What does the Bible actually say? (Part 6: Finding key ideas in a passage by identifying and understanding repeating words)

      Now that we have laid the foundation for understanding how to find the meaning of words, let's apply that knowledge so as to learn the meaning of a passage. One thing my father taught me to do is to mark up a text. Some do not wish to mark up their Bibles, so I would suggest printing out a copy of that passage that they can mark up. My dad and I both enjoy using color but pen or pencil work just as well. I would recommend either mechanical pencils, as they have a finer point, or Micron artist pens, as you can get them with very fine points as well. These pens work especially well when you don't have very large margins. The benefit to marking up the text in your copy of the Scriptures is that you have all of your notes right there, at a glance. You won't have to go searching for loose pieces of paper or that particular journal, should you ever want to revisit what you learned at a later point in time. The downside is, depending on how much you mark up the text, the words themselves get obscured over time (ask me how I know). Kay Arthur, in her book, "How to Study Your Bible: The Lasting Rewards of the Inductive Method," recommends using different colors and symbols to differentiate the different words or people/time references that you're looking for. I have taken some of my material from her book, some from a class in college, and some from my years of sitting under my father (a pastor) who marks up his Bible and writes notes in the margins. 

     In this lesson, we'll look at how to find the meaning of the text by specifically looking at repeating words/phrases/ideas. There are many other things to look for in a text in order to better understand its meaning (the person and work of each of the members of the Trinity, references to time, purpose statements - "therefore," "since," "for," "for this reason," commands, verb tenses, pronouns, etc.) Let's start with simple. (We can continue to dig into this passage in future lessons.)

Materials you will need:

1. Holy Spirit

2. Prayer

3. A copy of the passage

4. Something to mark or note repeating words with

     First things first, whenever you come to a passage of Scripture ask the Holy Spirit to be your teacher. Ask that "the eyes of your heart might be enlightened [opened to understand]" Eph. 1:18 Christ said that one of the roles of the Spirit would be to lead us into all truth (John 16:13). He wrote the Book. He's the expert. Ask Him for His help in understanding what He had in mind to communicate when He wrote it. 

     Next, let's pick a passage and begin. Since I'm teaching through the spiritual gifts with my women on Thursdays, let's pick one of the passages we're looking at (or a section of one of them). Now, before we begin to read, let's take a minute and ask Holy Spirit to help us set aside preconceived notions about what we think or may indeed know on this topic so that our thoughts don't get in the way of His thoughts. There is a LOT of misunderstanding and misinformation on this topic. We want a clean slate, as far as it is possible, in order to have the mental space to hear Holy Spirit from this passage. The Word is very clear on multiple points on this topic and we want to be able to see that. 

     The first thing we're going to do with the passage is to read it multiple times. I'd say at least 5-6, but 10 wouldn't hurt. My college professor who assigned us the task to creating Bible study lessons from an epistle, would not let us crack a commentary until very close to the end of the assigned time. These lessons were a semester-long project and counted for a chunk of our grade. His thinking was that the Holy Spirit was completely capable of teaching us what He wanted us to know, strictly from the text itself. He was right. 1 John 2:27 teaches us the same thing.

1 Corinthians 12:1-14 (NASB)

"Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of ministries, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member but many." 

1. Read 1 Corinthians 12:1-14 (5x)

2. Make a list of all of the words/phrases that repeat. (Mark them if you wish)

What words/phrases are on your list?

Here's what I found:

-  Spirit/spiritual

- Jesus/Lord

- God

- same

- varieties

- all

- to each one/to another

- one

- the same Spirit/God/Lord

- many

- body

      I'm now going to re-type the passage with the above words highlighted/marked. One of the benefits of doing this is you can see, at a glance, what a passage is about. If all you did was mark these words, what would someone who's never read the Bible or is very new to the Bible say the passage is about (given no prior knowledge), given just these words/phrases? What are some conclusions they would draw about the text, given just these highlighted items in their context?

"Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I make it know to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all things, distributing to each one just as He wills. For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member but many.

     Now, that may look like a jumbled mess, but what are the repeating words/ideas that stand out to you? 

     Once we are aware of the repeating words/phrases, we can begin to ask questions of the text, based solely on the text. Ask questions like, "Which member of the Trinity is referenced most frequently?" "Does this passage talk about division or unity?" "Who is the one who gives the spiritual gifts?" "Are spiritual gifts only for certain believers or are they for all believers?" "Does everyone get the same exact gift?" "What is the purpose for the gifts?" "Are we willing to submit to the clear truths taught in these verses?" 

     The Bible was written to be understood. It is not full of hidden meaning that only the men and women who have oodles of letters after their names can understand. Martin Luther translated the Bible into German so that the average plow boy could read it for himself and understand it. Teachers and preachers are helpful but the Bible can also be understood by the average believer, if they are willing to ask Holy Spirit for help, to take the text at face value, put in the footwork, ask questions, and dig in to understand. 

     Are you going to look at this passage the same way? Has your understanding deepened as a result of this approach? What are some basic, logical conclusions you can draw from this text after this lesson? Are there any 'truths' that you have held about spiritual gifts that this text contradicts? Are there any truths you've held about spiritual gifts that this text supports? When what you've heard and read contradicts the clear teaching of the Word of God, are you willing to repent of following that teaching and align yourself with the Word of God? 

     Now, what I don't want you to do, as you study, is to 'proof text' your beliefs. 'Proof texting' is cherry picking certain passages that seem to support your belief but are taken out of context. Don't base the totality of your understanding of this topic on these few verses. Look at these verses in context - what do the 10+ preceding and following verses say about this topic? Where do these verses fall within the book of 1 Corinthians? Do you know the reason the book was written? Do you know anything about the people it was written to? Do you know how this teaching fits into the greater part of the narrative of the Bible? There are excellent resources on these issues. They would be excellent guides to help you better understand the verses in their context and they provide a richness of meaning to them. Look at other references to spiritual gifts in New Testament (called cross references). Two other passages to look at are Ephesians 4 and Romans 12. Along with 1 Corinthians 12 (-14), these other two passages are excellent places to go to deepen your understanding of this topic. Allow the Word, not what you've read or heard or been taught to believe, to determine what you believe about spiritual gifts. 

     In the next lesson, we'll use this passage again and begin to ask the 5 "W's" and 1 "H" questions of it (Who, what, when, where, why, and how). For all you grammar nerds out there, you'll love it! For those of you who struggled with grammar, never fear. We'll take it slow. Asking these questions can be another way to grow in our understanding of a text of Scripture.