CCM Seminary

Rev. Dr. L. Bwalya

Hermeneutics
Module 2

Lawrence Kabanda
18 June, 2020
 1. Summary of Towns L. Elmer How to study and teach the Bible

Because the Bible is God’s written message to us, it is important to read and
understand it. This book is written to help people study the Bible to understand its
message. This book goes beyond Bible study. These lessons are different than most
books that tell you how to study the Bible. This book begins where they leave off with
general principles of hermeneutics (principles to interpret the Bible). This book tells
how to study different kinds of Scripture. Therefore, this will be a specific book to
help you Study and Teach the Bible.

The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to you. When you understand this principle
you begin to understand the Bible. A key to effective Bible study is to focus on the
main point of the passage. To make a passage of Scripture come alive, begin by
attempting to write out the point of each verse in the chapter. Solving problems can
also be an important part of your Bible study. Personal Bible study should always be
practical. Not only should you record your Bible study notes, you need to also write
out the way you intend to apply the Bible in some specific context in your life.

Teaching biographies can be a highly effective tool to opening up the Bible both for
the beginning teacher as well as those more experienced. Because of the natural
tendency of people to identify with other people, the teacher is more likely to attract
and maintain interest in a biographical lesson than in other approaches to Bible
study. In approaching biographical study, several steps should be taken to insure
success in gaining a better understanding of the “life-message” of a particular biblical
character. The first step involves the selection you will study. Usually begin by
choosing secondary characters rather than major characters. If your interest in a
character continues to grow as you study part of his or her life, you can develop a
series of studies on the person.

Biblical doctrine is the foundation of our Christian life and ministry. Teaching doctrine
is compatible with the purpose of the Scriptures. Doctrine is foundation to the
Christian life. The goal of doctrinal teaching is to help students adopt the Christian
lifestyle most appropriate to sound doctrine. As you approach the study of doctrine, it
is important that you know how it relates to theology. Doctrine is the study of the
Bible to learn about God, His work and His world. Teaching doctrine is explaining
truth revealed by God in a systematic and understandable way. Teaching that does
not include foundational doctrine is teaching without credibility or believability.

The devotional approach makes us spiritual. A devotional understanding of the

Scriptures helps us love God more and more as we grow in Him. One of God’s
purposes in Scripture is to help us overcome sin. Meditating on the Scripture is one
of the biblical keys to success in life. Also, meditating on the Scripture is one of the
keys to personal fulfilment in life.

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Jesus used parables throughout His teaching ministry to communicate significant
truths in a simple way. At its very core, a parable is simply a story. It is a drama
recording of actions that leads to a conclusion. It describes characters who interact
with one another or have significant things to say. One good reason for teaching the
parables is enduring quality that they possess. People tend to remember stories
better than abstract ideas or propositional truth. When interpreting parables, it is
important to discover the one central truth that the parable is designed to teach and
base our interpretation on that fundamental principle. Usually, the context points to
the interpretation.

There are several good reasons to study and teach the Bible by book and chapter by
chapter. For many Christians, this is the most obvious way to read and study the
Scriptures. Each of the sixty-six books of the Bible has a particular emphasis and/or
theme. These themes are best understood in the context of the whole content of the
book. When we study the Bible by book, we learn the major lessons of the Scripture
in the manner that the human authors of Scripture intended to teach them. The study
of the Bible by book and chapter provide a context in which the various details or
verses of Scripture can be better understood. When we study the Bible book by
book, we begin to understand the broader context of each book. A better approach is
to choose one of the smaller books in Scripture for the first few attempts while
learning this method, then latter apply the method to larger books when you are
more familiar with this approach.

Why study stories/ Biblical narratives? Since all Scripture is inspired and profitable,
then it includes biblical narratives. Having selected the account you are studying;
begin by surveying the narrative to gain a “feel” for the event being described. Ask
yourself several questions to help you better understand what is taking place. First,
who are the major characters in this account? Next, what is the plot which unfolds in
this account? Finally, how much time passes in this narrative? Part of studying a
biblical narrative involves consulting parallel accounts of this event in other parts of
the Bible to get a different perspective on the story.

Personal lessons learned

On a personal level I have learnt from the study of this book the importance of
studying the Bible and why the Bible must be taught. I have learnt that only two
things last forever, the Bible and people and that when we help people understand
the Bible, we influence eternity. I have as well learnt about the several ways of how
the Bible can be studied and taught.

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2. Summary of Torrey A.R. How to study the Bible

Nothing is more important for our own mental, moral and spiritual development, or
for our increase in usefulness, than Bible study. “How to study the Bible so as to get
the largest profit from it,” is a question of immeasurable importance. The answer to
the question, found in this book, has been for the most part given in addresses by
the author.

