Next week's assignment: Psalms

A beginner’s guide to studying the Psalms-helpful hints

1.       Psalms were meant for praise.

Psalms means “praises” in the Hebrew text.  It is good to keep in mind while reading and studying that these were originally meant to be sung and used in worship.  Although the book contains a wide variety of subjects, one predominant theme is that God is the sovereign ruler of the universe, and will establish justice on earth in and through His people.  God’s kingdom is at the center of the people’s prayers, thoughts, and worship.

Structure: Psalms is traditionally divided into 5 books covering a wide range of subjects.  They are loosely grouped and cannot be categorized neatly by any one subject. 

Book 1: Ps. 1-41

Book 2: Ps. 41-72

Book 3: Ps. 73-89

Book 4: Ps. 90-106

Book 5: Ps. 107-150

Most carry a heading identifying them with a person, historical event, and include musical designations.

There are several types of psalms including:  wisdom psalms, enthronement psalms (recognizing the Lord’s kingship), psalms of thanksgiving or praise, psalms of lament, messianic or prophetic psalms.  As you study, ask yourself what type of psalm this is.  This will help you to understand the author’s purpose and message.

2.       Psalms are written as poetry.

 It is helpful to remember the psalms are poetry, which uses many pictures and figures of speech to excite the imagination about God and His ways.  Almost everything I looked at about this book described the use of parallelism, two lines that build on each other, add new information, or give an alternative thought to communicate meaning. 

An example from Ps. 103:15

“As for man, his days are like grass;

As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.”

Or from Ps. 40:4

“How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,

And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.”

Another literary device used often in the Psalms is hyperbole, which uses exaggeration to make a point.  Consider how the author uses these tools to deliver and support his message.

3.       Psalms are interactive.

This book pictures God’s revelation to Israel and records her response.  Therefore, it is very interactive.  Not only does it encourage us to hear who God is and what He is saying, it encourages our response and praise.  Many of the psalmists pour out their hearts in petition to God,  ending with praise as the psalmist anticipates God’s answer to their prayer of faith.  What a lesson this is for us, to take our concerns and cares to the Lord, trusting Him and praising Him for the outcome and answer.

As you study the Psalms, I would encourage you to look for how they reveal the character of God.  What names of God are used by the author?  How does this compare to their current circumstances?  It becomes clear over study that we must interpret our circumstances through the lens of God’s character and not the other way around.

This week’s assignment:

Ps. 1, 51, 63, 100, 110

They represent different types of psalms.  See how you do identifying them and enjoy what you will learn!

Mining the Word: Genres of Scripture

Has this ever happened to you: you read an email and thought you understood its contents, only to talk with the friend who sent it and discover they had a totally different tone or message than what you had understood?  Or maybe the opposite has happened.  You sent an email that you felt was well-worded and perfectly understandable, but found out from the recipient that your message was as clear as mud!  We must know what an author intends by their words before we can completely understand the message.

The same is true of the Bible and its message.  It is very helpful to identify what kind of literature you are studying before you dig in to understand the meaning.  Identifying the way an author presents his message will be helpful in interpreting what it is really saying.  I compiled the following information with help from Howard Hendricks' Living By the Book.

Both the Old and New Testament contain narrative passages, which tell stories about God's dealings with people.  In stories it is helpful to note the movement (physical, spiritual), the characters and possible comparisons between them, and the problems and solutions that are presented.  Many times we can easily find examples to follow or not follow.  When you are reading the story, ask yourself why the characters responded the way they did.  What was going on culturally, spiritually, physically?  What do their lives reveal about the condition of their heart or soul?  How does that knowledge help you see yourself more clearly?

In the New Testament, most of the narratives are contained in the gospels and in Acts.  Here Jesus Christ is revealed to Israel and then to the Gentiles.  How did people respond?  What do you learn of Jesus' character and person?  How do these revelations elicit faith in the character, and how do they encourage your faith?  How do they provide warnings through examples of missteps?

