Discipleship

The Words of our Lord:

Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.  (Matthew 28:19-20 ASV)

Because studying the Scriptures is so important, we have some guidelines to follow:

The Golden Rule of Interpretation

When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning, unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic [self-evident,  goes without saying, obvious] and fundamental [basic, primary, original, essential] truths, indicate clearly otherwise.

Penned by Dr. David L. Cooper, the late founder and director of the Biblical Research Society.

Hermeneutics-Study of Interpretation of Scripture

  • Exegesis: A critical explanation or interpretation of the Bible.  The goal of Biblical exegesis is to find the meaning of the text which then leads to discovering its significance or relevance.
  • Isogesis: Reading meaning into Scripture to support a “pet doctrine” or “prooftexting.”  This uses decontextualised quotes and results in erroneous interpretations.
  • Eisegesis: Improper method of exposition by which the expounder (speaker) introduces or brings in his own ideas into the interpretation of a text.

Keys to Understanding Bible Passages

  • Who wrote this?
  • To whom?
  • Where were they?
  • What were these people(s) like?
  • What’s the situation?
  • What was/were the problem(s)?
  • When was this written?
  • What seems to be going on?
  • Why did the author say what he did?
  • What is the author’s instruction to them?
  • What is the author protecting them from?
  • What are the results?
  • What is the author looking for?
  • What is the attitude of author and people involved? (intentions)

If you desire a more complete Discipleship series we recommend Ariel.org and the “Come and See” series.

Discipleship