Pastor Shaun Marksbury

  Old Testament Overview:  A Twelve Week Trek through the Text Part 1 - Introductions.  This Session: Introducing Bible Study Introducing the Bible Introducing the Torah I. Introduction to Bible Study   Bible study starts with reading it. The best way to know the Bible is to read it through, right-to-left! Not random verses! Not here a little, there a little! Studying the bible includes: Observation, Interpretation, Application (O-I-A Method) Start by reading and noting what the text says in context After all the observations, identify what it means Then move to application! OBSERVATION Observe what’s there! Bible books: Book as a whole  Divisions  Sections  Segments [chapters]  Paragraphs  Sentences [verses]  Clauses  Phrases  Words  Interpretation comes after observation. (“Elementary.”) Good interpretation is based on the Historical-Grammatical Method. That’s considering the history and the grammar of the text. We con...

 A recent question reminded me of this quote.  This is Kaiser on the question of cultural terminology in Toward an Exegetical Theology : But it is clear that Scripture refused to fall into some cultural containments which might thereby reduce the content of the message. One good example of this resistance is the Bible’s rejection of the “three-tiered” universe model. To see in certain poetical portions of Scripture the pre-Copernican cosmological model which had a solid dome, flat earth, and an abyss beneath the earth (along with supporting pillars and slits in the dome for rain and stars!) is either an exegetical contrivance or a failure to spot the use of figurative language.  The exegete must then ask when it is appropriate to adopt both the content and the form of the cultural item (p. 115).

(repost from my old blog, last updated Nov 24, 2012) I'm doing a little bit of side-study on the "King James Version Only" issue (hereafter, KJVO). I was a KJVO during the early years of my Christian life, as I had been saved while attending a Fundamentalist, Independent Baptist church. So, the issue is a tender one to me. What is KJVO? There are several types of people who fall into the KJVO camp, most of whom are brothers and sisters in Christ.  Some simply like the sound and flow of the KJV.  We should feel free to walk with these folks in gospel fellowship. Others believe the Greek and Hebrew manuscript tradition underlying the KJV to be the best representation of Apostolic writing.  As all Bible translations postdating the KJV use more abundant source material, these folks, who are really TR or  Textus Receptus  Onlyists, find themselves KJVO by default.  These are simply well-meaning but mis-educated fellow believers. Then ther...

Here's a good list of articles for those wanting a bit more introduction on this subject: An Introduction to Textual Criticism: Part 1–Introduction An Introduction to Textual Criticism: Part 2–The Writing and Transmission of Ancient Documents An Introduction to Textual Criticism: Part 3–Textual Errors An Introduction to Textual Criticism: Part 4–The Role of Church History in Textual Criticism An Introduction to Textual Criticism: Part 5–The Received Text An Introduction to Textual Criticism: Part 6–The Challenge to the Received Text An Introduction to Textual Criticism: Part 7–The Task of Textual Criticism: Weighing the Evidence An Introduction to Textual Criticism: Part 8–“Traditional Text” Positions: Textus Receptus and Majority Text Only An Introduction to Textual Criticism: Part 9–“Traditional Text” Positions: The Ecclesiastical Text An Introduction to Textual Criticism: Part 10–“Traditional Text” Positions: Byzantine-Priority An Introduction to Textual Criticism: ...

We read today about yet another group approaching to accost Jesus: the Sadducees.   They’re sent from the chief priests for a third wave of questioning, hoping to trap Him in a statement (cf. 11:27; 12:13).   This wealthy group of men included the chief priests and much of Jerusalem’s ruling council. Even wielding great influence in Jewish religious life, the beliefs of the Sadducees would be akin to theological liberalism today.   They only held the books of Moses as authoritative, and not even that.   They also didn’t believe in the resurrection (v. 18) nor in the existence of angels, a future judgment, or the immortality of the soul (cf. Acts 23:6–8).   As such, this hypothetical scenario of a woman marrying seven husbands is, of course, a challenge to Jesus.   If He’s stymied, they believe they would prove themselves more intelligent than Jesus while also demonstrating how absurd it is to believe in the resurrection. However, such challe...

