how to read the bible second edition gordon fee

The most important contextual question you will ever ask – and it must be asked over and over of every sentence and every paragraph – is, “What’s the point?” Literary context means first that words only have meaning in sentences, and second that biblical sentences for the most part only have clear meaning in relation to preceding and succeeding sentences.Ĭorrect interpretation … brings relief to the mind as well as a prick or prod to the heart. There are two basic kinds of questions one should ask of every biblical passage: those that relate to context and those that relate to content. The key to good exegesis, and therefore to a more intelligent reading of the Bible, is to learn to read the text carefully and to ask the right questions of the text. The only real question is whether you will be a good one. Second, you must learn to hear that same Word in the here and now (hermeneutics).Įveryone is an exegete of sorts. First, one has to hear the Word they heard … back then and there (exegesis). The task of interpretation involves the student/reader at two levels. The single most serious problem people have with the Bible is not with lack of understanding … but obeying it – putting it into practice.

The Bible … is not a series of propositions and imperatives it is not simply a collection of “Sayings from Chairman God”. The Bible is at the same time both human and divine … it is the Word of God given in human words in history. Here are some tidbits from the first two chapters: It’s one of my top ten Bible engagement books. Fee and Douglas Stuart, equip the reader with an excellent guide on how to study each genre of Scripture and read it intelligently. In How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, the authors, Gordon D.

How to read the bible second edition gordon fee