Bible Study FAQ
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From: ad873@freenet.carleton.ca (Shawn Abigail)
Subject: Bible Study FAQ - January 1995
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{{ Note that this is a DRAFT document. The author welcomes
comments. -sma }}
Here is the first draft of a new FAQ I have put together.
-----------------------------------------------
Bible Study FAQ
Version 0.9
January, 1995
This posting is designed to answer some of the Frequently
Asked Questions that people ask concerning Bible Study
methods and tools. Please distribute this FAQ as widely
as possible. It will be reposted at the beginning of each
month. Suggestions for this FAQ should be sent to me at:
ad873@freenet.carleton.ca
1) What Bible study tools are essential?
2) What translation should I study from?
3) What translations should I own?
4) What about a Study Bible?
5) What Study Bibles are available?
6) What is a Concordance?
7) How can I use a Concordance?
8) What are Strong's Numbers?
9) Are there different types of concordances?
10) Are there disadvantages to using a concordance?
11) What is Vine's Expository Dictionary?
12) What about Topical Bibles?
13) How valuable are cross references?
14) Where can I get more information on using these tools?
15) What other books exist on Bible Study?
16) Should I use a Bible commentary?
17) What commentaries should I consider buying?
18) Why should I read the Bible?
19) How can I read the Bible?
20) What principles will help me interpret the Bible?
21) What other principles of interpretation exist?
22) Do special principles exist for interpreting prophecy?
23) What books exist on Bible Interpretation?
24) What types of Bible studies exist?
25) How do I handle Bible contradictions?
26) Where can I learn more about resolving contradictions?
27) What about the Holy Spirit and Bible Study?
28) How do I apply my Bible study?
29) Can computers help me study the Bible?
30) What videotapes can teach me about Bible study?
31) What about Christian correspondence courses?
1) What Bible study tools are essential?
----------------------------------------
If you really want to study your Bible, you don't need
several thousand dollars worth of books. The following
tools are the basic essentials:
Several Bible translations (eg. KJV, NIV, NASB, NKJV)
An Exhaustive concordance for the translation you read
the most.
A good set of cross references
The following tools are also useful.
A Bible Dictionary (eg. The New Ungers)
A Topical Bible (eg. Naves)
The Expanded Vines Expository Dictionary
A Bible Atlas
2) What translation should I study from?
----------------------------------------
There is a lot of debate in Christian circles about what
translation is "the best". Indeed, there is even debate
as to what "the best" means. Regardless of what translation
you prefer to read, you should use several translations in
your studying. Many people feel the NASB is a good translation
for word studies because it is very literal to the original
langauges (although "Youngs Literal Tranlation" is even
more literal). Many study tools are keyed to the KJV, and
so it is useful to have. The NIV often captures the thought
of a passage.
Again, let me stress, regardless of what translation
you prefer to read, you should use several translations in
your studying. The worst mistakes I have seen have come
from people who have obviously only studied one
translation.
3) What translations should I own?
----------------------------------
The bare minimum, in my opinion, are the New American Standard
Bible (NASB), the King James Version (KJV), the New
International Version (NIV), and the New King James Version
(NKJV). Buy one good quality Bible for reading, and then
get inexpensive paperback editions of the rest.
Other translations that I like to consult are Young's Literal
Translation (YLT) and the Darby Translation (JND). I also like
to have a look at what some paraphrase translations have
to say (e.g. Good News Bible or the Living Bible). Some people
like to consult the Amplified Bible.
4) What about a Study Bible?
----------------------------
A study Bible is useful because it puts a number of tools
all in one place. This is very handy if you are travelling!
Most Study Bibles will have introductions and outlines to
each of the books, discussions of themes, a brief set of
cross references, a concise concordance, some maps and notes
at the bottom of the page.
5) What Study Bibles are available?
-----------------------------------
The choice of a Study Bible will probably depend on your
theological leanings. You can consult an older Christian
whose judgement you trust. Here are some Study Bibles that
I would recommend.
The Ryrie Study Bible - my personal favorite. It has all
the features I want in a Study Bible, I like the notes,
and it has an excellent summary of theology at the back.
Also, I find the print easy to read. Available in KJV,
NKJV, NASB and NIV.
The New Scofield Reference Bible - for many people, this is
THE Study Bible (mostly because it was one of the first).
Available in KJV, NASB and NIV.
The Thompson Chain Reference Bible - the strength of this
Study Bible is its special set of chain references, which
lead you through references to various topics. Available
in KJV, NASB and NIV.
The NIV Study Bible - a large number of notes, many of which
were written by translators of the NIV. Where differing
opinions exist on the meaning of a verse, this Study Bible
attempts to present all views. Available in NIV only.
