Now that we’ve discussed where to start reading, we can now learn how to begin digging deep into the actual text of the Bible. The best basic way to study is with the 5 Ws; often I will add in the “H”, but only if needed. The Ws and the H will be explained in this blog post. I’ll also be including an image to help you understand it visually.
The first W is who. There are several factors to consider in this category, but they are all very important if we are to study and interpret accurately.
Writer
Generally, it is best to look for the author in the first few verses of the entire book. For example, Paul and Peter outright reveal themselves to be the author in their letters to various churches. The Psalms are attributed to King David and Asaph.
Other times, it’s not so easy to pick out who the author is. Take, for instance, the book of Hebrews. We can take a look at the text itself and try to compare it with other portions of Scripture. Because Hebrews mirrors what the Old Testament teaches, we can readily assume that it was Paul who wrote it. Paul was familiar with Old Testament concepts because he was a leader in the Jewish community before conversion.
Audience
If we were to look again at who the author is, it will more than likely be fairly easy to find who the audience is. Romans and the Corinthian letters are obvious; they were written to the churches in Rome and Corinth.
The Gospels are a bit trickier. However, based on the events taking place and people emphasized, it is safe to assume that the Gospels were written to either the Jews or people who already profess the Christian faith.
Many times, you will find that a passage may read, “to the church in…” or “to all the saints at…” Always watch for who is being addressed.
Who is involved in the passage being read?
It’s also important to observe other people in your passage of Scripture, even if it’s Jesus Himself. What are they saying? Doing? It is crucial to pay attention to these details because correct interpretation depends on correct knowledge of the text.
Is it a humble Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus?
Is it prideful Peter defending the cause of Christ in the garden?
Perhaps it’s God looking down on sinful humanity.
While these people lived 2,000 + years ago, we can still draw lessons from their lives and apply them today.
The second W is what.
What is the purpose of the entirety of the book? The chapter? The passage/verse?
One tip that always proves useful is to read to get an overview, or an overarching theme, for the book. Once we see the purpose for the book itself, we can look into chapter and verse themes. For example, the book of James was written by James, the brother of Jesus. He wrote to the Christians who were scattered throughout the world.
If we were to do a quick overview of the book of James, we will find that his purpose was for believers to live out the Christian life; he was concerned about genuine Christianity. He teaches them, and us, the value of going through trials, the importance of holding your tongue, and how to treat fellow human beings.
What is its message in conjunction with the purpose?
The purpose of the book always comes with a message. The Bible itself contains the message of the gospel throughout its pages, so it’s no wonder that it has a series of underlying messages that all of us can live out.
Using the example of James again, his purpose was for believers to live out the Christian life. His message? Stop being hypocritical. Start acting on your faith instead of letting it lie dormant and stagnant. There is nothing worse than a stagnant Christian, according to James. He wants us to DO something about it.
What are actions? What is being done/not done?
God’s desire is for us to do something with what we’ve read in Scripture. If we were to read the Beatitudes, He would want us live it out practically. Do you need to display humility? Purity? Peace?
Just as important as DOING is NOT DOING. Ask yourself if there is a warning to be heeded; it would be wise to pay attention. If one of the Ten Commandments says, “thou shalt not…” you’d best not be doing it.
While the Bible is not a list of “dos and donts”, it does guide us to live wisely.
The third W is when.
Knowing the “when” is especially useful if you are studying prophecy or history. The books of the Kings, Chronicles, and Daniel are heavy with dates and times. They lay out the reign of any king and they tell stories of a specific time in a specific era.
Study Bibles can give you hints as to when other books were written such as Romans, Ephesians, and even the book of Revelation. The majority of Paul’s letters were probably written around or after 60 A.D.
The fourth W is where.
Where a story or event takes place is going to help us understand the Bible geographically speaking. If we studied the life of Abraham, we can trace his steps from Ur all the way to the place of his death. Bible maps will often suggest the areas where the prophets preached, such as Nineveh and Babylon. The gospels give us a clue as to where Jesus walked and talked, and if you ever get a chance to visit Israel, some of those places are still standing today.
Fun fact: Did you know that the events in the book of Esther took place in Persia? That area is now known as Iran!
The fifth W is why.
“Why” is one of the questions that believers hate the most, but it has to be asked, especially if you’re discipling or witnessing to someone.
One of the more obvious questions is, “Why did Jesus have to die?”
If you’ve studied Scripture long enough, you’ll find a long history of sacrifices to atone for the sin of the nation of Israel. Jesus came to be the ultimate and final sacrifice so that 1) they wouldn’t have to sacrifice anymore innocent animals and 2) so that we can have a chance to go to Heaven.
Other questions such as “Why did God create us?” is much more complex. Some people say He created us to glorify Him. Others might say we are here to do His will. But careful study will reveal that God wants intimate fellowship with humanity. Even after the fall, He still gave us chance after chance. He still does and He’s still faithful to all who call upon Him.
The “H” stands for how.
One question we almost always miss out on is the “how”. Books such as Leviticus and Numbers outline such a thing. The author (more than likely Moses) outlines how worship should be conducted and how sacrifices were to be made. Other passages describe how a priest should dress and conduct himself.
If we were to ask ourselves how we were to carry out the will of God, we would again look at practical books like James, Romans, or even Proverbs.
Other areas like Matthew 6 teach us how to pray. The Ten Commandments show us how to live with God and with others. Right back to the very beginning, Genesis details how God created all things and Revelation tells us how He’s going to bring it all to an end.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Feel free to download this PDF to follow along in a mini-study. This study will help you understand how this method works. If you enjoy, please share and tell your friends!
THINGS YOU'LL NEED:
A BIBLE YOU'RE COMFORTABLE MARKING IN
HIGHLIGHTERS/COLORED PENCILS
WRITING UTENSIL
In this passage of 1 John, we immediately come to a few conclusions about who is involved. John, the author, is addressing a church (although we don't know which) and its members. They are referred to as little children because they could very well have been new to the faith. It also refers to God, who is righteous.
What is John's purpose and message? There are two places we can find those; 1:3-4; 5:13. I challenge you to read those yourself. His main purpose is to help believers grow confident in their faith. He wants Christians to have joy in a personal and productive relationship with Jesus. He also wants us to be confident in our faith.
In this passage, we also see that John is referring to the imminent coming of Jesus. He wants his readers to be prepared by living righteously.
Here's a question; where does John say to abide? In Jesus. Sound familiar? If we know enough about this author, we'll find that he is the very same person who wrote the actual gospel of John. John's gospel proclaims that anyone who abides in Jesus will flourish. That's the message that he is trying to get across to these "little children".
Why would John be so concerned with all of this? Again, so that we may have confidence, and so that we will not have to hang our heads in unproductive shame when He returns.
__________________________________________________________________
If you want to see more on how you can study the Bible for yourself, check out my guide in the Shop section!
Join me next week and I will show you a few tools that can help you enhance your Bible studies.
Comments