Category: Bible Study

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Four Essential Elements of Theology

Four Essential Elements of Theology

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Everyone does systematic theology: you fit together large amounts of Biblical texts in your mind to come to conclusions and you answer tough questions with Scripture. The question is, how do you go about answering these questions? What are the essential elements of theology that you should consider as you come to conclusions from Scripture? I recently started reading through Louis Berkhof’s Systematic Theology and, in one of the early chapters, he defines what systematic theology is and the different facets of it. Upon my own reflection of Berkhof’s insights, I think there are at least four essential elements of theology that you should think through when doing a topical or systematic Bible study.

1. The Vertical Side: God’s Authoritative Revelation

Fundamentally any attempt to “do theology” must start with God’s authoritative revelation. Your questions, your conclusions, your doubts, your insights, your applications all must be brought before the inerrant, inspired word. As Berkhof helpfully puts it, the Christian doctrine of revelation assumes that

  • There is a personal God who communicated knowledge
  • There are truths that cannot be known apart from divine revelation
  • Humans can understand this revelation

So theology is not, at its foundation, humanity “figuring out” God. Rather, theology begins when the transcendent God reveals Himself to mankind. The vertical side of theology does not point from earth to heaven, but from heaven to earth. Therefore, your theological investigation will lead to a dead end until you take up the Word and read what it says. Even God’s revelation through His creation won’t be interpreted correctly without the corroborating and explanatory testimony of the Word. The first essential element of theology is God’s authoritative revelation.

2. The Reflective Side: Your Spirit-Empowered Synthesis

However, the Bible itself is not a systematic theology per se. As you read and study, your mind will naturally seek to fit together different texts and synthesize them into conclusions. Understanding what the Bible teaches about the deity and humanity of Jesus, for example, is a large and important theological topic. You cannot hope to understand this topic fully by merely reading one or two texts. Rather, your conclusions will require you to read, study, understand, and synthesize a large quantity of Biblical data from different literary genres.

In short, one of the essential elements of theology is simply thinking and meditating on Biblical texts with the goal of drawing summary conclusions. This takes work and time. It is very easy to come up with bad theological conclusions from the Bible: simply decide what you want the text to say, find a couple support texts, and then “prove” your position. But the careful theologian does not rush to draw broad theological conclusions on a topic until they are confident they have exhausted the pages of Scripture. Synthesis is difficult and, as far as the Christian is concerned, impossible without the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

3. The Corporate Side: What Do Other Christian’s Affirm?

Assuming you take up God’s inspired word, study it, and come to some theological conclusions, how can you check your interpretation? Certainly the first step is to continually compare your conclusions with the whole of Scripture. But another important element of theology is the corporate aspect. Christians are part of the body of Christ. We aren’t disconnected individual atoms that come up with our own theological conclusions on every issue. Rather, if we are reading the same texts and studying them properly under the Spirit’s guidance, we should expect other believers to come to similar conclusions.

Now, just because you find someone who agrees with you does not make your position correct. But if you can’t find a single fellow believer in your local Church that agrees with your theological conclusion, then you should pause and reconsider your analysis. If the Christians who you respect the most and who you know are daily in the Word cannot see from Scripture what you are seeing, you should seek to hear their own thoughts on the issue. Sharpening one another in the local Church theologically oftentimes takes the form of sharing Biblical insights with others and wrestling with conclusions together.

4. The Temporal Side: Church Interpretation Through Time

As you wrestle through difficult questions of theological interpretation, a source of great encouragement is that Christians throughout history have wrestled with many of the same questions and have written down their own analysis and conclusions. One of the most helpful disciplines I have found is to compare my own theological conclusions on a topic with several different historical creeds and confessions. You cannot get away from the fact that you are not the first person to ever read the Bible. In the Lord’s providence and grace, there are intelligent theologians throughout history who have tried to understand and synthesize the same Biblical texts that you have. To not at least consider their analysis would be foolish and border-line prideful.

Now, certainly no creed or confession is inerrant or to be put at the same level as Scripture itself. That is a given. But throughout history, the Church of Christ has worked to understand and externalize Biblical teaching on key doctrines like the Trinity, God’s sovereignty in salvation, what the Church is, baptism and countless others. So see how your theological conclusions fit in with the study of those who have gone before. If you seem to be the only Christian in the history of the Church to see something in the text, tread lightly! It is more likely that you are wrong then every other faithful believer before you was wrong.

Conclusion

Whether you are consciously aware of it or not, these four essential elements of theology are at play whenever you do serious theological study. You may think “I have to examine what the text says” (vertical side) or “I need to think about how these texts fit together” (reflective side) or “I need to check my conclusion with the elders at my Church” (corporate side) or “how do my conclusions line up the the historic confessions?” (temporal side). Consciously and explicitly including each of these four aspects into your own theological study will help you come to more robust conclusions and have more confidence that what you are seeing in Scripture is indeed what God intended you to see.

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The Most Basic Bible Study Tools

The Most Basic Bible Study Tools

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What tools and techniques do you need to understand Scripture properly? If you look up books on hermeneutics, you will be greeted by a host of methods for understanding the Biblical text. Suffice to say, whether you are a new believer or a seasoned expositor, you can always find ways to improve your analysis and application of Scripture. However, just like in an actual tool box, there are some tools that are so fundamental and useful that everyone needs to know how to use them. In this post, I want to give two of the most basic Bible study tools that you need in order to understand Scripture.

Tool #1: Decomposition

Decomposition is simply taking something complicated and breaking it down. You come in contact with decomposition every day without even realizing it:

  • Recipes decompose a dish into a series of logical steps
  • Your GPS decomposes a route into a sequence of turns
  • A to-do list decomposes your day into tasks to complete
  • A puzzle decomposes into a large set of individual pieces
  • Sentence diagrams break apart a sentence into its component parts of speech (nouns, verbs, etc.)
  • A pros and cons list decomposes a decision into its benefits and drawbacks

And those are only a couple examples. Essentially, the goal of decomposition is to take the complex and make it simple. Decomposition allows you to understand the pieces that make up the whole. The best metaphor for decomposition is taking apart a puzzle: you have something big and complex and you want to break it apart into pieces to understand how they fit together.

Decomposition is one of the most basic bible study tools you can apply to a text. You can view any text of Scripture, long or short, as a complicated blend of language, theology, historical context, authorial intent, and a host of other things. Your goal in decomposition is to simply separate each of these pieces in order to examine and understand them. You break text apart so when you put it back together again, you understand how the pieces relate to the whole.

Decomposition Example

There are countless specific ways to decompose a Biblical text. You can decompose it based on the languages, you can decompose it in terms of how it relates to the surrounding context, you can decompose it by looking at the “5 Ws and H”. Any time you divide and examine the parts of a Biblical text, you are doing decomposition. Consider the verse below:

but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 20:31 ESV

You might roughly decompose this verse by outlining it as follows:

  • What: These are written
    • Why: So that you may believe
      • What: That Jesus is
      • Who: the Christ, the Son of God
    • Why: and that by believing you may have life
      • How: in his name

As you can see, by simply doing this rough and approximate decomposition, you can already begin to notice some features of the text. The main point of the verse is to describe why John wrote his gospel and there appears to be two related reasons given: that the reader might believe something about Jesus and that the reader might experience the outcome of that belief. You can further analyze the text by asking what specific things does John mention that a person should believe about Jesus.

Again, this is only a rough example of one way you can decompose a text. There a countless other tools that are essentially ways of decomposing a text. But the important thing to notice here is that good decomposition can lead to better observations. Before you make observations of the text, start with decomposing it. Once you have the pieces broken out, you can look at them and then make more insightful observations on each component of the text and how it relates to the whole.

Tool #2: Externalization

The second of these two basic Bible study tools is externalization. Your mind can only hold so much inside it at once. Therefore, a crucial tool for analysis is externalization. This means simply getting what you are thinking in your mind written down on paper. Again, you externalize throughout every day of your life:

  • You write out a meal plan so you don’t have to remember all the meals for the week
  • Your to-do list is simply an externalization of what you think you need to get done in a day
  • When you take notes during a presentation you are externalizing ideas you want to remember so you don’t have to trust yourself to remember every detail of the presentation
  • Any form of writing is externalization and if you are reading this post, you are simply reading an externalization of my own mind and thoughts

Externalization gets your thoughts outside of your mind. And the purpose of this is simple: once your thoughts are written down you can examine them critically, add or subtract from them, reword them in a better way, and otherwise analyze them. The more you externalize, the less you have to hold in your mind at once and the better you can think about an issue.

Externalization stands out amongst other basic bible study tools because a lot of times people don’t actually think of it as a “tool”. Even though a lot of Christians journal or write their thoughts on a text when preparing a sermon, very rarely do they consider how important externalizing their thoughts about a text is. Whether you are doing a brief morning devotion or preparing a 45-minute sermon, you need to externalize all your thoughts about a text.

Ideas for Externalization

Why does this help in Bible study? Because thoughts and insights are fleeting. Don’t ever assume you will remember an insight about a text tomorrow that you noticed today. If you see something noteworthy, write it down. My Bibles are covered with notes and cross references that came to mind when I read a particular passage. If I notice a repetition in the text, I externalize it by circling the repeated word. When I intuitively understand the structure of a passage, I write a quick outline and save it for later.

As with decomposition, there are many ways you can externalize your thoughts when studying a passage:

  • Have a blank journal where you write down your thoughts as you read through the Bible
  • Write down related texts that come to mind in your Bible when you read a particular passage
  • Have a folder of “sermon skeletons” where you have rough outlines of passages
  • Circle, underline, use multi-colored pens, anything to notate to your future self what you notice in a particular text as you study

Your mind will not be able to hold everything you know about Scripture at once. By externalizing your insights, you can come back at a later date and see if you notice the same things you noticed in the past. Externalizing is a Bible study tool because it allows you to connect thoughts you have had in the past to what you are studying in the present. Every time you read a good commentary you are benefiting from someone else externalizing their thoughts. By getting something down in writing, you can come back to it later and analyze it and reorganize it as needed.

