Welcome back to the Know and Do podcast, where we explore the art of interpreting the Bible, also known as hermeneutics. In this episode, we wrap up our series on understanding the Scriptures before taking a short break for the Christmas season. Today, we’ll discuss two types of passages that often challenge readers.

Why Certain Passages Are Difficult to Understand:

Cultural Gaps – Differences between the Bible's cultural context and ours today.

"Contradictions" – Passages that may seem to conflict, though we trust Scripture’s inerrancy.

Conundrums – Complex theological concepts like the Trinity and free will vs. sovereignty.

Steps for Tackling Difficult Passages:

Pray for understanding.

Contextualize – Look at literary, covenantal, and canonical contexts.

Parley with Other Scriptures – Use clearer passages to interpret less clear ones.

Seek Community – Consult church leaders, trusted commentaries, and fellow believers.

Approaching Familiar Passages with Fresh Eyes

Pitfalls of Familiarity include commonly misquoted or misunderstood passages that can lead to inaccurate interpretations.

Steps for Handling Familiar Passages:

Pray for a fresh perspective.

Interrogate the Text—ask questions, read it as if for the first time, and examine the context.

Meditate on the passage’s meaning and implications.

Communicate – Discuss with others, write down thoughts, or teach someone.

Below, find a sample passage and questions to practice these interpretation skills. Remember to like and follow us for more episodes in January. Grace and peace to you!

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Welcome back to the Know and Do podcast, where we equip you to know God deeply and live in a way that brings Him glory. This episode is part of our study series on hermeneutics—interpreting the Bible. This episode revisits one of those tools as we explore the art of observing on a textual level. We’ll look closely at words, sentences, and structures to uncover the rich layers of meaning in the text.

Key Topics Covered:

• Individual Words

• Sentences/Phrases

• People

• General Theme

• Macro-structure

Chiasm Example

·      If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

a.  Fail

b.Plan

b’. Plan

a’. Fail

·      “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”—Mark 2:27

a.  Sabbath

b. Man

b’. Man

a’. Sabbath

·      Daniel

1. ch1—siege/ destruction

a. ch 2 – Vision of the statue in four sections

b. ch 3 – Daniel’s friends thrown into the fiery furnace

                       c. ch 4 – King Nebuchadnezzar learns humility

                       c’. ch 5 – King Belshazzar fails to learn humility

           b’. ch 6– Daniel thrown into the lion’s den

a’. ch 7 – Vision of the four beasts

a. ch 8 – Persia and Greece

           b. 9:1–24 – intercessory prayer

                       c. 9:25– decree to rebuild Jerusalem

                                   d. 9:26– Messiah will be “cut off”

                       c’. 9:27—decree that Jerusalem/temple destroyed

           b’. ch 10– intercessory prayer

a’. ch 11:1–35 – Persia and Greece

1’. ch 11:36–12:13— siege/ destruction

And that’s how we observe Scripture on a textual level! Check below for additional resources, including a sample passage and practice questions to help you hone these skills. Don’t forget to like, follow, and share the podcast. Grace and peace!

Grasping God's Word

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In this episode, we continue our series on interpreting the Bible—also known as hermeneutics. We aim to help listeners know God deeply and live in a way that brings Him glory. Today, we’re diving into an important topic: the genres of the Bible and why recognizing them is essential for accurate understanding.

Why Genres Matter

Our discussion begins with a story about "The Lost Letters of Pergamum," a fictional book that vividly depicts early church life. Many readers, captivated by its realism, forget it's fiction, leading to misunderstandings. This serves as a reminder that understanding the genre is crucial to interpreting any text accurately, especially Scripture.

Overview of Biblical Genres

The Bible isn’t just one book; it’s a collection of books, each with its literary style and purpose. In this episode, we cover the significant genres found in the Bible and discuss how each one shapes our understanding: Historical Narrative, Wisdom, Poetry, Prophecy, Apocalyptic, Gospel, and Epistle.

