The Right Questions (1 of 3)

In order to get the most out of biblical interpretation, it helps to ask the right questions. This particular post comes in three parts, in which we'll ask questions to determine: 1) the original context; 2) the canonical context, and 3) God's intended message for you. Those terms aren't really important, but without answering the first two, it's less likely we'll get an accurate answer to the third.

Just remember, our main focus is to encourage people to read the Bible every day, and to help them read with understanding.

For right now, I'm more interested in the first part of that mission. I'm a firm believer that if we develop the habit of reading the Bible every day, the understanding will come. Even so, if we're going to read, we might as well understand sooner rather than later.

Here are some questions to get us started:

Who was the original speaker?

To whom is he/she speaking? Is he/she speaking to an individual or to an assembly of listeners? Is the audience receptive, hostile or indifferent?

Who else is there? Are there other people on the outskirts of the crowd listening in?

What was the intended message?

These questions help us discern the original context. The next group of questions is aimed at what I call the 'canonical context.'