Women of the Word

1. The Bible is Primarily About God, Not You

We must read and study the Bible with our ears trained on hearing God’s declaration of himself.

God-centered focus. The Bible's primary purpose is to reveal God's character and will, not to serve as a self-help guide. Approaching Scripture with the question "Who am I?" is backwards; instead, we should ask, "What does this passage teach me about God?" This shift in focus is crucial for genuine transformation.

Moses' example. Like Moses at the burning bush, we often ask, "Who am I?" and "What should I do?" God's response, however, consistently redirects the focus to Himself: "I AM." This highlights that our identity and actions are best understood through the lens of God's identity and actions. The Bible is not a mirror reflecting our image, but a window revealing God's glory.

Self-knowledge through God. True self-knowledge is a byproduct of knowing God. When we see God's longsuffering, we recognize our own impatience; when we see His justice, we recognize our own injustice. This contrast reveals our sin and increases our love for Him, leading to genuine repentance and conformity to His image.

2. Mind Before Heart: Knowledge Fuels Love

The heart cannot love what the mind does not know.

Intellect and faith. The Bible commands us to love God with all our minds, not just our hearts. While emotions are important, they should be informed by our intellect. We live in a time when faith and reason are often seen as opposites, but the Bible calls us to engage both.

Transformation through knowledge. Romans 12:2 states that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds, not our hearts. This highlights the importance of intellectual engagement with Scripture. Just as our love for a spouse grows as we learn more about them, our love for God deepens as we grow in our knowledge of Him.

Pleasure through study. Research shows that pleasure increases when we learn the history, origin, and deeper nature of something. This applies to our relationship with God. We will find greater pleasure in God not by pursuing more experiences of Him, but by knowing Him better through the study of His Word.

3. Bible Literacy Protects Against Error

Bible literacy matters because it protects us from falling into error.

Vulnerability to false teaching. Biblical ignorance makes us vulnerable to false teaching and secular humanism. When we don't know our Bibles, we can easily be swayed by messages that contradict God's Word. This is why the modern church has become fertile ground for error.

Unhelpful habits. Many of us have adopted unhelpful habits when "spending time in the Word," such as the Xanax Approach (seeking comfort), the Pinball Approach (random reading), the Magic 8 Ball Approach (seeking answers), the Personal Shopper Approach (topical studies), the Telephone Game Approach (reading about the Bible instead of the Bible), and the Jack Sprat Approach (only reading what we like). These approaches do not build Bible literacy.

Salt and light. When women grow lax in their pursuit of Bible literacy, their influence in their homes, churches, communities, and countries is diminished. We need women who know why they believe what they believe, grounded in the Word of God, to be salt and light in the world.

4. The Bible's Big Story: Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is telling us about the reign and rule of God.

Overarching narrative. The Bible is not a collection of disconnected stories, but a single, sweeping narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Each of its sixty-six books contributes to this Big Story, revealing God's character and plan for humanity.

Metanarrative. Understanding the Bible's metanarrative helps us interpret individual stories and passages correctly. For example, the story of Noah is not just a heroic tale, but a story of re-creation, redemption, and the fall. Similarly, the parable of the Good Samaritan is not just a morality tale, but a story about God's redemptive work through Christ.

All genres point to the Big Story. Whether we are reading historical narrative, poetry, wisdom literature, law, prophecy, or parables, each genre contributes to our understanding of the Big Story. Law shows our need for redemption, poetry expresses our relationship with God, wisdom literature guides us in godly living, and prophecy points to the certainty of God's promises.

5. Exegesis: Unearthing the Original Meaning

A text cannot mean what it never could have meant to its author or his or her readers.

Historical and cultural context. Like archaeologists, we must dig beneath the surface of the text to understand its original historical and cultural context. This involves asking five key questions: Who wrote it? When was it written? To whom was it written? In what style was it written? Why was it written?

Exegesis vs. Eisegesis. Exegesis is the process of drawing meaning out of the text, while eisegesis is the process of reading our own ideas into the text. We must strive for exegesis, allowing the text to speak for itself rather than imposing our own biases.