There's a need for us to know what takes place when that final week.  Many commentaries I've read note what appears to be a gap in the Gospel records on Wednesday.  This oddity evaporates if the "Triumphal Entry" occurred on Monday, not Sunday .  Dr. Keith Essex has mapped this out in part of his syllabus for New Testament Survey, and I hope you find it as helpful as I did. Sunday Arrival in Bethany (John 11:55-12:1) Supper and Crowds (Matt. 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:2-11) Monday The Triumphal Entry (Matt. 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-44; John 12:12-19) The Visit to the Temple (Matt. 21:14-17; Mark 11:11) Tuesday The Cursing of the Fig Tree (Matt. 21:18-19; Mark 11:12-14) The Cleansing of the Temple (Matt. 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:45-48) The Request of the Greeks (John 12:20-36a) The Return to Bethany (Mark 11:19) Wednesday The Lesson of the Fig Tree (Matt. 21:20-22; Mark 11:20-26) The Temple Controversy (Matt. 21:23-23:39; Ma...

Having completed His public ministry in northern Israel, Jesus moves southward.  Crowds again begin to gather around Him, so, “according to His custom, He once more began to teach them” (v. 1).  However, the Pharisees, ready to stop Him, asked Him a question they hope will test Him (v. 2). Their question was one of hot debate between two rabbinical schools; one said that divorce is always permittable, while the other said that divorce is only permittable in cases of adultery.  To complicate matters, Herod Antipas, ruler of this area, had left his wife to steal and marry his brother’s wife—and John the Baptist was killed for pointing it out (6:16–29).  Could the Pharisees make Jesus suffer the same fate? His response demonstrates key principles in biblical interpretation.  It models how to understand a contentious topic we may be wrestling with in our own souls.  It calls us to follow the Word of God. First, note what Scripture commands.  J...

Many of us deal with the Psalms completely in English, and that's fine.  If you decide, however, to compare those Psalms to the Hebrew for the first time, you may get confused.  As I was looking at Psalm 13 for this weekend's study, I decided to write a quick post on what to look for if you are comparing the English and the Hebrew for the first time. The verse numbers don't always line up. The first thing we notice with this psalm is that it has a title, which is translated in the NASB, "For the choir director. A Psalm of David."  This is actually verse one in the Hebrew.  Verse one in English starts, "How long," but that is the start of verse two in the Hebrew.  So, you may end up with a verse more than you anticipated in the Hebrew. Incidentally, that means that the titles in Hebrew are canonical.  Different scholars will debate whether that means the titles are inspired.  I'm of the camp that believe they are; if they are preserved by God in ...

(Last update, 6/19/17.) This is a short compilation of Scripture verses taken out of context. The point? These examples demonstrate the importance of keeping surrounding passages in mind when reading and interpreting the Bible. Feel free to add your own examples, and I will continue to update this post occasionally. Genesis 4:17 (and v. 14) “Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch…” I heard this one from someone who called me after leaving the service a bit perplexed. A preacher excitedly delivered a message on a Scripture he had not noticed before. Someone had used the fact that Cain’s son was named “Enoch” to present the forgiveness of God to those who repent, a message full of potential. The preacher noted that Enoch walked so closely to God that God simply “raptured” him from the earth (cf. Gen 5:24). He further postulated that Genesis 4:14 was an apology on Cain’s part. However, what the pastor failed to notice was that these are two, different Enochs. T...

Latest update 11/20/17. While wonderful Bible software packages exist, not everyone can afford the sometimes steep price.  Thankfully, the Internet teems with free Bible study tools.  Caution: not all resources are created alike, and our linking these tools should not be understood as an endorsement of all the material appearing on these websites. I've been working on this list for nearly a decade, so let me know if you come across broken links or if you find one you believe should be added. (This list is also on our church website .) ______________________________ Biblical and Theological Studies Whether you are studying to grow or looking for material to help facilitate your small group studies, here are a few sites with prepared material that you can search with ease. Bible.org  Dr. Bill Barrick's Teaching Site  Monergism.com  Sermon Audio Staying in the Word Home Bible Study Ministry  The John MacArthur Sermon Archive Concordances...