The epistles are an example of exposition.  This genre is generally a straightforward argument or explanation of truth.  Exposition is excellent for beginning studiers, because the meaning of the text is usually easy to discern.  When studying these letters, it is important to understand what questions the author is trying to answer, and to follow the logical unfolding of their argument.  For example, Romans is like a courtroom argument for the explanation of the gospel.  Many times epistles will deal with an error in the church. One thing to keep in mind when studying many of the letters is that often there is an explanation of the person and work of Christ, followed by application to the church and daily Christian living.  It's easy to want to skip doctrine and go to application, but we cannot live well until we think well about Christ and His work and correct any errors we may have regarding these things. 

Another genre in the Bible is poetry.  The largest book is Psalms, but there is beautiful poetry scattered throughout.  This literature captures human emotion and imagination.  We can find our own experiences in the written record of others who have been in similar circumstances, and there are breath-taking pictures of God and glimpses of Christ.  Look for how the author deals with emotions while he clings to the character of God and the promise of salvation in all things.

One of the most challenging types of Biblical literature is prophecy.  The tone is often one of warning and judgment, with the aim of helping people to wake up and turn to the Lord.  Throughout the harsh and sober warnings of judgment you will find messages of salvation and comfort.  There are many direct and indirect references to Christ as the coming King who will save His erring people.  Knowing biblical history is important in understanding prophecy.  The more you know about the problems the prophet is addressing, the better you will understand his message.

There are many other genres in scripture, but this is an overview of some of the most common.  As you gain experience in study, you will pick up clues and helps along the way.  Before digging into a book, skim its contents and look for clues that point to what is there.  This will help you better understand the author's overall message and aim, and make the job of finding lessons and application easier.  Most of all, enjoy the adventure of getting to know God through the authors of scripture as they point you to the Divine Author who guided their message.

Reviewing Philippians

How did Philippians go this week?  Did you enjoy delving in to this joyful epistle?  Rather than a sample lesson, I will give snippets this week that we discussed in our study.

Content:
-Finding the people in this book is easy and quite delightful.  In the first section one immediately senses what Paul is about in his use of "you" and "all of you."  This church is dear to him, and while each person is precious he know that the whole rests on the parts.  A theme of the book is unity, and this church has strengths and weaknesses in applying it.

-Finding when is harder in this book.  We can discern Paul is imprisoned from context, and a little background helps us know it must have been written after visiting this city on his second missionary journey.  A Bible dictionary, timeline of Paul's life, and other reference aids would come in handy to answer questions that arise as you study.  Since we don't have a lot of "time" words, look for other details.  The "if" and "then" clause of 2:1-2 is important in Paul's instruction on unity.  Ask what the "therefore" of 2:9 is there for!  In this case, we see that Jesus' humiliation came before His exaltation.  The lessons we will learn build on noticing details like these.

-Notice the "where" words in 2:10, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow "in heaven and on earth and under the earth."  Even those who inhabit hell will bow to His authority!

Lessons:
There is a little something to be had in every category as you study through this epistle.  Paul begins with an example of prayer for other believers, which contains deep truths about the work God does in His people.  Did you see some of the truths about the character of God?  In the second section we learn much about how to interpret circumstances by examining Paul's example.  He lived for Christ, and death would only be gain.  In the third section, we had a long list of commands, followed by a large section detailing Jesus' example.  Did you find quite a bit here about the person and work of Christ?  The fourth section had more commands, and the fifth was full of examples in Timothy and Epaphroditus.  These are only a few highlights.  There is much treasure to be mined here!!

Application:
If you are finding ways to get God's truth into your daily life as you examine scripture and search out lessons, you are in good company.  How does the content of your prayers compare with Paul's?  What fills your life, giving it meaning and fulfillment: Christ or other things?  How do you respond to difficult circumstances, and how does Paul's passion for Christ help you understand why he rejoiced in his?  Where do you need to imitate Jesus' example of humility, and how will that build up the church?  These are only a few of the endless possibilities of questions.

Week 3 Assignment

This week we will be studying portions of the life of Abraham.