The first method of Bible study that we shall consider is the study of the Bible by
individual books. The first work to do is to select the book to study. For the first book-
study, choose a short book. Choose a comparatively easy book. Chose a book that
is rich in its teaching to illustrate the advantages of this method of study and thus
give a keen appetite for further studies of the same. The second work to do is to
master the general contents of the book. The third work is to prepare an introduction
to the Book. Write down at the top of separate sheets of paper or cards the following
questions: (1) Who wrote this book? (2) To whom did he write? (3) Where did he
write it? (4) When did he write it? (5) What was the occasion of his writing? (6) What
was the purpose for which he wrote? (7) What were the circumstances of the author
when he wrote? (8) What were the circumstances of those to whom he wrote? (9)
What glimpses does the book give into the life and character of the author? (10)
What are the leading ideas of the book? (11) What is the central truth of the book?
(12) What are the characteristics of the book?

The fourth work is to divide the book into proper sections. The fifth work is to take up
each verse in order and study it. The sixth work in the study of the book is to classify
the results obtained by the verse by verse analysis. We come now to the seventh
and last work. This is simply to meditate upon, and so digest, the results obtained.

A second method of study is the Topical Method. This consists in searching through
the Bible to find out what its teaching is on various topics. A few rules concerning
topical study will probably be helpful to most of the readers of this book. Be
systematic. Make a list of all the subjects that you can think of that are touched upon
in the Bible. Then take these topics up one by one in logical order. Be thorough. Be
exact. Get the exact meaning of each passage considered. Classify and write down
your results.

A third method of study is the Biographical. It consists in taking up the various

persons mentioned in Scripture and studying their life, work and character. Collect all
the passages in the Bible in which the person to be studies is mentioned. Analyse
the character of the person. Note the elements of power and success, the elements
of weakness and failure, the difficulties overcome, the helps to success, the
privileges abused, the opportunities neglected, the opportunities improved, the
mistakes made and the perils avoided. Make a sketch of the life in hand. Make it

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vivid, living and realistic as possible. Try to reduce the subject as a real, living man.
Note the place and surroundings of the different events, e.g., Paul in Athens,
Corinth, Pihilippi. Summarize the lessons we should learn from the story of this
person’s life and note the person in hand in his relations to Jesus, e.g., as a type of
Christ (Joseph, David, Solomon and others).

A fourth method of study is the Study of Types. The following may serve as
principles to govern us in this method of study: Be sure you have Bible warrant for
your supposed type. Begin with the more simple and evident types, e.g., the
Passover (comp. Ex. 12 with 1 Cor. 5:7 etc.), the High Priest, the Tabernacle. Be on
your guard against the fanciful and overstrained. In studying any passage of possible
typical suggestion, look up all the Scripture references. Study carefully the meaning
of the names of persons and places mentioned.

A fifth method of Bible study is the old-fashioned method of the study of the Bible in
course, beginning at Genesis and going right on until Revelation is finished. The
advantages of studying in the Bible in course are: First, it is the only method by
which you will get an idea of the Book as a whole. Second, it is the only method by
which you are likely to cover the whole Book, and so take in the entire scope of
God’s revelation. Third, it is the best method to enable one to get hold of the unity of
the Bible and its organic character. Fourth, it is a great corrective to one-sidedness
and crankiness. A sixth method of study is closely related to the fifth method. It is
studying the various portions of the Bible in their Chronological Order.

The seventh and last method of study is the Study of the Bible for Practical
Usefulness in Dealing with Men. To study the Bible in this way, make as complete a
classification as possible of all the classes of men that one will meet. Write the
names of the various classes at the head of separate sheets of paper or cards. Then
begin the Bible and read it through slowly, and when you come to a passage that
seems likely to prove useful in dealing with any class write it down upon its
appropriate sheet.

The first of the fundamental conditions of the most profitable Bible study is the
student must be born again. The second condition is a love for the Bible, the third is
a willingness to do hard work. The fourth is a will wholly surrendered to God and the
fifth condition is very closely related to the fourth the student of the Bible must be
obedient to its teachings as soon as he sees them. The sixth is a child-like mind. The
seventh is that we study the Bible as the word of God. The eighth and last condition
is prayerfulness.

Personal lessons learned

I have learnt several profitable methods of how to study the Bible from this book as
well as the fundamental conditions of profitable Bible study.

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Bibliography

Towns Elmer L. How to study and teach the Bible. Lynchburg, Virginia: Elmer L.

Towns 1997. Pp. 1-120

R. A. Torrey. How to study the Bible. London: Baliantyne, Hanson and Company.

1903. Pp. 1-63.

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