgeth all things.</quote> Maybe there are two different Greek words here, both being translated "judge" in
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English? (We're using Strong's from here out.) </para>
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<orderedlist numeration="arabic">
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<listitem><para>Look up "judge".</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>Go down the column of entries to Mt.7:1. To the right is a number, 2919. This refers to the Greek word used.
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Write it down.</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>Now look up "judgeth".</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>Go down the column to 1 Cor.2:15 . . . . . 350.</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>Turn in the back to the Greek dictionary. (Remember, you're in the NT so the language is Greek, while the
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OT is Hebrew.) Compare the meaning of 2919 with the meaning of 350 and you have your answer! </para></listitem>
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<sect2 id="h2-basics-worksheet-names"><title>To Find Meanings of Names</title>
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<para>By the same process we can find the meaning of a name in the Greek or Hebrew.</para>
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<para>Look up these names and write down their meaning:</para>
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<listitem><para>Nabal</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>Abigail</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>Joshua</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>Barnabus</para></listitem>
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docs/howto/unicode/how2-basics.docbook
