Apologetics Class 3/4/2018

Today, we watched an hour long lecture from Greg Koukl titled “Never Read a Bible Verse”.  Here is the video:

Here is the note taking form with discussion questions I handed out before the video:

“Never Read a Bible Verse” – Greg Koukl (3-4-2018)

1. Greg Koukl says, “When I was going to school at UCLA, I thought I was too s______ to become a Christian. I thought Christianity was for people who were, I’m ashamed to say it, d________ or u____________.”
2. I’m really talking to followers of Christ, so I hope you brought your Bible.
3. If I could give one talk, or impart one skill to a group of Christians it would be this teaching.
4. Some of you are going to get mad at me, because I’m going to talk about a m____________ almost every single Christian makes when reading the Bible to understand what it m_________.
5. Sometimes we seize on promises from the Old Testament and claim them as promises for ourselves, but they weren’t m_____________ to be taken that way.
6. A young lady’s favorite verse was E______________ 14:14, “The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.” She thought that this was a promise that applied directly to her.
7. In 1551, French printer Robert Stefani’s added v_________ n_____________ to the Bible.
8. The passage applies to us when understood in context, but the verse does not directly apply to us when taken in i_________________, out of context.
9. When you face opposition on campus, is this God’s instruction for you … that you’re supposed to stay silent and He will fight for you? Read Matthew 10, that isn’t what he told the disciples!
10. Chapter divisions are also a____________________, and were not part of the original.
11. First problem: treating your Bible as if the verses s___________-a______________.
12. Second problem: called the “j________ Bible verse”. Reading surreptitiously, waiting for a verse to jump out – indicating that the Holy Spirit is talking to you specifically about your situation.
13. Example given was an adulterous woman who found the verse that says, “put on the new man”, and believed that it confirmed her decision to leave her husband and go with her boyfriend.
14. This does not refer to reading Scripture, seeing something applies to your c_____________. E.g. Eph. 5:25, “Husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church & gave himself up for her.”
15. What is being talked about is when we isolate certain verses and get d________________ meanings from them than what was originally i_________________ by the author.
16. People say, “the Lord gave me this verse.” People normally say that when it is something that wouldn’t naturally a___________ to their life.
17. The person is saying, “this verse is true for me, but not necessarily true for you.” That is like r_________. Once we approach the Bible that way, we destroy the original meaning of the text.
18. There is no biblical justification for finding p_________, p________________ messages in texts originally intended by God to mean something else. A text can never mean what it never meant.
19. With the exception of P_____________, you can’t get the meaning of verses by reading them on their own. You have to get the meaning from the larger context.
20. Four Biblical arguments Greg provides to bolster his claims:
    1. The Bible teaches that there are no p_____________ i_____________, 2 Peter 1:20-21
    2. The Bible teaches that S______________ is i______________, 2 Timothy 3:16-17
    3. The Bible teaches we are to be diligent & study to get the c______ meaning, 2 Tim. 2:15
    4. The Bible teaches we must guard correct meaning from being t_____________ or d_________________, Jude 3
21. The scripture never even teaches this approach (getting your personal interpretation). You don’t see the d__________________ doing this.
22. Rule: Never Read a Bible Verse. Never read only a single Bible verse – read a p_______________ or more to be confident that you’re getting the correct meaning, the correct flow of thought.
23. Here are some verses that have been understood and used inappropriately:
    1. John 12:32 – if I be lifted up, I will draw all men to myself. Often used by worship leaders. But Jesus is talking about being c__________________.
    2. Proverbs 23:7 – as a man thinks in his heart so he is. Often used to demonstrate if you have a p___________ m______________ a______________ you’ll succeed.
    3. Sometimes by reading a passage, you can see what it does not mean.
    4. John 20:29 – I will not believe unless I put my finger in the hole. Blessed are those who did not see, and yet believe. This is commonly understood to mean that Jesus is commending a kind of b__________ f____________. In the very next verse, John gives the reason that he wrote this gospel.
    5. John 8:32 – you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. The context is John 8:31-36. Jesus is not just talking about any truth, but the truth that He provides. He needs talking about providing freedom f_________ s_______.
    6. Jeremiah 29:11 (the most frequently abused verse in the Bible) – For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. When you read the New Testament, do you see a promised life of welfare and prosperity or rather calamity? Where do we get the idea, then, that God has promised welfare and not calamity for Christians? The context of Jeremiah 29:11 is Jeremiah 29:10-14. This promise is for a very s___________ g_________ of p____________, the Jews who are in captivity in Babylon.
24. Our understanding of God’s word is foundational for our Christian lives. This is the Book that tells us about reality. This is the Book that tells us how to live. It’s critical that we u________________ it a____________________.
25. If it is not being u__________________ in the sense that He gave it, it is not His word.

Discussion Questions

1. What is the “jumping Bible verse” approach to reading Scripture? Why is it wrong?
2. How then should we approach the practice of Bible verse memorization? Is there anything wrong with memorizing just a single verse?
3. How can we “speak up” when we hear someone quoting a verse out of context or in an inappropriate way?
4. How can we “speak up” when someone is apparently using the “jumping Bible verse” approach?
5. In which part of the Bible can verses typically be understood in isolation?
6. What is the some of the ways to determine the meaning of a passage in its context?
7. What’s the difference between receiving a “private, personal interpretation” of a passage and experiencing conviction or encouragement that occurs when a passage applies to your situation?
8. Do you take exception with Greg on any of the “correct interpretations” he provides?