TGP01V01S Unit4 Session12 PersonalStudyGuide

7/30/2019 TGP01V01S Unit4 Session12 PersonalStudyGuide

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FALL 2012: Personal Study GuideEd StetzerGeneral EditorTrevin WaxManaging Editor


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A D V I S O R Y C O U N C I L

Tese Christian leaders were part of a team who consulted on the creation of Te Gospel Project.

James MacDonald

Senior Pastor at Harvest BibleChapel, Chicago, IL

Daniel Akin

President of Southeastern BaptistTeological Seminary, WakeForest, NC

J.D. Greear

Pastor at Te Summit Church,Raleigh, NC

Eric Mason

Pastor of Epiphany Fellowship,Philadelphia, PA

Kimberly Thornbury

Dean of Students at UnionUniversity, Jackson, N

Jay Noh

Director of Missional Leadershipand Mobilization, ChicagoBaptist Association

Joe Thorn

Pastor of Redeemer Fellowship,St. Charles, IL

Juan Sanchez

Pastor of High Pointe BaptistChurch, Austin, X

Collin Hansen

Editorial director, Te GospelCoalition / editor-at-large,Christianity oday

THE GOSPEL PROJECT FOR STUDENTS

PERSONAL STUDY GUIDE, FALL 2012

VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1

PRODUCTION AND MINISTRY TEAM

EDITORIAL PROJECT LEADER: Chad Jordan

CONTENT EDITOR: Chad Jordan

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST: Edward A Craword

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Charles Long

CONTRACT GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Susan Maywald

PRODUCTION EDITOR: Scott Latta

STUDENT MINISTRY SPECIALIST: Paul Turner

Send questions/comments to: Content Editor, The Gospel

Project for Students, One LieWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-

0174; or make comments on the Web at www.lifeway.com

MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL

DIRECTOR, STUDENT MINISTRY PUBLISHING: Jef Pratt

DIRECTOR, STUDENT MINISTRY: Ben Trueblood

DIRECTOR, SUNDAY SCHOOL: David Francis

Printed in the United States of America

The Gospel Project for Students (ISSN 1939-0742; Item 005508013) is

published quarterly by Li feWay Christian Resources, One LifeWay Plaza,

Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President.

2012 LifeWay Christian Resources.

For ordering or inquiries, visit www.lifeway.com or write LifeWay

Church Resources Customer Service, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville,

TN 37234-0113. For subscriptions or subscription addre ss changes,

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We believe that the Bible has God for its author; salvation for i ts end;

and truth, without any mix ture of error, for its matter and that all

Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. To review LifeWays doctrinal

guideline, please visit www.lifeway.com/doctrinalguideline .

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the

Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003,

2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Scripture quota -

tions marked (NIV) are f rom the Holy Bible, New International Version,copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New

Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permi ssion of Tyndale House

Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reser ved.


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104 TGP Personal Study Guide

SESSION 12

UNDERSTANDINGHOW GOD SPEAKS

God has a plan or us, His children. We dont have

to wonder what He expects rom us, or how much

He loves us. He has captured the entire story and

given us a copythe Holy Scripture. As His children

traveling through this lie, we discover how to travel,

where to travel, and the ways in which we can bring others along

on the journey. But the Scriptures must be interpreted correctly

in order or it to make sense. Written in the contexts o numerousempires and eras, the biblical writers difered greatly rom one

another. There were humble shepherds like David and wise sages

like Solomon, simple shermen like Peter and educated scholars

like Paul.

Failing to understand each writer and the context, genre,

and purpose o such writings can lead not only to a skewed

understanding o Scripture but also to unnecessary heartache,

conusion, and misdirection.

This week, well explore our genres o Scripture that will help

us interpret Gods Word responsibly: historical narrative, wisdom

literature, prophecy, and letters. By ocusing on these our styles

o writing, we can acquire several principles and guidelines in

order to understand not only a particular passage o Scripture

but also how that passage ts into the overarching narrative o

Gods redeeming plans.


