Wrecking Your Bible

The Following are tips on how to wreck your bible through a structured bible study. The list is not exuastive, mutually exclusive or doctrine. The important thing is being more intentional in studying (not just reading) your bible. Also, let this not replace the guidance of the Holy Spirit in teaching you the scriptures. Wrecked Bibles are usually owned by people who's lives are not.



Book Summary/Survey: It’s a great Idea to read a summary of the book you want to study before hand. It will help you with other tools which we will look at in this section and give you the feel for the book.
Author’s Purpose Tool: This is a tool that can be picked up from Tool 1. Find out who is writing, to whom, from where and why. Understand the persona and situation of the writer and his readers. Application is NB: Then and Now?
The Structure Tool: This is a very NB tool. Imagine a textbook without any chapter divisions and sub-divisions. All you have is the name of the text book and a bunch of numbers for referencing purposes. This is how a book of the bible looks when we first open. Try and find out how the book can be divided into sections (Tool 1 can give you some ideas). Further divide the sections in to subsections. There is no set right and wrong way to do this as long as you can see where one topic starts and where the previous one ends.
The Context Tool: This is another very NB tool. A text without context is a con. Dictionary vs Novel. There are five levels of context: Sentence, Paragraph, Chapter, Bible Book and Whole Bible. How does it fit with what comes before and after? (Again, Tool 1 can be crucial when looking at context)
The Linking Words Tool: This tool is linked to the previous two tools because linking words can help you figure out the structure and the context of a text. It is also NB however in understanding the flow of the argument. Look out for words like ‘If’, ‘since’, ‘consequently’, ‘therefore’, ‘because’ and so on, and so forth and such. Thus, you can read the passage as one text/idea.
The Tone and Feel Tool: Sometimes instead of telling you something is terrible, it describes it so that you feel terrified. Instead of telling you something is delightful, it makes say ‘delightful’ when describing it.
The Repetition Tool: When something is repeated in the Bible (in close proximity) it is very NB. When something is repeated in the Bible (in close proximity) it is very NB. It’s not always as simple as finding the repeated word but also the idea behind the text. This should be used in union with other tools.
The Bible Timeline Tool: Also linked to the context tool (looking at the 5th level of context). You can have a simple division of Bible history e.g. Pre-salvation to Salvation to Post-salvation or you can find a deeper more in-depth timeline. It makes the world of difference where the original writer and his readers are on the timeline, and where you are.
The ‘Write Something Down’ Tool: Okay, maybe the name is not cool but the tool is potent. When studying the word, do it with a pen and paper right next to you and write your meditations down. Putting your thoughts on paper not only helps you remember, but it helps you to really think about the Word.
The ‘Ask the Tough Questions’ Tool: Again, not the best name. Never be afraid to ask the tough question when something does not make sense. Get someone with more knowledge to answer those you cannot find answers to.
The following links provide very helpful resources for people who want to wear out thier bibles:

BIBLE GATEWAY
BIBLOS
SONICLIGHT

Please note that the above links do not neccesarily share the same values as Soulgrain and while they can be very helpful, your discresion is advised.