Be sensitive to genre.

Be sensitive to genre.

• Like in sports, we benefit by learning the “rules of the game.”

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

OT Narrative

1. Let the story draw you in. Pay attention to setting, characters, and plot.
2.  Remember that God is always the hero.

OT Law

1. Purpose was to create and shape a *peculiar* people.
2. Ultimately the laws are rooted in who *God* is.
3. Many particular Laws do not reflect God’s perfect will but his accommodating guidelines for people with hard hearts. (See Mark 10.3-12)

Poetry

1. Organized by *parallelism*, not rhyme (i.e. parallel in content, not in sound).
2. Designed to *evoke* emotion and to guide us in prayer.

Wisdom / Proverbs

1. Wisdom literature is designed to make you wiser by making you think.
2. Proverbs contains general truths, not divine guarantees.
3. Let other “wisdom literature” (like Job and Ecclesiastes) challenge Proverbs’ simplicity.

Prophecy

1. Be mindful of the intense, dramatic, and often figurative language.
2. Just as much (if not more) about the *present* as the *future*. Prophets announce God’s judgment on sin as well as hope for divine rescue.

Gospels

1. The Gospels *center* the church in the story of Jesus.
2. Get to know each *unique* portrait of Jesus while not losing sight of the whole.
3. Find yourself in each story.

Acts

1. Church continues the story of *Jesus*.
2. Wherever the *Spirit* leads, we *fearlessly* follow.

Letters (Epistles)

1. We’re reading one side of a *conversation*, and therefore historical context is huge.
2. The letters give us *truth* applied to real life situations.

Apocalyptic

1. Extremely high use of dramatic *figurative* language.
2. Blends theological and *political* concerns.
3. Speaks specifically to an *original* audience (churches in 1st Century Asia Minor).
4. The Point: Things are *bad*. Things are getting *worse*. In the end, God *wins*.