The Newberry Reference Bible - the strength of the Newberry
Bible is the fact that it has special symbols beside the
verbs to tell you what tense they represent in the original
language. This Bible is available in KJV only.
6) What is a Concordance?
-------------------------
A concordance is one of the most valuable Bible study
tools available. It lists the words in the Bible
alphabetically, and then lists verses that use that word.
For example, the first word in most concordances will
be "Aaron", and the following will be listed:
Is not A the Levite thy brother......Ex 4:14
And the LORD said to A, Go into......Ex 4:27
Moses told A all the words of the....Ex 4:28
etc.
So, the first reference in the Bible to "Aaron" is Exodus
4:14. The second is Exodus 4:27, and so on.
7) How can I use a Concordance?
-------------------------------
There are several ways you can use a concordance. First, if
you remember part of a verse in the Bible, but don't know
where it can be found, you can look it up under one of the
words. Secondly, a concordance is useful if you want to
look up every reference to a particular word. This is the
start of a word study, which is one of the most common types
of Bible studies. Thirdly, many concordances have a numbering
system to tell you what this word is in the original language.
For example, several different Greek words are translated
"love" in our English Bibles. The most common numbering
system are the "Strong's Numbers".
8) What are Strong's Numbers?
-----------------------------
Mr Strong spent many years working on his concordance, and
he assigned each word in the original Greek, Hebrew and
Aramaic a number. If you know the number, you can turn to
the dictionary at the back of his concordance and find out
more information about the original word. Most Bible study
tools today are keyed to the Strong's Numbers. Even those
books that don't use Strong's Numbers (eg. NIV Exhaustive
Concordance) will have a key to allow you to look up the
Strong's Number.
9) Are there different types of concordances?
---------------------------------------------
Yes. An "Exhaustive" concordance lists every reference to
every word in the Bible. A "Complete" concordance doesn't
list every word in the Bible, but those words it does list,
it gives every reference found in the Bible. A "concise"
or "compact" concordance simply lists some of the references
to some of the words in the Bible.
Also, because concordances are keyed to words in English
Bibles, each translation requires a separate concordance.
Exhaustive concordances exist for the following
translations: KJV, NIV, NASB
10) Are there disadvantages to using a concordance?
---------------------------------------------------
Yes. If you are trying to find a verse and the only
words in the verse you can remember are "in", "with"
and "by", you will have a hard time finding the verse
because all of these words are very common, and you
will have to search through a large number of entries.
A concordance will only help you find those verses where
an exact word is used. It will not help you find places
in the Bible where similar themes are mentioned. For
this, you need a topical Bible.
Another problem is the fact that a concordance lists
entries by English word, and not the original languages.
If you want to find every reference to the English word
"church", you can use a concordance. With many
concordances you can also find out that the English word
"church" is a translation of the Greek word "ekklesia".
But "ekklesia" could be translated a number of different
ways. An English concordance will not help you find all
references to "ekklesia". Fortunately, there are
concordances of the original languages.
11) What is Vine's Expository Dictionary?
-----------------------------------------
In addition to his other writings, W.E. Vine created a
dictionary of words found in the New Testament in the
original Greek. For example, the English word "love" in
our Bibles will be a translation of the Greek word "agape"
or the Greek word "philo". To find out the differences
between these two original words, you would use Vines.
Many editions of Vines Expository dictionary exist. I
recommend you get one with Strong's Numbers. I personally
use "The Expanded Vines Expository Dictionary of New
Testament Words."
12) What about Topical Bibles?
------------------------------
Whereas a concordance lists references to words, a topical
Bible lists references to ideas and themes, regardless of
whether the actual words are mentioned. A topical Bible
can be used with any translation, although some topical
Bibles will not just list references to verses, but will
actually write out the whole verse in a particular
translation. The best known topical Bible is "Naves".
13) How valuable are cross references?
--------------------------------------
Very. In fact, you can do an entire Bible study just by
reading a passage and looking up all the cross references
to that passage. The essential set of cross references is
"The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge".
14) Where can I get more information on using these tools?
----------------------------------------------------------
Loizeaux Brothers publishers produces a book called,
"How to Use New Testament Greek Study Aids" by Walter
Jerry Clark.
15) What other books exist on Bible Study?
------------------------------------------
Here are a few books that might help you, in order from
least complicated to most complicated:
"How to Study the Bible" (R.A. Torrey) - a 95 page booklet
that has become a classic. Torrey was a great evangelist
and later, the president of Moody Bible Institute.
"How to Study the Bible for Yourself" (Tim LaHaye) - more
detailed than Torrey's book, this book covers most
aspects of Bible study.
