Develop a system for lifelong Bible study

Written by Jim Denison

The King James Version of the Bible has 3,566,480 letters; 733,746 words; 31,163 verses; and 1,189 chapters. The longest chapter of the Bible is the 119^th Psalm; the shortest is the 117^th Psalm; the middle verse of the Bible is Psalm 118:8. The longest word in the Bible is "Mahershalalhashbaz" (Isaiah 8:1, 3); the shortest is the word "and," found some 46,227 times in Scripture. The longest verse is Esther 8:9; the shortest is John 11:35. And every letter of the alphabet is found in Ezra 7:21 (KJV). So what?

Discover the best tools for studying Scripture

Written by Jim Denison

William Tyndale lived over 400 years ago. In his day, the church would allow only its leaders to read and interpret the Bible. It also refused to let the Scriptures be translated from Latin into the language of the people.

God gave Tyndale a deep desire to give the people a Bible they could read for themselves, but he was unable to convince the church to do this work. He therefore began the enormous task of translating the Bible into English himself.

Tyndale worked feverishly from dawn to dusk, six days a week, for eleven years. He taught himself Hebrew in order to translate the Old Testament. All during this time the church opposed his work and even placed a bounty on his head. He finally completed the New Testament in 1525. Since printing had been invented recently, this became the first English New Testament to be printed and distributed widely.

Employ the best methods for studying Scripture

Written by Jim Denison

Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Is this a guarantee? If so, can we assume that any time a child makes a sinful decision the fault is the parent's? How old is "old"? Or is it possible that this parable represents a biblical genre which communicates metaphorically rather than literally?

We discovered in our last session that there are some preparations necessary for studying any literature and especially God's word. As we will see this week, there are principles and practices which guide all effective Bible study. But these tools are intended for every person who wants to meet God in his word.

Fulfill the purpose of Scripture

Written by Jim Denison

I spent the summer of 1979 working as a missionary in East Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. I was given paperback New Testaments to bring to the people.  Most of them had never had a copy in their own language, so this would be a special gift.

I will never forget the first time I distributed those Bibles.  A long line formed.  There was much rejoicing as the people took their copy of God's word.  At the end of the line stood an elderly woman.  She endured the hot sun and a long wait, until it was finally her turn.  I gave her a copy of God's word in her language.  She took that paperback New Testament in trembling hands and held it close to her heart.  And I thought of all my Bibles at home gathering dust on the shelf.

Learn to interpret Old Testament law and history

Written by Jim Denison

What is your favorite verse in the Bible? I'll bet I know one it's not. Exodus 23:19 commands, requires, orders us: "Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk." This prohibition is so important that it is repeated in Deuteronomy 14:21. This statement is the reason why kosher dietary laws prohibit eating meat and dairy together.

When I was last in Jerusalem, our tour group ate at McDonald's, where cheeseburgers are not on the menu. Why would the Bible prohibit this practice? Because this ritual was part of the fertility cult practices of the pagan Canaanites. They believed in "sympathetic magic," the idea that their actions could influence the gods and nature. They thought that boiling a kid in its mother's milk would ensure the continued fertility of the flock.

What does a commandment like this mean to you and me tonight? How are we to interpret such statements? We have now come to that section of our course titled "special hermeneutics," where we discuss principles which are appropriate for specific genres of Scripture. We begin this evening with Old Testament history and law.

Learn to study New Testament Epistles and Revelation

Written by Jim Denison

Interpreting Paul

Paul the Apostle was author of half the New Testament. My favorite of his epistles is Philippians. We'll use it to illustrate the importance of understanding the context of the text.

Paul was in the midst of his second missionary journey when he received the Macedonian Vision (Acts 16:6-10). Upon this call, he and his team immediately went into the Western Hemisphere. Here they won Lydia to Christ, the first European convert, and baptized her at the Zygaktis River.

Learn to study New Testament Gospels and history

Written by Jim Denison

Stories communicate truth as no other literary genre can. In this section we will look at the Gospels and Acts--the stories of Jesus and his first followers. We will meet the human authors of these remarkable books, and learn principles which help in discovering and applying their truth to our lives today.

Learn to study Old Testament wisdom and prophecy

Written by Jim Denison

A few years ago I was privileged to visit St. Petersburg, Russia, and the world-famous Hermitage Museum. We were told that so many artifacts are on display there, if a person were to view one each minute it would take seven years to see them all. The vast array of paintings, sculpture, and historical materials was indeed staggering. But one item surpassed them all to me.

Make the best preparations for Bible study

Written by Jim Denison

Biblical authority is of little practical good in our lives unless it leads to biblical study. We may believe that Scripture is divinely inspired, that it stands up to every test and critique from a skeptical world. But if we do not put its truths into practice in our lives, our beliefs don't affect our lives. And the purpose of God's word is to change those who read it, molding us in the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29).

So, how can you meet God in his word? How can you study the Bible for yourself? In this session we'll look at preparations necessary for effective Bible study. In the next session we'll discover guidelines which apply to every passage in Scripture. Finally, we'll explore principles which relate to specific sections of God's word.