Conclusion

Decomposition and externalization, in my opinion, are the most basic Bible study tools and almost every other tool or method depends on both of these. Even if you didn’t know it, you probably have used these tools in the past when you study a text. Improving in Bible study is not just about learning more and more new techniques. You also need to work on getting better at the fundamentals. If you can master the arts of decomposition and externalization, you will see fruit in your Bible study, your teaching, and your preaching.

This post was inspired in part by a section in “Psychology of Intelligence Analysis” by Richards Heuer, Jr. It is a good read if you want more detail on these subjects.

If you want more tools to help you in your personal Bible study, click here. If you found this post helpful, share on social media and subscribe below. Follow The Average Churchman on Instagram to get more content.

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How to Go Deep in a Single Book of the Bible

How to Go Deep in a Single Book of the Bible

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The New Year is often a time when Christians choose to read through the Bible in a year. There are dozens of reading plans out there, each with a different path through the whole of Scripture. My wife and I are following this one together this year. However, as I have been going through this Bible-in-a-year plan, I am struck by just how fast you go. Certainly there are many benefits to reading through the whole Bible in a year. But going deep in a single book of the Bible is also an essential part of Christian study.

In this post, I want to lay out the benefits of focusing on a single book of the Bible and give an easy step-by-step method you can use to spend a month or two camped out in one book. As I have argued in another post, you and I need a balanced Bible diet consisting of both high level reading and also deep study. However, it is generally easier to simply read a large chunk of Scripture. Going deep in a single book of the Bible takes a lot more effort and analytical know-how. That said, there is nothing better than feeling like you know and understand deeply a part of God’s word. So, here are my thoughts on how you should study a single book of the Bible this year.

Benefits of staying in a single book of the Bible

There are a number of benefits you get simply from staying put in a book of the Bible for an extended length of time. By “extended” I mean at least a month. If a book is much longer, it will take you several months to dig deep into it’s theology. The idea is to not merely to read through the book. You want to understand the book and the points the author is trying to make. More than that, you want to stay in that book so long that you feel your life being confronted and corrected by it’s theology.

Here is a summary of some major benefits of staying in a single book of the Bible:

  • You understand the author’s intent
  • You will have parts, if not all, of the book memorized
  • You will be able to discuss the book in detail with other people
  • You can see how the book describes reality and applies to your life
  • You can give a summary of the book’s theology

Step 1: Read through the book multiple times

If you want to go deep in a single book of the Bible, the first step is easy: spend your first week or two of study simply reading through the book multiple times. If it is a short book like an Epistle or minor prophet, you might be able to read through it up to 10 times in a week or two. A longer book will take you longer, so 2 or 3 times might be the most you can do in a week.

This step is vital because you want to be familiar with the book. A vague sense of “I read that book before” is not going to cut it when it comes time to deeply study. By reading a book multiple times, you force your brain to start remembering what you read and noticing the overall structure of the book and maybe some of the finer details. You might even have some sections committed to memory by the time this step is over. Once you have a handle on the big picture of the book, it is time to move to step two. But again, don’t move on until you have read a shorter book through 10 times and 2-5 times for a longer book.

Step 2: Note any repeated words or phrases

After reading through a book of the Bible multiple times, you should start noticing patterns. Oftentimes, similar language is used throughout a book of the Bible in order to draw attention to the main themes. For example, if you were going through the Gospel of John, you might notice the repeated use of the words “believe” and “sign”. In this step, you simply go through the book you are reading again but this time, you circle, underline, or notate in some way a repeated word or phrase.

I personally always do this step twice because I might miss a word or phrase the first pass through. I recommend you get a few different colored pens, maybe one color per theme. That way, each time you see a certain color you know what repeated phrase you are tracing. The goal of this step is to start answering the question “what are the main points the Biblical author is trying to make?”

Your goal as a reader of the Bible is simply to see and understand what the author is putting in front of you.

Step 3: Outline the whole book if it is short or identify and outline key passages for longer books

This is where studying a single book of the Bible gets “difficult.” The first two steps were mainly focused on reading through the book and noticing patterns that stood out to you. Now, you need to actually work through the book as a whole. Outlining is simply the process of breaking a section of Scripture down into pieces that you then notate in a meaningful way. Here is a quick example of my outline for Romans 1:11-12 from an older post (which I recommend you read if you don’t understand outlining):

  1. Paul long’s to see the Church in Rome
    1. Why? To impart some spiritual gift to strengthen the Church
      1. What is the definition of “strengthen”?
      2. What is the definition of “spiritual gift?”
        1. “Charisma” -“a divine gift” points to the origin of the gift
      3. Why is encouragement called a “spiritual gift?”
        1. The encouragement of other believers is a gift from God
      4. How does mutual encouragement of faith strengthen a Church?
        1. Strong faith sets an example (Abraham)
        2. Strong faith points us back to God (Hebrews 11)
        3. Seeing faith in action in someone’s life encourages us to stay the course
  2. Paul wants to be encouraged by the Church in Rome
    1. Why is mutual encouragement important to Paul?
      1. Paul’s letters are full of encouragement to local Churches (1 Thess 5:11, Phil 2:1, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
      2. Scripture contains a number of “tools” to help Christians grow…one of those is encouragement
      3. Church in Rome was a minority, persecution was coming
    2. What do Paul and the Church in Rome have in common?
      1. Same fundamental need
      2. Need righteousness from Christ
      3. Same ethical implications from Gospel
  3. The source of this encouragement is each other’s faith
    1. How can someone’s faith be an encouragement?
      1. Strong faith sets an example (Abraham)
      2. Strong faith points us back to God (Hebrews 11)
      3. Seeing faith in action in someone’s life encourages us to stay the course
    2. What is the definition of “encouragement”?

Notice that in my outline, I include questions I have concerning the text. You will seek to answer those questions in the next step. Right now though, write them into your outline and bold them so you can easily find them when you come back later. Don’t be afraid to revise your outline multiple times. Very rarely will you perfectly outline a text on your first run through. If you are outlining a book or a larger passage, you might need even more passes before you get the outline satisfactory.

For shorter books, you might want to try to outline the whole book. Each day, work through a paragraph or two until you complete the book. If you are going deep in a longer book of the Bible, maybe focus on a dozen or so key passages or chapters. The goal of outlining is to understand the structure, flow, and logic of a passage. Once you complete your outline(s) for the book you are studying, you can start working on answering the questions you have in your outline.

Step 4: Apply any Bible study tools you know to the outlined book or passage

One of my main goals when I started this site was simply to have a place to contain all the different hermeneutical tools I came across. The tools I have in the personal Bible study page are designed to help you answer the questions you wrote into your outline in step 3. You won’t use every single tool in every Bible study, but you want to have a wide variety of resources at your disposal to answer the questions you have of a passage. Here is a key point though: do not go to commentaries to answer your questions until you have spent some time trying to answer them on your own.

Commentaries often make for lazy Bible study habits. Don’t get me wrong, I use commentaries and appreciate having the thoughts of godly Christians recorded. But commentaries should never replace personal analysis of a text. View commentaries as a way to check your personal study or as a conversation you are having with a “dead” fellow believer about a passage. But never start with them.

As I mentioned, tools you might need to answer your questions of a passage or book can be found here. However, here are three of the most basic methods you can use to answer your questions:

  • Define key words-a lot of times, questions arise from not understanding what an author means by a word or a phrase. The easiest solution is to use a tool such as Blue Letter Bible to do a quick word study. Oftentimes, simply learning the literal meaning of the word and where else in the Bible that word is used is enough to answer your question.
  • Look elsewhere in the book-I once had a professor who said “the answer is never far from the question.” What he meant was when you have a question about a Bible passage, look to see if the author clarifies elsewhere in the book. 9 times out of 10, the Biblical authors anticipate the questions you will ask and answer them somewhere in their book.
  • Find other passages which address the same topic-If defining the term and looking in the book both fail to answer a question, think of other places you know in the Bible which address the same topic. For example, if you are studying a passage about the Christian and the law in Galatians and don’t understand Paul’s point, then realize that Paul deals with the same topic in Romans. You can then go to Romans and see if your question is answered by examining a book other than Galatians.

When you answer a question, I would simply write it into your outline so you have it all in one place. It might take you a while to answer all your questions and some might not be answered completely. That is okay. Bible study is an iterative process and you should expect to spend multiple days and study sessions seeking to answer the same questions.

Step 5: Summarize some big points and then meditate on the implications for your life

If you are studying a single book of the Bible, getting to step 5 might take you a month or a couple months. Don’t rush any of the above steps. Each one is about growing your understanding of what God is communicating to you through His word. Step 5 is about summarizing what you have learned and meditating on some implications of those lessons. To do this, go through your outline and then at the top or the bottom, summarize 3-10 main ideas from the book.

What do I mean by ideas? I don’t mean you simply summarize the passage. You should already be able to do that from your outline fairly easily. Ideas are the fundamental truths taught in the passage. What spiritual realities has the text shown you? What unchanging truths are being pressed by the author of the book? How would you finish the sentence “This book of the Bible teaches…” using only things you’ve learned from your study?

If you cannot do this, then you might need to spend more time studying the book. Once you have these main ideas summarized, spend some time meditating on each one. Maybe only focus on one main idea a day. Ask yourself the question “If this is true, how should it impact my life?” I have written before that I think the Puritan application questions are probably the best for meditating in this fashion. You can read the whole post here, but here are the 6 questions the Puritans used to apply the truths of Scripture to their lives:

  • What following truths does this (idea) imply?
  • What errors does it contradict?
  • What good works does it require?
  • What should you stop doing because this (idea) forbids it?
  • What encouragement does this (idea) offer?
  • Where do you stand spiritually in light of this (idea)?