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READY YOUR HEART

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Gen. 30:1-6 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she enviedher sister. Give me sons, or I will die! she said to Jacob. Jacob became angry with Rachel

and said, Am I in Gods place, who has withheld children rom you? Then she said, Here

is my slave Bilhah. Go sleep with her, and shell bear children or me so that through her

I too can build a amily. So Rachel gave her slave Bilhah to Jacob as a wie, and he slept

with her. Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. Rachel said, God has vindicated me; yes,

He has heard me and given me a son, and she named him Dan.

I HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY o taking my kiddos to their GiGis house every morning

beore heading o to work Every morning beore leaving, I give each one o them a

good-bye kiss Recently Makenna, my two-year-old daughter, has decided on some

days that she doesnt want her daddys good-bye kiss So when I go to say my good-byes, shell scream No kisses! and bury her ace

Ater a couple o days o this, I had an ingenious idea Since she loves chocolate, and

since GiGi always keeps a container stocked with Herseys Kisses, I pulled one o the

bite-sized chocolates out, held it up, and simply asked, Would you like a kiss?

Her immediate response was Yes! As she went to grab the chocolate kiss rom my

hand, I quickly planted a smooch on her cheek I got my good-bye kiss, and she got her

chocolate Everyone walked away happy To put it another way, we could say: Both are

happy that Makenna received a kiss rom her daddy

Look at that sentence Both me and my daughter would be able to say that it

accurately describes the situation, yet we mean dierent things I am happy because I

got to show my daughter aection beore parting or the day She is happy because shegets to eat a bit o chocolate beore breakast The point is that we have to know more

inormation beore we can understand the ullness o that simple statement

Reading the Bible require this same type o commitment There are many things

in the Bible that, i pulled apart rom the rest o the book, would be very conusing or

troubling A prime example is the passage above I we dont understand the historical

situation, the type o writing, and the ultimate point o the passage, we will have huge

questions surrounding the Bible In other words, or us to truly understand and apply the

Bible to our lives, we must understand the context in which passages are written

CONTEXT

PAUSE AND REFLECT What is context? Why is it important to understand the context o a

passage o Scripture? What can happen i we try to apply Scripture without

understanding the context?


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READY YOUR HEART

Prov. 22:6 Teach a youth about the way he should go; even when he is old he will notdepart rom it.Prov. 26:4-5 Dont answer a ool according to his oolishness or youll

be like him yoursel. Answer a ool according to his oolishness or hell become wise in his

own eyes.

Also read Joel 2:17-21, andActs 2:14-21.

NETFLIX STREAMING IS AWESOME With just a ew clicks, you can instantly watch any

number o television shows or movies On o the most time consuming elements o the

entire process is deciding what to watch

To help users in the endeavor, Netfix has all o their content categorized by genre

So i youre hanging out with a couple o buddies and want a good laugh, you simply

click over to the comedy section and pick rom those options Interested in learningabout real-world events and people? Browse the documentary section Whatever the

mood or occasion, you can search through the genre to nd your perect programming

In addition, selecting a program using this method helps set the mood and tone I

youre going to watch a slap-stick comedy, you probably dont have to pay as close o

attention to the small things going on than i you were watching a mystery The point is,

knowing the genre o the program not only helps you choose what you want to watch,

but also sets the tone or how you will watch

This latter statement applies to Bible study as well Knowing the genre o a passage

o Scripture helps set the tone o what to expect, and how to understand, that text

For example, we must understand the book o Proverbs to be a part o whats called

wisdom literature Proverbs 22:6, or instance, says that i parents will teach theirchildren the way they should go, they will remain aithul as they age Generally speaking,

this is the case More times than not, i a parent instills strong biblical principles in his

or her children, they will have a much better chance o being a aithul Christian as they

grow older But that is not always the case You probably know people who have strong

Christian parents but are ar away rom Christ personally

I we didnt understand the genre o wisdom literature, we may think that Bible

is wrong in these cases Understanding exactly what this genre is and what it entails,

however, lets us learn and teach these types o passages correctly

PAUSE AND REFLECT What is a genre? Why is it important to know the genre o the Scripture

passages we study? How can the a passages genre afect our interpretation

o the passage?

