Roger Severino

Tag Archives: how to read the Bible

HOW IS THE BIBLE PUT TOGETHER?

Picture Credit: http://cdn.history.com/sites/2/2015/03/LIST-6-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-dead-sea-scrolls-E.jpeg When we open the Bible, what do we find? We soon discover that this larger book is a compilation of multiple books arranged in two broad categories that are referred to as the Old and New Testaments. Our Christian Old Testament contains the same content as the Hebrew Bible, or the Jewish Scriptures, except the arrangement...more

HOW TO READ AND TEACH THE PROPHETIC LITERATURE OF SCRIPTURE

There are prophets throughout the Old Testament, often found in the narrative accounts, such as Elijah and Elisha. The emphasis here, however, is in the prophetic books from Isaiah—Malachi, books at the end of the Old Testament. Prophecy is often understood as something that predicts the future. Though these elements can certainly be found in the prophetic books, it’s...more

HOW TO READ AND TEACH THE WISDOM LITERATURE OF SCRIPTURE

The wisdom genre of the Bible may best be seen in the books of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. Each of these teach a perspective on how to live life, and particularly in relationship to God. The beauty of these three books is that they complement one another and allow for the multi-faceted perspectives we need on wisdom. The Book...more

HOW TO READ AND TEACH THE “POETRY” PARTS OF SCRIPTURE

Most of the Bible’s poetic books and passages are in the Old Testament. Hebrew poetry appears frequently in the Old Testament. The Book of Psalms may be the best example of this, though poetry is sprinkled throughout the Old Testament, at times thrown in among the books that are otherwise characterized by narrative or prophecy, for example. Perhaps the...more

HOW TO READ AND TEACH THE NARRATIVE PARTS OF SCRIPTURE

PART 2 Last time we emphasized the importance of context when reading or teaching narrative. This includes the literary context, the historical context, the cultural context and the geographical context. Another important element in studying narrative is to distinguish between what is descriptive and prescriptive. Descriptive means the biblical author is merely describing what took place, with no value...more

6 GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR BIBLE STUDY

Here are 6 general principles that I think will help you in your study or reading of the Bible Pray: 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...more

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

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...more

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

“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....more
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