Conclusion

Going deep in a single book of the Bible takes a lot of time and mental energy. However, your effort is more than worth it in the end. Reading through the Bible in a year is great, and we should all make a habit of consistent Bible reading. But be sure to also make a habit of deep Bible study. The deeper you go into a book, the more you will be rewarded with insights which the Lord will use to conform you further to the image of Christ.

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Bible Word Clouds: A Tool for Finding Main Themes

Bible Word Clouds: A Tool for Finding Main Themes

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As I mentioned in a previous post, I am currently working on a Master’s Degree which has a data analytics element. Last week, I listened to several lectures on data visualization tools and how you can use them to notice patterns in the data. One of the data visualization tools mentioned was “word clouds.” Word clouds are particularly helpful for extracting the most commonly used words in textual data. This got me thinking: are there Bible word clouds out there? And if so, how could I use them in my Bible study?

What are word clouds?

You might not be familiar with word clouds, so here is a quick definition I found that clarifies what I am talking about:

Word clouds or tag clouds are graphical representations of word frequency that give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in a source text. The larger the word in the visual the more common the word was in the document(s).

BetterEvaluation

From this definition, you see three main characteristics of a word cloud:

  • It shows you the most frequently used words in a text
  • Words used more frequently are larger than words used less frequently
  • The words are put together in a “cloud” i.e. a visual made up of the words

Here is an example of a word cloud from my post “We Need Worldview-Confronting Preaching:”

By doing this data visualization, I can quickly find the most frequently used words in the post without having to go through each paragraph and find repeated words myself. In this case, “worldview”, “worldview-confronting”, “God”, “culture”, & “beliefs” seem to be words I used repeatedly. From this, I can start to generate hypotheses about the post, even if I have never read it.

For example, I could reasonably assume from the collection of most-used words that the post focuses on how God’s word confronts the beliefs of the culture. Or I could hypothesize that when the post says “worldview-confronting”, it means the Bible addressing beliefs commonly held in the culture. Notice I said “hypothesize”. My conclusions based on mere word frequency could be wrong. So after looking at the word cloud, it is imperative that I then read through the full text to understand the context and to check the conclusions I came to based on the word cloud alone.

Where can I get Bible word clouds?

Thankfully, Bible word clouds already exist online for you to use. Blue Letter Bible has created word clouds for each book of the Bible as well as the Bible as a whole, the Old and New Testaments, and difference sections of the Bible. They are very visually appealing and the best part is you don’t have to create your own Bible word clouds by importing Biblical texts into an online tool.

You can find all of these Bible word clouds here. Take some time to look through them. Maybe pull up a word cloud from a book you are studying. Since the word clouds already exist and are made for you, this could not be easier for you.

How can I use Bible word clouds?

As I have mentioned before, repetition is one of the ways a Biblical author communicates to you, the reader. Repetition can be for emphasis or point to a main theme or draw your attention to something that is important to a Biblical author. Therefore, one of the most important things you need to do when you study a book or a passage of Scripture is to look for repetition.

This is manageable for small passages or books, but oftentimes it can become time consuming to go through a longer book of the Bible to find the repeated words. This is where Bible word clouds can help. Just quickly glancing at a Bible word cloud for Isaiah, for example, will give you at least a starting idea of the main themes in Isaiah without having to go through each of the 66 chapters by hand and find what repeated words.

Now, it is important to keep in mind a Bible word cloud is simply a visual tool to find repeated words. It will not interpret the text for you and it won’t even tell you which words are important or not. All it is doing is bringing the most used words to the surface for you to look at. You as the Spirit-empowered interpreter need to analyze the results, think about what the word repetition means, and then continue studying to see if the conclusions you hypothesized were correct.

This is especially important with Scripture since a word cloud takes all the words out of their original context. The last thing you want to do is come to a conclusion from Scripture without taking the context into account. With that said, I think there are a couple use cases in which Bible word clouds shine:

  • You are about to start studying a book of the Bible and you want get an idea of what words you should look out for as you work through the book.
  • If you are trying to figure out the main themes of a book, you can start by looking at a Bible word cloud and hypothesize some main themes based on the most used words.
  • If you want to compare two books of the Bible based on their emphasis, comparing the most frequently used words in each book will give you a starting point.

Conclusion

A Bible word cloud is a great starting point in your study or as a supplement to help you think through the main themes of a book. Don’t treat it as a magic bullet or expect it to interpret a text for you. Always remember: it is a visual tool, nothing more.

However, using a word cloud for a Biblical text could not be easier. Blue Letter Bible has Bible word clouds already created and ready for your use. So look at a couple for different books of the Bible. Try to deduce main themes from these clouds and then go into the text to see if you were correct or not. Used properly, word clouds can become useful tools in your personal Bible study or sermon preparation.

The Tools page contains other helpful aids for your personal Bible study, sermon preparation, and more. Click here for more personal Bible study tools. If you found this post helpful, share on social media and subscribe below. Follow The Average Churchman on Instagram to get more content.

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Practical Ways to Practice Writing

Practical Ways to Practice Writing

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Writing was never my favorite subject in School growing up. I didn’t hate it, but I never imagined I would enjoy it. Now, But as I have grown, I have found the power and pleasure writing brings. A question has always been in the back of my mind though: how does one become a good writer? What should you do to practice writing?

Others have made the crucial point that “writer’s write.” But if you are already writing, how do you become better at your craft? I was reading a secular book called “Grit” the other day, and part of a chapter gave me the answer I was looking for. Apparently, Benjamin Franklin devised a practical way to practice writing. I think his method is worth sharing.

How Ben Franklin became a better writer

Practice writing by “rewriting” the work of others

In his autobiography, Franklin described a simple but effective method he used to improve his writing. The first exercise he discussed had the following steps:

  1. Find a piece of writing you admire (choose something small to medium length, like an essay)
  2. Make short notes on each sentence
  3. Wait a while, normally a day or two
  4. Try to rewrite the original piece using only your notes
  5. Compare your “rewrite” with the original to see where you can improve

This is a brilliant little method for improving your writing. Essentially, you use the writing of others to get instant feedback on your own writing. You begin to see all the choices writers have to make as they find words to describe reality or abstractions. Since most of us don’t have an English teacher at our beck and call to edit our writing, rewriting an essay and comparing it with the original is a useful way to see where you can improve as a writer.

If you want to try this, find an article on Desiring God that you enjoy and see if you can rewrite it. You will be amazed at the insight you get into your “writing style” simply by performing this exercise once.

Practice writing by analyzing the logic and structure

Getting feedback on your writing in general is not always enough. You must test your ability to string together logical arguments and test the way you structure papers. This second exercise is similar to the one above, with a few notable additions:

  1. Find a piece of writing you admire (choose something small to medium length, like an essay)
  2. Make short notes on each sentence. Put each sentence’s notes on a separate note card or sticky note
  3. Wait about three days
  4. Jumble up your note cards or sticky notes
  5. Try to put them back in a logical order
  6. Proceed to try to rewrite the piece you made notes on using only your notes
  7. Compare your “rewrite” with the original to see where you can improve

As you can see, the process is almost identical to the first exercise except you mix up your notes. This added step forces you to think about how to organize your writing. It makes you think about the flow of a paper. Structure and logic are crucial to good writing, and this exercise makes you “reverse engineer” both of these from a paper.

I have written before about the need to analyze a Bible passage’s argument in your study. I also wrote a whole post on the many different ways you could structure a teaching or sermon. This exercise gives you practice structuring your thoughts. And clear thinking often leads to clear writing.

Practice writing by poetry

Finally, Franklin gave what I consider to be the most interesting exercise of all. The first exercise gave you instant writing feedback, the second forced you to think about logic and structure; this final exercise is about expanding your command of language itself. The process is shorter than the previous two exercises:

  • Take a story (or some other form of prose) and write it as poetry
  • Wait enough time to forget the original story
  • Turn your poem back into narrative form
  • Compare with the original

I love this: you write poetry based on non-poems. How does this help you? Poetry is full of metaphor, imagery, and language meant to engage your five senses. In order to turn a non-poem into a poem, you must use all of these tools and ask yourself “If this event/line/concept was a poem, what would it say? How can I use sensory language to describe the same things going on in this non-poem?”

Interestingly, this is something the Bible does all the time. After the Red Sea crossing, for example, you read an extended poem responding to and interpreting the previous event. The Bible uses poetry and narrative oftentimes to describe the exact same event. Even if you never become “a poet”, this exercise improves your writing by forcing you to think “poetically.”

What if you don’t have time?

That is how Benjamin Franklin improved his writing. I don’t know about you, but I don’t always have extra time to spare doing extra exercises to practice my writing. Thankfully, Christians can perform these exercises as they do their normal spiritual disciplines.

Write a teaching based on a passage of Scripture

The first exercise is the easiest to do:

  1. Read a passage of Scripture
  2. Take notes as you study
  3. A couple days later, write a brief teaching based on that passage from your notes only
  4. Compare it with the original passage to see anything you missed

One of the reasons I have ongoing teaching series on this website is to force myself to perform Franklin’s first exercise. Bible study is vital for every Christian, but a lot of benefit comes from writing out what you studied in the form of a teaching. After you finish your study, ask yourself “how would I communicate these truths to others?”

There are always opportunities to teach and share truth with others. You don’t have to be a pastor or a Sunday School teacher. Share truth in your home, in your small groups. The process of writing out what you learned from a Bible study will not only cause you to remember God’s truth better and longer, it will also improve your writing.