GENRE


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READY YOUR HEART

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Gal. 1:1-7 Paul, an apostlenot rom men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God theFather who raised Him rom the deadand all the brothers who are with me:

To the churches o Galatia. Grace to you and peace rom God the Father and our Lord

Jesus Christ, who gave Himsel or our sins to rescue us rom this present evil age,

according to the will o our God and Father. To whom be the glory orever and ever. Amen.

I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away rom Him who called you by the grace o

Christ and are turning to a diferent gospelnot that there is another gospel, but there are

some who are troubling you and want to change the good news about the Messiah.

I recently purchased a home gym Its one o those large machines that allow you to do

over 30 dierent exercises in a variety o positions I ordered the machine on the internet,

and was shocked when it arrived at my house The entire contraption was stued into abox that less than 8 inches tall! As I opened the box up, I started to see how it was in act

possible Beore starting the construction process, I sought out the owners manual

In the brie manual, I was provided detailed instructions or putting the machine

together, a helpul guide or the various exercises that could be perormed on the

machine, and a ew training tips This was a very helpul guide But it was only helpul

because I had that particular machine

I I were to approach you and give you this manual, youd have absolutely no use or

it The entire manual is written or the purpose o showing someone how to set up and

use the equipment I they do not have the equipment, the manual would do no good

Just as the instruction manual had a very specic purpose, much o the Bible does

as well I we do not understand the purpose o a specic text o Scripture, we may missits ultimate point

For example, look at this passage rom Galatians Verse 2 clearly states that this

letter was written to the churches o Galatia Why did Paul choose to write this particular

letter to those churches? We see that answer a bit urther in verses 6 and 7 He explicitly

says that there are some in the church o Galatia that wanted to change the gospel o

Christ The purpose o this letter, then, is to help the churches o Galatia understand

the true gospel and protect them rom alse doctrines I we didnt have this rst section

to help us see the purpose o the letter, wed miss out on much o its rich teaching

PURPOSE

PAUSE AND REFLECT Why is it important to understand the writers purpose

o a particular passage o Scripture? How does knowing a passages purpose help us

understand the ultimate meaning o a passage? How can we gure out a passages purpose?


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To rightly understand GodsWord, we need to understandHow God communicated.By ocusing on these our styles o writing, we can acquire theprinciples and guidelines needed to understand not only a

particular passage o Scripture but also how that passage tsinto the overarching narrative o Gods plan o redemption.

Approximately

60 percento theBible is historical narrative.Sidney Greidanus sayshistorical narrative is thecentral, oundational, andall-encompassing genreo the Bible. The purposeo historical narrativeliterature is simply tonarrate, to tell a story.

InterpretingWisdom LiteratureUnlike the genre o historicalnarrative that purposes totell a story, wisdom literatureprovides general truths aboutliving in a way that honors God

We cannot pullone proverbout o contextand apply ituniversally.The two proverbs inProverbs 26:4-5 appearto contradict one anotheruntil you realize thatthe author is reerring todierent circumstances.

There are three primary kinds of context:

Immediate context Remote context Historical context

What is the immediate, remote,and historical context o Genesis30:1-6? How does knowing thecontext help us interpret and applythe individual story? When in yourlie has something you have saidbeen taken out o context andwhat were the results? How waswhat you said misinterpreted?

What would be some improperinterpretations or applications

o Gen. 30:1-6? Taken out ocontext, wat does this passageseem to allow?

InterpretingHistorical Narrative.

What are some otherproverbs that are generallytrue and yet not applicableto every circumstance?What are some proverbs welive by culturally that arentrom the Bible even thoughsome attribute them to theBible? What is the diferencein sound worldly commonsense and biblical wisdom?


