Reading Time: 3 minutesQuestion 1103 When we say every word of Scripture is inspired, does that include the chapter and verse numbers? Were they part of the original text, or were they added later? This is a practical question that affects how we read and study the Bible. The Short Answer No, chapter and verse divisions are not…
Reading Time: 3 minutesQuestion 1104 When New Testament writers quote the Old Testament, the wording sometimes differs from what we find in our Old Testament. Does this mean there are errors in Scripture? If the Bible is inerrant, should we not expect quotations to match exactly? The Nature of the Question Anyone who reads Scripture carefully notices that…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 1037 How should we read the Bible? This question lies at the heart of everything we do as Christians. Get interpretation wrong and everything else goes wrong with it. One of the most important principles in biblical interpretation is what we call “literal interpretation,” but this term is often misunderstood. Some think it means…
Reading Time: 6 minutesQuestion 1038 Throughout church history, Christians have debated how to read the Bible. One approach that has attracted both devoted followers and sharp critics is allegorical interpretation. What exactly is this method? Where did it come from? And should we be using it today when we open our Bibles? These are important questions, because how…
Reading Time: 6 minutesQuestion 1039 One of the most fascinating aspects of Bible study is discovering how the Old Testament points forward to Jesus and the New Covenant. This is not something we impose on the text; it is woven into the fabric of Scripture itself. The technical term for this forward-pointing pattern is “typology.” Understanding what typology…
Reading Time: 6 minutesQuestion 1040 Open your Bible to any page and you will find yourself reading a particular kind of literature. The book of Psalms does not read like the book of Romans. Revelation is quite different from Ruth. Proverbs communicates differently than Philemon. These differences are not accidental. God chose to communicate His Word through a…
Reading Time: 6 minutesQuestion 1043 Have you ever heard someone quote a Bible verse to support an idea that seemed completely unrelated to its original context? Perhaps you have seen a preacher build an entire sermon on a phrase pulled out of its setting, or encountered a teaching that required considerable mental gymnastics to connect to the text…
Reading Time: 6 minutesQuestion 1044 When Paul wrote to the Corinthians about head coverings, was he addressing a timeless principle or a local custom? When Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell everything, was this a universal command or a specific challenge to that individual? How do we know when a biblical instruction transcends its original setting…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 1051 When you start digging into biblical manuscripts, you’ll eventually come across something called the Samaritan Pentateuch. It sounds exotic and perhaps a bit intimidating, but understanding what it is and how it relates to our Old Testament is actually quite straightforward once you get your bearings. The question is this: if the Samaritans…
Reading Time: 6 minutesQuestion 1052 Walk into any Christian bookshop or browse online, and you’ll find hundreds of commentaries on every book of the Bible. Some are slim paperbacks, others are multi-volume sets that could double as doorstops. Prices range from a few pounds to several hundred. How do you know which ones are actually worth your time…