Outline a passage or a sermon you listened to

Similarly, you can get the benefits of Franklin’s second exercise simply from outlining. Outlining forces you to think how a passage or a sermon is structured. Here is how to do it:

  1. Read a passage of Scripture or listen to a sermon
  2. Take notes on the structure of the passage or sermon in outline form
  3. Leave and come back to the same passage you read or heard preached a couple days later
  4. Make a second outline and compare it with the first

Outlining is one of many important Bible study tools. When I prepare a sermon, outlining is the first thing I do. You have to understand the structure and logic and flow of a passage first. But an added benefit is outlining makes you a better writer.

I don’t bother writing anything on this website without first having a clear structure and flow in my mind. Sometimes I change it as I write, but if you don’t have a plan going in, it becomes hard to get anything on the page.

Write hymns and spiritual songs based on Scripture

Franklin’s third writing exercise is actually the easiest for a Christian. You and I are called to “sing unto the Lord a new song.” In my experience, the best songs are those tied closely to Scripture. So, follow these steps:

  1. Find a passage of Scripture which grips you
  2. Turn that passage of Scripture into a hymn

You don’t need to necessarily share this song you wrote with the whole Church. But you can. God is worthy of infinite worship, so you can never have enough songs to sing to Him. Write a new one, a personal one to Him. Base it off the promises in His word. And you will also find your writing and use of language will improve as you do this.

Conclusion

Writing is rarely easy, but I have found it is always rewarding. It is an avenue of creativity the Lord gave humans as a means to externalize their thoughts and feelings and reflections. God chose to reveal Himself most directly through the written word. Christians should value and seek to develop writing and reading as skills. There are many ways to do this, but I hope the practical tips Franklin used can be useful for your own life as well.

Check out other tools to improve your Bible study here. If you found this post helpful, share and subscribe below. Follow The Average Churchman on Instagram to get other resources I recommend.

improve your bible study
How to Improve Your Bible Reading in 10 Minutes

How to Improve Your Bible Reading in 10 Minutes

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One of the reasons The Average Churchman exists is to provide you with tools, methods, and ideas to help you better understand and live out Scripture. Today, I want to give you the easiest, most practical tip to improve your Bible reading that I could think of. It isn’t complicated. No master’s of Divinity is required. Simply applying this to your daily Bible reading will have profound effects on your life long-term. And the best part: you can start it today without any difficulty.

The simple process to improve your Bible reading

Let’s say you just picked up your Bible for your daily “read through the Bible in a year” plan. Here is a simple and profound method to use:

  1. Read the passage
  2. Pause and stop reading
  3. Think about the passage for 10 minutes straight

That’s it. It could not get simpler. Read your passage and then stop to think about what you just read for 10 minutes. Not 5 minutes. 10 whole, uninterrupted minutes of pure reflection. It might be tempting to let your mind wander or to keep reading. Don’t: read a section of Scripture and then let it sit.

Why does this simple method work? To use a metaphor, America is a fast-food culture. We want things right away and then it is on to the next task. Sitting down and savoring a meal takes time. Fast-food might not taste all that great, but at least it is convenient and saves us time.

I fear that this mentality of “cheap, fast, and mediocre” has affected how you and I read our Bibles. Sure you want to hear from God’s word, but only if it is quick, easily applicable, and done in time for you to move on to your next task. If you want to improve your Bible reading, the first step is to savor Scripture.

The Bible is a feast of profound truth. So take some time to savor and enjoy what God has prepared for you in His word.

Taking just 10 focused minutes to think about a Scripture you read helps counteract this fast-food mentality. Rather then reading as much as you can before moving on with your day, taking a reflective pause allows you to engage with the truths you just read. So, when planning out your Bible reading time, plan for 10 minutes of reflection and non-reading. Taking this pause every time you read Scripture will allow you to remember and apply more of what you read in Scripture.

The question is, what kinds of things should you think about as you take your 10 minute pause? Here are a couple ideas

Think about other Scriptures that connect with your passage

A lot of times, improving your Bible reading is about seeing how your text fits in with the rest of Scripture. Taking a 10 minute reflective pause gives you time to think about other Scriptures that relate to that passage you just read. What passages deal with the same topic? Where does this passage fit in with God’s plan of redemption? Are there any passages alluded to in your text?

10 minutes of reflection lets you “connect the dots” and think about how your passage relates to other parts of Scripture.

A lot of times, the Holy Spirit will bring to mind several passages you read earlier that week or heard in a sermon or another believer talked about. Taking a 10 minute pause can give you the time and space to make those connections. One of the benefits is you might see a common theme the Lord is trying to teach you.

Think about situations in your own life which relate to your passage

The 10 minute pause not only gives you time to connect your passage to the rest of the Bible, it also gives you time to examine your own life. What events in your life illustrate the truths in this passage? When have you experienced something similar to what is discussed in the passage? What is going on in your life currently that the Lord might want you to change based on your passage?

Comparing your current life to Scripture is a great way of starting to apply a text. Rather than simply jumping to “what do I need to do”, you start by simply comparing yourself, your character, your life to the realities in your passage. Taking a 10 minute pause gives you enough time to think about your own life in light of truth. Don’t just run to the next passage: let a truth permeate your life.

Parts of Scripture can seem impractical until you pause and examine your own life in light of a passage.

If God is sovereign, then even the passage you read for your daily Bible reading was chosen by Him. Improve your Bible reading by stopping to think about why God might have led you to a particular passage today. What is going on in your life that God might be speaking to?

Think about the ways a passage drives you to prayer

Finally, taking a 10 minute pause gives you space to respond to a text with prayer. What is there to thank the Lord for? Are there any requests that should be made based on your passage? Perhaps a sin needs to be confessed, a promise pleaded, or a song of praise sung. Don’t let your 10 minute pause end without praying your passage back to the Lord.

Scripture should drive you to worship. And one of the simplest acts of worship that you can do “without ceasing” is praying in response to the Word.

Don’t make the mistake of disconnecting your prayer life with your Bible reading. They are integrally related. If you can’t think of anything else, end your 10 minute reflection thanking the Lord for providing you His word. For sustaining you “not by bread alone” but by “every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Improve your Bible reading by setting aside 10 minutes for reflection

Taking 10 minutes to reflect on your Bible reading is not complicated or difficult to understand. You can start doing it today. The biggest barrier is often time and focus: you feel like 10 minutes might be too much time or you don’t think you can spend 10 minutes straight thinking solely about a text of Scripture. But here is the good news: the Bible was meant to be meditated on.

In taking 10 minutes to simply pause and reflect, you are reading the Bible the way it is meant to be read. Not as a box to check or a “quick read.” But as God’s life-changing, eternal truth that has countless connections and infinite implications for your life. Start today. Discipline yourself to slow down and savor God’s word. Through daily 10 minute pauses, you will train your mind to meditate on God’s word. And this in turn will make you like “a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither.”

Another great way to reflect on a text is think through the different parts of the passage. You can also mediate on applications more specifically using these Puritan application questions. Check out the Tools page to find more ways to improve your Bible reading, Bible study, and Sermon preparation.
Iterative Bible Study: How to Slowly Understand a Text

Iterative Bible Study: How to Slowly Understand a Text

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I am convinced many people have the wrong view of Bible study. They think Bible study is simply a matter of sitting down, looking at a text, and understanding it almost immediately. This mentality works for certain texts that are clear in interpretation and application. But when confronted with more difficult texts, an “understand this text in the first read through” mentality can become very discouraging. The solution? Something I like to call “Iterative Bible Study.”

How I came up with this concept

What is an “iteration”?

There are three sources I used to come up with this concept: my engineering background, the Feynman technique, and a quote I read on non-fiction writing. I am personally surprised the word “iteration” is not used more often in Christian circles. It is a word used all the time in STEM fields, and it is a helpful concept to apply to other aspects of life. What does the word “iteration” mean?

Iteration is the repetition of a process in order to generate an outcome. The sequence will approach some end point or end value. Each repetition of the process is a single iteration, and the outcome of each iteration is then the starting point of the next iteration.

“Iteration”, Wikipedia

This concept is used in mathematics and computer programming all the time. But once you take this definition and apply it to Bible study, it becomes a powerful tool to understand a difficult text of Scripture. Iteration is a sort of incremental action you repeat until you reach the goal. Each time you repeat, you learn a little more.

Feynman’s method for learning

Where the idea of Iterative Bible Study really started formulating in my mind, however, came after reading about Richard Feynman. Feynman was an incredibly interesting person, but what stuck out to me was his method for learning new things. He learned by following a simple cycle (or you could call it, an iterative process).

Visual representation of Feynman Technique

Essentially, Feynman would start with a topic and try to explain it at a child’s level. Why a child’s level? Because if you can’t explain something clearly and briefly without resorting to too many complicated words, you probably don’t understand the concept that well yourself. After trying to explain a concept or topic at a child’s level, Feynman would make a note of where his knowledge was lacking. Then, Feynman would go to try to acquire the knowledge he lacked.

This process was then repeated until he could clearly articulate a complex concept clearly. Now, Feynman used this technique as a physicist. But as I read about his method, I couldn’t help but think this is a perfect way of approaching Bible study. The best part of this technique is helps you clearly see what you know and what you don’t know. Once you see what you don’t know, you have the starting point for the next round of study. Feynman used an iterative process to learn and it is a powerful tool that needs to be applied to Bible study.

A quote on non-fiction writing which also helped me

A final source which helped me formulate this idea of “iterative bible study” is a quote found in the book Tools of Titans (I don’t particularly recommend this book. Some parts were helpful but on the whole I would suggest Christians not spend their time reading through this volume.”

You don’t have writer’s block when writing non-fiction. It is you not having enough research to write with power and knowledge on that topic.

