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S

ome students of Gods Word have been reading
and studying the Bible as long as I have (or longer)
more than six decades now. If so, youve noticed the
same thing I have: Bibles have changed. Not the text of
Scripture, but whats included along with the text.
When I was young, everybody pretty much had the
same Bible: a large, black, leather-covered edition of the
Authorized Versionthe King James Bible. And because
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Bibles were intended to be read daily by individuals
or families, these Bibles came with a black silk ribbon
attached to the spine that was used as a place marker.
When you finished your personal or family devotions,
you moved the ribbon to that page so you could pick up
right there the next day. Remember that?
While those big black Bibles are still available, the
trend today is study Bibles filled with resources in
addition to the biblical text. It might take a half-dozen
color-coded ribbons to mark all the trails you can follow
through a modern study Bible. The first Bible with
added resources was probably the Geneva Bible in 1560,
followed by various editions of the Authorized Version
beginning in 1611. In the modern era, the most famous
study Bible was the Scofield Reference Bible, published
in 1909.
After years of being asked to undertake creating a new
study Bible from my lifetime of study of the Word of
God, two years ago I finally felt the time was right
to consolidate my lifes work into a single resource.
This study Bible is dedicated to helping the everyday
student of the Word to clearly understand What It Says,
What It Means, and What It Means for Me. Recently I
completed that project. The Jeremiah Study Bible is now
available, and a ribbon runs through it.
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Ribbons Tat Rightly Divide the Word
Paul wrote to Timothy: Be diligent to present yourself
approved to God, a worker who does not need to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy
2:15, italics added). I love that phrase, rightly
dividing. Ribbon bookmarks running through the Bible
are a beautiful image of what Paul meant by rightly
dividing the Word of God. Paul meant for Timothy to
be a student of Scripture. Timothy didnt have a study
Bible he could mark up and underline like we do ours,
but he was to be a diligent student nonethelessand so
are we.
I want to highlight three kinds of ribbons that must run
through each of our Bibles if we are going to rightly
understand Gods Word and apply it in the twenty-first
century.
First, a ribbon called What the Bible Says. This ribbon
marks what the original authors of Scripture wrote to
their original readers. Study Bibles help us immensely
with this task by illuminating the meaning of the
original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Not all of
us are called to be scholars of ancient languages, but
the more we study the fruit of Bible scholarship, the
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more convinced we will be of the divine authorship
of Scripture.
Second, a ribbon called What the Bible Means. Once
we know what the Bible says, we move to what the Bible
means in its original context. And study Bibles provide
numerous notes and aids to help us bridge thousands
of years of cultural change. Its important to know what
the Bible meant to its original readers before we can
accurately apply it to our own lives.
Third, a ribbon called What the Bible Means for Me.
Too many people begin with
this ribbon and invent their
own theologies based on
what the Bible means to
me. Thats not where we
begin. We learn how to apply
the truth of Gods Word
only after knowing what it
says and what it means in
its original context. Only
then can we make accurate
application to our own lives.
Just as ribbons mark the
course of our reading and study of Gods Word, so Gods
Word is to leave its own mark on our lives. Join me as
Just as ribbons
mark the course
of our reading
and study of Gods
Word, so Gods
Word is to leave
its own mark on
our lives.
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we explore these three ribbonsthe keys to rightly
dividing the Word of truth.
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I

n 1804, British ship, HMS Apollo, was leading a
convoy of sixty-nine other merchant vessels to the West
Indies on a route that put them parallel to the coasts
of Spain and Portugal, about a hundred miles from
land. A storm arose on Sunday, April 1, April Fools
Day, but the captain was unconcerned because his
compass assured him he was well into open sea. But in
the wee hours of the morning, the ship wrecked against
the jagged rocks of the coastline. Jolted from their
hammocks, the crew ran scantily clothed to their posts
and tried to save the ship from the cold sea. The waves
crashed over the hull, flooding the ship from above
amid the screams of shipmen still below. As night gave
way to dawn, the surviving crew were amazed to find
themselves not a hundred miles from land but wrecked
against the Portuguese coast, which was littered with
the debris of many of the other ships in their convoy. Of
the sixty-nine vessels traveling with HMS Apollo, forty
were wrecked, some with total loss of life. It was one of
the greatest disasters in the history of British maritime
shipping.
