Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver! Proverbs 16:16

It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2

As children of the King, we are a royal priesthood and it is our honor and privilege to search out the riches of wisdom and understanding concealed in the Word of God. It is more rewarding than searching for worldly treasures of gold and silver because it has eternal value. But in order to rightly divide the word of truth, we need to be led by the Spirit and apply certain methods of interpretation

PRAY FOR WISDOM AND GUIDANCE

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:20-21

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness 2 Timothy 3:16

Inspiration #2315 Strong’s Concordance:

2315 theópneustos (from 2316 /theós, "God" and 4154 /pnéō, "breathe out") – properly, God-breathed, referring to the divine inspiration (inbreathing) of Scripture (used only in 2 Tim 3:16).

2315 /theópneustos ("God-breathed"), likely a term coined by Paul, "expresses the sacred nature of the Scriptures (their divine origin) and their power to sanctify believers" (C. Spicq, 2, 193).

[Inbreathing (2315 /theópneustos) relates directly to God's Spirit (Gk pneuma) which can also be translated "breath."]

Since Scripture never originated from man but are the words recorded by men who were carried along the Holy Spirit, pray and ask the Father in the name of Jesus to speak to you and guide you by His Spirit as you do your word study.

LAW OF FIRST MENTION

There is a phenomenon in the Bible which theologians refer to as "The Law of First Mention." The very first time any significant word or symbol is mentioned in the Bible, Scripture gives that word its most complete and accurate meaning. This not only serves as a “key” in understanding the word's Biblical concept, but to also provide a foundation for its fuller development in later parts of the Bible. It is also helpful to see the context of the last time a word or phrase is used.

IN CONTEXT

A key foundation of Bible study is interpretation. The theological term for the study of the principles of biblical interpretation is called hermeneutics. Hermeneutics offers some basic principles to help understand the Bible. The most important principle is context. This means that when studying the Bible one must keep in mind not only the immediate context of the portion under study, but also other forms of context such as the cultural context, the literary context and interpreting scripture in harmony with other scripture. Usually, however, it's enough to have a basic understanding of the immediate context of what is being studied. Reading what comes before the passage being studied, what comes after and what the Bible says as a whole about the topic being studied, are all key concepts to keep in mind.

SPIRITUAL AND/OR SYMBOLIC APPLICATION

The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 1 Corinthians 15:46

First came Israel, the natural people of God, and then came the body of believers who are the spiritual people of God. First there was the sign of the Old Covenant which was the circumcision of the flesh. Later then came the New Covenant with the circumcision of the heart. First there came Adam, the natural man and then, Christ the Second Adam. First we have a natural body and one day we will have a spiritual body.

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:5-6

Since as born-again believers, we first had a physical or natural birth before we had a spiritual re-birth, God reveals to us spiritual concepts by first showing us principles in the natural realm.

For example: The Principle of Sowing and Reaping

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Corinthians 9:6

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Galatians 6:7

The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Galatians 6:8

In the natural realm, if you only plant a few seeds then you will only reap a small harvest. Conversely, sowing a generous amount of seed will yield a greater harvest. The spiritual application concerning sowing and reaping concerns both how much and where you spend your time, money and focus. When you invest your time, money and energy in the work of the gospel, you will reap eternal rewards according to your generosity. If you sow to the flesh and are focused on worldly pleasures, your will incur the wrath of God.

THE BIBLE IS ITS BEST OWN INTERPRETER

What may not be fully explained in one verse is often clarified in another. We should take the total testimony of Scripture, allowing the clear verses to explain the unclear. The Bible when studied as a whole depicts a consistent, harmonious truth throughout all of its books. The reason why “word” studies are so important is because they will bring us greater revelation and understanding of the word and mind of God.

Using the principle that the Bible is its best own interpreter, we can discover who the mysterious woman is that John addresses in his 2nd letter.

To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth 2 John 1:1

The “elder” is meant the writer of this epistle, the Apostle John, who so calls himself either on account of his age, he being now nearly a hundred old or on account of his office, being a bishop or overseer, not only of the church at Ephesus, but of all the Asiatic churches.

This letter from John is “To the Elect lady” and it closes with, “The children of your sister, who is chosen by God, send their greetings.” To understand what the term, “Elect Lady” means, we can look at Peter’s address in his first epistle (letter).

