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Study Section 7: Guiding Principles to Effective Bible Study

7.1 Connect.

Using carefully scripted principles or guidelines we can assure that as we begin to interpret
the truths of various passages of God’s Word, we can be accurate to what God was really
saying in the passage. Today we are going to learn those principles and hopefully apply them
to each verse we read and interpret.

7.2 Objectives.

1. The student should be able to describe the six very important principles or guidelines to help us
effectively interpret God’s Word accurately.

7.3 Guiding Principles to Effective Study

In our journey to learn how to study God’s Word, we need to learn some major guidelines to
direct us along the way. These guidelines will keep you from misinterpreting God’s Word and
going in an incorrect direction as you study.

Principles (guidelines) of Effective Study

Principle #1
God’s Word is the definitive word on all things. God establishes the rules or principles,
not man! We must determine the answer to any question by examining His Word in
CONTEXT. Never study a verse in isolation. The context (the story flow and neighboring
verses) of a particular verse or phrase, with related texts in other parts of the Bible, often hold clues to
interpreting a verse's full meaning. We should never take any scripture, rip it out of context, and build a
doctrine on it. Unfortunately, this is a common practice in the church today. Verses are used as proof
texts for our personal opinions.

An example of this happened to me several years ago. Our church pastor came to me and gave me a
lesson on giving to the church. He told me that every class in the church was going to stop and present
that lesson, and that I needed to teach it the next Sunday in my adult class. I looked the lesson over
which started with Malachi 3: 8 -10

8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and
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offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

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