The greatest treasure we have is the Bible. The Bible is where
God speaks to us so that we can know Him, His will for our lives, and
His plans for the future. This is why the Scriptures describe
themselves as "more valuable than gold, yes, than much fine gold" Psalms 19:10.
But if you have ever tried to study the Bible in depth, either
for personal study or in preparation to teach a Bible study, you
probably discovered that it can be very difficult. The reason for this
is that the Bible was written over a 1,500 year time span by different
people, in different places, from different cultures who wrote in
different ways. Some wrote like historians using historical narrative,
others wrote very eloquent poetry, Jesus taught at times in parables,
and then there are the very mysterious and often baffling prophetic
writings. Each of these literary types require certain Bible study
principles if they are going to be interpreted accurately.
The "How
to Study the Bible" class is an entry level class which addresses the
basic principles for Bible interpretation. The first four lessons cover
the essential information needed to interpret any passage. The rest of
the lessons address specific kinds of literature like parables and
prophecy, and how to interpret them accurately.