Have you ever sat and read a scripture or heard a sermon and thought to yourself that you know the content. Then, in the mist of hearing or reading a new understanding comes over you and the scripture takes on a whole new meaning? This is the difference between knowing the bible and understanding the bible. Whereas children and new Christians one memorizes scriptures to build up faith, someone seeking something deeper needs to understand the text.
How we present the bible so you can understand it
The bible is viewed as the word of God and therefore is declared as the definitive source in the Christian faith. Being a book, however, there are certain things which a reader must incorporate in order to understand what has been written. The bible must be read from a grammatical, historical, and cultural point of view.
Understanding the bible grammatically
Grammatically, the bible contains poems, historical accounts, metaphors, allegories, parables, proverbs, and such. By understanding the structure and intended usage of the work, one can gain a better understanding as to the meaning of a text. For example: If a text has been metaphorical throughout the entire chapter and that preceding and after, it would be unwise to take one scripture from these three chapters and make it literal unless it is clearly defined as such.
Understanding the bible historically
When reading the bible from a historical point of view, one can get a better grasp as to what the text means. Understanding that Egypt was not located just in its current geographical location but spanned out across a greater portion of Africa, gives more of an impact as to the power and influence of such a government when reading the book of Exodus. In the New Testament, understanding a bit about Roman government would greatly help in the understanding of Paul’s address to the Roman officials and why they reacted in such a way. Another example would be in the history of Pontus Pilate. Where many view this man as the “innocent” but hard-pressed official who sentenced Jesus to crucifixion, a look into history will show that he was relieved of his post for excessive cruelty and violence (and this from the brutal Roman government).
Understanding the bible Culturally
Culturally addressing the bible will give depth to the stories and parables which a scholar may have come to view as redundant. Beliefs of a culture play a major role in the bible and oversight to such cultural beliefs greatly diminishes the impact of the scripture. For example: In the new testament when the disciples see Jesus on the water and think that he is a ghost, many would say that it is just because he was walking on water. However, there was a belief about that area that if one saw a ghost on the water, they would too become ghost (they would be drowned or pulled to the sea). This knowledge adds greatly to the terror which they must have felt and adds a dramatic understanding to the story as a whole.
More understanding of the Bible
Apart from these three key points, by enrolling in International Christian College (ICCS), you will receive training from professors saturated with biblical theology and doctrine. Teaching from the bible and not from denominational text, you will get a firm grasp of the bible so that you will not only know the bible, but you will understand it deeper.
For more information please visit our website iccscampus.org.