Understanding And Applying The Bible

Why do even the sincerest students of God's Word sometimes find it dry or confusing? Too often, Robertson McQuilkin suggest, it's because they don't know how to read it. In his classic introduction to Bible study, McQuilkin shows everyday believers how to navigate the Bible's genres and plumb its thought structures with accuracy, experiencing afresh living encounters with the inspired Word. Newly revised and updated, Understanding and Applying the Bible also examines the most common errors in Bible reading. In the end, McQuilkin maintains Scripture can be understood by anyone, simply by following a set of straightforward and time-tested principles.

Many find it difficult to take words that were written thousands of years ago and apply them to twenty-first-century life in the Western world. How do we read God's unchanging Word in a world that is increasingly defined by change? How to Read the Bible in Changing Times shows everyday Christians how to interpret and apply the Scriptures regardless of time and culture. Rather than seeing the Bible as a magic answer book, a list of commands to obey, or a series of promises to claim, this insightful book allows the Bible to retain its identity as a complex, inspired document while showing that the truth it contains is relevant and life-changing. It shows the reader how to determine the meaning of the text in its original context identify culturally relative features understand what the text teaches about God, his will, and his purposes apply the truths discovered to contemporary life situations It even shows readers how to discern God's will on the many modern issues that the Bible does not directly address.

Studying, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible combines into one volume the popular trilogy by Walter Henrichsen and Gayle Jackson: - A Layman's Guide to Studying the Bible - A Layman's Guide to Interpreting the Bible - A Layman's Guide to Applying the Bible This book will help students as well as ministers, young people and old alike, as they learn to study Scripture more easily and conveniently. The chapters on studying the Bible help the beginning or experienced Bible student mine God's Word for its riches through verse analysis, chapter analysis, the overview of a book, the study of a topic, and the study of Bible characters (including charts, diagrams, and other helpful illustrations). The unit on interpreting the Bible explains Bible interpretation based on grammar, history, and theology. The section on applying the Bible moves beyond study to life applications, enabling a person to - be motivated to make personal application - move beyond a "to do" list to an internal desire to obey - consider the risks involved in obeying - use specific application principles

Objective, unwavering truth. The Bible holds it. But what's the secret to applying that truth to your life? And how can you avoid the danger of misapplying it? Dave Veerman explains the process of reading, understanding, and "doing" scripture in How to Apply the Bible. Sunday school teachers, pastors, and Bible study leaders will grab on to easy steps that can revolutionize the way they communicate God's truth to others. And Bible readers from all walks of life will discover new ways to see themselves in God's story while learning how to find specific life applications. Drawing from his work on the Life Application Study Bible, Dave gives advice on how to balance reading the playbook with playing the game. The conclusion: scripture becomes valuable only when we balance study with practice. - Back cover.

Originally featured as articles in the ESV Study Bible, these eighteen essays have been repurposed and republished in a convenient format. Covering a diverse range of essential subjects, including how to read the Bible well and why it is reliable, the essays delve into specific topics such as world religions, canon, and archaeology. Useful as both a general overview of the Bible and as a tool for more specific reference and training, readers of this book will grow in their understanding of Scripture and their ability to apply the Bible to their lives. Pastors, lay leaders, students, and other Christians engaged in studying God's Word will benefit from this collection, written by notable contributors, including J. I. Packer, John Piper, David Powlison, and Vern Poythress.

Reading the Bible doesn't need to be a difficult journey through strange and bewildering territory. How to Read the Bible Book by Book walks you through the Scriptures like an experienced tour guide, helping you understand each of its sixty-six books. For each book of the Bible, the authors start with a quick snapshot, then expand the view to help you better understand its message and how it fits into the grand narrative of the Bible. Written by two top evangelical scholars, this survey is designed to get you actually reading the Bible knowledgeably and understanding it accurately. In an engaging, conversational style, Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart take you through every book of the Bible using their unique approach: Orienting Data—Concise info bytes that form a thumbnail of the book. Overview—A brief panorama that introduces key concepts and themes and important landmarks in the book Specific Advice for Reading—Pointers for accurately understanding the details and message of the book in context with the circumstances surrounding its writing. A Walk Through—The actual section-by-section tour that helps you see both the larger landscape of the book and how its various parts work together to form the whole. How to Read the Bible Book by Book can be used as a companion to How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. It also stands on its own as a reliable guide to reading and understanding the Bible for yourself.

How do I get more out of my Bible reading? What was going on during the gap between the Old and New Testaments? How do all the books of the Bible fit together as a whole? This book answers these questions and puts clear, readable Bible study aids at your fingertips. It contains thirteen essays from some of today’s best evangelical scholars including C. John Collins, Thomas Schreiner, Gordon Wenham, and Darrell Bock, and will help you to: See the big-picture storyline of the Bible Understand the theology of the Old and New Testaments Read the different sections of Scripture effectively Know what happened between the testaments In addition to essays on each genre of the Bible, the book addresses the general Greco-Roman world and specific Jewish groups at the time of the New Testament. To aid in putting Bible passages in context, it also includes timelines of the Old and New Testaments and intertestamental events. Useful as both a general overview of the Bible and as a tool for more specific reference and training, this book will help you grow in your understanding of Scripture and your ability to apply the Bible to life.

For many people, interpreting the Bible is the art of making it say what they want. Even scholars often treat interpretation as a subjective exercise, not the search for true, objective meaning of texts. But hasn't God spoken definitively in Scripture? Shouldn't we be able to arrive at a good and true interpretation?