Grace Immanuel Bible Church: Men of Grace and Granite

By Grace Immanuel Bible ChurchReligion & Spirituality Christianity

Grace Immanuel Bible Church: Men of Grace and Granite episodes

February 26, 2019 The Danger of Theological Interpretation (Part 2)
Click the “Download Outline” button on the right to receive the class notes used in conjunction with this lesson.
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February 19, 2019 The Danger of Theological Interpretation (Part 1)
Click the “Download Outline” button on the right to receive a PDF presentation used by Jon with this lesson. Please note: Jon covers slides 1 through 41 in this session.
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February 12, 2019 2019 Courageous Churchmen & Ekklesia Conferences Recap
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January 22, 2019 How to Study the Bible (Part 7) - Terminology in Scripture
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January 15, 2019 How to Study the Bible (Part 6) - The Authority & Clarity of Scripture
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December 04, 2018 How to Study the Bible (Part 5)
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November 27, 2018 Cultivating a Relationship with God's Word
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November 13, 2018How to Study the Bible (Part 4) - Applying the Discipline of Observation
We are continuing today in Grace & Granite by examining the basic principles for studying the Word of God. So far, we studied six general principles:
Scripture is clear; it has clarity.

Revelation is accommodated to us.

Scripture is harmonious.

Scripture can be normally/literally interpreted.

There is one meaning to a text.

Interpretation as opposed to application.
As we think about these principles, let’s keep in mind:
It is naïve for us to think that a cursory glance at any passage will give us a deep and thorough knowledge of a text.

Even passages that we think we know, years later upon further reading, we are surprised to see how much was there that we didn’t see in our first studies.

This is the inexhaustible nature of divine revelation.

Eternal truths are imbedded in the clear language of Scripture. An eternal God can do this without making it difficult on His people. A special code is not needed.

Still, the text of Scripture is as deep and profound as He is.

2 Timothy 3:16 – All Scripture is inspired by God. This is not cheap inspiration. The original language literally means all Scripture is breathed out by God.

2 Peter 1:21 provides further clarity on how inspiration works, saying, “Men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” If it is from God, it carries His eternal nature.

Therefore, Scripture says that He has exalted His words above His own name (Psalm 138:2).

Psalm 19:7ff says God’s Word has the power to transform.

Isaiah 55:11 God’s Word always accomplishes the purpose for which it was sent.
When studying the Bible, we realize that we have tremendous joy in the privilege to study revelation from God. This is not just work for institutional professors. Every man is charged with plumbing the depths of Scripture, so that the Holy Spirit can share the mind of God with us. We use Scripture’s clarity of salvation, sanctification, and discipleship. So, don’t think that studying the Bible is for others. And don’t think that you can naively open your English Bible and know a text immediately without applying these and other principles in your study.
General Principle #7 – Study the context.
Reading the context of a passage means that we must study the flow.

We examine the words, sentences and units of thought that come before and after the text you are studying.

Key point: The words of Scripture means something based on the words around them. And a passage might not mean something based on the words and context.

When someone needs discipleship, you start by opening your Bible for various passages to help. Here are some recommendations:
Modern resources are endless, including “Googling” the issue with the word Bible after the issue will give you a list of passages that address that issue.

Other trusted resources from the internet include:
Ligonier Ministries (https://www.ligonier.org/)

Grace to You (https://www.gty.org/)

Grace Immanuel websites (www.gibcjupiter.org; http://churchmen.org/)

Bible.org (https://bible.org/)

A very trusted resource is Walter Elwell’s Topical Analysis of the Bible – It is a cataloging of Scriptures about everything you need to know in the Christian life. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0801032059)

Once you have passages of Scripture that address an issue, you want to thoroughly understand the passage as it relates to the issue.
You don’t want to apply the passage superficially.

You are not just giving them what they can get at a cursory glance.

Don’t be a minimalistic discipler. Don’t just say what the verse says.

You want to explain the meaning of the text and implicate the heart as you plumb its depths.

A faithful discipler does his own study of passages and brings the truths to the disciplee.

To avoid shallow discipleship, take the one or two key texts that address the issue and set upon your study as follows:
Read that section 10-20 times to see the flow.

Read the section before and after the text; the whole chapter, if need be.

Let your mind absorb the flow of thought in what is written.

Put some markers in place for where thoughts begin and end. Identify units of thought (pericopes).

Narrow your study to the main unit of thought.

