Secrets of Understanding the Bible

By Rosario D'Souza

The Bible, which is the inspired Word of God, is central to the life of a Christian. This makes understanding the Bible a necessity for every Christian. This book unlocks the secrets of understanding the Bible. It tells you what you need to do to understand the Bible. Biblical Hermeneutics is the study of how to interpret the Bible. This book differs from the common approaches toward Biblical Hermeneutics in that it gets its material on how to study the Bible from the Bible itself. May this book be a blessing to you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 5, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493165353

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 by Rosario D’Souza, Ph.D.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-4931-6534-6

                 eBook            978-1-4931-6535-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Rev. date: 02/03/2014

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Contents

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1    Introduction

Let’s define sound doctrine

Let’s focus on sound doctrine about God

Let’s focus on sound doctrine that originates from the Bible

Let’s use the Bible to tell us how to interpret the Bible

This is what we want to find out about God

Chapter 2    Why is getting sound doctrine so difficult?

Satan is trying to propagate false doctrine

We have a natural tendency to avoid sound doctrine

Most people around us will follow false doctrine

All this will make sound doctrine hard to identify

Chapter 3    Why should we have sound doctrine?

So that we don’t worship in vain

So that we don’t destroy ourselves

So that we don’t persecute those who do have sound doctrine

Chapter 4    Sound doctrine is top secret

Do you really have sound doctrine?

God hides sound doctrine

Why does God hide things from people?

Man cannot find sound doctrine by himself

Chapter 5    From whom is sound doctrine hidden?

From the clever and intelligent

From those who do not understand Scriptures or the power of God

From the scoffer

From the liar and deceiver

From those who suppress the truth

From the wicked—who practice unrighteousness

From those who don’t have an honest and good heart

From those who receive glory from men

Chapter 6    The source and the channel of sound doctrine

Sound doctrine comes from Christ

Sound doctrine is revealed through the Holy Spirit

Chapter 7    To whom is sound doctrine revealed?

To those who seek

To those who fear God

To those who love the truth

To those who obey God

To the humble

Chapter 8    How to test whether you have sound doctrine?

Do you know that Jesus was just like you and yet didn’t sin?

Do you realize that you still sin?

Is the truth you understand driving you to stop sinning?

Are you becoming more and more free from sin?

Do you love?

Do you receive answers to your prayers?

Summary

Chapter 9    Unscriptural methods to get sound doctrine

Having no method

Using the grammatical-historical or normative method

Chapter 10    Interpret Scripture properly

How did Jesus interpret Scripture?

A scriptural approach to getting sound doctrine

Chapter 11    Parting thoughts

Seek to know the Lord

Test every spirit

Have a sober estimate of yourself and your doctrine

Ask God to teach you

Manifest the knowledge of God by your life

Study, practice, and then teach

When you teach, refuse quarrels

When you teach, be gentle

When you teach, be loving

Guard what has been entrusted to you

To those who love God,

And find Him more fascinating that all else

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank those who have shaped my understanding of God and given me invaluable help in understanding the Bible. To them I owe an unrepayable debt of gratitude. They know who they are and I am sure that they would rather not be named.

I would like to thank God, whose grace and patience and abounding mercy to me were clearly evident from the beginning to the end of this project. To Him belongs all glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Chapter 1

Introduction

I n our times it is a sad fact that the Bible is not studied in the average Christian Bible study. More often than not, a small Christian Bible study group will study a book written by some man or woman on some topic related to Christianity or Christian living.

The average Christian is hesitant to study the Bible directly because he reads it and does not get much out of his reading. The Bible seems to be vague, impractical and inapplicable to the times that we live in.

I am reminded about a story I heard regarding a particular Bible study group. One person asked, Why don’t we study a book from the Bible this time? and got the answer, Oh, I wouldn’t do that! Why don’t we study something more practical instead?

It is sad, but true, that the average Christian does not see the Bible as a practical book—a book that God gave to man to teach him how to live his daily life. To the average Christian, the Bible is a closed book—a book that cannot be read and understood personally by every child of God.

This is not at all how God meant it to be! We have been greatly deceived into thinking that the Bible is not something that must be read and understood directly by every child of God. What loved one writes us a letter that is not meant for us to read and understand personally but must be translated by someone else? Yet we so easily believe the lie that we are not expected to read and understand the Bible ourselves but that someone else must interpret it for us.

If the Bible appears to be a closed book to you then you are not alone. Many people read their Bible every day, but it doesn’t speak to them. They do not learn anything from it. The things that they have learned about God and the Christian life are not directly from the Bible but are things that someone else—a preacher or pastor or teacher—has told them.

Few things are more important than knowing how to study the Bible correctly. Indeed, a wrong method is more than likely going to result in a wrong doctrine, and following a wrong doctrine can result in eternally damning consequences.

The purpose of this book is to provide a new approach for studying the Bible.

Now there are many books that describe methods for studying the Bible, and one might wonder why someone should write another book on this topic. The reason that I wrote this book is because I have found that other methods do not give an emphasis on what the Bible itself says on the topic of how to study the Bible. The emphasis is on man-made methods instead of divinely proposed methods.

It is my belief that man-made Bible study methods are limited in their effectiveness. When an author writes a book, in order to understand what the author is trying to say you need to pay heed to the author’s instructions on how to read his book. Other people’s instructions are helpful, but certainly not as effective as the author’s instructions. In the same way, in order to understand what God is trying to say in the Bible you need to pay heed to God’s instructions on how to study the Bible.

Ec 8:1 Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam.

I am reminded by what is written in Ec 8:1. When you study the Bible properly you will find that the Bible is like a treasure box that has many treasures. You will, on your own, and without the help of another man, find truths about God and His plan for man, that you never knew before. When you see something that you have never seen before your joy will overflow. It will be like finding a golden nugget in your backyard. It was there all the while, but you never discovered it. Then one day, while you are digging around, you discover it, and how great is your joy! That is what your experience studying the Bible should be like! You will know the interpretation of a matter; it will illumine you, and cause your stern face to beam.

The goal is be like the sheep in Jn 10:4-6, who recognize when the truth is spoken and receive it, and recognize when falsehood is spoken and don’t receive it.

Jn 10:4-6 "When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers." This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them.

It is my hope that reading this book will guide you to get from the Bible the truth that God intended you to get. You will no longer have to depend on another person to teach you the truths of the Bible because you will be finding them out yourself, with the help of the Holy Spirit. Studying your Bible will become exciting, like an Indiana Jones adventure, and Bible study will become a hobby instead of a drab chore. All of this is possible, so read on.

Let’s define sound doctrine

Before we begin discussing