Replies:
In your replies, you are seeking to build rapport and community around the topic. You are also seeking to maximize our collective understanding of the material. Keeping that in mind,
· Look for areas of common ground or diversity between your comments on the prompts and your classmates’ finding(s) and engage each other.
· Connect and comment on areas included or not included in your classmates’ thread that you would like to share.
· Each reply must be at least 100 words composed in 1 paragraph.
Response # 1
Brooke Hammons
If I had a friend who was questioning why the Pastor always translated a meaning of a word from English to what it means in the original Hebrew or Greek, I would first be understanding because I used to not understand why either. I would have the thought of something like,” whats the point of him saying that, it really does not change the way I see the verse.” Then I would go on to explain why. First, I would begin to explain that in order for us to truly understand the passage we must dive deeper than the surface level of the passage. If we take a scripture from a magnet on our fridge we can easily misuse and misunderstand the scripture, but if we take the scripture from our fridge and open our bibles and study not only the verse but the context around we will be able to understand what the passage truly means on a deeper more intimate level. A good start would be to understand who wrote the book, then determine who the audience is. From there start at the beginning of the chapter or even the beginning of the book and break it up piece by piece. Then continue to find out what the historical context is. What world did they live in while this story was being taken place? If you do not understand a word use an expository dictionary of some sort or even look at different translations of the bible to better understand the material. Then look at the Greek and Hebrew meaning of the word; the origin of the language it was written in can bring you back to understanding the historical context and a deeper meaning to the word. Also consulting an expert in the language can really help. If you really what to know what the passage means and not just a surface level saying that barley gets you by, these are the ways you can build a more intimate relationship with Christ and His word. That is why our Pastor shares the knowledge he has with the original language to help us better understand the word even though we may not realize it just yet. All this may seem like a lot of work but once you start building that intimacy with the word, you will realize the importance and worth it has and will not settle for anything less.
Reference:
(J. Cartwright. C.Hulshof. Everyday Bible Study. Ch.23-26)
Response #2
Amber Curry Option 2
I chose option 2 for my forum. We are going to say that the friend’s name is Judy and my forum will be as if I am directly speaking to Judy.
Judy, my dear friend, what you do not realize is that Pastor Edgewater is actually helping you understand the passage better! Unless you frequently study the Word, correctly, you are only seeing the surface of the meaning of the passages. Here, let me explain. Consider for a minute, how the meanings of words change over time. Since words do change, there are some words that disappear from common vocabulary or based on your location, so it is important to study them and necessary to properly study them to understand their meaning. Word study is important because it will help you develop a better understanding of the passage. Let me share with you 5 steps to Word study. Number 1 is to select your words out of the context that you would like to study. Number 2 is to identify all the places the word is located throughout the Scriptures. Number 3 is to determine what the word could mean. Number 4 is to determine that the word does mean. Lastly, in Step 5, check your work. So, in conclusion, even though you might be pretty sure you understand a passage, remember that words have changed through the years, and even though you may think that you know the meaning but your definition may be different than the original meaning. Here are some verses as well that I feel may apply to our topic.
“Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser, teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Proverbs 9:9-10
“Hear, o sons, a father’s instruction and be attentive, that you may gain insight, for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching.” Proverbs 4:1-2
