The Spiritual Battle For Your Marriage
God designed marriage to reflect His love to the world and because of this, the enemy wants to destroy Gods beautiful design. Based on his book, Defending Your Marriage, Dr. Tim and Noreen Muehlhoff share about the reality of spiritual warfare against marriages, and how to combat the enemys lies with the truth of God. Couples will be encouraged that theyre not alone in the fight for a godly marriage and better equipped to be a shining example for the world around them.
Notice The Various Theological Themes In The Text
Though a text has one intended meaning, it can have a number of significant theological themes. It can also have a number of different applications.
When you do the structural diagram and your observations, you will list these themes and what the text says about them.
Identifying these themes and understanding how they relate to one another in your text is a most helpful key to grasping its meaning.
These same theological themes will show up in different combinations in various texts throughout the Bible. In your preaching text you will try to discover the best wording for the writers subject and the modifier that limits and focuses it.
You will also look through the text for the predicates, the various things the writer is saying about his subject. The theological themes in the text will give you what you need for these tasks.
Make A Visual Diagram Of A Paragraph In The Letter
For any biblical book, well also want to work our way in detail through the authors original wording. The ancient genre of epistleformal letterespecially allowed authors to instruct and to explain themselves to their audiences. Such is the case with Romans more than any other New Testament epistle. Any English translation of Romans is filled with therefores, so-thats, both-ands, fors and sinces, and other logical connectors.
Working through Pauls original Greek is best, of course. But almost as good is an interlinear Greek/English translation, along with knowing a bit about Greek prepositions and purpose clauses. In a pinch, you can even study using a handful of different English translations set alongside each other. And if youre the type who struggles with translation, that may even be an advantage: youre sure to puzzle over and more thoroughly decipher the structure of Pauls thought!
The goal is understanding Pauls communicative strategy. We track the main idea of each paragraph in Romans . This shows us how those paragraphs join up. Which then shows us how Paul doesand does notshape his whole letter.
Consider, for instance, Romans 4:18.
There are a lot of interesting things going on in this paragraph. But diagramming demonstrates that 4:18 is not about justification by faith, for example. Rather, prompted by 3:31, Paul is insisting that according to Torah, Torah observance wasnt ever what fundamentally put Abraham right with God.
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Applying The Rules To Philippians : 13
Lets look at an example:
I can do all things through him who strengthens me .
This verse makes for a great motivational poster. I used to quote this to try and pass tests I didnt want to study for. But it doesnt really mean what I thought it means. After all, if I went to the gym and loaded 500lbs onto the bench, then quoted this verse, would I suddenly be able to lift 500lbs? No! That weight is going to come crashing down on me, hard. But why? Shouldnt lifting 500lbs fall under the umbrella of all things?
Did I not have enough faith? Did Jesus fail me? . . . or perhaps, did I misunderstand the text?
If we apply our two rules and go back to read the verses leading up to Philippians 4:13, the picture gets a little clearer.
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me .
Understanding The Root Of Your Child’s Misbehavior
Often, children act out because they are used to getting attention through bad behavior. Dr. Kevin Leman offers advice to help parents transform their childs behavior. He discusses the benefits of allowing your kids to learn from real-life consequences and describes the importance of understanding your childs temperament based on his birth order.
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How To Read The Bible With Understanding
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OverviewHow to Read the Bible with Understanding
Mr And Mrs Guy And Amber Lia And Mrs Jean Daly
Amber Lia is a work-at-home mom, blogger, public speaker, and co-author of two best-selling books. Her husband, Guy, is a former TV, feature film, and VFX development and production executive who has worked on popular TV shows and films. Guy and Amber own Storehouse Media Group, a faith- and family-friendly TV and film production company based in Los Angeles,
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Friends Partners And Lovers: What It Takes To Make Your Marriage Work
Most marriages survive by gritting teeth and holding on. But marriages can and will not only survive but thrive when husbands and wives learn to cherish one another. Those are the powerful words of bestselling author Gary Thomas in his newest bookCherish. And in a world desperate for marriage redemption, it is needed now more than ever. Thomas shows that although there are a countless number of marriages consisting of two people just going through the motions, there are real ways this pattern can be reversed: when husbands and wives learn to cherish one another in proven, loving, and everyday actions and words.
