Ask the Right Questions of the Text
Careful Bible study begins with observation before interpretation. The better your questions, the more accurately you will see what is already on the page.
- Read the primary Bible passages carefully and in context.
- Compare Scripture with Scripture before drawing the conclusion.
- State the main truth in plain words you could explain to someone else.
- Complete the Quick Checks and guided study before moving on.
Who is speaking and who is being addressed?
1 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
1 Corinthians 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
The opening lines answer basic questions immediately: Paul is writing, and he is writing to a church. That matters when later passages discuss the assembly, spiritual gifts, the Lord's supper, discipline, and church order.
In narrative, the narrator may report words spoken by faithful people, foolish people, Satan, false teachers, or unbelievers. The fact that a sentence appears in the Bible means the report is true; it does not mean every quoted speaker was telling the truth.
What problem, question, or subject is being addressed?
1 Timothy 3:14 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:
1 Timothy 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
Paul tells Timothy why he is writing: so he will know how people ought to behave in the house of God. That purpose helps organize the surrounding instructions about leadership, prayer, teaching, widows, elders, servants, money, and doctrine.
Observe before you explain
Before reaching for a commentary, write down what you can see. Look for repeated words, contrasts, commands, questions, causes, results, promises, warnings, names, places, time markers, and connecting words. Ask: What is emphasized? What changes? What is compared? What reason is given?
A useful discipline is to separate your notes into three stages: Observation — what does the text say? Interpretation — what does it mean in context? Application — what should I believe or do because it is true? Many mistakes happen when people jump straight to application before establishing meaning.
Compare Scripture with Scripture
Scripture trail: 1 Corinthians 1:1 • 1 Corinthians 1:2 • 1 Timothy 3:14 • 1 Timothy 3:15 • 1 Corinthians 1:1, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Timothy 3:14, 1 Timothy 3:15 • Matthew 6:6-13 • Philippians 4:6-7 • Hebrews 4:14-16
Do not rush past the references. Open them, read the surrounding verses, and make the Bible carry the weight of the conclusion.
Think it through
- Who is speaking, who is being addressed, and what question or problem is the passage answering?
- What becomes clearer when the passages are compared instead of read as isolated slogans?
- Which conclusion is explicitly supported by the text, and which possible conclusion would go beyond what the text says?
Teach it back
Without looking at the lesson explanation, summarize Ask the Right Questions of the Text in two or three sentences and support your explanation from Scripture. If you cannot explain it simply yet, return to the passages and work through them again.
Slow down and work the text
Reopen 1 Corinthians 1:1, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Timothy 3:14, 1 Timothy 3:15. Read enough before and after each verse to see the setting. Do not settle for remembering a slogan when you can inspect the wording for yourself.
- Write the main claim of Ask the Right Questions of the Text in one sentence.
- Underline or write down the exact words in the passages that support that claim.
- Compare at least two of the passages. What truth becomes clearer when they are read together?
- Ask what could be misunderstood if one phrase were isolated from its context.
- Write your observations before consulting notes or commentary, then state the conclusion the text itself supports.
- What does the passage state explicitly?
- What context or comparison keeps the interpretation accurate?
- What conclusion can you defend directly from the text?
Ask who, whom, what, when, where, why, and how before asking, “What does this mean to me?” First discover what the passage means in its own context.
The Old Covenant and the New Covenant
23 min