"Dynamic Bible Study Methods" (Rick Warren) - this book
lists 12 different types of Bible studies that you can
do.
"How to Read the Bible for all its Worth" (Gordon Fee &
Douglas Stuart) - a much more detailed book, with an
emphasis on how to read various types of Biblical
literature.
16) Should I use a Bible commentary?
------------------------------------
A Bible commentary is a book about the Bible. It tells
us what the Bible means. Of course, since commentaries
are written by men, they will have their biases.
Commentaries are useful to make sure you haven't severely
misunderstood a passage, and they are also useful to make
sure you haven't missed an important point, but you should
only read a commentary after you have studied a passage for
yourself.
17) What commentaries should I consider buying?
-----------------------------------------------
Like the choice of a study Bible, this will depend on your
own theological views. I recommend the following as
useful and reliable.
The Believers Bible Commentary (William MacDonald) - one
volume for the New Testament and one for the Old
Testament, I feel that this is the first commentary
a new believer should buy.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary - like the Believers Bible
Commentary, this series has one volume for each
Testament. The commentary was written by faculty at
Dallas Theological Seminary, and has been very popular.
The Tyndale New Testament Commentary - this would probably
be the first set of commentaries that a new believer
would purchase. This set is one of the most inexpensive
you will find.
The Expositors Bible Commentary - 12 hardcover volumes
covering the whole Bible. This set is a major investment,
but I believe worth the money. This series is based on
the NIV.
What the Bible Teaches - published by John Ritchie publishers
in Scotland, this series will eventually comprise 11
volumes covering the New Testament and is based on the
KJV. Loizeaux Brothers publishers distribute this
series in North America.
Matthew Henry's Commentary - 300 years of popularity should
say something about this book. It is more devotional than
doctrinal.
H.A. Ironside's Bible Commentaries - Ironside was a Christian
worker for many years, and for 18 years was the pastor of
Moody Church. His commentaries are collections of
expository sermons he gave over the years. He wrote
commentaries on all the books in the New Testament, and
a number of the books in the Old Testament.
18) Why should I read the Bible?
--------------------------------
The first step in studying is reading. To give yourself a
good overall knowledge of the Bible, you should try to read
the Bible through cover to cover once each year. This
involves reading 3.5 chapters per day. Reading guides and
calendars exist to help you with your readings.
19) How can I read the Bible?
-----------------------------
Start by reading quickly to get a feel for a passage. Then
go back and read it slowly. Understand what it is saying.
Read from the start of the book to the end so that you get
the entire idea the author is expressing. Make notes for
yourself. Read the same passage over and over. For a short
book in the Bible, you might even want to read it through
once each day for a whole month. Understand why the author
is writing this book. Also, understand what type of
literature it is (history, poetry, doctrine, prophecy, etc.).
Many people find it is helpful to read at the same time each
day. Regardless of when you read, you should read a portion
of the Bible every day.
20) What principles will help me interpret the Bible?
-----------------------------------------------------
Context - the most important rule of Bible study is "consider
the context!" This cannot be emphasized enough. Look at
each verse in the context of the verses that surround it.
Consider the context of the book (why was this book in the
Bible written and who was it written to?). Also, consider
the context of the whole Bible (i.e. what does the whole
Bible say about this subject).
Literal Interpretation - interpret the Bible literally unless
the Bible itself gives you reason to adopt a figurative
interpretation. When 2 Christians come to a different
interpretation of what a verse in the Bible means, it is
usually because one (or both) of them has started to
interpret the Bible figuratively. Of course, the
principle of literal interpretation does allow for
figures of speech.
Plain Sense Meaning - consider the plain sense meaning of a
passage. Yes, there are deep matters discussed in the Bible,
but the conclusions we reach from doing an intensive Bible
study should not be different than what the Bible plainly
says.
Interpret from what you Understand - if you have 2 passages
and the meaning of one is quite clear, and the meaning of
the second is unclear, don't adopt a fanciful interpretation
of the doubtful passage and then try to force the clear
passage into a different meaning.
Compare and Contrast - compare things that are alike and
contrast things that are different.
21) What other principles of interpretation exist?
--------------------------------------------------
- consider the verb tenses
- the Bible can use figures of speech
- good people sometimes do bad things
- don't build principles on practice. Build practice on
principles
- don't build doctrines on types
- parables illustrate principles, but they are not allegories
22) Do special principles exist for interpreting prophecy?
----------------------------------------------------------
The Importance of Context - more than any other type of
study, prophecy requires us to consider context and look
up other references to the same topic. Prophecy requires
us to have a good knowledge of the whole Bible including
the Old Testament.