Applying Genre Awareness to Scripture

We discuss practical approaches to different genres, providing specific passages as examples and questions to consider in your study.

Key Takeaway

All genres work together to help us know God and understand ourselves in light of His Word. Recognizing and respecting each genre can transform your Bible study experience and bring fresh insights.

Practice Materials

We’ve included sample passages and reflective questions to help you practice identifying and interpreting biblical genres.

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Remember: Be sure to subscribe, like, and share if this episode has helped deepen your understanding.

Grace and peace!

Welcome back to the Know and Do podcast, where we help you dive deep into knowing God and living out the things that bring Him the most glory. In this episode, we continue our hermeneutics series with a focus on reading and understanding the Old and New Testaments. While today is a broad overview, we will build on this foundation in the coming weeks, especially as we look deeper into biblical genres next week.

Tools to understand the Old Testament:

• Context

• Covenant

• Canon

• Character of God

• Christ

Four Concepts for Understanding the New Testament

• The New Testament contains different literary genres

• The Gospels are about Jesus

• Know the difference between indicative and imperative

• Remember what Scripture is for

If you found this episode helpful, please share it with others and leave a review.

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In this episode of the Know and Do podcast, we continue our journey into hermeneutics. This time, we take a step back from the mechanics of reading and applying Scripture to explore a foundational question: What is the Bible, and why should we trust it?

The Bible's Origin and Inspiration - The Bible came from God, transmitted through human authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of inspiration does not remove the humanity of its authors but instead highlights God's divine purpose in guiding their words.

The Biblical Canon – We explore how the 66 books of the Bible were recognized as part of the biblical canon and the criteria used to exclude false texts, including apostolic origin and theological consistency.

The Bible's Verification – Evidence of its reliability, including its self-attesting nature, internal unity, manuscript evidence, archaeological discoveries, and outside historical sources like Josephus and Tacitus.

Why You Can Have Confidence in the Bible – From the manuscripts to the consistency of its message across 66 books written over 1,500 years, we look at why the Bible remains a trustworthy and reliable source of God's truth.

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Welcome back to the Know and Do podcast, where we train people to know God deeply and live out their faith to bring Him glory. In today’s episode, we shift our focus from learning new interpretive tools to documenting and organizing your study insights. You’ll learn practical steps for capturing your Bible study thoughts on paper, ensuring that your study is thorough and structured in a way that helps you understand and apply God’s Word.

We recap the tools you’ve learned over the last few weeks and introduce a method called “ETS” (Essence of the Text in a Sentence), which helps you break down your study into actionable steps.

Key Takeaways:

Purpose of Bible study: We study the Bible to know God, as highlighted in Psalm 111:2 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Choosing a book to study: Start with a book of the Bible and follow its structure, avoiding random passages each day.

The ETS Method

1. Label your notes for the day (passage and date)

2. Read the text and pray

3. Write the Essence of the Text in a Sentence (ETS, the main idea)

4. Copy a verse that summarizes the text

5. Interpret the text

6. Apply the text

7. Write a prayer

 8. Title your entry and add it to your table of contents

Encouragement: Don’t be intimidated by the process! Whether you write a few lines or several pages, the goal is not perfection but growth in your relationship with God. Bible study is about knowing God better, and as you practice, your study entries will grow more profound and meaningful.

Call to Action: For podcast listeners, check the show notes for extra materials, including sample passages and questions to help you practice these skills. Join us next week as we explore how to bring God’s Word into our daily lives.

Notebook Recommendation

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In this episode of the Know and Do podcast, we dive deeper into the art of biblical interpretation, also known as hermeneutics. As we continue to build a toolkit for understanding Scripture, we reflect on a crucial question: "Why do we study the Bible?" The answer is simple—so that we may know God. When you encounter God's word, you can't simply ignore it. You are called to respond.

