Summer Conference Outlines – Dio

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Summer Conference 2023 Outlines

Speaker: Dio Yang

(7/1 Saturday Afternoon) Session 1: How to Interpret the Bible

I. Bible Study:  Why and why not do it?

    1. Why do it?

                   It’s essential for

      1. A vital relationship with God—— Communion
      2. Knowing the will of God———— Guidance
      3. Spiritual growth———————– Pure Milk and Bread of Life
      4. Strong faith————————— Firm Foundation
      5. Standing firm in life’s storms—— Anchored life
      6. Effective ministry——————— Training for good works
    2. Why not do it?
      1. Lack of understanding of

the Word
the methods
the importance

      1. Lack of discipline:

Carelessness
Laziness
Inconsistency

      1. Lack of motivation:

Love of the world
Community culture
Isolation

      1. Lack of time:

Reset our priorities!

II. The Bible Student:

    1. A lover of God and His Word
    2. A patient and diligent pursuer of the mind of God
    3. An obedient follower of Christ
    4. A humble and teachable heart
    5. Must understand the relationships between ….
      a. Knowledge and Life
      b. The Word and Christ the Person
      c. The Truth and our Walk
      d. The Mind of the Flesh and the Revelation of the Holy Spirit
III. The Four Cs of Bible Study Principles

1. Content: — Look Carefully!

Fact-finding investigation
Observe like Sherlock Holmes —
Regular lens, zoom lens and wide-angle lens
Ask questions like Lt. Colombo —
Who, what, where, when, why and how?
Note repetitions
Note special features
Check out word meaning —
use dictionary and Bible dictionary
Fast read for overview
Don’t be bogged down by questions
Break down the sum into smaller portions —
book-chapters-paragraphs-verses-sentences-phrases-words
Write down your observations
Don’t rush into interpretation or conclusion
The wonderful practice of “Diagramming”
— Be thorough!
In Class Exercise: detailed study of the Content Principle with …

(7/1 Saturday Night) Session 2: How to Interpret the Bible

III. The Four Cs of Bible Study Principles (cont.)

2. Context: — Look Further!

“Parts that surround a word or passage that clarify its meaning”
Textural context….
Immediately before or after the text
The whole chapter or the whole book
Background context….
Historical
Political
Cultural
Religious
Geographical
Help Tools—   Study Bible
Bible handbook
Bible Timeline
Bible Atlas
Bible Encyclopaedia
— Be Curious!

3. Comprehension: — Look deeper!

Understanding the literal meaning of the Text
Interpreting the spiritual meaning
Relating it to current situations

Diagramming the pivotal verses

Paraphrasing the text —

Slow down the thought process
Better focus
Verbalize your thoughts

Help Tools— Vine’s

Thompson’s
Commentaries

— Be Consistent!

In Class Exercise: detailed study of the Content and Comprehension Principle in…

4. Conformation: — Look within!

What are some of the thoughts new and different from my own?
How are these thoughts affecting my worldview and value system?
What must I change? —– thoughts and thought patterns
– habits and preferences
How do I live it out? —– words and deeds
– choices and decisions
Integrity of thoughts and actions
Prayer for revelation and prayer of surrender

—- Be Intentional!

In Class Exercise: detailed study of the Content Principle in…

I.The Structure of the Bible

1. God’s spiritual Route 66
2. 3×9 = 27
3. 40 authors, 1,500 years
– 1 master plan
– 1 master Mind
4. The Structure:
1) What’s in the Bible …..The DIAGRAM
2) It’s like a great building
3) It has two facades
4) Each has its foundation, supporting columns and roof
5) It has the classical symmetry
6) It’s sound and solid
7) This diagram helps us to remember what’s in the Bible
8) It also strengthens our faith in the reliability of the Bible
—as part of the internal proof that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God

(7/2 Sunday Afternoon) Session 3: Principles of Bible Interpretation (1 of 2)

1. Introduction: The necessity of Bible interpretation

    • Human emotions and ideas — spoken words to communicate, written words as symbols and signs to communicate and to record.
    • Language can lead to truth or falsity or ambiguity
    • Language is limited in its capacity to express and represent the full emotion and ideas of the speaker
    • The speaker or the hearer may be limited in their ability to communicate or understand.
    • The Bible is a communication from the transcendent God to the finite human race through the inspired writings of historical men in a way that is understandable to their contemporaries and relevant for all people in all times.
    • Because of the cultural, social and linguistic changes through time, the work of Bible interpretation became necessary for the clarification of the originally intended communication from God.

2. Types of literary languages in the Scriptures:

    • Allegories: a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms
 — ex. “Do not give dogs what is sacred, do not throw your pearls to the pigs… “  Matt 7:6
    • Parables: a short allegorical story designed to convey some truth, moral teaching or spiritual principles
— ex. The parable of the sower. Matt 13:18
    • Metaphors: A figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as if it were another.
— ex. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer. Ps 18:2
    • Hyperboles: an obvious and intentional exaggeration to be taken as such for emphasis and dramatic effect
— ex. “Saul has slain his thousands, David his tens of thousands.”  1 Sam 18:7
    • Figurative language: The language used is not to be taken literally
— ex.  “…if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”  Lk 19:40
    • Literal language: The language used is to be taken literally
— ex.  “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”   Acts 1:11

In Class Exercise:

3. The Principles of Bible Interpretation:

1) The Numerical Principle: God uses certain numbers in the Bible with consistent spiritual significance beyond their mere  numerical values.