The captain of HMS Apollo faced court-martial, but he
was acquitted when it was learned that the fault lay
not with him but with the ships compass. Because the
Apollo had taken on a large iron tank, the magnetism of
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the compass was thrown off just a littlefour degrees
and the error accumulated day after day. As leader of
the convoy, the captain had unwittingly led the others
to shipwreck because his compass was defective.
Many people today are shipwrecked in life because of
a defective compass, and they lead others astray. As
Christians, we have a Book that gives accurate readings
and precise directions, that allows us to navigate life
with confidence, and that always points us in the right
way. We can trust it, and we can trust what it says.
Te Bible Is an Inspired BookTen
According to Hebrews 2:10, the Lord Jesus is the
Captain of our salvation. He provides us with an
accurate compass. As God, He is omniscient. He knows
every fact in the universe. His thoughts are always
just, His opinions always right, His knowledge always
total. When He speaks, He makes no mistakes, wastes
no words, and withholds nothing necessary for our
knowledge. Because He wanted to communicate with
us in a permanent form we could ponder and pass on to
others, He inscribed His message in a book (our word
Bible comes from a Latin term for papyrus and
means book).
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As Christians,
we have a Book
that always
points us in the
right way.
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God transmitted a message from His omniscient
mind into this accessible book through the process of
inspiration, a word that is made up of the prefix in
and the term spire, which means breathe. Think of
our word respiration, having to do with the lungs.
Or the word expire, describing someone no longer
breathing. The apostle Paul explained, All Scripture is
given by inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16). In other
words, God breathed it out, He spoke it, just as we use
our lungs to breathe out and form audible syllables.
Peter further explained, Prophecy never came by the
will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were
moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21).
The Spirit of God came upon certain people at certain
times and guided them in the words they wrote so
that, without suspending their own personalities or
intellects, their writings were from God. This was
commonly accepted even at the time the Bible was being
given. Speaking in the upper room after the ascension
of Christ, Peter quoted Psalm 69, a prophecy about
the betrayal of Judas Iscariot. Heres how Peter put it:
Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled,
which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David
concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who
arrested Jesus (Acts 1:16, emphasis added). Thats
inspirationthe Lord speaking through the mouth of
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David and the other writers of Scripture; and thats
why the Bible is matchless, incomparable, and different
from every other book in the history of religion and
literature.
Te Bible Is an Accurate BookNow
If the Bible is inspired by an omniscient God, its
logical to assume its accurate in all it says, unfailing
and infallible. Every word and syllableevery jot and
tittleis full of truth and authority. That doesnt mean
that every copy of the Bible is accurate, of course. There
was a famous (or infamous) edition of the King James
Bible published in 1631 by the London printers Robert
Barker and Martin Lucas. Its called the Wicked Bible
because the editors inadvertently left out the word not
from Exodus 20:14. Instead of saying, Thou shalt not
commit adultery, the verse read, Thou shalt commit
adultery.
Those kinds of mistakes are thankfully very rare,
and we have fullest confidence in the transmission
and translation of Gods Word as it has been passed
down from antiquity to us. While we dont have the
original inerrant parchments or papyri written by the
actual biblical authors, we have a remarkable chain of
manuscripts going back to very early days. No book
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in history has the richness of manuscripts as the Bible.
No other book even comes close. So we persuasively
can say the original biblical documents were inerrant,
infallible, and wholly accurate, for Almighty God
gave them and He makes no mistakes. And we can be
confident that our existing copies are so reliable that
when a faulty one shows up like the Wicked Bible, it
stands out like a sore thumb.
Te Bible Is a Relevant BookAlways
Since the Bible is inspired and accurate, its always
relevant. Its more up to date than any of todays self-
help books, advice columns, theological tomes, or
runaway best sellers. Because it came from the mind
of the eternal God, it is timeless in its application. We
never know when a verse of Scripture may come out of
thin air and change our lives.
Out of thin air? Well, consider what happened to Andres,
the oldest son of Chief Fernando of the Muinane tribe
in the nation of Colombia. As Andres tended his rubber
trees in a large section of the South American jungle, he
started asking himself questions about life, like where
we came from and what happens after death. One night
in boredom, he began fiddling with a transistor radio
given to him by a rubber baron. Suddenly Andres picked
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up a sharp, clear signal from Trans World Radio. A man
was reading these words: The sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven
will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds
with great power and glory (Mark 13:2426).