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InterpretingProphecy.O all the genres o Scripture,prophecy is one o the most difcultto understand, interpret, and applyto our lives. The rst step in correctlyinterpreting prophetic literatureis to seek to understand what theauthor sought to communicate tohis original audience.

Interpreting LettersThe letters (also called epistles) constitute a majorsection in the New Testament. Similar to an e-mail thyou might write to a riend or a group o riends, eachletter has a particular author and audience.

What are some ways in which ancient letters arediferent than the letters we write today? Whatare some similarities? How does knowledge oancient letter-writing help us understand theNew Testament letters?

Conclusion Gods people were never meant to walk in thisworld alone. We are pilgrims who require Gods guidance. When it comes tinterpreting the Word o God, Jesus does not leave us to ourselves. He joinus in our pilgrimages and shows us how to correctly read the Scripture. AnHe delights in ourseeing how everything (even the strange stories o theOld Testament) is ultimately designed to lead us to Him.

What is something you learned today that stands out? What can you do to remember these truths as you read Gods Word t

help you properly interpret what is being said? Do you understand now why beginning with prayer and asking God t

guide is such an important part o studying the Bible?

How might somethingyou say to one particu-lar riend difer romthe way you wouldtell the same ino toanother person? Whati you were describing ariends party you wentto? How would yourdescription difer i youwere telling an adult, ariend, or a teacher?

Read Deuteronomy 13:1-5

and 18:21-22. Accordingto these passages, whatdistinguishes a true prophetrom a alse prophet? Whenyou hear someone in themedia claim to know whenChrist will return, what areyour thoughts? Why do youeel the way you do?


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ENCORE

1. INTERPRETING HISTORICAL NARRATIVE (GEN. 30:1-6)

Te Bible cntins sties encugement n epessin, sws n celebtins. Te chctese mny. Tee is Slmn in his snctuy n Dniel in his en, Jnh in his whle n Pul in hispisn. Te plts e unpeictble slve wh becme pweul in Egypt; shephe wh becmeking Isel. Sme these sties eect the ithulness Gs peple, while thes eect thecnsequences neglecting t bey G.

It is vitlly imptnt t unestn the cntext histicl ntive. Tee e thee pimykins cntext. Immediate contextthe ws, phses, sentences, n pgphs immeitelysuuning the biblicl text. Remote contextthe chptes n sectins suuning the biblicl

text. An historical contextthe histicl setting in which the biblicl text ws witten. Ech thesecntexts is imptnt in etemining hw t intepet pticul pssge in Sciptue.

2. INTERPRETING WISDOM LITERATURE (PROV. 22:6; 26:4-5)

Te Bk Pvebs is cllectin wise syings tht is ctegize une the umbell wismlitetue. Unlike the gene histicl ntive tht pupses t tell sty, wism litetuepvies genel tuths but living in wy tht hns G.

Like the Bk Pvebs, the the bks wism litetue (Jb, Pslms, Sng Sngs, nEcclesistes) must be intepete ccing t thei iniviul pupses. Whees Jb shes light nthe ppe eltinship between G n peple, Pslms cntins viety pupses: lment npetitin, thnksgiving n pise, exlttin the king, n expessins tust. Tese pupsesmust be intepete ccing t ech iniviul ctegy within the Pslms.

At st glnce, sme veses in the Sng Sngs my be intepete t pmte pmiscuity (Sng Sg. 4:5); hweve, when they e intepete in the cntext mige, they illustte the beuty intimcy she between husbn n his bie, beuty tht pints w t the eltinshipbetween Chist n His chuch.

Wht but Ecclesistes? Te pupse Ecclesistes is t shw us by negtive exmple hw best tbehve. F instnce, when the uth sys, Eveything is utile (Eccl. 1:2), we must intepet thisin light the Sciptue veses tht explin the tue mening n ultimte vlue living glylie (Rm. 12:2; 15:14; Eph. 5:8; 2 Pet. 1:3-11). Misintepeting wism litetue cn pint us in the

wng iectin, wy m lie tht hns n glies G.

