ABTI Hermeneutics 4 - Observe, Interpret, Apply

How to read a love letter

Introduction

The 3 Step Hermeneutical Method

Observe, Interpret, Apply


“Method is ‘methodicalness.’ That is, it involves taking certain steps in a certain order

to guarantee a certain result. Not just any steps; not just any order; not just any result.”

— Howard Hendricks


OBSERVE INTERPRET APPLY







Observation

“What do I see?”

Why don’t we get more out of God’s Word?

1. We don't know what to read.2. We don't know what to look

for.

What are we looking for?

•Terms - a term is a key word that is crucial to what an author has to say because it unlocks meaning.


•Structure - the basic building blocks of a text.• Grammatical structure: what is the subject? The

object? The main verb?• Literary structure:

• Questions and answers

• Cause and effect

• Climax and resolution.


•Literary form - the genre of the literature in question. Each genre must be interpreted according to its proper rules.

•Atmosphere - picking up the feelings from the biblical text.

Interpretation

“What does it mean?”

Interpretation

• Questions - “If you want to understand a biblical text, you’ve got to bombard it with questions.”

• Answers - Answers to your questions are found in the text. Observation gives you the data to construct the meaning of the passage.

• Integration - Putting the answers together into a meaningful whole. In integration, you reconstruct the meaning of a passage after you’ve taken it apart to inspect the details.

Application

“What shall I do?”

Application

• How does it work for me? The interpreter must first apply the text to his or her own life before applying it to the lives of others.

• How does it work for others? The bible has implications for others. How does this passage apply to your family? Your friends? Your bible study group? Your coworkers?

Application

•As you develop points of application, be sure to record them in sentences that are:•Complete and grammatically correct.•Written in the present tense.•Application oriented.

Practice

Hebrews 11

Education

ABTI Hermeneutics 4 - Observe, Interpret, Apply