By strange coincidence, that very evening the moon did
not give its light. Though Andres didnt understand
it at the time, a total lunar eclipse covered the jungle
with blackness. The young Colombian, deeply stirred,
returned home. The next day Jim Walton of Wycliffe
Bible Translators arrived unexpectedly and, opening
his New Testament in the village, began reading Gods
Word.
Andres was spellbound. He
later said, When I saw you
reading that book, I knew it
was the book from the radio,
the book that had the truth.
And when you said it was Gods Word, and you wanted
to put it in my language, I determined to help you.
For the next eighteen years, Andres served Jim as co-
translator, helping complete the first draft of the New
Testament and portions of the Old Testament.
Gods Word is
relevant for all
our days.
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As we study the Bible seeking its meaning according to
sound principles of Bible study, it has a way of speaking
to us. If it is inspired and accurate, it has to be relevant.
Weve never had so much material to readbillions
of words are available online every day. Its easy to
sit down at our electronic devices and spend hours
surfing. But too much surfing can wreck a persons
life on the rocky shoreline of deadly data. Instead,
spend large portions of time studying Gods Word. It is
precise and accurate in all it says. It is relevant for all
our days.
The Word of God is a light for our steps, a lamp for
our pathways, a plumb line for our thinking, and a sure
compass for our souls.
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H

ave you ever given something holy to a dog or
thrown a pearl in front of a pig?
Have you ever seen a camel that would fit through
the eye of a needle?
Have you read two verses in the Bible that seem
contradictory?
Have you ever seen someone shave a mans beard
half off and steal his pants?
You have likely never seen nor heard of anyone doing
these things in our modern world. But you have read
about them in the Bible. The four situations above are
examples of why understanding context is so important
in knowing what the Bible means.
DOGS, PEARLS, AND PIGS.
In Matthew 7:6, Jesus said not to give what is
holy to the dogs nor cast your pearls before
swine. In biblical times, pearls were truths of
Scripture and the mysteries of the kingdom were
holy, and the Jews referred to Gentiles as dogs or
pigs because both were unclean. Just as dogs and
pigs cannot appreciate the value of pearls and
holy things, some people are not ready to receive
spiritual truth.
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APPLICATION: BETTER TO MOVE ON TO OTHERS THAN
TO ARGUE OR DEBATE WITH THOSE WHO REJECT
GODS TRUTH.
CAMELS AND A NEEDLES EYE.
In Matthew 19:24 (and Mark 10:25; Luke 18:25)
Jesus said it is easier for a camel to go through
the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of God. In Jesus day, the camel was
one of the largest animals known and a needles
eye was one of the smallest openings known. So
Jesus was simply using exaggeration by way of
contrast. We know of larger and smaller things
in our modern world and could retell the phrase
with different words and have it mean the same
thing. The key word is easier.
APPLICATION: DON T LET WEALTH MAKE IT NEXT TO
IMPOSSIBLE TO RECEIVE GODS GRACE.
ANSWER OR DON T ANSWER A FOOL?
Proverbs 26:4a says not to answer a fool
according to his folly, but Proverbs 26:5a says
the opposite: Answer a fool according to his
folly. So which is right? They both are based on
the context of the Book of Proverbs. The context
of Proverbs is wisdom versus folly. On the one
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hand, if you answer a fool you may become like
the fool; you may become a fool yourself (verse
4b). On the other hand, if you dont answer the
fool, he might think he is right and smartso
you better answer him to set him straight (verse
5).
APPLICATION: IT TAKES WISDOM AND DISCERNMENT
TO KNOW WHEN TO ANSWER A FOOL.
HALF-SHAVING BEARDS AND STEALING
TROUSERS.
When the king of Ammon died and his son
ascended the Ammonite throne, King David of
Israel sent a delegation of men to express his
sympathy to the new king on the loss of his
father. Instead of being grateful for the gesture,
the young Ammonite king shaved off half of
Davids mens beards and cut off their garments
in the middle, at their buttocks (2 Samuel 10:4)
and sent them back to David. Davids men were
greatly ashamed (verse 5). For a mans beard to
be shaved half off and his body exposed was a
condition of great shame and humiliation. David
allowed his men to live in seclusion until their
beards regrew and their shame was past. To lift
such an act out of context and apply it today
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would be indefensible, as would any other act of
making another person feel ashamed. This was a
hateful act perpetrated by a pagan kingnot to
be copied.
