LITERAL BIBLE STUDY
“And they were all amazed, and were in doubt,
saying one to another, What meaneth this?”
~ Acts 2:12
- Starting Bible Study
- It should begin knowing our place: we are the sinner, God is the truth teller
- Bible study isn’t textual criticism: trust his book to be right, believe His words
- Believe God means what he says – avoid: “it doesn’t mean what it says”
- Literal Bible study is portrayed as the tool of the ignorant, simple, and uneducated
- Do not be fooled into thinking you have an holy imagination. Read it plainly.
- Take it Literally
- It is the natural reading of the text; “plain sense”, historical-grammatical approach
- Literal means according to the letter. Limit your interpretation to the text.
- Consider the time in which it was spoken and by whom… (dispensational?)
- Gen 6 says God created the world in 6 days, is it literal? Exo 20:9-11
- They argue that a “literal” reading makes no sense ex. Gen 1:3, but Rev 21:23
- A non-literal interpretation challenges God’s power and important doctrines
- Was Adam literal or just a metaphor? He’s in the genealogy of Luke 3:38!
- Paul mentions him in Rom 5, 1 Cor 15:22 for doctrine. As does the Lord Matt 19:4
- Jonah was swallowed by a whale or great fish, right? Or is it just a story? Matt 12:39
- A lot of people do not believe a literal Jesus did literal miracles and literally raised
- Do not make excuses for God, he is supernatural, the Bible is supernatural
- Skeptics hate this. They won’t believe it without an explanation, literary or scientific
- Figures of Speech
- Psa 65:13 – You may be laughed at because Psalms mentions singing corn
- Figures of speech are natural uses of grammar, they have rules and form
- You must use the text of the Bible to define the figure, not your imagination.
- Sword spitting Jesus? Could it be real? Not likely. Rev 1:16, Heb 4:12, Eph 6:17
- Do words kill? Yes, but not just words. Jer 23:29, 5:14, and Rev 11:5, 16:8
- There are similes and metaphors all over Rev 1:12-17, but the event was real
- Speaking of stars… Rev 1:20. Stars are angels, the star of Bethlehem? Matt 2:2,2:9
- Eat Jesus? John 6:51-58, the context gives the meaning – John 6:63, 6:34-35
- What’s the point? To discern the literal meaning, even if it is a figure
- Jesus said sell all that you have – Luke 12:33, 18:22, literally Matt 19:27, Acts 4:34
- Conclusion
- Beware of commentaries and “scholars” who doubt God means what he says
- You can read the Bible and understand its letters and words (literal reading)
- It requires you understand English, there are figures of speech.
- Literal Bible study forces you to study the doctrine, and not spiritualize the Bible
t The unedited version of this outline can be found at graceambassadors.com.
t The use of the material found at graceambassadors.com and thegracelifeplace.blogspot.com is not only allowed, but is encouraged!