Recommendation from John MacArthur (related by Jerry Wragg): Read a book of the Bible once a day for 30 days. It might feel tedious at first; but keep pressing on. Into the second week, some things begin happening. The flow of thought becomes so familiar that it is on your mind, the words are in your speech, ideas become familiar, you start to see repeated themes, etc. This happens just from reading and not taking notes. Around day 14, the text opens further still. After 30 days, you will be stunned at what you are able to retain, and you will understanding the text better than you ever have. There is great value in reading and re-reading. It allows your mind to be saturated by Truth. If it is boring, it is because we are weak and shallow. We need to develop the discipline of our minds.
General Principle #8 – The discipline of observation.
Look for connecting words; conjunctions – mark them out because the connections explain things and how they relate to one another.

Identify verbs (action ideas) – outside the genre of stories, interpretation of propositional truth claims in any unit of thought hinges on the verbs.

Look for word patterns in a text – things that are strung together.
For example, Ephesians 1 – “In Him”

For example, 1 Thessalonians 2 – Paul’s frequent appeal to what they know

Look for prepositions: to, with, from, etc.

Look for purpose clauses

Look for common phrases and terminology by different authors.
Notice Paul’s loves to use, “put on” and “put off” motifs in his writings.

Matthew likes to use, “the Kingdom of heaven”.

Notice John (the Apostle that Jesus loved) and the way he uses the word, love, in his writings.

As you observe various writers, you will begin to see authors’ terms used for emphasis.

Look for contrasts – the Bible makes arguments by using opposites, constantly.
For example, Ephesians 5:18, do not be addicted to substances, but be filled with the Holy Spirit.

In the original languages, the word “but” is often the strongest adversative (an expression of opposition).

Look for comparisons – these are the things that are alike (similar).
Can be identified by seeing phrases: “just as”; you are to forgive one another, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:32).

Ephesians 5:25, Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ… (in the same way)

In the parables it often says, “the kingdom of heaven is like”.

Look for imperatives or commands – you will do this; you won’t do that.
The verb idea is a must do or must not do this.

This indicates a verbal idea in its strongest form.

These are the most straight forward propositional truths that you will give to a disciple, because they are in the most explicit form.

Mark out exhortations/pleadings – these are urgings or special exhortations.
Romans 12:1 – I urge you brethren by the mercies of God…

2 Timothy 4:11ff – I solemnly charge you…. in the presence of God…

Look for emphatic grammar such as “look” or “behold”.

Recognize the use of the definite article – passages that clearly use “the”.
Observe where it is used and not used.

It is a specifically identifying word
A library is generic

The library is specific

Luke 18:13 – the sinner. John 3:10 – the teacher.

Using the specifies the one in a category.

Identify descriptive phrases – these further define things
These provide color and further describe.

Adjectives are all over human language for the sake of understanding.

Look for possession words (genitives)
The revelation of Jesus Christ – of is a possession word.

The Word of God – means the book of God; it belongs to Him.

Determine limitations of a passage on a topic
Discipline your mind to determine what the verse does not say.

The passage addresses a topic, but there are limitations of what it covers specific to that topic. This is critical as you grow in your understanding of theology.

It is a challenge to not take all that you have learned and put it on the passage you are studying.

God gave us His revelation the way He wanted to give it to us.

We sometimes wish God covered more details in a specific passage.

Each passage doesn’t solve every tension on a topic.

Let the passage speak what it does say.

Look at synonymous phrases that present the same ideas – these tie together parallel ideas
Does Eph 5:18, “filled with the Spirit,” mean the same thing as, “strengthened with might by His Spirit,” in Eph 3:16?

It might be the same idea, because of the words around it.

Notice writers’ personal experiences – what grips the writer
Paul often writes in deep agony (i.e. Galatians 1)
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October 30, 2018How to Study the Bible (Part 3)
We are continuing today in Grace & Granite on how to study the Bible. During the last two weeks, we introduced the topic and discussed the first four general principles for studying God’s word. They were:
Scripture is clear; it has clarity.

Revelation is accommodated to us.

Scripture is harmonious.

Scripture can be normally/literally interpreted.
We also touched on the fifth general principle:
There is one meaning to a text.

We will cover this principle in much greater depth, but lets first examine a few of our presuppositions about God’s Word:
2 Timothy 2:15 says that the study of Scripture requires diligence. That is, we develop skill as we work on texts in our mind and hearts.

The result… we become approved workmen. We learn to cut scripture rightly; dividing it for clarity.

Scripture gives us God’s mind and corrects our biases.

We learn the context of Scripture. Scripture does not conform to our contexts.

Ephesians 4:11ff – we grow in maturity by having unity of faith.

V.14, we are protected from error.
General Principle #5 – There is one meaning of a Biblical text.
Just like if we say, “The grass is green,” we that the color of the grass is green.