Tools of Titans

The quote comes from an interview with a non-fiction writer. Essentially, anytime you start struggling to write something in non-fiction, that is evidence you need to cycle back and do more research. Not being able to communicate a concept indicates you yourself do not understand it fully. That sounds almost exactly like what Feynman said.

How does this quote apply to Bible study? Gaps in communication are caused by gaps in understanding. As you work through a Bible passage, if you cannot clearly communicate what a part of that Bible passage says, you likely have more study to do. Iterative Bible Study is about cycling back through to fill those gaps in understanding.

You don’t need to have all the answers write away when studying Scripture. But you do need to note those places where you don’t understand a text. Then, you need to cycle through to answer those questions.

A Visual Aid

Before actually going through a step by step walk through of Iterative Bible Study, I want to provide an easy visual reference. Seeing the concept is easier than reading it described.

Iterative Bible Study Visual AidDownload

What is “Iterative Bible Study?”

Now I will walk through each step one by one. It is important to note there is a number of ways you can use the concept of “iterations” in your personal Bible study. I have designed this tool to mainly focus on studying the text from the get go. In other words, these steps are for when you just start looking at a text of Scripture.

Step 1: Read through the text

This is an obvious first step but a necessary one to state. Whether you are studying a verse or a longer passage, the first step is to read through the text. Start noting any clues you find that the author has left for you. Particularly focus on the flow and structure of the passage. What are the repeated phrases? Where are the changes in tone?

I personally find it helpful to underline and circle any key components of the passage as I go. I draw arrows in between connections and note any important textual features directly in my Bible. If you prefer not to write in your Bible, I recommend using a notebook or computer to write out the important things you see as you go through.

Step 2: Write out a rough outline

Now that you have some initial insight into what the passage says, it is time to start writing an outline. I give an example of how to do this later on in this post. Essentially, you are looking at the passage and organizing the pieces of it under heading. Oftentimes, an outline takes the following form:

  1. Main point 1
    1. Sub-point 1a
    2. Sub-point 1b
  2. Main point 2
    1. Sub-point 2a
    2. Sub-point 2b
  3. Etc.

Let the structure of the text determine the structure of your outline. Don’t stress too much about getting everything right immediately. This is only a rough outline. You have to see what you know before you can see what you don’t know.

Step 3: Write questions you want answered into the rough outline

This is truly where Iterative Bible Study begins. Now that you have your rough outline, you start injecting questions you have into the outline itself. If you don’t understand a certain part of a passage or the passage brings out a question you have, write that underneath the corresponding heading. It will look something like this:

  1. Main point 1
    1. Sub-point 1a
      1. Question 1 about Sub-point 1a
      2. Question 2 about Sub-point 1a
    2. Sub-point 1b
      1. Question 1 about Sub-point 1b
  2. Main point 2
    1. Question 1 about Main point 2
    2. Sub-point 2a
    3. Sub-point 2b
      1. Question 1 about Sub-point 2b
  3. Etc.

As you can see, you can have questions about main points, and sub-points. You can have several questions about one point or no questions about a point. Putting your questions in bold is probably a good idea so you can distinguish between what is from the text and what is a question you have.

It is also important to note, you don’t just have to put questions into the outline. You can also note key terms you need to define, metaphors you need to study to understand, or other passages you think are relevant to the text at hand.

This is the most crucial part of Iterative Bible Study. If you don’t figure out what questions you have or what the gaps are in your understanding of a passage, you will not make progress.

A good rule of thumb is if you cannot explain a certain point of a Bible passage to a 1st grader, you probably have some gaps in your understanding of that point.

Step 4: Go back to the text and other Scripture to answer those questions

Now you get back to work. By writing the questions and knowledge gaps you have, you have revealed the next steps you must take for your Bible study. Go back to the text you are studying or search other parts of the Bible to answer the questions you have. If you singled out terms you need to define, using a software such as Blue Letter Bible is helpful.

You might have noticed you are now approaching the text a second time. This is your first iteration. You are using your first look at the text as a way to see what else you need to study to understand God’s Word. As you work to answer the questions you wrote out in Step 3, I find it helpful to put the answers right back into the outline.

  1. Main point 1
    1. Sub-point 1a
      1. Question 1 about Sub-point 1a
        1. Answer 1
        2. Answer 2
      2. Question 2 about Sub-point 1a
        1. Answer
    2. Sub-point 1b
      1. Question 1 about Sub-point 1b
        1. Answer
  2. Main point 2
    1. Question 1 about Main point 2
      1. Answer 1
      2. Answer 2
    2. Sub-point 2a
    3. Sub-point 2b
      1. Question 1 about Sub-point 2b
        1. Answer
  3. Etc.

You can see that your outline is now filling up. Even in a single iteration, you should have a much better understanding of the passage you started studying. Simply by identifying questions you have and gaps in your knowledge of a passage, you were able to direct your Bible study. Iterative Bible Study is all about making little steps forward in your understanding of a text.

Step 5: Repeat Steps 3-4 until satisfied with your study

Now, the reality is your further study could have revealed more questions you have. That is perfectly fine. The whole point of Iterative Bible Study is to keep asking questions and getting them answered. If after your first round of study you still have questions, repeat Steps 3-4 until you are satisfied. If you go this route, your outline might start looking like this:

  1. Main point 1
    1. Sub-point 1a
      1. Question 1 about Sub-point 1a
        1. Answer 1
          1. Follow-up question for Answer 1
        2. Answer 2
      2. Question 2 about Sub-point 1a
        1. Answer
    2. Sub-point 1b
      1. Question 1 about Sub-point 1b
        1. Answer
      2. New Question about Sub-point 1b
  2. Main point 2
    1. Question 1 about Main point 2
      1. Answer 1
      2. Answer 2
        1. Follow-up question for Answer 2
    2. Sub-point 2a
    3. Sub-point 2b
      1. Question 1 about Sub-point 2b
        1. Answer
  3. Etc.

The hope is that in your second round of going through Steps 3-4 you have less questions and gaps in your knowledge. You can repeat this process until you are out of time to study, until you understand the passage, or until you are satisfied with the current depth of your Bible study.

Why is Iterative Bible Study helpful?

Now that you have seen how to do Iterative Bible Study, the question remains of why you would choose to approach a text this way. Certainly this method of Bible Study is one of many. I believe, however, that Iterative Bible Study is one of the best tools you can have in your toolbox when seeking to understand a text. Three benefits come to mind of adopting this method:

You don’t have to get everything completely right the first time

I have met many Christians who freeze at certain passages of Scripture. Whether because the passage is long and difficult or they are afraid of misinterpreting a text, I believe a lot of Bible Study is quenched because of fear. And somewhat rightfully so: God’s word is powerful and must be interpreted properly.

However, I think such a fear also comes from not knowing how to start. Even more than this, a lot of Bible Study doesn’t happen because people don’t know where and how to start.

Iterative Bible Study helps because there is not a pressure to get the passage completely right the first time. The whole point of starting your study is to see what parts of a passage you understand and which parts you do not understand. This method gives you a clear, easy way to start studying a text. And from there, it gives you a path forward to progressively seeing what God’s word is saying.

Helps you distinguish between what you know and what you don’t know

Clear thinking is important for Bible Study. And nothing helps you think clearer than distinguishing between what you know and what you don’t know. Iterative Bible Study gives you a powerful method to seeing what things you know and what parts of a passage you need to work at further to understand.

If you don’t know what is missing from your understanding, you won’t know where to look. By putting questions directly into your outline, you not only see what you need to answer, you also see what parts of the passage are causing you the most difficulty. Simply putting questions into a rough outline helps you think more clearly.

Gives you more questions to answer with each iteration

A lot of Bible Study is simply asking the right questions of a text. Not all your questions will be relevant, not all your questions will get answered in the ways you expect. Iterative Bible Study forces you to constantly ask questions of the text and then seek for answers from Scripture. This process allows Scripture to interpret Scripture because you are seeking answers to your questions by going to the Bible.

The more questions you have, the more Bible you will read. The more Bible you read, the more it shapes your thinking. That process is built into Iterative Bible Study and once you get in the habit of asking good questions of Scripture, the more rich your study will become.

An example of Iterative Bible Study

Before closing this post, I think a brief example of this method is helpful. I am actually currently using this method to prepare a sermon on Romans 1:11-12.

For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

Romans 1:11-12, ESV

So after reading the text, the first step is to create a rough outline.

  1. Paul long’s to see the Church in Rome
    1. Why? To impart some spiritual gift to strengthen the Church
  2. Paul wants to be encouraged by the Church in Rome
  3. The source of this encouragement is each other’s faith

The outline pretty basic, but it breaks down the two verses a bit. Now, I start adding the main questions I have into the outline.

  1. Paul long’s to see the Church in Rome
    1. Why? To impart some spiritual gift to strengthen the Church
      1. What is the definition of “strengthen”?
      2. What is the definition of “spiritual gift?”
      3. Why is encouragement called a “spiritual gift?”
      4. How does mutual encouragement of faith strengthen a Church?
  2. Paul wants to be encouraged by the Church in Rome
    1. Why is mutual encouragement important to Paul?
    2. What do Paul and the Church in Rome have in common?
  3. The source of this encouragement is each other’s faith
    1. How can someone’s faith be an encouragement?
    2. What is the definition of “encouragement”?

You see that even from a short outline, questions cause the study to build outward. Some of the questions are a little redundant, but that is okay at this stage. This outline is not the outline for the sermon yet, it is simply a tool to aid my Bible Study.

The next step is answering these questions by studying Romans 1:11-12, other passages of Scripture, and using a tool to help me define the words I need defined. I would then start adding those answers to the outline.

