Context: The Most Important Rule of Interpretation

Overview "So then, dear friends, since you are forewarned, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position." — 2 Peter 3:17 BSB Context is the foundation of accurate biblical interpretation. Eve…

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Covenant as Framework for the Whole Bible

Overview "Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be…

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Cross-Referencing: Letting the Bible Interpret Itself

Overview "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" — 2 Timothy 3:16 BSB. Cross-referencing is the practice of comparing Scripture with Scripture to allow the Bible to exp…

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Cultural Distance in Bible Reading

Overview "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" — 2 Timothy 3:16 BSB. When we approach the Bible as modern readers separated from the ancient cultures in which it was …

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Dead Sea Scrolls: What They Prove

Overview "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." — Isaiah 40:8 BSB The Dead Sea Scrolls represent one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century, unearthed between 1947 and 1956 near t…

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Defending the Canon: Why These 66 Books?

Overview "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" — 2 Timothy 3:16 BSB. The question of which books constitute the authoritative Word of God has occupied the minds of be…

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Devotional vs Exegetical Bible Reading

Overview "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." — 2 Timothy 3:16 BSB. The Bible invites us to engage with God's Word in multiple ways, and two primary approaches to S…

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Different Types of Biblical Parallelism in Poetry

Overview "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands." — Psalm 19:1 BSB Biblical parallelism is a fundamental literary structure used throughout Scripture, particularly in the poetic and wisdom literature of the Old Te…

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Difficulty in Understanding Paul (2 Peter 3:16)

Overview "As also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction." — 2 Peter 3:16 BSB Pet…

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Distinguishing Descriptive from Prescriptive Passages

Overview "All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." — 2 Timothy 3:16 BSB Understanding the distinction between descriptive and prescriptive passages is foundational …

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Distinguishing Prophecy Already Fulfilled from Future Prophecy

Overview "Now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." — 1 Corinthians 13:12 BSB Understanding the distinction between fulfilled and future prophecy is ess…

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Doctrinal Passages vs Narrative Passages

Overview "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." — 2 Timothy 3:16 BSB Understanding the distinction between doctrinal passages and narrative passages is essential for a…

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Engaging With Difficult Old Testament Texts

Overview "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." — 2 Timothy 3:16 BSB The Old Testament contains passages that challenge modern readers—accounts of warfare, divine jud…

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Epistles: How to Read New Testament Letters

Overview "All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." — 2 Timothy 3:16 BSB. The New Testament epistles comprise twenty-one letters written by apostles and early church l…

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Evangelical Scholarship and Its Standards

Overview "All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." — 2 Timothy 3:16 BSB Evangelical scholarship on biblical hermeneutics and exegesis represents a commitment to und…

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Exegesis: The Art of Drawing Out Meaning

Overview "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." — 2 Timothy 3:16 BSB Exegesis, derived from the Greek word exegesis, literally means "to draw out" or "to lead out." …

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Expository Preaching: The Gold Standard

Overview "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." — 2 Timothy 3:16 BSB Expository preaching stands as the most faithful approach to communicating God's Word because i…

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Extra-Biblical Jewish Writings and Their Role

Overview "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." — 2 Timothy 3:16 BSB. Extra-biblical Jewish writings—including the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Apocrypha, the Pseudepigrapha…

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Ezra as a Model Bible Scholar

Overview "For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel." — Ezra 7:10 BSB Ezra stands as one of Scripture's most compelling examples of a devoted biblical scholar. His life dem…

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Figurative Language in the Bible

Overview Jesus said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given." Matthew 13:11 BSB. The Bible employs figurative language extensively throughout its narrative, poetry, prophecy…

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Finding Christ in the Old Testament

Overview "Jesus said to them, 'If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.'" — John 5:46 BSB The Old Testament contains numerous prophecies, types, and foreshadowings that point directly to Jesus Christ. While many readers approach t…

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Finding Unity in the Testaments

Overview "Jesus said to them, 'If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.'" — John 5:46 BSB The unity between the Old and New Testaments stands as one of the most profound truths in Scripture, revealing God's consistent purpose and re…

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Five Views of Biblical Inspiration

Overview "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." — 2 Timothy 3:16 BSB The doctrine of biblical inspiration addresses a fundamental question for believers: How did Go…

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Forms of Hebrew Poetry Explained

Overview The Psalms declare, "Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to Him with the ten-stringed lyre" (Psalm 33:2 BSB). Hebrew poetry comprises the largest portion of Old Testament Scripture and represents one of the most sophisticated literary forms in …

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From Text to Application: The Full Journey

Overview "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." — 2 Timothy 3:16-17 BSB The journey from text t…

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Gap Theory of Genesis: A Response

Overview "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." — Genesis 1:1 BSB The Gap Theory proposes that an indefinite period of time exists between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, during which God's original creation was destroyed and subsequently rest…

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Genre Recognition: The First Step in Interpretation

Overview "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" — 2 Timothy 3:16 BSB. Genre recognition stands as the foundational principle of biblical interpretation, the essential …

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Grammatical Clues in Bible Study

Overview "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." — 2 Timothy 3:16 BSB Grammatical clues in Bible study form the foundation of accurate biblical interpretation. When …

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Greek Tenses and Their Significance for Meaning

Overview The apostle Paul wrote, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth," 2 Timothy 2:15 BSB. Understanding Greek tenses is fundamental to correctly handl…

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Handling Apparent Contradictions

Overview "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." — 2 Timothy 3:16 BSB Bible readers occasionally encounter passages that appear to contradict one another. A careful …

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