Sunday School: How to Read the Bible
For two millennia Christian’s have believed that the Bible is God’s word to humanity—that it was written by human authors under the inspiration and authorship of the Holy Spirit. This historic doctrine provides the foundation for Christian teaching and practice. But how is a book that was written over thousands of years, by many different human authors, meant to be read in the twentieth century? What claim does Scripture make on its readers and what Truth does it reveal?
In the modern global west our readings of Scripture are often distorted by forces of individualism and secularity. When we attempt to interpret and understand the Bible we often ask “what does this passage mean to me?” While this question has some merit depending on the context, it tempts us to make the Bible a book about us rather than a book about God's redemptive work in history. As Christians, our task is to seek to understand what the author, inspired by the Holy Spirit, meant and how the original audiences of Scripture understood what was written to them. From here we’re able to discern God’s word for us and how it best applies to our lives.
In How to Read the Bible, our adult Sunday School Course, we will explore different methods of biblical interpretation and learn how to apply them to the text. We will explore ancient history and will examine the literary forms and structures of the Bible. We will also look at how the Bible has been interpreted throughout history and discuss its relevance for our lives today. In these classes we will seek to learn and apply a variety of skills and methods of interpretation to help assist us in reading the Bible correctly and avoid common misinterpretations.
Course Details
This is a 5-week class that will take place Sunday mornings, prior to the gathering, from 8:45am-9:45am.
May 21 - An Introduction and How We Ought to Read the Bible
In this class we will look at a brief overview of the authority of Scripture along with the importance of reading passages in context. We will learn this by looking at what the main levels of context are and how reading this way helps us understand the author’s intended message.
May 28 - Biblical Theology, the Story of Scripture, and an Introduction to Literary Genres
In this class we will define biblical theology and how knowing the whole story of Scripture helps in understanding. Along with this, we will look at the purpose of literary genres found in Scripture and dive into the first genre, biblical narrative.
June 4 - The Law, Prophets, and Biblical Poetry
In this class we will look at each of these three literary genres, unpacking helpful tools for interpretation. We will learn a general concept of covenants and how the OT law served as covenant boundaries; the role of the OT prophet and the key themes found in their writings; and how biblical poetry seeks to capture our hearts and minds using descriptive language and parallelism.
June 11 - Wisdom Literature and Parables
In this class we will discuss the wise person, according to Scripture and the characteristics of wisdom literature. We will also look at the structure of a parable, why Jesus taught in them, and key tools to understand them.
June 18 - Epistles and Apocalyptic Literature
In this class we will learn the form of an ancient letter and look at, again, the importance of reading in context. We will conclude our time by defining apocalypse and looking at “The Revelation to John” and how this book serves as apocalypse, prophecy, and epistle to the church.