Scripture is the same way; the Divine Author communicates through a human author with one intended meaning.

To accept this in faith, we must assume some things about communication:
Assumption #1: An author of Scripture clearly communicates his intentions.

Understanding occurs when:
The listener hears communication in its context.

He processes the information and apprehends it.

He understands the information communicated.
If Scripture is misinterpreted, we know that the author clearly communicated, but the listener was:
Lazy in hearing.

Unwilling to give up a bias.

Ignorant of the material or unfamiliar with the concepts or words.

Hearing, but not listening.

Hearing and listening, but unbelieving.

Or, interpreting only to satisfy their biased agenda.
Assumption #1 conclusion: Scripture is God’s Word communicated to all mankind for the purpose of saving, until Christ returns in glory (Romans 1:16). We must assume the author was clear in His communication. If something is unclear, we are the problem.
Assumption #2: Since the author is clear in communicating his intentions, understanding comes by normal apprehension of the language used in its original context.
There is no other secret way to learn what God means.

That’s not to say that you are going to understand every passage or every passage is as clear as another.

It’s never true that the author communicated poorly.

An infallible God can only produce and infallible revelation.

Assumption #2 conclusion: The principle of one meaning is basic to every form of literature and communication. And, that one meaning is always determined by the author. In Scripture, God determines what He meant.
Question: What about passages that expand on a previous meaning in Scripture?
God does often expand on themes with more elaboration in passages written later.

But still, the original meaning does not change from its original context. The original meaning is now expanded with the additional passage.

General Principle #6 – Interpretation as opposed to application.
If the meaning of a text gets confusing, you are likely thinking about its application.
We have heard people say, “What does that passage mean to you?”

They are truly asking, “How does that passage apply to you?”

Rushing toward a personal application can be a mistake.

Interpretation is explaining the passage’s significance to everyone, everywhere for all time, because it discovers the author’s intended meaning in the original context to the original audience.

Application is explaining the ways the original author’s statement, or meaning of his statement, affects my life today and in different contexts. An illustration of this:
A man digs and finds a treasure of gold coins (interpretation – he now possesses gold that he did not have before).

Application is the different ways he can spend the coins.

Exodus 20:15 – You shall not steal. The interpretation is: don’t take something that is not yours.

There are various applications:
Don’t steal from the grocery store.

Don’t steal time from your employer with laziness.

Don’t steal her beauty with your eyes.

We use the singular meaning of a text to first confront the heart (the inner life).
As we study the Bible, don’t rush apply the text to your actions, before examining the implications for your own heart.

Key truth point: Behind every action/behavior there is a heart attitude.

Foundationally, Scripture’s purpose is to implicate your inner life!! – This purpose and methodology cannot be stressed enough.
At the heart level, you are implicating your motives.

At the heart level, you are challenging your desires.

At the heart level, you are examining your thought life.

At the heart level, you find where you are guilty of unbiblical thoughts

At the heart level, you repent and change your thoughts to align with the truth claims of God’s Word.

Illustration of this inner life work:
Two men set out to rob a gas station. One drives the car and the other enters the business. Both are complicit and guilty.

The one entering the business is like our outward actions in sin.

The one driving the car is like the sinful thought life driving our actions.

Each man’s guilt is dependent on the other, but the one in the business cannot act out his guilt without the driver.

Our thought life is the driver of our actions.

Our inner man follows a trajectory of unbiblical and/or sinful thoughts, motives, and desires that result in sinful actions.

The purpose of Scripture is to implicate our guilt at the heart level.

God knows our heart better than us. The medicine for heart change is God’s Word.

We use God’s Word as the cure to change our hearts (repentance).

Our dangerous tendency:
We tend to find a meaning in scripture and then rush to apply it to our outward actions like a Band-Aid on a gushing wound.

We skip over the hard work of confronting our thought life, making only superficial and temporary progress against sin.

To make real and lasting change, we must let the Scriptures implicate your inner life: wrong thoughts, sinful motives, and unbiblical desires.

When we implicate the heart first, it becomes much clearer what actionable changes are necessary. For example, Ephesians 5:25 and following:
The truth claim is to love your spouse in the same way that Christ loved His people.

An immediate application could be, “I am going to cut the grass without her asking, because that’s how I should love her.”

Cutting the grass is great and could be loving, kind, and sacrificial.

But, jumping to this conclusion sidesteps the motives and thoughts:
What does it mean to love like Christ loved?

What does it mean to initiate love when she is unlovely?

What did Christ really do for His people?

Are my intentions the same as Christ’s?