Literary interpretation. The Bible is literature, and understanding its literary genres (historical narrative, poetry, law, etc.) is crucial for proper interpretation. Each genre uses language in different ways, and we must be aware of these nuances to avoid misinterpreting the text.

6. Patience: The Long Game of Understanding

As for [the seed] in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

Delayed gratification. Bible study is not a quick fix, but a long-term investment. We must resist the urge for instant gratification and allow our understanding to grow gradually over time. Like a dust cloth slowly slipping from a masterpiece, the Bible reveals its beauty slowly and gracefully.

Embrace frustration. Feeling lost or confused is a natural part of the learning process. Instead of giving up or looking for shortcuts, we must embrace the dissonance and allow it to push us to deeper study. "Aha moments" often come after periods of feeling lost.

Cumulative effect. Bible study is like a savings account, not a debit account. We deposit what we learn daily, patiently waiting for it to accumulate in value. The benefits of our study may not be immediately apparent, but they will be stored up for future use.

7. Process: Comprehension, Interpretation, Application

Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.

Three stages of understanding. Sound Bible study involves three distinct stages: comprehension (What does it say?), interpretation (What does it mean?), and application (How should it change me?). Each stage builds upon the previous one, and all three are necessary for a complete understanding of the text.

Comprehension tools. Comprehension involves repetitive reading, annotation, using an English dictionary, comparing translations, and outlining. These tools help us to understand the structure, language, and details of the text.

Interpretation tools. Interpretation involves using cross-references, paraphrasing, and consulting commentaries. We must attempt interpretation on our own before consulting commentaries, allowing the text to speak for itself.

Application questions. Application involves asking three subquestions: What does this passage teach me about God? How does this aspect of God's character change my view of self? What should I do in response?

8. Prayer: Inviting the Holy Spirit into Study

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Prayer before, during, and after. Prayer should be an integral part of our study time, before, during, and after we engage with the text. We should praise God for His Word, confess our weaknesses, ask for understanding, and thank Him for His gifts.

PART framework. The acronym PART (Praise, Admit, Request, Thank) can guide our prayers, helping us to focus on God's character, our sin, our needs, and His provision. Prayer is not a magical formula, but a means of communing with the Lord.

Holy Spirit's role. Learning the Bible is not just a human effort, but a work of the Holy Spirit. Prayer invites the Holy Spirit to take up residence in our study time, transforming it from an intellectual pursuit to a means of communing with God.

9. Teachers: Equipping Others for Literacy

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Women teaching women. The church needs well-equipped women teachers who can model a love for God with both heart and mind. Women teachers offer unique examples, perspectives, and authority to other women.

Teacher vs. speaker. A teacher focuses on knowledge, insight, and training, while a speaker focuses on rhetoric, storytelling, and inspiration. The teacher makes disciples, while the speaker makes fans. We must prioritize the tools of the teacher over those of the speaker.

Diligent preparation. Teachers must be diligent students themselves, using the Five P's to guide their own study. They must consult commentaries only after attempting comprehension, interpretation, and application on their own.

Wise structure. Teachers must structure their studies wisely, balancing relationship-building with teaching and discussion. Homework should emphasize comprehension and personal engagement with the text.

Responsible teaching. Teachers must avoid hopping around, feminizing the text, and other common pitfalls. They must teach the text responsibly, allowing it to speak for itself.

10. Community: Study Together for Growth

With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Shared learning. Studying with others enhances our understanding and accountability. Community provides a vehicle for discussion, confession, repentance, encouragement, and mutual edification.

Accountability and support. Studying with a partner or group helps keep us moving forward and guards against misinterpretations. It also provides a safe space to ask difficult questions and share our struggles.

Sound teaching and preaching. While personal study is essential, we should also take advantage of the wealth of sound teaching available through online sources and in our churches. These resources are most effective when we come to them already saturated in the text.

From student to teacher. Avid students often become avid teachers. Teaching is a means of keeping us accountable to study and of sharing the wealth of understanding we have uncovered.

Last updated: January 22, 2025