Continued from last...
TOOLS TO BE ASSIMILATED
Remember that only the Bible is infallible, inerrant, and inspired. While they are helpful indeed, we are never to view the concordances, dictionaries and commentaries in this light. The wise student will choose his tools (and teachers) very carefully, making sure they line up with Scriptural truths.
There are several excellent tools for study available these days, which represent the selfless efforts and labour of many gifted servants of God. Assimilating the right tools into your trade will benefit you immensely and greatly enrich your efforts. These tools must never replace your own personal efforts, otherwise you are falling back into the realm of being spoon-fed. Remember, not all tools are equal. If you are unsure of the author and what they believe or teach, find someone trustworthy to receive godly counsel from. There have been several heretics who have released their own tools under the guise of being “Christian” material. One such man was Charles Finney who, in his “Systematic Theology,” attacks every historically-held doctrine of the Bible.
Concordances:
Concordances are handy little tools that allow you to look up a specific word and find where else in Scripture that same word has been used, enabling you to observe the progression of a particular idea or doctrine. They allow you to develop distinctly biblical theology through the study of specific words, allowing you to trace an author’s emphasis of a particular word while learning the various shades of meaning behind that word. They are also handy for helping you to locate a particular verse that seems to be evading you. Some will even help you identify the word in Hebrew or Greek, ascertaining the usage of that word so that you can better understand its meaning. It is a good idea to be sure your concordance is based on the Bible translation that you are studying from. Three concordances are:
Word Studies:
There are several word study books that may be very helpful to you because they examine the specific meanings of words within the context of a passage (and of the Bible itself), offering an enriched perspective and an in-depth understanding of the text and how it should be communicated. As you know, the Bible was not written in English, but in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. It is a good practice to get familiar with the original words and how they were used and what they meant, because no translation from the original manuscripts is perfect. Some of the more trustworthy word studies are as follows:
Bible dictionaries list and explain words and subjects found within the Bible. There are even some Hebrew and Greek dictionaries. Bible encyclopedias provide historical, doctrinal, cultural, geographical, and bibliographical background information. Bible handbooks provide historical and cultural background information, usually with comments on particular books and passages. A few sources in this area are:
Commentaries:
These should never be your first line of defense. Commentaries are your last resort in your study. Commentaries give the author’s opinion in regard to how a text is to be interpreted. They provide helpful background, introductory, and summary information on the books of the Bible. There are many excellent single-volume and multi-volume works. Some may be devotional in style while others may be analytical or exegetical. Choose your commentaries carefully and wisely, reading with great discernment and comparing their opinions against Scripture. Some of the more trustworthy commentaries are as follows:
Systematic Theologies:
“Systematic theology is any study that answers the question, ‘What does the whole Bible teach us today?’ about any given topic.”1 It is the gathering of verses and passages that are specifically relevant to any given doctrine or teaching of Scripture so that we can better understand the whole of that doctrine or teaching in order to know what we should believe about it. Some of the more trustworthy systems of theology are as follows:
Reformed (or Presbyterian):
Systematic Theologies to definitely avoid due to heresies: Charles Finney.
CONCLUSION
The Bible tells us that the Bereans were more noble because “they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). God’s Word tells us to study “to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). Interestingly enough, Scripture shows us how we are to do just that: “They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading” (Neh. 8:8). That is proper biblical study. That is exegesis. Read from God’s Word; translate in order to give the sense.
1 Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 21.
Remember that only the Bible is infallible, inerrant, and inspired. While they are helpful indeed, we are never to view the concordances, dictionaries and commentaries in this light. The wise student will choose his tools (and teachers) very carefully, making sure they line up with Scriptural truths.
There are several excellent tools for study available these days, which represent the selfless efforts and labour of many gifted servants of God. Assimilating the right tools into your trade will benefit you immensely and greatly enrich your efforts. These tools must never replace your own personal efforts, otherwise you are falling back into the realm of being spoon-fed. Remember, not all tools are equal. If you are unsure of the author and what they believe or teach, find someone trustworthy to receive godly counsel from. There have been several heretics who have released their own tools under the guise of being “Christian” material. One such man was Charles Finney who, in his “Systematic Theology,” attacks every historically-held doctrine of the Bible.
