Let’s continue to think about how to improve and develop our Bible study abilities.
We saw last month that questions about the text, which move beyond the ‘who, what, where’ enquiries to the ‘how’ and ‘why’ issues, will help to take us deeper into the meaning of Scripture. Whenever we stop and say, ‘That seems odd to me’, we are likely to encounter the text freshly, make new discoveries and see better how the truth applies to our lives.
Take as an example Philippians 3.10, a famous verse. ‘I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.’ We get the general idea, but it is in danger of washing over us and not affecting our lives in any perceivable way. Then perhaps we are struck by the oddness of the order. Why does Paul put the resurrection before the cross? I wouldn’t have written it like that.