Gen 12:1-9 (God's call and promise)
Gen. 15:1-6 (Abraham's faith)
Gen. 22:1-8 (Abraham's obedience)
Gen. 22:9-14
Gen. 22:15-19

Mining the Word: Christ in the Old Testament

Have you ever searched for hidden treasure?  A few years ago, our family traveled home from vacation through Arkansas, and I was intrigued to read about a state park there where you can hunt for diamonds.  This park's website lists three ways to search for these precious gems.  The first is surface searching, which involves looking for diamonds that are lying on the ground.  This takes no special tools or ability, only patience and an eye for something that gleams.  The second is to dig through the soil and carefully sift it for gems.  The third way to look is usually reserved for repeat visitors who know what they are looking for, and it involves special equipment.  They know what kind of soil to look for, how the history of the mine and the lay of the land will affect their search, and they dig deep holes.

Mining God's word is a lot like mining precious gems.  There are treasures to be found for those who skim the surface.  For those who are more eager, more time and a little more effort will yield precious gems.  Finally, as skills are gained the experienced miner can go deeper yet, and find priceless diamonds.  My hope and prayer is that as you continue in study this summer and beyond, the skills you pick up along the way will turn you into a serious and spiritually wealthy student of the Bible.  As we continue to study together this summer, each week I will try to share some thoughts on ways you can use this 3 question method as a tool for study.

For this next week's assignment, we will turn to the Old Testament to use the 3 question method.  One of our lesson questions is: how does this passage point to the person and work of Jesus Christ?  I'd like to equip you to answer this question as you study the Old Testament.  As I share, keep in mind the sermon series on Jonah we heard a few weeks ago, and consider how Pastor Scott modeled this as well.

Some things to consider as you look for Christ in the Old Testament:

1. He can be seen by direct reference. 
Prophesies and promises point directly to a coming Messiah, King, or seed.  The first prophesy we find in Scripture regarding Him is in Genesis 3:15, right after the fall of man.  God says to the serpent, "And I will put emnity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."  In Deut. 18:18 God promises through Moses that "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him."  Later the prophets are given more and more revelation about Messiah, including the place of His birth (Bethlehem) and glimpses of His suffering and glory.  The Old Testament scriptures also directly reveal His creative nature, deity, and humanity.  Look for these things.

2. He can be seen in indirect pictures.
In the Old Testament, God is revealing Himself to mankind, mostly through His chosen nation Israel, and preparing His people for the coming Messiah.  Look for clues that point to Jesus' coming.  What indirect pictures of salvation themes do you see?  Look at what it says about man's fallen condition, election, atonement, redemption, covenant, and grace.  We can find Christ foreshadowed in the exodus from Israel (delivered from the bondage of sin), the temple sacrifices point to atonement (the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world), the promise of inheritance in Canaan (we are given new birth into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade.) 

3. The New Testament sheds light on these prophecies.
If you are uncertain about the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament, or even if you are familiar with them, look at how the New Testament reveals the meaning of the Old.  In the gospels the authors often reference the prophets' words and how Jesus fulfilled them in His earthly ministry, death, and resurrection.  The epistles show how He fulfills some of the pictures found in the Old Testament.  Hebrews is a treasure-trove revealing Christ as superior to the angels, prophets, Moses, the priests, the sabbath, the temple--greater than everything the Jewish people held dear.  Galatians explains the meaning of Hagar and Sarah for the church.  The more you study both testaments with the aim of finding Christ, the more you will understand His person and work. 

One guideline about using this tool:

Consider the original author's intent.
The revelation of Christ in Scripture is progressive, and in the New Testament we have far more light than the authors of the Old Testament had.  Use the New Testament to help shed light, but don't try to press meaning where there isn't any.  It is possible to read too much into scripture regarding these things, and we need to be careful to give it its proper meaning as determined by God, not us.  Ask yourself what the original author was intending to communicate and what the original reader might have learned.  Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand the meaning.

