Interpreting the Bible: A Personal Journey of Learning

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Recommended: English literature

Colorado Christian University has been a building stone in my educational and spiritual growth. The course interpreting the Bible (BIB 230) is no exception to this concept. It challenged me to think critically about the passages I am reading and to look at each word that the author uses. Learning to interpret the Bible takes a lot of research and many hours of reading the scriptures to comprehend how God is speaking through each author, which this course strengthened those habits.
There were many concepts that I learned during this course and there are a few of them that I have integrated into my study habits each time I read a passage. The first one is authorial intent, and according to Duvall & Hays (2012), it is when the author stresses the determination of the meaning of the text (p. 193). The reader must research for what the author is saying a remove their own interpretation. This compels me to forget what I have learned in the past and read with a fresh open mind …show more content…

These steps really help with breaking the passage into manageable parts. These also play an important part with the authorial intent and the literary intent of the passage. The one step that stands out the most is step 2, “what are the differences between the Biblical audience and us” (Duvall & Hays, 2012, p. 237). This step plays an important part with trying to understand how the passage relates to our modern situations. It helps to show that the Bible is for every generation on this earth and that each written word from the authors was inspired by God. It helps to demonstrate to our new generation that no matter the situation, God has instructions about living our life through those uncertain times. I felt that everything that was written by Duvall & Hays was useful in interpreting the scriptures. Many of the items were repeated but each one made sense in why they should be incorporated into my study

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