What are we trying to do when we read the Bible?

Session 1

Begin with the right goals.

Your character is just as important to understanding the Bible as your method. 

Session 2

Read with humility.

Session 3

Pay attention to the details. (Investigation)

Without a context, words are meaningless. 

Session 4

Discern the author’s flow of thought. (Literary Context)

Increase your general knowledge of the biblical worlds.

Session 5

Study the world behind the text. (Historical Background)

Interpret unclear texts in light of clear ones. Don’t ignore or disregard some texts to protect your misinterpretation of others.

Session 6

Read each passage in light of Scripture as a whole.

 All of the principles apply to each, but not always in the same way.

Session 7

Be sensitive to genre.

You have not finished studying well until what you have studied determines how you live. Spiritual maturity is never measured by how much you know, but by how well you live.

Session 8

Live what you learn.

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The vision of Ozark Christian College is to glorify God by evangelizing the lost and edifying Christians worldwide. The mission of Ozark Christian College is to train men and women for Christian service as a degree-granting institution of biblical higher education.

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In this series, Michael DeFazio offers guidance on how to read the Bible more effectively to hear God's voice. It begins by setting the right goals and emphasizes the importance of reading with humility, arguing that character is as crucial to understanding the Bible as the method. The series then advocates for meticulous attention to detail and understanding the author's flow of thought by studying the context. Additionally, it stresses the value of familiarizing oneself with the historical background and reading each passage in light of the entirety of Scripture. Recognizing the relevance of genre sensitivity, the series also underlines that all principles apply to each genre, albeit not always in the same way. The final lesson emphasizes the necessity of living out what is learned from the Bible, stating that spiritual maturity is not gauged by knowledge alone but by how well one lives.