Newest Release – Episode 2: Heroes Providing Hope
Discover the amazing work our PRCs Directors, Nurses, and Volunteers are making in their communities! Youll see firsthand testimonies of a PRC in action, and that there are other options outside of abortions! Youll also discover how your family can support your local PRC!
Yes, I Promise to Pray for the Pre-born and Their Moms!
Will you pray for the pre-born and moms that are facing unexpected pregnancies? We will send you a 7-day prayer guide that will help guide you along this journey with us!! You can even choose to receive this great resource by text!
Newest Release – Episode 4: Sometimes the Choice is Hard
Yes, I Promise to Pray for the Pre-born and Their Moms!
Newest Release – Episode 3: The Power of a Picture
Yes, I Promise to Pray for the Pre-born and Their Moms!
Dr Tim And Mrs Noreen Muehlhoff
Dr. Tim Muehlhoff is a professor of communication at Biola University in La Mirada, California where he teaches classes in family communication, interpersonal communication, apologetics, gender, and conflict resolution. Tim and his wife, Noreen, are both on staff with Biolas Center for Marriage and Relationships where he is a co-host of The Art of Relationship podcast.
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Read Verses And Passages In Different Translations
Some words and phrases make zero sense when translated exactly. Imagine having the following conversation with someone from another language. She asks you how youve been, and you reply, Hanging in there. Translated exactly, she may envision you swinging from a tree branch.
Every language has its own idioms, hyperboles, and euphemisms that, when expressed in a different tongue, can result in confusion. Bible scholars must decide, then, when to translate word-for-word versus conveying the general thought. Some translations, like the ESV, focus more on a word-for-word translation others, like the CEV translate thought-for-thought and still others, like the CSB, attempt to merge both. Because of this, its helpful to read the same verse or passage in numerous translations. This often provides a more thorough understanding of the words definition.
What Is A Process For Interpreting Scripture
Interpreting Scripture is the process of personally discovering what God through his human authors intended the biblical text to mean and effect. Through exegesis and theology one assesses, synthesizes, and applies Gods inerrant Word.
The English term exegesis is a transliteration of the Greek noun exgsis , meaning an account, description, narration. Narrowly defined, exegesis of Scripture is the interpretive activity of identifying or drawing out what God was actually saying through his human authors in specific passages within specific books. Texts convey meaning they do not produce it. Following Gods leading, the biblical authors purposely wrote the words they did with specific sense and purpose. Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit . We have to carefully read what the Lord through his human servants gives us in Scripture. In exegesis we discover what is there, which includes both the specific meaning that the authors convey and its implicationsthose inferences in a text of which the authors may or may not have been aware but that legitimately fall within the principle or pattern of meaning that they willed.
- Biblical theology considers how Gods Word progresses, integrates, and climaxes in Christ.
- Systematic theology examines what the Bible teaches about certain theological topics.
- Practical theology details the proper Christian response to the Bibles truths.
TEXTWhat is the makeup of the passage?
Footnotes
Themelios
General
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Giving Up Sugar Tasting God’s Goodness
As a latchkey kid, Wendy Speake turned to sugar for comfort. Every Friday, she would pedal to the candy show and use her allowance to fill her bag with candy. And one day, when she was older and a mom of three young boys, she came to realize that she was still pedaling away from her stress and using sugar as comfort, instead of turning to Jesus. She was joyless, worn out, tired, and in need of a change. In this interview, Wendy will challenge Christians to take 40 days to focus on fasting from something they turn to instead of Jesus for comfort. She invited people to break free from a dependence on sugar and taste the goodness of God.
What Is The Author Trying To Do What Literary Forms And Conventions Are They Using
When we interpret a passage, first we have to identify what an author is trying to do. Sometimes authors want to tell what happened or will happen sometimes they want to explain or describe something sometimes they want to give instructions about how to do something and sometimes they want to give an exhortation or command.
All languages and cultures have ways of communicating these kinds of intentions. However, languages and cultures embed these intentions in different literary forms. These literary forms have certain conventions or rules that people within a certain culture and time recognize and easily interpret. But moving from one culture to another, from one time to another, or from one language to another, we may find that both the literary forms and the conventions within the forms are different than what we expect or easily recognize.
The literary forms and conventions associated with the ancient Hebrew psalms, a fifteenth-century Japanese haiku, an eighteenth-century English sonnet, and a twenty-first-century American rap song are very different, even though all could be classified as poetry.