3. INTERPRETING PROPHECY (JOEL 2:28-32)

O ll the genes Sciptue, pphecy is ne the mst ifcult t unestn, intepet, n pplyt u lives. Te st step in cectly intepeting pphetic litetue is t seek t unestn whtthe uth sught t cmmunicte t his iginl uience.

In this pssge, we see Jel s forthteller, tht is, he put th Gs tuth t his wn genetin.But Jel n the pphets wee lsforetellerswh spke t the ulllment utue events. In u

UNDERSTANDING HOW GOD SPEAKS

To rightly understand Gods Word, we need to understand how God communicated.


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1FALL 2012

pssge ty, Jel spke nt nly t the immeite utpuing Gs blessing but ls t utueutpuing Gs Spiit. I will pu ut My Spiit n ll humnity; then yu sns n yuughtes will pphesy, yu l men will hve ems, n yu yung men will see visins (Jel2:28). Tis pphecy cme tue hunes yes lte uing the ministy the pstle Pete (see

Acts 2:14-21).But Jels pphecy i nt en with Pete t Pentecst. In ct, Jel 2:30-32 hs yet t be ullle,

even in u lietime: I will isply wnes in the hevens n n the eth: bl, e, n clumns smke. Te sun will be tune t kness n the mn t bl bee the get n we-inspiing Dy the Lord cmes. Reveltin 6:12 n 8:7 suggest tht these events, pphesiethusns yes g, e still n the hizn.

4. INTERPRETING LETTERS (GAL. 1:1-7)

Te lettes (ls clle epistles) cnstitute mj sectin in the New estment. Simil t n e-miltht yu might wite t ien gup iens, ech lette hs pticul uth n uience.

Gltins, instnce, ws witten by Pul t the chuches in Glti un a.d. 50. Its shtlette, nly six chptes lng. It inclues n intuctin, esciptin Puls pstleship, tetisen the eltinship between gce n the lw, n ppel, thesis n wht it mens t be ee in JesusChist, n cnclusin. Its pimy pupse is t encuge Chistins t etun t the gspel thtthey hve bnne.

Ate the uth, uience, n stuctue n epistle e estblishe, we cn then pcee tiscve its mening u lives. But we must s ceully, sme techings in the Bible ecultully mnte t specic uiences.

F instnce, in 1 Cinthins 11:6, Pul wites, I wmns he is nt cvee, he hi shulbe cut . Is the pplictin this text t men tht the wmen in u chuches shul we hts

t chuch evey week else shve thei hes? Nt necessily. Te chuch in Cinth wul hveunest cmpletely tht Pul ws giving this instuctin becuse pstitutes in the city Cinthwul ientiy themselves by isplying thei lng hi in public. Pul wnte t mke it vey cletht Chistin wmen must ct ieently thn the wl. S the pplictin this pssge lies inthe pinciple behin wht Pul ws syingmestynt hi length n ccessies.

Detemining which texts e cultully mnte cn be chllenging, n Bible-lving pepleisgee ten. Nevetheless, using this guie t esct us thugh Sciptue s wy t unestnthe epistles will give gete clity but hw t pply Gs W t yu lie.

CONCLUSION

Gs peple wee neve ment t wlk in this wl lne. We e pilgims wh equie Gsguince. When it cmes t intepeting the W G, Jesus es nt leve us t uselves.He es nt wnt us t expeience the unnecessy hetche n cnusin tht cme mmisintepeting His ws. Tts why He jins us in u pilgimgesHe escts us t etenityn shws us hw t cectly e the Sciptue. An He elights in u seeing hw eveything (eventhe stnge sties the Ol estment) is ultimtely esigne t le us t Him.

I yu n I llw Chist t le us thugh the genes Sciptue, t guie us thugh thelnscpe hemeneutics, then we cn be cnent tht G will g bee us, behin us, nbesie us. Remembe, Jesus si, I m with yu lwys, t the en the ge (Mtt. 28:20).

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TGP01V01S Unit4 Session12 PersonalStudyGuide