Roger Severino - Page 3 of 9 - Where Faith Meets Life

6 GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR BIBLE STUDY

July 28, 2017

First, begin your study with prayer and ask for guidance and understanding from the Holy Spirit. Ask God to open the eyes of your heart to what He has to say to you. Come with a submissive spirit, submitting your own will to God’s will.

Before asking the question “What does this passage mean to me?” consider what the author (i.e. Paul or another biblical writer) was trying to communicate to his audience (i.e. one of the churches). A good Study Bible or commentary can help you here. Once you begin there, then you can consider how to apply these principles...more

How Can An Understanding Of Literary Genres Help My Bible Study?

July 24, 2017

Literary Genre There are different types of literature in the Bible. Understanding the genre of a passage will help you to interpret it in the right way. An easy way to see the difference is to compare two types of genre that describe the same event. Exodus 14 is a narrative telling of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea and Pharaoh and his armies subsequently drowning in the waters....more

“Should I Read Every Part of the Bible the Same Way?”

July 7, 2017

“Yes…No…and No.” Have you ever found yourself reading one part of the Bible, say Leviticus, and then another part, like the Gospels, and noticed how different they are? So, should you read every part of the Bible? I think the answer to that is “yes” because, I believe God has something for us to learn in all of it. But…as a Christian, should I read every part of the...more

What Bette Midler, Joan Osborn (and maybe Tom Petty) teach us about God

February 3, 2017

Reflections on Isaiah 40 “From a distance, the world looks blue and green, and the snow-capped mountains white. From a distance, the ocean meets the stream and the eagle takes to flight. From a distance, there is harmony, and it echoes through the land. It’s the voice of hope, it’s the voice of peace, it’s the voice of every man. God is watching us, God is watching us, God...more

What Are We Passing Down to Our Children? Reflections on Deuteronomy 6

May 5, 2016

Deuteronomy is the last book of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. Four of these books – Exodus through Deuteronomy – tell the story of the fledgling nation of Israel as she escapes slavery in Egypt and ends up on the brink of the Promised Land. Deuteronomy is a set of sermons given by Moses to the nation, encouraging Israel toward faithful obedience and not to...more

Why is Love the Fulfillment of the Law? Reflections on Romans 13:8-10

April 28, 2016

My good friend Robbi Fischer would often jump in to pick up the tab on a milkshake or a cup of coffee. He somehow created a certain competition of trying to out-serve one another. We would often accuse the other of trying to steal all the heavenly crowns, and to be really acting out of selfishness and greed for these eternal rewards. At times, when I tried to pay...more

WHY STUDY THEOLOGY?

April 15, 2016

Why do we need to study the theological foundations of the Christian faith? I can imagine protests coming from different camps. One group might claim that this is unnecessary because people in our churches already know and embrace these truths. Others will complain that theology is for professionals, not for everyday Christians. This perspective might say, “Don’t bother people with theology. Just tell them what to do and how...more

He Spoke in Parables: What? Why? How?

February 17, 2016

Jesus often taught using parables. Three questions follow. What are parables? Why did Jesus use them as a way to teach? How do they relate to Jesus’ central message? What are parables? Early on, I heard the definition as “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” OK. Not a bad place to start, especially if we limit the definition to how parables are used by Jesus. Jesus takes very...more

Christianity is not Conduct, Creed, or Cult. It’s a New Birth: Reflections on John 3

February 3, 2016

The Old Testament had promised that one day God would pour out His Spirit on His people. The Book of Ezekiel, for example, references God putting His Spirit in His people in chapters 11, 36, 37, and 39.When the Spirit’s outpouring is realized at Pentecost, Peter references a prophecy from the Book of Joel. But prior to Pentecost, the Spirit is prominent in the life, ministry, and teachings of...more

Birth of Christ: The Silence is Broken after a 400 Year Intermission

January 20, 2016

“When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son” (Galatians 4:4). The Old Testament closes around 400 B.C., with the Persians dominating the Middle East. Books like Ezra and Nehemiah, and prophets like Haggai and Malachi, are at the end of Old Testament history. Yes, there are significant books (the Apocrypha) written in the intertestamental period (the period between the Old and New Testaments), but neither...more