1 The first and only, non-divisible, the basis of all other numbers
2 division and separation, dependence, witness, fellowship, redemption
3 solidity, fullness, perfection, resurrection
4 earthly, creaturely, weakness
5 man as a creature of  responsibility
6 fallen man as weak and incomplete and wicked
7 completeness and perfection in the old creation
8 the new beginning
10  man’s responsibility under God’s government
12  completeness and perfection in the new creation
40 testing, trial and discipline

2) The Symbolic Principle: God uses certain persons, materials and subjects in the Bible with consistent spiritual significance
beyond their apparent ones to convey certain truth.

    • Colors:White,Blue,Scarlet (red),Purple
    • Materials
      Metals: Gold,Silver,Bronze,Iron
      Fabric: Wool,Linen
      Trees: Oak,Cedar,Acacia,Thorns and thistles,Grapevine, Fig tree,Olive tree
      Stones: Stone,Semi-precious Stones,Clay,
      Pearl: Salvation in Christ
      Yeast: Sin, corruption
    • Animals: Lion: Kingly, powerful
      Sheep: God’s people, weak, confused, can be easily misled
      Lamb: gentle and docile sacrificial animal
      Ram:Power in the sacrificial horned animal
      Ox: humble, docile, obedient, diligent servant
      Deer: fragile, easily startled, swift, desiring for the refreshing water
      Dove:Single-sighted and single-hearted in love, gentle, docile
      Donkey: stubborn
      Eagle: heavenly
      Dog: despicable, unclean, Gentiles to the Jews
      Serpent: Satan in his cunningnessDragon: Satan in his vicious power
      Clean animals andUnclean animals: ritualistic or moral cleanliness (Leviticus)
    • Symbols of the Holy Spirit:
      Water: Cleansing
      Fire: Cleansing and purifying
      Dove: Gentleness
      Oil: Anointing, soothing, healing
      Wind: Unseen but powerful
    • Symbols of the Word of God
      Water: Cleansing, purifying
      Bread: Life-giving and life-sustaining
      Sword: Powerful in spiritual warfare and in distinguishing soul and spirit, etc.
In Class Exercise: — Interpret the spiritual significance of Num 20:6-13 in the light of 1 Cor 10:1-5

(7/2 Sunday Night) Session 4: Principles of Bible Interpretation (2 of 2)

3. The Principles of Bible Interpretation: (cont.)

3) The Typical Principle: God illustrates some biblical truth by using types.

    • Classifications of types
      • A person
      • An event
      • A thing
      • Ritual types
    • Some examples of types in the Bible
      • Melchizedek Gen 14:18-20; Heb 7
      • The Passover Lamb Exo 12; 1 Cor 5:7
      • The Brazen Serpent Num 21:4-9;  Jn 3:14,15
      • The Two Birds Lev 14:1-7;  Heb 10:11,12,22
      • The Red Heifer Num 19:11-16;  Heb 9:13,14
      • Jacob’s Ladder Gen 28:10-22;  Jn 1:45-51
      • The Manna in the wilderness Exo 16;  Jn 6:30-58
      • The Prophet Jonah Jonah, Matt 12:38-41,
      • The Cities of Refuge Num 35;  Joshua 20:1-6
      • The Feasts of the Lord: Lev 23
        • Passover
        • Feast of Unleavened Bread
        • Feast of the Firstfruits
        • Feast of Pentecost(Weeks)
        • Feast of Trumpets
        • Feast of Atonement
        • Feast of Tabernacle
      • The Tabernacle in the wilderness Ex 25, 26, 27, 30, etc. Jn 1:14, Heb 8:2,5, 9:24
      • The High Priest and his Garments Ex 28, Heb 4:14-16, 7:16-17, 28, 8:1
      • The Levitical Sacrifices (Offerings):Lev 1 ~ 7
        • The Burnt Offering(Jn 20:17, Heb 10:10)
        • The Grain Offering(Jn 6:53)
        • The Peace Offering (Rm 5:11)
        • The Sin Offering(Heb 10:12)
        • The Guilt Offering(Jn 1:29, 13:31)

In Class Exercise: — What is the significance of the three items in the Ark of the Covenant? (Heb 9:4)

 

Bibliography:

  • Protestant Bible Interpretation
  • Bernard Ramm
  • Principles of Biblical Hermeneutics
  • J. Edwin Hartill
  • Living by the Book
  • Howard G. Hendricks
  • Christian Biblical Hermeneutics (Article)
  • Wikipedia

My Personal Study Tools:  (for reference only)

A. Books

  • Bible Dictionary – Zondervan
  • Bible Encyclopedia – Zondervan
  • Concordance – Young’s or Strong’s
  • Vine’s Expository Dictionary of NT Words
  • Nave’s Topical Bible
  • Bible Handbook – Halley’s or Erdman’s
  • Study Bible
  • Bible Timeline – Thomas Robertson
  • Atlas of  the Bible – Reader’s Digest
  • Maps of the Middle East
  • A plain Bible (to be marked up!) of a good translation….no paraphrased  versions
  • A 3-ring binder (Make notes!)

B. Internet: Free access

  • Bible Gateway Blueletter Bible
  • Commentaries Concordance
  • Original languages
    Etc.

 


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