What are the benefits of searching for Christ in all of Scripture?  I would like to suggest a few:

1.  It helps us to treasure our Savior.
Colossians 2:3 speaks of Christ, "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."  2 Corinthians 2:20 states "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ."  As we dig through God's word and find Christ, we will learn to treasure Him as we should.  As we see him revealed in the Old Testament, we can almost shout with John the Baptist when he says, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" because we have recognized Him as well.  In a life where Christ is treasured, there is less desire for sin and an increased desire for holiness.  A heart focused on His beauty will be transformed through the mysterious workings of the Spirit, even as we work out our salvation "with fear and trembling."

2.  It keeps us from the error of the Pharisees.
The Old Testament contains the law, which can never be perfectly kept by man.  If we read it without considering the gospel, we can easily become legalistic in its application.  It becomes something we can never attain to, or we may try to imitate examples of the saints and become frustrated because we always fall short.  In some measure this is the intent of the law, but it must always lead us to Christ as we find ourselves unable to shoulder its weight.  Of course, there is also the possibility we can become haughty by our own perception of attaining some standard of personal holiness, which is also very Pharisaical of us!

3. It will lead us to salvation.
The Bible was given to man for salvation.  Think of this not simply as forgiveness of sins, but "God's purpose to redeem and restore mankind, even all creation."  Salvation comes by faith in Christ.  All of Scripture bears witness to Him, as a help to our faith.  John Stott suggests this sequence in studying the Bible: Scripture, Christ, faith, salvation.  "Scripture testifies to Christ in order to evoke faith in Christ, in order to bring life to the believer."  Through this revelation of Christ we will "grow into spiritual maturity, and become women of God who are 'complete, equipped for every good work.'"

Seeing Christ in the Old Testament will involve a bit of thought, digging, and discernment, but you will be rewarded.  Enjoy searching out Jesus your treasure as you study this week!

-I owe much of the content of this post to John Stott's book Understanding the Bible pp. 14-29.

Assignment for week 2

Next week, try the 3 question method to study Philippians 1 and 2. There are 5 sections, and you can study the longest (1:12-30) over a period of 2 days if you'd like.

1:1-11
1:12-30
2:1-11
2:12-18
2:19-30

Example lesson from Mark

Were you able to work through part of Mark with the personal quiet time method this week? If you would like something to compare to, I am posting a sample. However, know that what you found may have some similarities as well as plenty of differences. Bible study is a lot like mining gems, and you may be looking at a different facet of the same treasure, just in a little different light. If you made it this far, keep up the good work!

Mark 1:1-8

Content: What is this passage about?
Who: Jesus Christ (Son of God), Isaiah the prophet, John the Baptist, whole Judean countryside, all people of Jerusalem, Holy Spirit
What: gospel about Jesus Christ, John prepares the way as prophesied in Isaiah
When: not specifically mentioned but before the beginning of Jesus' ministry
Where: desert region, Judean countryside, Jerusalem, Jordan River
Sentence: John the Baptist prepares the way for Christ, fulfilling Isaiah's prophesy

Lesson: What do you learn?
Promise: I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way, baptism of Holy Spirit promised
Command: (inferred) baptism for forgiveness of sin
Example to follow: John preaching repentance for forgiveness of sin, humility of knowing Christ would be greater, confession of sin and repentance of people
Main truth: God prepares the way for people to come to Christ through the obedience of His messengers and according to the promise of His word
Why in Scripture: record of how John the Baptist fulfilled Isaiah's prophesy, shows spiritual condition/climate of the culture in that time
Character of God: planned redemptive work of Christ, executed in time and space, keeps His promises, Jesus is His Son, more powerful than His messengers
Person and work of Christ: Son of God, Messiah of Isaiah, coming king, power, baptizes with Holy Spirit
Pray: I would make straight paths in my life for my coming king; for repentance of unbelievers, power and boldness to share Christ, humility

Application: How do I apply what I learned to my life?
1. With whom may I boldly share the message of Christ?
2. From what sins do I need to hear the call to repent? How does this prepare the way for Jesus' work in my life?