This week, we're discussing how to respond appropriately to what you study in God's Word. Understanding Scripture is essential, but applying it is just as important. We cover practical tips for preparing yourself to study, such as pausing to eliminate distractions, starting with prayer, and engaging with a partner in your faith journey. We also explore the importance of taking notes and reflecting on a simple yet powerful tool for application:

S.P.E.C.K.A.

1.    Is there a Sin to avoid?

2.    Are there Promises to claim?

3.    Is there an Example to follow?

4.    Is there a Command to obey?

5.    What should I Know about God, myself, or others?

6.    Are there other ways I should Apply this text? 

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Welcome back to the Know and Do Podcast, where we explore hermeneutics—how to interpret the Bible—and how to apply what we learn to our everyday lives. In this episode, we dive into an essential topic: finding the gospel message in any Bible passage you study.

We’ll answer critical questions, such as why we study the Bible, what the gospel is, and how we can uncover the gospel message in both the Old and New Testaments. Additionally, we introduce two essential tools to help you see the gospel more clearly in scripture: the "History of Christ" tool and the "Must/Can't" tool.

Key Takeaways:

The Bible is a big book about God and his desire to reveal himself to us.

The gospel—“good news”—is central to all Scripture and can be found throughout the Old and New Testaments.

The gospel message is: God is holy, we are not, Jesus came to offer us his holiness, and we must believe in him to be accepted by God.

The Bible presents the gospel from the beginning, showing how Old Testament figures like Abraham, Moses, and the prophets anticipated Jesus's coming.

The History of Christ Tool: The gospel can be traced from Christ’s eternal past, his incarnation, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and present reign to his future return and eternal future.

Biblical references show how the Old and New Testaments point to these pivotal moments in Christ’s story.

The Must/Can’t Tool:

Ask these four questions when studying a passage:

What must we do?

Why can’t we do it?

How did Christ do it?

How shall we live in light of what Christ has done?

Bible Verses Discussed:

John 8:56

Romans 3:9

Matthew 17:1-3

Hebrews 11:39-40

Luke 24:27

Colossians 1:16–17

Genesis 1:26

Zechariah 9:9

Isaiah 53:5

Job 19:25-27

Psalm 110:1

Daniel 7:13–14

Hebrews 12:1-3

Handout + History of Christ

Welcome to the latest episode of the Know and Do podcast, where we aim to deepen your knowledge of God and equip you to live for His glory. In this episode, we dive into the essential steps of Bible study — observation and interpretation. We’ll explore how to approach Scripture, not just to read it, but to truly understand what God is saying through His Word. These tools will help you move beyond surface-level understanding and engage with the Bible as God's inspired Word.

Key Takeaways:

• The primary goal of Bible study is to know God, as emphasized through key verses like John 17:1–3, 2 Peter 3:18, and Philippians 3:10.

• Practical tools for observing the text, using the "5 W's" method (Who, What, When, Where, and Why) to get to the heart of the passage.

Guidelines for Interpretation

1. Context, context, context

2. Scripture interprets scripture

3. Obscure passages are not for building convictions

4. Read the way the author intends

5. Find the main point

6. See OT in view of the NT

7. Read the OT the way the authors of the NT read the Old Testament

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 In this first episode of our Know and Do series, we explore the basics of biblical hermeneutics, learning how to properly interpret Scripture and apply its truths in today’s context. Before making modern applications, learn to understand a biblical text in its original context.

We cover important concepts like exegesis and contextualization and why avoiding shortcuts when interpreting Scripture is essential. Using practical examples, we'll unpack tools for interpreting the Bible more accurately and applying its lessons to everyday life.

Key Takeaways:

Start with Scripture, not secondary sources.

Avoid jumping directly from the text to personal application without context.

Understand what the passage meant to its original audience before applying it today.

Reflect on the gospel in each text to see how it points to Christ.

Resources:

Recommended Book: How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart

Core Scripture(s): 2 Timothy 3:16, 1 Timothy 4:13, and 1 Timothy 4:16

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