  1. Paul long’s to see the Church in Rome
    1. Why? To impart some spiritual gift to strengthen the Church
      1. What is the definition of “strengthen”?
      2. What is the definition of “spiritual gift?”
        1. “Charisma” -“a divine gift” points to the origin of the gift
      3. Why is encouragement called a “spiritual gift?”
        1. The encouragement of other believers is a gift from God
      4. How does mutual encouragement of faith strengthen a Church?
        1. Strong faith sets an example (Abraham)
        2. Strong faith points us back to God (Hebrews 11)
        3. Seeing faith in action in someone’s life encourages us to stay the course
  2. Paul wants to be encouraged by the Church in Rome
    1. Why is mutual encouragement important to Paul?
      1. Paul’s letters are full of encouragement to local Churches (1 Thess 5:11, Phil 2:1, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
      2. Scripture contains a number of “tools” to help Christians grow…one of those is encouragement
      3. Church in Rome was a minority, persecution was coming
    2. What do Paul and the Church in Rome have in common?
      1. Same fundamental need
      2. Need righteousness from Christ
      3. Same ethical implications from Gospel
  3. The source of this encouragement is each other’s faith
    1. How can someone’s faith be an encouragement?
      1. Strong faith sets an example (Abraham)
      2. Strong faith points us back to God (Hebrews 11)
      3. Seeing faith in action in someone’s life encourages us to stay the course
    2. What is the definition of “encouragement”?

I didn’t bother answering all the questions for this example, but you get the point. Now I could go back through and ask further questions of the text. With each iteration, my outline fills out and my understanding grows. But you see that even after one iteration, the depth of my understanding of Romans 1:11-12 has grown by leaps and bounds.

In conclusion, Iterative Bible Study is a powerful tool to add to your personal Bible study. It gives you a place to start even when studying the most difficult of texts. You can slowing understand a text and then move on to meditating on how it applies to your life.

Want more Bible Study Tools? Check out the Tools page. Follow The Average Churchman on Instagram so you won’t miss out on tools like this one.
Get to the Core of a Bible Passage

Get to the Core of a Bible Passage

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Open up your Bible to any text. Immediately, you as a reader are confronted with a textual forest. Complex arguments. Poetic language. Parables and Proverbs. Narrative. What is your first step to understanding this text? How do you get to the core of a bible passage?

In many ways, analyzing a Bible passage is like doing detective work. And the Biblical authors have left you a bunch of different clues to help you understand the truth God is communicating. This post will go through a list of those different clues. By knowing what to look for, you won’t miss important clues the author gives to help you out.

1. What style of literature is the passage?

This first clue the author gives you is essential to interpretation. Books have been written on the different literary types of the Bible and how to approach each type. If you have taken a literature class growing up you are familiar with different literary types: poetry, narrative stories, plays, etc. One of the things which makes Scripture difficult to interpret sometimes is there are several different literary types contained in it.

Your first step to understanding the Bible passage is simply to identify the type of literature you are dealing with. Does the passage record a historic event? Then it is likely narrative. Does the passage discuss the future using metaphorical language? Then it is likely prophecy. Does the passage fit within a stand-alone book with a sender and a receiver? Then it is likely a letter.

Discerning the type of literature of a Bible passage sets your expectations as a reader. A narrative passage which says “He ate locusts and wild honey” you might take literally, while a passage of poetry which declares God’s word is “sweeter than honey” must be understood as a metaphor.

2. What is the structure of the passage?

After figuring out the type of literature, it helps to examine the structure of the passage. What I mean by this, is simply to look at what happens in the passage. Are there distinct sections in the passage? Or does it all flow together? Are there different “scenes”? Is there a break in flow or a something unexpected which appears in the passage? Look in particular for any shifts in tone or focus.

Answering this question can be difficult at the start. You might need to look at other clues in the passage before answering the question. But understanding the structure of the passage helps you see the “big picture”. Oftentimes, if you just straight into defining words or breaking down metaphors, you end up losing sight of the passage as a whole.

Each part of the passage contributes to the whole. Don’t get overly focused on any one part without understanding how it fits into what the author is saying

3. Is a word or phrase repeated?

This is one of the easiest things to look for and might be one of the most helpful. Looking for repeated words and/or phrases helps you discern what is the emphasis of this passage? One of the common pitfalls you can make in your Bible study is emphasizing whatever you think is important without asking what does the author think is important?

Repetition is a simple clue Biblical authors leave to say “Here is my point! Don’t miss this!”

Now, not every repetition emphasizes the “main point.” But oftentimes a repeated phrase should clue you in to how you should interpret a passage. For example, the other day I was reading through Genesis 39. It is the passage which describes Joseph as a slave in Potiphar’s house and then getting sent to jail after getting falsely accused. As I read, I noticed the passage kept repeating the phrases “The Lord was with Joseph,” “The Lord blessed Joseph” and kept mentioning “Joseph’s authority”.

Just from seeing those repetitions, I could start interpreting the significance of the passage. The author is trying to emphasize Joseph’s success was a product of God’s blessing. What specifically did God bless Joseph with? Authority. More study needs to follow to understand the text fully, but let textual repetition shape your thinking early on in your study.

The text often repeats what is most important.

4. Are any emotional words used in the passage?

I have elsewhere argued that figuring out the emotion an author is trying to convey is vital. Passages of Scripture aim to have a definite effect on the reader. The Bible wants to change the way you think and act, but it also wants to shape your emotions. One of the ways to discern what the author wants you to feel is to look for “emotional words”.

What I mean by “emotional words” are adjectives, verbs, exclamations, or other words which strongly point towards a particular emotion. If I yelled out “ow”, you would immediately assume a negative emotion. If I say “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!” there is a strong positive sound to the phrase. “There is no fear of God before their eyes”, on the other hand, sounds like a negative appraisal.

The emotional words in a passage help you hear the author’s tone. You have had this experience before if you have ever written someone an email. Because you cannot show the recipient your facial expressions, you have to choose certain words to convey positive, negative, or neutral emotion. It is the same thing with Biblical texts. The emotional words in a passage give you a clue to how you should feel after reading it.

5. Are there any important words to define?

You often don’t have time to go through and define every single word in a bible passage. Nor is it always helpful to do so. A lot of times, the essential reality a text is pointing to is dependent on a few key words. Sometimes those words are the repeated words in the passage or the emotionally charged words. But as you read through the passage, ask yourself after each sentence “do I understand what this means? If not, is there a word that, if I understood it, I would understand the passage?”

Key words are exactly that: words that unlock your understanding of the sentence or phrase. If a sentence is using simple words that you understand at first glance, maybe there are no key terms to define. But if you run into a sentence that you have to read through multiple times to understand, there may be a word that you could define. A good practice is to simply list out those key words and then go through one-by-one and define them in their biblical context.

Oftentimes, if you don’t understand a bible passage, you really just don’t understand a few key words. Study those, and you’ll understand the whole passage.

It is important to use an online tool like Blue Letter Bible or software like Logos to define the words. What you really want to do is understand what the word could mean in the original language, and then see how it is used throughout scripture. Whatever you do, don’t simply use an English dictionary to define the key words. If you do this, you are translating a translation. Original languages are vital for this step. Better to go to a commentary which discusses the original languages than an English dictionary.

6. Are there any metaphors in the text and what do they mean?

Metaphors are essential to communication. Bible passages make frequent use of metaphors regardless of the genre. I consider understanding metaphors to be so crucial to understanding scripture, I created a whole tool to help you understand them. I invite you to go read that post if you want a deeper understanding of how to get your mind around a Biblical metaphor.

For the purposes of this post, you must know how to identify a metaphor. This is where knowing the type of literature comes into play. If you are studying a Psalm or prophetic literature, expect more metaphorical language. Metaphors simply explain a complicated, abstract concept by comparing it with a concrete, easily understood concept. A righteous man is compared to a tree. God’s word is compared with gold and honey. Locusts become a picture of God’s judgement.

You will not fully grasp a Biblical text until you identify the meaning of its metaphors.

7. Is anything contrasted in this passage?

Contrast often goes hand-in-hand with metaphors. A contrast is simply taking two things and emphasizing their differences. A good example is Psalm 1. In this Psalm, the righteous man is contrasted with the wicked man. You as the reader are meant to see the differences between the two. Another classic example of a contrast is at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus contrasts a wise man who builds his house on a rock with a foolish man who builds his house on the sand.

When analyzing contrasts, ask “what differences should I be seeing between these two things?”

8. Are there any if-then statements?

The fancy title for these is “conditional clauses.” If this thing happens, then this other thing happens. If-then statements are found throughout the Bible. It is helpful to divide them up between the “if” and the “then”. The “if” answers what needs to happen and the “then” answers what will happen as a result. Sometimes the words “if” and “then” appear in the passage, other times they do not. You have to be discerning and thoughtful to notice if a condition is present.

For example, the verse “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” might not seem to be an if-then statement. But you could rewrite the verse as “if the Lord does not build the house, then those who build it labor in vain.” You see that the originally verse is actually a conditional clause in disguise. Be on the lookout for if-then statements in whatever bible passage you are studying. Oftentimes, an if-then statement will hold the key to interpreting the passage.

9. Are there any logical arguments in the passage?

In the future, I will write an extensive post on logical arguments and how to analyze them. Suffice to say, logic is a tool you must have to read and grasp any text. Biblical authors use logical arguments explicitly and implicitly in their writings. A logical argument draws a conclusion from premises. In other words, a logical argument wants you to accept something as true because of other things which are true. I highly recommend every Christian take a course or read a book on logic. The payoffs to your Bible study will be exponential.

There are a number of words which indicate premises and conclusions. I will give you them in a different post. For now, look for the word “therefore.” “Therefore” is a word which almost always indicates a conclusion. And where there is a conclusion, an argument is almost certainly nearby. So look for logical progressions, arguments, & conclusions. They often reveal the point of a passage.