Open Your Bible and...

then what? Have you ever felt this way about Bible study? While there are any number of Bible study books and helps, it can be a bit daunting to know just what to do when ready to delve into a passage on your own.

When I was a child, my brother used to have a poster on his wall that read, "Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach him to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime." Pre-written Bible studies are a wonderful tool, but they are a little like being given a fishhook already baited. If your desire it to dig into God's word for yourself, there are many ways to go about it. What I will share here is one method that may help get you going; one way to bait that hook yourself, so you can begin to fish for a lifetime.

Bible study can be broken up into three questions covering content, lessons, and applications. Begin with prayer, asking God to enable your understanding of His word. Then read through the passage to be studied. If time allows, read again! Then ask:

Question 1: What is this passage about? (Content)
Jot down notes about the content. Who is involved? What are they doing? Where are they? When is it happening? When you are finished, write a sentence that summarizes what the passage is about.

Content may seem easy, especially on a familiar passage. However, don't skim over it. What you observe here will be the foundation for the next two questions. You may notice things you've never noticed before!

Question 2: What do I learn from this passage? (Lessons)
Ask questions such as:
-Is there a warning to heed, a command to obey, a promise to believe?
-Is there an example to follow or not follow? Try to get behind how the person is responding to God. What did they know/believe to be true about Him? (Or not believe to be true?)
-What is a main truth, universal truth, or lesson from this passage?
-Why is this passage in Scripture? Why did God include it in the Bible?
-What does this passage reveal about the character of God?
-How does this passage point to the person and work of Jesus Christ?
-Are there specific things for which to pray?
-Is there a new thought? An encouraging thought?

It will be tempting to some to have to go through each and every question above, and that is helpful at first. However, it is not necessary. Pick what stands out to you most, and jot that down. Pay attention to the questions that arise as you do so, and jot those down as well.

Finally, you are ready for the last question:
Question 3: How can I apply what I learned to my life? (Application)
-Try to think of a current situation in your personal, work, family, church, or business life that is similar to what you learned.
-In that situation, ask yourself a personal question that demands action. Try to stay away from simple yes/no questions.
-Write the answer to your question. If you must ponder it for a time, leave space to write it later.
-Begin to do what you answered, by faith in obedience to what God has revealed.

First assignment: Use this passage to study Mark chapter 1. Mark is a fun book to study with the 3 question method, because the sections are short. There are 7 sections in chapter 1, so it can be done daily for a week.

When Should I Study?

Another challenge that keeps us away from meeting with the Lord is making it a daily priority. This is something that is going to take time, and time is hard to sacrifice in this day and age. It is easy to get up, dash into the shower, dress, and grab something to eat on our way out the door. From waking to sleeping, our days are filled with activities and deadlines. If you're a young mom, even night brings little relief in the way of rest and demands. When do we fit in time to meet with God?

Before answering this question, let's consider some scripture.

Ps. 1:2 "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night."
Ps. 5:3 "In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."
Ps. 63:6 "On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night."
Ps. 90:14 "Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days."

Now for Jesus' example:
Mark 1:35 "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed."
Mark 6:46-47 (After a busy day of ministry that included teaching and the feeding of the 5,000) "After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray...when evening came..."
Luke 5:16 "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."
Luke 6:12 (Before the calling of the 12 apostles) "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God."

As we survey scripture, it would appear that any time of the day is the right time to meet with the Lord, to meditate on His Word, and to go to Him in prayer. However, if you are going to think about something daily, all day long, it would seem that starting the morning by taking time to meet with God would be the most ideal. Take this question of time to the Lord in prayer. He will help you find a time and place, and will Himself provide what is necessary to carry through as you obey Him. (When I began this habit many years ago, the Lord sent my cat to wake me up every morning!) Mornings will not work best for every person, and most certainly you want to avoid a legalistic prescription. However, do remember that what may start as a begrudging habit can turn into a delight. Trust the Lord with this matter and obey what He will show you.