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There Is A Distance In Time Between When The Events Happened And When We Read Them
Consider first the distance of time between the ancient texts and our modern world. The writings and events in the Bible span many centuries, but more than 1,900 years have passed since its last words were written.
Not only has the world changed in substantial ways, but most of us lack essential information about the world back then or the process involved in producing the Bibles various and diverse books within oral cultures. We may be at a loss to understand what a text means because it involves subjects far removed in the past.
Take a look at a few examples from Hosea 10. This chapter refers to:
- calf-idol of Beth Aven
- Israel will be ashamed of its foreign alliances
- the high places
- the evil doers in Gibeah
- a trained heifer and
- Shalman devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle
What was a calf-idol or high places? Where were Beth Aven, Assyria, or Ephraim located? Are they within or outside Israel? Whats this about Gibeah or a trained heifer?
The distance of time between us and them makes it difficult to determine what Hosea 10 refers to.
Grasp The Occasion And Setting Of The Letter
Another indispensable tool for studying New Testament epistles is digging into a letters setting and occasion. Study up on the identity, background, and circumstances of both the author and audience.
Then put on your Sherlock hat and verify the experts findings for yourself. Read the epistle in light of your provisional understanding of its occasion then revise your model of the setting based upon your readingthen reread the epistle in light of that refined model.
Rinse, and repeat.
Along with all of this, learn about how a New Testament epistle works. For example, did you know that the New Testament epistles were performed for their original audiences, and the author often coached the presenter on how to perform? Try it out:
You sent him to the store?
You sent him to the store?
You sent him to the store?
Ideally, if they had been able, authors would have come to speak with their audiences in person. Letters were official, ambassadorial stand-ins for their presence. And the letter bearers performance helped the letter stand in as it best could: if the equipment had been available in the first century, we might well have video presentations instead of mere letters.
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Modern Understanding Affecting Ancient Significance
In addition, how we think about certain things may so color our understanding of ancient customs that we miss their significance.
For example, what does head covering mean in 1 Corinthians 11:416? Are we to understand this in terms of some kind of head scarf? After reading some translations we may assume that Paul refers to veils, so we envision the veil or hijab that Middle Eastern Muslim women wear today. Yet some commentators insist that hairstyles, not veils are in view here. We need more information to understand properly how Paul viewed this issue and why it was important.
Likewise, a western concern for cleanliness might not help our understanding of the Pharisees practice of ceremonial washing . We must inform ourselves if we are to understand properly the customs and concepts of the biblical world that are foreign to us.
We cannot simply pick up the Bible and read it like a familiar book.
Building An Entire Theology Out Of One Verses
For example, consider Acts 2:38: Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins . . . If we simply take this verse in isolation, we could quite easily make a case that the act of baptism is necessary for our salvation.
However, instead of building our theology based upon one verse , we must look to the entirety of Scripture to see other places that deal with the same subject. For example, if many other verses teach clearly that salvation is through faith in Christ alone, then we are able to discern that the text in Acts 2:38 should not be interpreting scriptures as to suggest that baptism is necessary for salvation. After all, we know that Gods Word does not contradict itself. So we must be careful not to build our doctrinal views on a few proof-texts. Instead build upon a careful study of the whole counsel of God.
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Principles For Correctly Interpreting The Bible
I have shown here that the only way we as Christians should interpret the Bible is using the literal method if we want to bring ourselves under the authority of Gods Word instead of placing ourselves in authority over Gods Word. If we can just spiritualize all of the Bible and write off anything we dont like as cultural or the opinions of man, then the Bible loses all its power.
But even when we interpret the Bible literally as Christians we must understand apply the following important principles when we study Gods Word.
Principle #1 The Bible contains no errors and no contradictions
Translations of the Bible may contain errors, but the Bible was perfect in it is original form. And even though there may be various errors in various translations of the original languages of the Bible we can rest assured that God has preserved his Word across multiple translations by the repetition of various accounts and doctrines in the Bible.
The Bible never contradicts itself. Not one of the 40 men God chose to pen his Word contradicted with another of the men he chose to pen his Word.
Principle #2 Scripture interprets Scripture
Principle #3 The commands of the Bible can only be rescinded by God himself
Principle #4 Scriptural examples allow us to do things they do not require us to do things
Principle #5 Seek out the original languages and many translations
Principle #6 Pray and ask for the Holy Spirits guidance
Principle #7 Seek out a multitude of counselors