Study Tips: Author's IntentionSample

Have you ever played with a ‘Magic 8 Ball’, looking to it for a quick answer to a question you long to have answered? I think we can sometimes approach the Bible this way: reading it to find an answer or direction without taking the time to fully understand what the passage says and what the author wants to communicate.

The words of the Bible are Holy Spirit-inspired, living and active; God continues to speak to us through them today and transforms us by His Holy Spirit through His word. God can speak to us and help us to see the big picture of His story through the devotional approach described above. Still, it can cause us to miss out on the richness of what God wants to communicate to us through His word.

In contrast, when we study a passage to understand the author’s intended meaning before thinking about our personal response, we read slowly and repeatedly; we take the time to observe the passage, consider the context, ask questions, and look for answers in the surrounding verses and perhaps in other parts of the Bible. Taking the time to do these steps helps us understand more fully what the author intended to communicate to his original audience and gives greater depth to our understanding.

After we have done this, we can more readily see the timeless truths about God that are being taught in the passage and how they impact our time and culture; then, we can see more clearly the core message of the passage and how we should respond to it.

In summary, over the next six days, we will walk through how to study the Bible in such a way that you are working towards understanding the author’s intention – the message or effect the author wanted to have on his original audience. After you have worked towards understanding the author’s intention, the next step is to decide what you think is the theological significance – the universal theological truths in the passage and what these truths look like in our time and culture. Lastly, considering the author’s intention and the theological significance, determining the core message and how you should respond to it as a follower of Jesus.

Read Philemon.