There are season in our lives that will affect how and when we spend time with the Lord. Young moms who have been up most of the night with a sleepless baby may not find early morning to be their best time. Yet they can most certainly be thinking of the Lord and meditating on His Word "through the watches of the night" while they are up with that wee one. It may be what helps keep them sane! When my own children were babies, I found myself most alert during the first part of their afternoon naptime. (The second half often meant a nap for me as well!) Some women make their quiet time appointment for as soon as all the kids are off to school. (Still waiting for that season in my life!) Be encouraged that if you can make time with the Lord a priority during these demanding early years with your children, you will form a spiritual discipline that will be hard to break.

When children are older, teach them how important it is for you to spend time alone with God. It is okay for them to know this is a holy and hallowed hour. Provide quiet activities and toys for them to amuse themselves when they are young, and as they grow older, Bible storybooks or their own Bible to spend time with the Lord themselves. Remember, it was my own parents' example that first motivated me toward Bible study. Now our oldest son tells us he wants to spend time with God, "just like you do, Dad and Mom." Don't underestimate your example to your children, nor feel that you are neglecting their needs.

What we can discern from Scripture is that God's Word should be our daily delight, and should be something we carry with us throughout the day. We must find a time and place to meet with Him, and make it a daily priority. We don't often skip meals, let's not skip the spiritual feast our soul needs to survive and thrive.

Where Do I Start?

When I was a little girl, I observed my parents spending time daily with God in His Word. I was often encouraged through the years by many other believers to do so as well, and began the habit of daily Bible reading while still in high school. By the time I finished college, I had read through the entire Bible for the first time. These were precious years of getting to know what was in the Word of God. Still, I longed to go deeper, but did not know how.

My early experiences may be similar or different from yours. But I think there comes a time for many Christians when they are ready and willing to take steps to spend time with the Lord daily, yet they may be stopped simply because they do not know how. "Is reading through a passage enough? How does that get the Word of God into my life?" "I know I should pray...but what about?" "How do I make real connection with the God of the universe?" These questions and many others bar our way. Some press on, finding answers as they go. Others stop, baffled and throwing up their hands. My desire and prayer is to help those who want to go deeper in the study of God's Word to press on and do so.

If we are going to study the Bible, it will be helpful to begin at the beginning. And any good beginning had better start with God, who was, after all, the originator of it all. One of the most important considerations to good Bible study is to remember to begin with God.

In The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer wrote, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man's spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God.

For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. This is true not only of the individual Christian, but of the company of Christians that composes the Church. Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God."

The Bible is a revelation of God. Consider how other saints of both the Old and New Testament spoke of knowing God: "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways that I may know you and continue to find favor with you," (Moses, in Exodus 33:13). "So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord," (Hosea in Hosea 6:3 NASB). "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord....that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ..." (Paul, in Philippians 3:8-10). We can see how the heartbeat of those who were closest to God was simply knowing Him.

Not only should our aim be to know God, but to see how all He reveals about Himself points to the person and work of Jesus Christ. In John 5:39 Jesus says, "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me." In Luke 24:27 we see Jesus on the road to Emmaus, opening the minds of his followers to what the Scriptures are truly about. "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." Finally, John 17:3 says, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

As we begin Bible study, let's approach it with this viewpoint: this is a book about God, and by studying it we will come to know Him. It is not primarily about me, or my felt needs for this day (although we know God cares for us and for our needs, and His word will speak to those things.) This book is primarily about God and His Son Jesus Christ.

Haddon Robinson,a professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, said, "The Bible is a book of theology. The Bible is not given to tell you how to have a happy marriage. The Bible is not given to tell you how to be a successful leader. The Bible is not given to tell you how to be healthy or wealthy. The Bible is a revelation, and it's a revelation about God. So that whenever you come to a passage, the first question you have to ask is, 'What do I learn about God in this passage?' And then, 'What do I learn about the way people incorrectly or correctly respond to what they knew about God?' And 'What do I know about the situation in which people live which makes it more difficult for them to believe what the revelation is about God?' But, the Bible is a book of theology."

Life transformation happens when we know God as He truly is. Let's make it our aim to know God as we study His Word.