Israel and the Church - there is a clear distinction
between Israel and the church (1 Cor 10:32). God is not
finished with Israel and still has great plans for them.
Prophetic Past Tense - sometimes, God makes reference to an
event in the future, and to indicate how certain it is, He
talks about it as if it has already happened (eg. we are
said to currently be glorified in Romans 8:30)
Double Fulfillment - sometimes a prophecy will have an
immediate partial fulfillment with a full and complete
fulfillment yet to come.
23) What books exist on Bible Interpretation?
---------------------------------------------
This field is known as hermeneutics. There are several classic
books on this topic:
Biblical Hermeneutics (Milton Terry) - this book was first
published over 110 years ago, but is still a classic. The
modern reader might find this book a little tough to get
through, and I don't agree with his view on prophecy, but
this is probably the most comprehensive work available.
Protestant Biblical Interpretation (Bernard Ramm) - this book
was first published in 1950 and is still a standard
textbook in many Bible colleges.
Basic Bible Interpretation (Roy Zuck) - although not yet a
classic, I think this book will be adopted as a textbook
by many Bible schools. Although I don't personally agree
with all of Dr Zuck's interpretations, I do recommend this
book as a starting point.
24) What types of Bible studies exist?
--------------------------------------
Expository Study - this type of study involves taking a
passage in the Bible and finding out exactly what it
means. You will go through a passage sentence by
sentence and word by word. Start by reading and re-reading
the passage. Note differences in different translations.
Use Strong's Numbers and Vines Dictionary to look up each
word. Look at the passages around the passage you are
studying in order to understand the context. Look up parallel
passages that deal with the same material.
Topical Study - this study seeks to study a topic by looking
at all the passages that deal with a particular topic. A
topical Bible and a set of cross-references will help you
in this type of study. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible
would be a huge help with this type of study.
Word Study - this type of study looks at all the references
to a particular word in the Bible. An exhaustive
concordance is required for this type of study. Decide
which word you wish to study (eg. "church" or "worship")
and look this word up in your concordance. Then look up
each reference to this word and ask yourself what each
reference teaches you. A more serious word study will use
a concordance of the original languages.
Themeatic Study - this is similar to a topical study, but a
little more abstract. For example, you might want to study
the testimony given by Christ's enemies, spiritual revivals,
or men of God who met lions. A concordance and a topical
Bible will help you with this type of study, but of course,
a good working knowledge of the Bible gained through
daily reading will also be an immense help.
Doctrinal Study - we can also do studies on the various
doctrines in the Bible. For example, we can study the
Trinity, or ask ourselves what is involved in a person
becoming a Christian. A topical Bible would be helpful, as
well as a book on theology. The Synopsis of Doctrine at
the back of the Ryrie Study Bible would be a big help.
Biographical Study - an examination of the life of a
particular person in the Bible. Here, we seek to see what
we can learn from the life of a man or woman in the Bible.
What mistakes did he make and how did it affect him? A
concordance should be sufficient to do a biographical
study.
Character Trait Study - instead of looking at a person, we
could look at a character trait such as pride, humility
or faithfulness. A concordance will be useful in this
type of study.
Geographical Study - in this study, you pick a place (city,
mountain, river or country) and look up all the references
to that place in a concordance.
25) How do I handle Bible contradictions?
-----------------------------------------
Most of the contradictions are not contradictions at all. They
seem to be contradiction because we don't understand enough of
our Bibles, or because we don't know enough about ancient
cultures. Here are a few principles to help you understand
so-called contradictions:
The Authors Were Not Idiots - we have to give the ancient
writers (and the Holy Spirit) a bit of credit. If the
writer writes something, and a couple of verses later
seems to contradict himself, it's probably not because
he forgot what he had written 2 minutes ago.
Specific Exceptions to General Rules - just because a general
rule is given doesn't mean specific exceptions do not
exist. For example, Romans 3:23 tells us that "all have
sinned". 1 Peter 2:22, speaking of the Lord Jesus, tells us,
"He committed no sin". Is there a contradiction? Of
course not! This is a rather obvious example, but it does
illustrate a point.
Calendars Differ - differences in dates can be reconciled in
a number of ways. First, some places in the Bible use the
Jewish dating system, and some use the dating systems of
the nations around them. Second, a king's reign counted
his first year as being from when he took the throne to
the start of the new year. For example, if I became king
on Dec 17th, my first year on the throne would run from
Dec 17 to Dec 31. January 1 would begin my second year
of reigning. We should also be aware that some of the
reigns of Jewish kings overlapped.
