Step1 : “Grasping the text in their town” or “Reading in context”
Take a step beyond evaluating sentences and you get to looking at the paragraph. Let's look at 6 specific concepts we can look for when reading a paragraph in the Bible.
General & Specific
Sometimes passages start out with a general statement and then go on to give speci'cs that help to de'ne the general statement and sometimes the passage starts out with a specific and then moves to a more general statement that can give a broader application.
Example Passages:
General to Specific: Read Galatians 5:16 (General- “live by the Spirit” and “gratify the desires of the flesh”) Now read Galatians 5:19-23 (19-21a gives specfics on the desires of the flesh and 22-23 give specifics on life in the Spirit)
Specific to General: Look at 1 Corinthians 13:1-12 (Specifics about love) Now read 1 Corinthians 13:13 (General principal about love )
Questions & Answers
Sometimes the Bible teaches by giving us questions and answers. In Romans 5 Paul writes about free grace and the forgiveness of sins through Christ. In chapter 6:1, Paul anticipates a question that could arise after reading what he had written. So he asks the question and then immediately answers it and deepens our understanding about how to live the new life given to us through grace.
Example Passages:
Question: Romans 6:1: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” Answer: Romans 6:2-14: “By know means!…..”
Question: Romans 6:15a: “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace?” Answer: Romans 6:15b-23: “By no means!.....
Dialogue
Conversations between 2 or more people are spread out throughout Scripture. While usually obvious, it’s important to take note of who is talking, who is being spoken to, what is being said, why it is being said, and what the reactions are.
Example Passages: John 4:1-54 and Habakkuk 1:1 - 3:19
Purpose Statements
Sometimes Scripture just simply tells us the purpose of the particular passage. It seems pretty easy but it is easy to come to the text with a pre-conceived idea of what it means and then just skip right over the verse that tells the reader God’s intended meaning.
Example Passages: Psalm 119:11 and Eph 2:10
Means
When the Bible gives a purpose statement or an action that should happen, look for the means of how that purpose or action is to be accomplished. In Romans 8:13 says, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” The action is “put to death the deeds of the body”. How do we do that? By the Spirit. The means of how we “put to death” is important not to miss!
Example Passages: Psalm 119:9 and Romans 8:13