Lecture 1 - Dealing with the Bible

The Three Reasons why I think you should study the NT.

My presupposition God speaks to us through human beings in human language.

The Gospels tell about the life of Jesus in a similar way to ancient biographies. The letters of Paul are kind of similar to the form of ancient letters. Even the book of Revelation is not unique we have other examples of this type of literature.

The Bible is not unique because of its literary form, or its language, but because of its author.

Does God speak in verses?

Words dont have a fixed meaning except within context.

I went to the bank and sat down and cried.

Every piece of literature in the New Testament was designed to be read in one or two sittings.

Can you tell me what the argument of Galatians is from start to finish?

The NT is not a series of random thoughts designed so that you can cherry-pick it for your Christian poster or your Christian tattoo.

Even the Gospels?

If you havent read Mark through as a whole, you dont know Mark.

I am going to teach you books not just verse, chapters, but books.

Understanding Messages in Time.

Meanings change over time..

(1 Kings 14:10) - Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall

If we are going to understand the Bible, then to some extent, we have to do our best to share their context otherwise, we will get all mixed up about the meanings of the Bible.

Translations, Translations, Translations The difficulty of translation..

What translation should I read?

NIV (New International Version) TNIV (Todays New International Version) ESV(English Standard Version) NRSV(New Revised Standard Version) HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

For English as second language Good News Bible (GNB) Contemporary English Version (CEV) New Living Translation (NLT)

Avoid for college courses: The Message this is what is called a paraphrase not useful at college, but as a supplement to your regular translation for personal reading. Amplified KJV