Repeated Presentation - often, similar events would occur. For
example, there were 2 feedings of the multitudes recorded
in the Gospels. Each time, the disciples seemed very
surprised. If one of the Gospels had not presented both
feedings in it, people would line up to say this is a
contradiction in the Bible!
Names - some people have several names (and so do most people
today). Sometimes, what seems to be a name is actually a
title. Also, different people in history can have the
same name.
Fragmentary Presentation - sometimes, parallel accounts will
each give part of the story. Also, some parts of the
Gospels are not written in chronological order.
26) Where can I learn more about resolving contradictions?
----------------------------------------------------------
A good book to start with is Gleason Archer's "Encyclopedia
of Bible Difficulties." Archer is a well regarded scholar
and discusses a number of difficult passages.
Another excellent book is the paperback by Sir Robert
Anderson, "Misunderstood Texts of the New Testament".
27) What about the Holy Spirit and Bible Study?
-----------------------------------------------
Without the Holy Spirit, Bible study can become mechanical
and dry. Never underestimate the value of praying over the
Bible. However, praying over the Bible is not the only
study you should do. Most language study tools simply seek
to give us the sublties of the language that would have
been apparent to anyone who actually knew those languages.
Other tools help us because we don't have the understanding
and knowledge of the Bible that we should have (and that is
gained through years of reading). These tools do not seek
to cut the Holy Spirit out! Prayer before you study, pray
while you study and pray after you study.
28) How do I apply my Bible study?
----------------------------------
Right understanding is the first step to right practice. As
you read a passage, as yourself what principles would apply
to me in my situation. Please remember that while the Bible
is the infallible Word of God, our applications are not.
29) Can computers help me study the Bible?
------------------------------------------
Many Bible programs exist for the computer. The big advantage
of computer Bible study software is that it does a lot of the
work of fliping pages for you. It also allows you to do some
searches that would be impossible with a normal concordance.
A list of Bible software is published to the Internet in
soc.religion.christian and soc.religion.christian.bible-study
at the beginning of each month under the title "Bible Software
FAQ".
30) What videotapes can teach me about Bible study?
---------------------------------------------------
Bible Study Basics - a 40 minute tape featuring Howard
Hendricks. This tape is released by New Liberty Films.
I purchased my copy through the Canadian Tract Society.
The Study Partner - a 2 hour videotape divided into 6
lessons. This tape can be ordered through "Scripture
Student Seminars", 79 Pinemeadow Cres, Waterloo, Ontario,
Canada, N2T 1A6. The suggested donation is $30.
31) What about Christian correspondence courses?
------------------------------------------------
The following schools have correspondence courses at various
levels of difficulty:
Emmaus Correspondence School - offers over 75 popular level
courses. Regional offices in 105 countries with courses
translated into 110 languages. The address of the head
office is: "Emmaus Correspondence Ministries", 2570 Asbury
Road, Dubuque, IA, USA, 52001-3099
Scofield Plus 3 Program - offered through Moody Bible
Institute. The course includes an Introduction,
Old Testament section, New Testament section, Bible
Study Methods, and Bible doctrine. Moody's "Plus 3"
add "successful Soul Winning", "Missions Today" and
"Teaching With Results". For more information, write:
"Moody Correspondence School", 820 North Lasalle Drive,
Chicago, Illinois, USA, 60610
Moody's Center for External Studies - offers a variety of
courses for college credit and also adult level courses.
Write the "Center for External Studies" at the same
address as the "Moody Correspondence School".
Toronto Baptist Seminary - offeres 9 courses for college
credit, including New Testament Greek. Write the
seminary at 130 Gerrard Street East, Toronto, Ontario,
Canada, M5A 3T4
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary - offers 25 courses at
the graduate level. Requires an undergraduate degree.
Courses may be audited. Write: "Ockenga Institute",
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 130 Essex Street,
#251, South Hamilton, MA, USA, 01982-2359
Summit Christian College - offers a wide variety of courses
for college credit. Write: "Institute of Correspondence
Studies", 1025 West Rudisill Boulevard, Fort Wayne,
Indiana, USA, 46807.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Legal Stuff: This FAQ is copyrighted to maintain the integrity
of the material. This FAQ may be redistributed freely provided
it is redistributed in its original form (unedited and
unmodified). This FAQ may not be redistributed for financial
gain. Where necessary this FAQ may be cited as follows:
Abigail, Shawn G., "Bible Study FAQ, Version 0.9,
January 1995, Distributed on The Internet by Shawn G.
Abigail (ad873@freenet.carleton.ca)"
(c) 1995 by Shawn Abigail
--
Shawn G. Abigail ad873@freenet.carleton.ca
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