1Peter 1:1-2, addresses the elect in Asia and closes with, “The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, salutes you; and so does Marcus my son.”

The word "Church" comes from a Greek word (kyriake) the same language origin as the Greek for “lady” (kyria; “belonging to the Lord,” kyrios); As Peter in Babylon had sent the greetings of the elect Church in Babylon to her elect sister in Asia, so John, the bishop of the elect Church in Asia, writes to the elect lady, that is, Church, in Babylon.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE

The Prophets and the Apostles have recorded in written form a portion of the oral teaching of the Old Testament in Hebrew and Aramaic as well as the New Testament in Greek. These are the original languages of the Holy Bible from which all the translations have been derived. God's inspiration is confined to the original languages and utterances, not the many translations. There are 1,300 languages and dialects into which the Holy Bible, in its entirety or in portions, has been translated. This does not mean that the translations do not convey the meaning of the Bible for spiritual uprightness of the readers in their own language. On the contrary, the Bible should be spread and preached to “all nations.”

Translations of the Bible are very necessary, but are not sufficient for formulating dogmas and doctrines of the Church, which requires reference to the original languages. The translations depend upon the genius and knowledge of the translator in the selection of the proper words and phrases to render meaning as close as possible to the text of the original language. It is well-known that a new translation is more or less a new interpretation. This is obvious when the Bible is translated in the same language, but in different expressions and words.

Therefore, it is beneficial to use resources that will help you find the meaning and root of the “word” you are studying in its original biblical language.

RESOURCES

ATLAS

Many Bibles contain maps of the ancient world. A complete “Bible Atlas” will provide an area and a regional map for each biblical location.

BIBLE COMMENTARIES

A biblical commentary is a written systematic series of explanations and interpretations of Scripture. They are written by some of the most knowledgeable theologians in church history. Through a personal narrative, they provide deeper understanding and insight into the Bible, and can be valuable tools to assist both casual reading and serious study.
Although commentaries are a helpful tool, they are interpretations given by men and not to be placed on the same level as the divinely inspired Word of God. The Bible is always its best interpreter. A Bible study should first be guided by the Holy Spirit and the revealed Word of Truth and then commentaries used as a resource.

CONCORDANCES

A concordance is a study tool that lists biblical words alphabetically with indications to enable the inquirer to find the passages of the Bible where the words occur. A Bible with a concordance usually has this list or index in the back. Concordances may be for the original languages of the Biblical books, or (more commonly) they are compiled for translations.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible:
Strong's Concordance is a concordance of the King James Bible (KJV). Each original-language word is given an entry number in the dictionary of those original language words listed in the back of the concordance. These have become known as the “Strong's numbers.” The main concordance lists each word that appears in the KJV Bible in alphabetical order with each verse in which it appears listed in order of its appearance in the Bible, with a snippet of the surrounding text (including the word in italics). Appearing to the right of scripture reference is the Strong's number. This allows the user of the concordance to look up the meaning of the original language word in the associated dictionary in the back, thereby showing how the original language word was translated into the English word in the KJV Bible.

CROSS-REFERENCES

Since Scripture is its own best interpreter, the most important feature of any edition of the Bible (aside from the quality of the translation itself) is the system of cross-references provided in the margin. Cross references identify commonalities between different parts of the Bible—chains of similar themes, words, events, or people.
Thompson Chain-Reference Bible has nothing but subject headings and cross-references in the margin, with index numbers pointing to a topical concordance in the back of the volume.

DICTIONARIES AND ENCYCLOPEDIAS

A Bible dictionary is a reference work containing definitions and descriptions related to the Bible, typically concerning people, places, customs and doctrine.

A Biblical encyclopedia explains in detail every significant word in the Bible. It provides detailed information on the language and literature of the Bible world, their cultures and the historical and religious environments of the people of the Bible in articles.

INTERLINEAR AND PARALLEL BIBLES

Interlinear Bibles display the Bible in two languages, such as English and Greek—helpful for those learning Bible languages, or for accessing specific words.
Parallel Bibles display two or more Bible versions on a page so that by comparing translations, you will have a better understanding of Scripture.

LEXICONS

Bible lexicons provide definitions and meaning of Biblical words found in the original New Testament Greek and Old Testament Hebrew languages of the Holy Bible. This study resource helps in understanding the origins and root meaning of the ancient language. Additional, lexicons give the context and cultural meaning intended by the authors.

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