“but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:” Acts 2:16 NASB This is what – Most of us are quite familiar with Peter’s exegesis on the day of Pentecost. Christian theologians often cite this passage as the transitional text from Judaism to Christianity as if the Church really began with the tongues…
For now we see in a mirror dimly. But then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12 NASB In a mirror – Following his famous summary of the power of love, Paul comments on the human condition…
“You serpents, you brood of vipers, how shall you escape the sentence of hell?” Matthew 23:33 NASB Brood of vipers – Do you read the Scriptures with an ear toward what you want it to say? Do you read with your past associations, instruction and cultural background as the interpretive pattern? Or do you read…
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark 1:1 NASB Son of God – “What the sages have done with Scripture then becomes clear. They have taken its narrative and discerned a pattern within it, and this pattern then has guided them in thinking about the present. Whatever happens finds…
“But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law, and that is written in the Prophets;” Acts 24:14 Everything – Brevard Childs was a very influential teacher at Harvard. His approach…
and all the brethren who are with me, to the churches of Galatia: Galatians 1:2 Churches – When you read the Bible, do you pay attention to the proper context, culture and historical circumstances behind the text? Or do you read the Bible as if it was written for you yesterday? This is not a…
Writing Today’s Word leaves me with an enormous problem. Scripture isn’t bits and pieces. It’s a whole unit, an extended story of God’s interaction with the world, in particular, with the people He calls Israel. How it all fits together is really the job of exegesis. Dealing with one tiny piece at a time often…
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 Handling Accurately – Some days I just want to throw up my hands in frustration. Here’s a perfectly good Hebrew instruction, but when it gets translated, it takes…
Moses made a copper serpent and mounted it on a standard; and when anyone was bitten by a serpent, he would look at the copper serpent and recover. Numbers 21:9 Copper Serpent – Many people believe that the common symbol of medicine, two serpents on a cross, originated with this event. But a careful reading…
One of the biggest problems in Christian practice is the lack of a proper understanding of Biblical exegesis. More theological mistakes occur due to a lack of proper exegesis than any other methodological errors. Why? Because a great number of believers treat the Bible as though it has no cultural bias and was written in…