I will go as far as to say you cannot study the Bible without understanding logic. It is fundamental to understanding language & communication.

Conclusion

There are dozens of ways Biblical authors communicate truth. Some are easy to understand but most require thought and work to grasp. This post has given you a few important parts of bible passages to look for. There are certainly more. But if you start your Bible study looking for the clues given in this post, you will most likely have a much easier time understand the author’s intent. Understanding a bible passage takes time, but if you are equipped with the right tools and know what things to look for, you will always find a truth about the Lord to excite you.

Interested in applying a Bible passage? Check out these tools for sermon meditation and important application questions.
4 Helpful Steps for Breaking Down Biblical Metaphors

4 Helpful Steps for Breaking Down Biblical Metaphors

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Biblical metaphors can be incredibly difficult to understand. What does it mean when Jesus says believers are “the salt of the earth?” How is God’s word a “lamp unto my feet?” In what way are our “sins like scarlet?” Almost every passage of Scripture uses metaphorical language to communicate truth.

Therefore, you have the ability to interpret and understand biblical metaphors if you are to understand large chunks of Scripture. Not everything in Scripture is a metaphor. Identifying what is and isn’t a metaphor is also a crucial skill. But once you identify a metaphor in a Bible passage, you must have right tools to grasp what the metaphor means.

I have attached a worksheet below to help you think through and analyze biblical metaphors. Oftentimes, when you break a bible passage into its components, you will start seeing metaphorical language. This tool will help you unpack that metaphors significance.

Biblical Metaphors WorksheetDownload

If you want to know how to use this worksheet or you aren’t sure what a metaphor really is, keep reading. In the following sections I will first give a helpful definition of “metaphor” and then walk through the different steps you use in the worksheet to understand it.

Understanding how to interpret Biblical metaphors will increase the depth of your Bible study and decrease mistakes you make when studying a text.

What is metaphor?

The Equation

One of the more helpful non-Christian books I have read recently is “I is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How it Shapes Our World” by James Geary. I highly recommend reading through it if you are able. No book will make you think through metaphor and its use in language more than this volume.

The basic definition given in this book is a metaphor compares something you don’t know with something you do know. In other words, you compare two completely different things to reveal something about those things. Oftentimes, metaphors compare something abstract with something more concrete.

For example, “sin” is abstract, hard to understand. But when it is compared with “scarlet”, you can start to understand the word “sin” better. It is a stain. It is somehow related to the color of blood.

Metaphor uses a simple equation: X = Y. X is something you don’t understand. Y is something you do understand. By setting these two things in relation to each other, truth and reality are communicated more clearly.

This might seem incredibly complicated. But trust me, you use metaphor on a daily basis (and in almost every sentence). For example, when was the last time you said to someone “I see what you are saying?” That is a metaphor. You cannot literally “see” with your eyes words that someone speaks to you.

In this example, you are using the metaphor “seeing = knowing”. “Knowing” is abstract. What does it mean to know something? But “seeing” is pretty easy to understand. You “see” things all the time. By making “seeing” equal to “knowing”, you better understand what “knowing” means.

Metaphor is a way of communicating something difficult to understand by using something easy to understand. It takes characteristics of one thing and gives it to another.

Why is this important? The Bible uses metaphor everywhere. In parables, in proverbs, in poetry and in prophecy. You cannot get away from it. God has graciously chosen to reveal truth to us using metaphor. This makes the truth easier to grasp and understand.

Two Pitfalls to Avoid

There is one more comment to make before moving on to how you break down biblical metaphors. Just because the Bible is full of metaphorical language does not mean every single passage is a metaphor. Do not fall into the trap of spiritualizing and allegorizing every single text of Scripture. The Bible is full of enough obvious metaphors without you adding more to the text.

Understanding what metaphor is and isn’t becomes important in passages like Galatians 4 where Paul compares the law and the promise to Ishmael and Isaac. Metaphors use real things. Paul is not saying Ismael and Isaac weren’t real people. He is comparing real people with real abstract truths (law and promise).

Metaphor does not make everything into an allegory or spiritualize every single verse. Metaphor takes one real thing and compares it with another real thing.

With those caveats in mind, let’s move on to using the Biblical metaphors worksheet to understand some texts in Scripture.

Steps for understanding Biblical metaphors

Step 1: Set up equation

On the top of the worksheet, there is a section to write down the metaphor and the Bible reference. When you are studying a passage of Scripture, see if there are any key metaphors in your text. Remember, a metaphor takes one thing and explains it in terms of another.

An example of a key metaphor is “The Lord is my Shepherd.” If you were studying Psalm 23, you would write that metaphor at the top of the worksheet. God is being compared with a shepherd and since you know God is not literally a shepherd, you should immediately recognize the Psalmist is using metaphorical language.

Another example is “the fruit of the Spirit”. The Holy Spirit does not literally make believers into a fruit tree. Therefore, Paul is comparing the work of the Spirit to fruit metaphorically. In this case, you might write “Work of Spirit = fruit” at the top of the worksheet.

I often try to write the metaphor in the form of X = Y. Since I have an engineering background, it helps for me to visualize what the metaphor is actually comparing. But if you find equations scary, just write down the sentence in the text which you think contains the metaphor.

Oftentimes, the first half of the sentence gives one part of the metaphor and the second half gives the other part of the metaphor. That is the case in the metaphor “though your sins be like scarlet”. Sin is the first part of the metaphor, and scarlet is the second part.

Step 2: Describe characteristics

After you write down the metaphor itself, the next part of the worksheet has you write down the characteristics of each half of the metaphor. Ask yourself “What words would I use to describe the first half? What words would I use to describe the second half?”

For “the Lord is my shepherd”, the first half of the metaphor is “the Lord” and the second half is “shepherd.” So first ask yourself “What words would I use to describe the Lord?” Write them down on one side of the worksheet. I normally shoot to have 3-5 different words. Next, ask “What words would I use to describe a shepherd?” and write them on the other side of the worksheet.

The purpose of this step is simply to understand the components of the metaphor. If you don’t know what is being compared, you won’t be able to understand the significance of the comparison.

For the metaphor “the fruit of the Spirit,” I would it into “the Spirit” and “fruit.” Under “the Spirit” I might write “part of the Trinity,” “dwells inside believers”, and “empowers believers.” Then, under “fruit”, I might write “grows on a tree,” “sweet”, and “variety of different types.”

Once you are satisfied with your understanding of each half of the verse, move on to the next step.

Step 3: Compare & contrast

Now that you understand each half of the metaphor, ask yourself “How is the first half of the metaphor similar to the second half? How is it different?” In the worksheet, first write down the similarities between the two things before writing how they are different. In the previously mentioned book on metaphor, the author says “a good metaphor is like a good detective story…its solution shouldn’t be immediately apparent in advance.”

This step is where you “solve the mystery” so to speak. Once you think through the similarities between the two different things being compared, you start to understand what the metaphor is getting at. The author also says “every metaphor has strengths and weaknesses and can break down.” This is why you ask in what ways the two parts of the metaphor are different: you can see where the metaphor breaks down.

In the example of “the Lord is my shepherd,” the similarities you might write down are “the Lord cares for His people like a shepherd cares for his sheep,” or “the Lord provides for His people like a shepherd provides for his sheep,” or “the Lord leads His people like a shepherd leads his sheep.” Some obvious differences are the Lord does not have an occupation as a shepherd. Nor does God physically care for physical sheep.

In the example of “the fruit of the Spirit”, some similarities could be “the work of the Spirit in your life produces something like a tree produces fruit,” or “the Spirit produces positive effects in your life just like fruit is normally a tasty, positive thing.” Obvious differences are the work of the Spirit isn’t physical like fruit nor is it visible or consumable in the same way fruit is.

These are just brief examples. Take your time on this step and do not rush. This is where the real work for understanding biblical metaphors happens. If you spend enough time on this step, the point of the metaphor will usually show itself clearly. Once you have written down the similarities and differences, you are ready to move on to the final step.

Step 4: Succinctly summarize

You have found the metaphor, thought about the metaphor and (hopefully) solved the metaphor. Now, it is time to summarize what you’ve understood. Looking at the similarities and differences you found, try to answer this final question “What truth is this metaphor trying to illustrate, clarify, or make memorable?” Try to write one or two sentences at the most at the bottom of your worksheet.

For “the Lord is my shepherd” example, look back at all the similarities and differences. There are a lot of similarities I proposed. If I had to summarize them all, I would write “The Lord is our shepherd in that His people are completely dependent on Him, and He provides completely for His people.” That one sentence captures most of the similarities and avoids any of the differences.

In “the fruit of the Spirit” example, I would summarize the similarities with “The work of the Spirit is like fruit in that the Spirit produces a definite, good and visible effect in a believers life. There are a variety of good effects and they grow with time.” These two sentences capture the similarities of the work of the Spirit and fruit. It also incorporates a difference: the fruit of the Spirit should be visible, just not in the same way literal fruit is physically visible.

Now that you have your summary, you can see the metaphors importance in whatever text you are studying and you can also succinctly summarize your study to another believer.

You can also take your summary of the metaphor and start thinking through the applications it has to your life.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have now done an in depth study of a biblical metaphor. This type of method is incredibly useful for prophecy, parables, proverbs, and poetry in Scripture. But metaphorical language is also sprinkled throughout the Epistles and even in Narrative passages.

The important takeaways: find the metaphor. Break it down into two halves. Compare and contrast those two parts. Then summarize your findings.

I truly believe understanding Biblical metaphors more clearly will take your Bible study to the next level. Even though metaphorical language can be scary, the method laid out in this post and in the attached worksheet gives you an easy step by step process to understand the metaphor before you.

