DIGGING DEEPER: Getting More Out of God's Word Than You Ever Have Before

By Bill F Korver

This book, whose contents have been taught dozens of times in various church, college and Bible study settings, is designed to give those who desire to dig deeper into God's Word, an understandable and repeatable approach to studying the Bible.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Metakoi
• Release date: Oct 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9780990578352

Book preview

Chapter 1

DO YOU READ WELL?

A character in Alice in Wonderland said, A word means precisely what I want it to mean–nothing more and nothing less. For you to treat words this way would be foolish and chaotic. To treat biblical words in this way would be tragic. In studying the Scriptures, you must know how to determine what God says, not what it means to you. The guiding principles to understanding the Scripture are the subject of this course.

The interpretation of Scripture is a fascinating and rewarding experience. Proper interpretation of the Bible is the privilege and responsibility of every Christian. God’s Word calls upon every believer not only to read and understand its message, but also to apply its truth. One does not have to be a pastor or theologian to learn how to interpret the Bible well. After all, the Bible was written to meet the spiritual needs of the ordinary person.

I use the word privilege because there are more than one billion people on planet earth today who are not able to purchase a Bible to read in their heart language, even if they had enough money to do so. The reason? It simply is not available. In the West, we are blessed to have many good translations, and they can be purchased very inexpensively. A person with no money can also get one free of charge from a fine ministry such as Gideons International.

Long ago there lived a man named John Wycliffe (1328-1384). He believed that common people should have the Bible in their own language. Since he was English, he decided to translate the Bible into the English language. His actions eventually cost him his life due to the hatred of the state church which didn’t want the average person reading God’s Word. Many others have paid the ultimate price to make God’s Word available to us in English.

Additionally, it is a believer's responsibility to study the Word. It is not a task to be reserved for a pastor alone. During the middle ages, in Europe, the Bible was only available in Latin, and only the clergy read Latin. Consequently, God's people became vulnerable to false teachings. God wants His people to know what He has said, so He revealed Himself to us and holds us responsible for being obedient to its truth. It will never be acceptable to God, when each believer stands before Him to give an account of his life to say, That's what my pastor/teacher/professor/friend said. God will want to know how you responded to His Word.

I. WHAT IT TAKES TO READ THE BIBLE WELL

A. The foundational prerequisite for being a Bible student is to be regenerated or born again by the Holy Spirit. Without new birth, one cannot understand God’s Word. Only a spiritually living person is able to comprehend spiritual truth.

Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man (1 Cor. 2:14-15).

Have you ever noticed that the unsaved people in your life don't understand a lot of what believers do and value? For example, an unsaved person thinks going to church on Sunday morning is a perfectly good waste of a morning when they can sleep in, go hunting, fishing, or watch a ball game. Additionally, they think it is foolish to give away hard earned money to a church or mission organization. These are merely a few instances of the natural man's thinking as it relates to matters that are important to the follower of Christ. Most importantly, the unsaved person does not comprehend the need for a