SIDE BY SIDE
Compelling Biblical Truths John Melby
Exegesis and hermeneutics Exegesis and hermeneutics? Attending in person at the first Men’s Ministry session of 2021 on Wednesday, February 3, I learned about the words “exegesis” and “hermeneutics.” At first, those two words seemed boring or hard to understand. I was thinking why am I in the room? This was an ideal time for Zoom. I could use my static screen portrait and hide out when the learning became too tough.
house on the rock. What does that really mean? How do I build my house there? Is it a solid, stable place in which to actually live? Is the rock a place of fearing less and knowing more truths about life and the life after based on deeper study of the Bible? The first place to start in answering those questions is a deeper, wider and more wise study of the Bible. Seems obvious. What is happening for me is that this Men’s Bible study is more complete in answering those questions.
Thankfully, the teaching team grabbed my whole attention early in the meeting. The study quickly became more compelling and richer to me vs. my previous Bible studies. The Men's Bible Study teachers began teaching about how to study and interpret the Bible in a way I had not previously experienced.
The reality is, for me as a lifelong Christian, I have dimly studied the Bible. Yet, I think I am a faithful Christian. In college, I took semesters of study in both the Old and New Testaments. Now, I consistently attend church services and men’s ministry each week, and I usher.
The current Men’s Ministry study is titled, Building Your House on the Rock. The guiding book for the study is How to Read the Bible for All its Worth by Gordan Fee and Douglas Stuart. My two cents? It is an excellent Bible study book.
As far as real Bible study, however, I was not building my house on the rock. With this session, that Bible learning ambivalence is fading away. The teachings have brought a brighter and enriching light into my faith.
Summarized from the book publisher’s information:
How so? What is happening in the Men’s Bible study meetings to brighten that light after many years of living in a lowlight Bible knowledge The College Church’s Men’s Ministry has world? been meeting on Wednesday evenings at
The focus of the book is on differences in genres within the Bible. There are practices both live in the Commons, room C002, and Well, back to exegesis and to encourage an appreciation by Zoom. The Men’s Bible study enriches hermeneutics and adding for simply reading the a man’s personal spiritual life, by growing the word “truths.” The first Bible. The authors, Fee his knowledge of God and his Word through two are year 2021 new words (former Wheaton College a church community of men. For more for me. Truth, of course, is instructor) and Stuart, are information, go to: college-church.org/men something most everyone two experienced seminary searches for all their lives. professors who believe in Absolute truth is being the understanding, obeying and best version. applying biblical text. The In the current secular world, it is generally popular to think book emphasizes both exegesis and hermeneutics. there are no absolute truths. Relative truths are popular and As I attend each study session, either in person or by zoom, reveal from a thought process in which most every decision is there is a combination of learning about various Bible relative. What is true for some might not be true for others. translations and interpretations as well as an emphasis on better Today, culture is more a “whatever” relativistic world. understanding biblical context. Also, there is analysis on how the gospel is threaded throughout the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Going back to the title of the current Men’s Ministry session, I was curious how this Bible study was going to help me build my
As Christians, we know that Jesus Christ teaches about truth. He says there is truth, and he is the truth. John 14; 6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
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