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What if instead of saying how much of the Bible we want to read, we committed to trying to understand everything that we do read?

Works are a result of salvation not a requirement for salvation.

“Action without understanding”

Four Areas of Interest when Studying your Bible: Worldview, Context, GenreApplication

Worldview - “particular philosophy of life or conception of the world”

Our worldview can deeply affect the way that we read/understand scripture.

Much of our background is different than the Biblical Author’s background(s).

Worldview Questions: Where might I be reading myself into the passage? How might someone different than me read this passage differently? How might the original audience understand this differently than me?

Context, Context, Context.

Cultural/Historical Context - we want to understand and observe what the original audience may have thought about the passage of scripture.

Questions:

What cultural standards/norms were practiced in this time period that might be referred to or would affect how someone understands these words?

What were some things widely/strongly valued by the culture of the author/audience at the time this was written?

Questions:

What was happening in the world at the time this was written that would have impacted the author or audience's life?

What historical experiences would the author/audience have to look back on that may have shaped them as an individual or society?

Textual Questions:

“How does this verse fit into the surrounding verses?”

“How does this verse fit into the rest of the chapter?”

"How does this chapter fit into the book as a whole?”

Genre - type or category of literature

The genre of the passage always impacts how it applies to our life.

Before you apply scripture to your life, make sure you know what that scripture means.

What I noticed about my worldview

Improper view of God in our culture

Tempted to follow God in order to get something

What I noticed about the context

Try to look at more than one verse at a time

What I noticed about the context

Try to look at more than one verse at a time

Understand more of what Jesus is talking about

Jesus is using metaphor

Jesus is talking about eternal and spiritual life

Culturally - relationship between sheep and shepherds

Historically - who are the thieves and robbers that Jesus is referring to?

“7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

What I noticed about the Genre

The Book of John is a Historical Narrative - telling the story of Jesus’ life

In this passage, Jesus is teaching with a lot of symbolism and metaphor

With all that in mind, how does this apply to our lives?

How does this passage warn, rebuke, correct, motivate, comfort, or encourage the Christian?”