Concordances:
Concordances are handy little tools that allow you to look up a specific word and find where else in Scripture that same word has been used, enabling you to observe the progression of a particular idea or doctrine. They allow you to develop distinctly biblical theology through the study of specific words, allowing you to trace an author’s emphasis of a particular word while learning the various shades of meaning behind that word. They are also handy for helping you to locate a particular verse that seems to be evading you. Some will even help you identify the word in Hebrew or Greek, ascertaining the usage of that word so that you can better understand its meaning. It is a good idea to be sure your concordance is based on the Bible translation that you are studying from. Three concordances are:
- Strong’s Strongest Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
- Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible
- Cruden’s Complete Concordance
Word Studies:
There are several word study books that may be very helpful to you because they examine the specific meanings of words within the context of a passage (and of the Bible itself), offering an enriched perspective and an in-depth understanding of the text and how it should be communicated. As you know, the Bible was not written in English, but in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. It is a good practice to get familiar with the original words and how they were used and what they meant, because no translation from the original manuscripts is perfect. Some of the more trustworthy word studies are as follows:
- The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old & New Testaments – Spiros Zodhiates, editor
- Word Pictures in the New Testament – A. T. Robertson
- Word Studies in the Greek New Testament – Kenneth Wuest
- Vincent’s New Testament Word Studies – Marvin Vincent
- Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words – W. E. Vine
- Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament – Joseph Thayer
- The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon – Francis Brown, C. Briggs, S. R. Driver
Bible dictionaries list and explain words and subjects found within the Bible. There are even some Hebrew and Greek dictionaries. Bible encyclopedias provide historical, doctrinal, cultural, geographical, and bibliographical background information. Bible handbooks provide historical and cultural background information, usually with comments on particular books and passages. A few sources in this area are:
- Theological Dictionary of the New Testament – Kittel, Friedrich, Bromiley
- New Unger’s Bible Dictionary – Merrill Unger
- Encyclopedia of Bible Words
- Encyclopedia of Bible Characters
- Illustrated Manners and Customs of the Bible – J. I. Packer & M. C. Tenney
- New Unger’s Bible Handbook - Merrill Unger
- Wilmington’s Bible Handbook – Harold Wilmington
- Halley’s Bible Handbook – H. H. Halley
- Ryken’s Bible Handbook – Leland Ryken, Philip Ryken, James Wilhoit
- Dictionary of Biblical Imagery – Leland Ryken
- The Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology – Millard Erickson
Commentaries:
These should never be your first line of defense. Commentaries are your last resort in your study. Commentaries give the author’s opinion in regard to how a text is to be interpreted. They provide helpful background, introductory, and summary information on the books of the Bible. There are many excellent single-volume and multi-volume works. Some may be devotional in style while others may be analytical or exegetical. Choose your commentaries carefully and wisely, reading with great discernment and comparing their opinions against Scripture. Some of the more trustworthy commentaries are as follows:
- Calvin’s Commentaries – John Calvin
- Hebrews – John Owen
- A Commentary on the Holy Bible – Matthew Poole
- Matthew Henry’s Commentary
- Bible Commentary – Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
- Treasury of David – Charles Spurgeon
- Commentary on the Old Testament – Keil & Delitzsch
- New Testament Commentary – Hendriksen & Kistemaker
- Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries – Wiseman, editor
- Tyndale New Testament Commentaries – Morris, editor
- Various commentaries by James Montgomery Boice
- Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament – Beale & Carson, editors
Systematic Theologies:
“Systematic theology is any study that answers the question, ‘What does the whole Bible teach us today?’ about any given topic.”1 It is the gathering of verses and passages that are specifically relevant to any given doctrine or teaching of Scripture so that we can better understand the whole of that doctrine or teaching in order to know what we should believe about it. Some of the more trustworthy systems of theology are as follows:
Reformed (or Presbyterian):
- Institutes of the Christian Religion – John Calvin
- Biblical Theology – John Owen
- Systematic Theology – Charles Hodge
- Outlines of Theology – A. A. Hodge
- Systematic Theology – Robert Lewis Dabney
- Systematic Theology – Louis Berkhof
- A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith – Robert L. Reymond
- The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way – Michael Horton
- An Old Testament Theology – Bruce K. Waltke
- A New Testament Biblical Theology – G. K. Beale
- Abstract of Systematic Theology – James P. Boyce
- Systematic Theology – Augustus Strong
- Christian Theology – Millard Erickson
- Systematic Theology – Wayne Grudem
Systematic Theologies to definitely avoid due to heresies: Charles Finney.
CONCLUSION
The Bible tells us that the Bereans were more noble because “they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). God’s Word tells us to study “to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). Interestingly enough, Scripture shows us how we are to do just that: “They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading” (Neh. 8:8). That is proper biblical study. That is exegesis. Read from God’s Word; translate in order to give the sense.
“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, But to Thy name give glory.” –Psalm 115:1
1 Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 21.