A Short Outline for Studying Scripture

I.  Writer – Why did he write these words at this particular time?

History – What was happening in the author’s world at that time?

Audience – Who was he talking to?

Intention – What was he trying to accomplish?

II.  Jesus – How does what I am reading refer to Him?

If he were praying Psalm 5, what might He be thinking or feeling?

What might His prayer have been when He prayed Psalm 96?

What about Psalm 51, Jesus was God!  Would He pray this Psalm?

III.  Self --What is God saying to me in this Scripture?

Can I place myself in this particular scene, can I sense the Lord’s presence?

Can I place someone else there, someone in my family, a sick friend, an irritating person, a criminal I know or know of, etc.?

What does this Scripture tell me about myself?

Also, one May think  of the three "worlds," the world behind the text, the world of the text, and the world in front of the text.

SOCIAL-HISTORICAL READING

The social-historical approach is primarily interested in the world behind the text, that is, the social structures, historical events, customs, as well as social issues related to roles, power, and class. We learn to ask questions about the events described or assumed in the biblical text, the key places mentioned (like cities, nations, geographical features, or trade routes), and the political scene within ancient Israel (for the Old Testament) or the Greek-Roman world (for the New Testament). Likewise, attention to the social world behind the text can involve exploring such issues as how the characters relate to one another in terms of power and class (for example, king/servant, parent/child, or teacher/student), what customs are assumed in the biblical text, and how the biblical world is shaped by the religion and philosophy of the larger world (like the Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, or Roman worlds).

LITERARY READING

The literary approach, by contrast, is interested in the words of the text itself, that is, how they are put together and how they convey the biblical message. This approach helps us pay attention to literary features like key words or themes that are repeated throughout a passage (or an entire book), the type of literature being read (for example, law, prophecy, Gospel, letter), the use of unique or unexpected words, the literary context of the passage (what happens immediately before and after it), and how the plot or storyline is developed. In addition, the literary approach is interested in the characters of the biblical text: how they are described and how they interact, what they know or do not know, how they solve problems and deal with conflict, achievements, downfalls, and what they discover or teach about God.

THEOLOGICAL (DEVOTIONAL) READING

The theological (or devotional) approach seeks to discover new truths about God and our relationship to God. This approach, the most personal of the three approaches, is interested in the overall purpose or intent of the passage being read. It seeks to answer questions like What did I learn about God (or Jesus Christ) from this passage? What did I learn about human nature? And what did I learn about my own relationship to God and Jesus Christ? In other words, the theological approach wrestles with the "So What" question of reading the Bible: How does this passage apply to me and how is my life changed (or need to be changed) in light of my reading it?