How to study your Bible (Part 2 of 5)- Determining the Context

        Now it is time to get into the COMA method of Bible study.  Context, Observation, Meaning, Application.  Today we are going to be looking at context.  Every passage in Scripture was written in a very specific context.  It was written by a specific person (inspired by God), living in a specific time, in a specific region, to a specific group of people living in a specific time, in a specific region, for a specific purpose.  In addition there is the context of the verse itself.  Unless it is the first verse in the chapter it has been preceded by other verses and chapters in the book, and there is the context of the whole Bible to take into consideration also.  Where does this verse, or section, fit in the entirety of Scripture?  What has come before, and what has come after?  There are lots of things to take into consideration when it comes to determining the context of the passage you are studying.

       

 Why does it matter?  

1.)   It matters because Scripture cannot mean something today that it did not mean when it was first written.  The objective in Bible study is to determine the original meaning of the passage and that is nearly impossible to do without understanding the context that the passage finds itself in.  

2.)  Much incorrect theology is the result of taking verses out of their context to say something that they did not say in their original context.  For example:  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  We use this verse to motivate us in our school work, our athletics, our exercise, when we face difficult challenges.  We use this verse at times to "Christianize" the America dream that I can do whatever I put my mind to.  However, in context the verses that come before this verse speak of Paul being content with much or with little.  So the "all things" that this verse is specifically applying to is the ability to be content in every and all circumstances through Christ who strengthens us.  Their are many more examples of this and it is is something that many of us (myself included) do from time to time.  I can honestly tell you that there have been times when I was planning on teaching a verse believing it taught one thing, and being really disappointed when I studied the context and determined that it really wasn't teaching what I wanted it to teach.  

3.)  Determining the context of a passage can bring more meaning and understanding to the passage of Scripture that you are studying.  There have been many times that in determining a context of a passage that I have been able to see the beautiful truths of God more clearly.  There have also been numerous times that determining the context of a passage have helped me to better understand the meaning of passages that seemed confusing or difficult initially. 

There are more reasons, but suffice it to say that determining the context of a passage is a vital part of studying the Bible.

How to determine the context of a passage?

The best way is to work through a list of good questions and answering them as much as possible.  While you can answer some of these from careful reading of the text there are also a number of these questions that you will need to rely on the help of a good study Bible or commentary.  So here are the questions to ask to help determine the context.  Several of these questions have been taken from the book, "One to One Bible Reading" by David Helm.

1.)  What sort of writing is this?  (Letter, narrative, poem, etc).

2.)  Who is the human author?

3.)  Who was it written to?  Where do they live?  What is their culture like, etc

4.)  What are the circumstances of those it was written to?

5.)  What has happened so far?

Those are some of the questions to ask that will help you determine the context.

Time to put it to practice.

Passage:  1 Peter 1:1-12.

Start with prayer and than read the passage (1 Peter 1:1-12)  and begin to ask the context questions to this passage and the book as a whole.  If you have time it would be helpful to read through the entire book of 1 Peter in your process of trying to determine the circumstances and setting that the recipients of the letter find themselves in.  If not, just stick with the one passage.  Would love for you to spend time working on this today and than comment below with the answer to some or all of the above questions.  Tomorrow, I will share what I discovered in working towards determining the context of 1 Peter 1:1-12 and the book as a whole before looking at Observation.  Praying for you as you spend time seeking to determine the context.  Let me know what questions you might have.