Metaphors aren’t the only thing to look for in a Bible passage. If you want more important things to look for in a Bible passage, see this post.

Found this tool useful? Follow The Average Churchman on Instagram and share it with friends. Also check out other Bible Study Tools I have created.
6 Application Questions Used by the Puritans

6 Application Questions Used by the Puritans

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It can be difficult to apply a Biblical text to your life. Oftentimes, at the end of a Bible study or personal Bible reading, the question becomes: “So now what?” These Puritan application questions will help you answer that question.

I found these questions listening to an excellent lecture series by J. I. Packer on the Puritans. Packer also wrote several good books on the topic (See here and here).

One of the main points that stuck with me was the Puritans measured a great preacher not only by his skill in exposition. For the Puritans, being a great preacher meant you drew great application from the text.

Even more helpful, Packer discussed the Puritan application questions preachers would use. I immediately took notes because I most often hear people in the Church struggling with application.

I discussed how important it is for your Bible study to change your life in a previous post where I gave a simple method to study Scripture. In this post, I will give you the Puritan application questions and discuss how to answer them.

I have attached a visual aid to remember the questions below if you want something to help you remember them. Print on a 5 x 7 and stick it in the cover of your Bible for easy reference.

6 Application Questions Used by the PuritansDownload

Summarize the main point

The first step in Puritan preaching is always to extract the doctrinal truth from your text. This takes careful study of all the components of the passage.

You can’t begin to apply a text you have only begun to study.

Once you have extracted all the details from a text, one of the most useful things you can do is summarize the main idea, main truth, or primary reality of the text. If you can’t distill a text of Scripture down into one sentence, you have one of two problems:

  1. You chose to long a passage of Scripture
  2. You don’t yet understand the passage and its significance

The Puritans would often take only a few verses at a time in their sermons. This would guarantee each sermon dealt with only one main doctrinal truth at a time.

Now, certain types of Biblical literature (such as Narrative) might benefit from studying larger chunks. I have discussed elsewhere some of the particular difficulties with Narrative. However, even when teaching a longer passage, you should know how all the details fit together to serve the main goal of the passage.

What is the essential truth of the passage? If someone asked you “what is this passage about,” what is the first sentence that comes to mind?

The reason you can’t neglect this step is the Puritans used “if-then” logic in their application of texts. All the questions I will go through take the form of “if (this truth from the text) is true, then what else follows?”

Some of the questions I used in my sermon meditation workbook can be helpful on this step if you are having trouble seeing the main truth of a passage. Once you have the main truth, idea, doctrine, or reality written out in your own words, you are ready to start using the Puritan application questions.

What following truths does this imply?

This first question takes the form of “if this is true from my text, then what further truths are implied?” It is simply connecting your current passage’s truth with a further truth. The Westminster Confession of Faith puts it this way:

VI. The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.

The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647), Emphasis added

The bold section in the text above is what you are trying to do with this first application question. It doesn’t mean you pontificate on the text or introduce human reason only. Rather, you look at your text’s truth and ask “in light of the rest of Scripture, what other truths must also be true if this is true?”

Think of this question as “connecting the dots”. When you complete a “connect the dots” puzzle, you draw connections which together make up a larger picture. That is what this question is trying to do. By connecting your current text with other truths and passages of Scripture, you get a larger picture of what God is calling you to do and be.

For example, if you were studying Psalm 2 and summarized the main idea as “God has set up Jesus as His anointed King to judge the nations,” you could reason from this: “Therefore, Jesus has all authority in your life and in mine.”

In other words, “Jesus is King” is the truth from Psalm 2 and “Therefore, submit your life to Him” is a necessary further truth from Psalm 2.

Of all the Puritan application questions, this one relies most heavily on logic, and deduction. It also requires an ability to connect your text with other texts in Scripture.

In fact, that is how you check to see if the further truth you deduced is valid: check it with other Scripture. In the Psalm 2 example above, you find in the rest of the Bible calls to submit to Jesus’ authority. Therefore, you can be confidence your reasoning is valid.

Logic and reason are tools to understand the Bible, but they must be submitted to the text.

I think that one of the great lessons I have learned from reading the Puritans is how to think well and think carefully but still conform your conclusions and reasoning to the Biblical text itself.

This question is the most difficult Puritan application question. It will take practice to use it effectively. But one of the great skills for every Christian to develop is to fit particular truths in context with other truths in Scripture.

Oftentimes, it is seeing multiple truths together that gives you a clear picture of how you need to live out a particular text.

What errors does this contradict?

The second question is easier to understand. It takes the form of “if this is true from my text, then what errors does this contradict?”

Or to put it another way: “if what this passage says is true, what cannot also be true? What must be false? Are there any beliefs that can’t exist alongside this truth?”

This application question targets wrong thinking and wrong belief. You can compare the truth of the passage to your own personal beliefs, the beliefs of the culture, or other philosophies. If you are preaching, this is an excellent opportunity to address how your text corrects common wrong thinking in your congregation.

Compare the culture’s deeply held beliefs to your text. Then, let your text expose any errors that exist.

For example, if you were studying the text “Everyone who desires to live a godly life will be persecuted,” an error that this passage contradicts might be the prosperity Gospel. Or it could be America’s idolization of comfort. In fact, your own heart might be holding erroneous beliefs that Scripture calls you to repent of.

A key part of application is simply letting Scripture expose your own heart. Let the Bible correct you and lead you to repentance from wrong thinking and wrong belief.

What good works does this require?

This third question takes the form of “if this is true from my text, then what good works are required?” This is simply calling you to meditate on how your passage calls you to righteous action.

If you are studying a passage that gives a command, sometimes this question is easy to answer. But oftentimes, the more you meditate on a passage, the more good actions or behaviors you realize are required by your text.

What commands must be obeyed in this passage? What actions glorify God or exalt Christ in the passage?

The key is to not only look at the good works you must do. You must also remind yourself of the power the Holy Spirit gives you to accomplish them. This will keep this application question from becoming moralism or self-empowered works.

Bible study isn’t about mere behavior modification. But a good Bible study will conform your behavior to Christ.

For passages that don’t have an explicit good work, sometimes it will take some thought to answer this question. Sometimes, the good work required is simply worship of God, praise for Christ, or thankfulness for the Gospel.

Generally, however, even in descriptive passages there are examples or implicit calls to proper behavior. That is why it is crucial to study the text deeply before trying to apply it. The deeper your study, the more profound the application.

What should you stop doing because the passage forbids it?

This next question is the opposite of the last one. This fourth question takes the form of “if this is true from my text, then what should I stop doing because this passage forbids it?” In other words, what actions, behaviors, or lifestyles are revealed as sinful in your passage?

This is the “put off” application questions. It helps you identify what behaviors should not be part of your identity in Christ. If you answered the previous question, you should already know what behaviors your passage calls you to “put on.”

Your Bible study is not complete without repentance. Put off what the passage declares as sin and put on what the passage reveals as right

Oftentimes, if you can’t think of what good works a passage requires, you can identify the wrong behaviors the passage condemns first. Then, think of the opposite of that wrong behavior, and you have the good work.

The Bible gives commands both negatively and positively. Your application should therefore include things to stop doing, and things to start doing.

What encouragement does this passage offer?

This fifth question takes the form of “if this is true from my text, then what encouragement does this offer?” It is one of my favorite questions in this list. The question is pointing to “how does this passage increase my hope in God? My faith in His future mercy and provision?”

Take Hebrews 11 as an example. Certainly their are behaviors to correct based on the passage. But fundamentally, the passage is an encouragement to its readers to develop enduring faith. And each example given is part of a “cloud of witnesses”.

Don’t only leave your Bible study depressed. See what encouragement and hope the text gives you.

Now, there are some sobering texts in Scripture. Texts that deal directly with sin and rebellion. But that is another reason to always read the Bible with Christ in mind. Sometimes, the text’s encouragement is nothing more than a reminder of how great a Savior Jesus is.

I would say of all the Puritan application questions, I found this one most helpful. It is generally easier to see what behavior or thinking must be modified after studying a text. But sometimes it is easy to miss the encouragement the Holy Spirit is giving you through a Bible study.

Where do you stand spiritually in light of this passage?

This sixth and final question takes the form of “if this is true from my text, then where do I stand spiritually in light of this?” This question is very all-encompassing and I take it as a way to make sure you didn’t miss anything from the other questions.

This question turns the mirror squarely on you. You see the way you should think, act, and be encouraged by the passage. Now the question is: are you presently conforming to all these?

This is the most personal and oftentimes convicting parts of applying a text. It takes you out of the abstract and calls you to take stock of your spiritual state.

Ask yourself is my life today reflective of these truths? If not, how can I repent so tomorrow my life conforms to this text?

And this isn’t about mere behavior modification. It is self-examination based on Scripture. After this question, much prayer should happen because God alone can transform your life.

Notice: this is the only question that has the word “you” in it. The other questions help you work out a texts application. This question calls you to act on what you have learned.

Puritan Application Questions: Conclusion

Bible application can be difficult. Oftentimes, it comes down to simply asking the right questions. The Puritan application questions are some of the best you can use in your personal Bible study or sermon preparation.

If you want a reminder of these questions, scroll up to the top of the post to get a visual aid.

As a final note, one of the best ways to understand how to use these Puritan application questions is to read Puritan sermons. You will start to see patterns in how Puritan preachers apply a wide variety of texts.

I personally recommend reading some of John Flavel’s sermons. I have been reading through his sermons on Jesus Christ which are part of his compiled works. The sermons are a masterclass in how to apply Scripture to your listeners.

Visit the “Tools” page for more helpful resources for you and your Church’s Bible study and application. Do you have any application questions you use? I would love to hear them!