In summary, there is a tremendous difference between application and implication. When studying God’s Word and explaining it to others, let’ help one another keep first things first. We must disciple others to do the hard work on the inner life as we practice Biblical truths.
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October 23, 2018How to Study the Bible (Part 2)
We are continuing today in Grace & Granite on how to study the Bible. Last week, we introduced this topic and discussed the first general principle that the Scriptures have clarity. They are clear, and we can learn from them, inductively. That is, we can learn God’s revelation to man directly from studying God’s Word in faith and in submission to it. Thus, the greatest problem is reading into Scripture our own presuppositions vs. learning from a passage what God intends for us to learn from it.
In the Bible, we learn propositional truth. God’s Word makes authoritative claims about definitive truth.
Scripture is unbending and unchanging. God is the supreme authority of all truth.

What God says about anything is the most important thing we will ever learn.

The Bible is objective. Attempting to change the objective truth is unbelief and a disdain for God.

Psalm 119:18 is very instructive to our right study approach.
The psalmist pleads with God to understand His Word.

There is a submissive heart placing high reverence on the text of Scripture.

We want to assume the same posture – God’s Word reveals wonderful Truth and we need the Spirit’s illuminating power to behold it.

We pray and beg the Lord for understanding.

God’s word is objective, and it commands obedience.

General Principle #1 – Scripture is clear.
Isaiah 45:18-19; Deuteronomy 29:29

God reveals His word clearly in Scripture, so that we would understand it in faith and be willing to obey it.

The opposite doubtful approach to Scripture is what the Bible calls truth suppression. It is an expression of unrighteousness (Romans 1:18).

Men who run from the Light, hate the Light, because they do not want their evil deeds exposed (John 3:19-21).

Psalm 19:7-14 is a great passage of promise to the studier of God’s Word.
Imbedded here are promised results.

There are warnings and rewards in Scripture.

Scripture alone sets the standard for our acceptability to God.

We cannot grow in the Christian life without a submissive heart.

Stubborn hearts, which are unwilling to submit, are rooted in pride.

If someone is having trouble in sanctification, we might want to do a little self-evaluation of…
Am I bristling at some truth in Scripture?

What area of my life do I want autonomy instead of giving the authority to God’s Word?

General Principle #2 – Revelation is accommodated by God to us.
The Bible was written by God.

He used a human language in books written in context, and in various genres, so we could understand glorious truths.
For example, 2 Chronicles 16:9 – “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro…”

For example, we often read about “the hand of God”.

These are metaphors and imagery not read literally, but understood in common language, just as we communicate in various genres and styles.

Why? God invented all language, human communication, and reason, so He uses normal language in various forms to make Himself known.
General Principle #3 – Scripture is harmonious.
The Bible is unified and does not contradict itself, because God wrote it. He cannot have any contradiction in Him.

Even if we perceive a contradiction, we must believe that the problem is our finiteness and not God.

A paradox can be discovered where something appears to contradict, but God Word does not. The harmony of God’s Word is a foundational doctrine.

Some concepts must be accepted in faith and left to the wondrous character of God – we don’t solve every mystery. Mysteries are there for our study.

For example, 2 Timothy 2:1 has a command that can only be accomplished by God. “Be strong in the grace of Christ.”
There is tension because Christ provides grace.

At the same time, we are commanded to be strong in that grace, and if not, we are morally culpable.

There’s tension and we go right up to the wall of faith, but not beyond it to create a new meaning.

General Principle #4 – Scripture can be normally interpreted.
When read it its context, it can be understood.

In John 10, we read several metaphors in the context, so when we get to verse 9, we know that Christ is not a physical door, but we understand that He acts like a door in the context.

There is no need to abandon the normal reading and understanding of God’s Word for a mystical, hidden view.

Words have normal definitions in their various contexts and genres.

When interpreting scripture, we use more words to bring clarity to explain the text.

That’s exactly how we communicate with others, when something isn’t understood clearly, we use more explanation to expound on a concept.

The goal when expounding scripture is to bring a more precise meaning to the text, so we can understand it more fully.
General Principle #5 – There is one meaning of a Biblical text.
Just like if we say, “The grass is green,” we would need to know what grass is, but once we did, we understand in this sentence that the grass is green in color.

Scripture is the same way; the Divine Author communicates through a human author with one intended meaning.

When working in soul-threatening primary doctrine, we can understand the authoritative meaning of the text.
For example, Colossians 2:9 says, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form”.

The singular meaning of this text is that Jesus Christ is God.

Anyone who declares otherwise, suggests that the text is not clear, or suggests an alternate meaning is declaring heresy.

We believe in faith that the Scriptures are certain, established, and immovable.
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