Page 19 - Homiletics Student Textbook

same book, by the same author in other books, by other authors, and in the rest of the
Bible until you determine the best possible translation for the text you are studying.
Express why you made the choice that you did.

4. Translation

Translate the entire passage based on the translation choices made in Step 3. Make a block
diagram of the text to better visualize the flow of the author’s thoughts.

5. Significance

For each part of the translation, explain and prove the author’s intended meaning to the
original audience with an emphasis on the eternal principles being taught. Focus on the
main clauses and try to follow the flow of the author’s thoughts. View the passage through
the eyes of God, the divine author, the human authors who conveyed the message, and the
initial recipients of the message.

6. Synthesis

Summarize the author’s message based on the findings in Step 5.
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a. The principle stated

Organize and state the author’s main thoughts as past actions and then summarize
them into a single statement with both a subject and a complement. This is the time-
bound principle that is discovered by traveling to their town. This is the main idea of the
text, the single meaning intended by the author. This statement forms the basis for an
exegetical outline as you begin to move from the text to the sermon.

b. The principle implied

This is the timeless principle that is derived from the stated meaning that was not only
true for the original audience then but is also true for all people of all time. It too should
be a statement with both a subject and a complement. As you cross this principlizing
bridge this statement forms the basis for a theological outline as you continue to move
from the text to the sermon.

c. The principle extrapolated

This is the timely principle that is applicable to people living today in our town. Beyond
mere application, it carries with it the weight of the authoritative Word of God. It should
also be a statement with both a subject and a complement. As such, it forms the basis
for a homiletical outline as you being to finalize your process of moving from the text to
the sermon.

34 Gordon H. Lovik, Hemeneutics Syllabus, (Lansdale, Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary, 1996), 46-47.
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