APPLICATION: THE CONTEXT OF OLD TESTAMENT
ACTS AND BEHAVIORS MUST BE THOROUGHLY
UNDERSTOOD BEFORE BEING APPLIED BY
CHRISTIANS.
Context Is Everything
Next, lets look at the second ribbon that we must use
to rightly divide the Word of God: What does the Bible
mean? Or, What did the Bible mean to the audience
to which it was originally
written? To answer that
question, we must become
students of context.
By way of reminder,
biblical context then means
exactly what context means today. If someone hears
you say something (Im not going to ask Mary to
attend) without knowing the context (Mary has been
ill and has so many family things going on right now),
your words could be misunderstood and misapplied.
A text taken out
of context becomes
a pretext.
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Instead of excluding Mary for selfish reasons, it was
your compassion for Mary that was the focus. But
without that contextreasons, tone of voice, body
language, relationshipsyour words could be taken
totally out of context.
It has been rightly said that context is everything
for this reason (and I encourage you to remember this
principle of biblical interpretation): A text taken out of
context becomes a pretext. One of the ways people can
make the Bible say whatever they want it to say is by
taking biblical texts out of their original context. Those
texts then become a pretext: a way to justify ones
actions while hiding the true motivation or reason.
Heres an example: The fifth of the Ten Commandments
told Israelites to honor your father and mother
(Exodus 20:12). By Jesus day, Jewish tradition allowed
men to circumvent that responsibility to their parents
by dedicating to God (to the temple) the money they
would have used for their parents. Jesus pointed out
this hypocrisy in Mark 7:1013. They used a Jewish
tradition (dedicate your money to the temple) as a
pretext for failing to care for their parents and adhere
to the fifth of the Ten Commandments.
Another example: In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul gives advice
that seems very strange to us todayif you are single,
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dont get married; if youre married, dont change your
marital status; if youre a slave, dont try to gain your
freedom. In other words, dont make any life-altering
changes; dont make any big movesstay where you
are. Why did Paul say those things? For two reasons:
Life in the Roman world was very tenuous for the early
church; persecution and trouble were widespread. And
there was some sort of distress going on in Corinth
when Paul wrote his letter. His restrictive advice was
probably based on the Corinthians context: Dont make
changes and draw attention to yourself at the moment;
be content until the present crisis passes. Secondly, Paul
may have been anticipating the imminent return of
Christ: But this I say, brethren, the time is short (verse
29). Paul would have meant: Dont let your affairs be
your dominant concern. Christs kingdom should set
your agenda going forward. We live now for Christ, not
for ourselves. If that requires sacrifice, so be it.
So are we free to marry today and make long-term
plans? Of course (Ephesians 5:2233). First Corinthians
7 was addressing specific questions, rooted in context,
that the Corinthians had asked Paul (1 Corinthians
7:1)and his answers must be read that way.
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Living Contextualy
Paul wrote, All Scripture is profitable (2 Timothy
3:16). And we know that all Scripture was written
many centuries ago. Therefore, all Scripture must be
read contextually. As Christians we must
1. READ CONTEXTUALLY. Every time you open your
Bible, remember you are reading something
written in a totally different cultural context. That
means we must learn what it said then before we
know how to apply it now.
2. STUDY CONTEXTUALLY. Use your study Bible
to dig into Scripture to understand culturally
different words, images, and meanings. Become
a contextually aware student of Gods Word!
3. APPLY CONTEXTUALLY. Scripture is not only
for doctrine (knowing), but for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness
(2 Timothy 3:16). The goal of Bible study is
application leading to life-change. It is our
responsibility to make proper application of the
timeless truths of Scripture.
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All Scripture
must be read
contextually.
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4. LIVE CONTEXTUALLY. The Bible does not provide
a verse for every single circumstance we might
face in life. But the more we live in the context of
Scripture as a whole, in the context of the presence
of the Spirit, and in the context of obedience
to Christ in all things, the more wisdom and
discernment we will have in daily living. Those
who are in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) have a
new context for livingbehold, all things have
become new.
Remember: Context is critical!
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D

id you hear about the professor who invented a
complicated but finely-tuned machine in his garage?
The contraption was years in the making. Finally one
day an inquisitive neighbor persuaded the inventor to
let him peek at it. There it was, an enormous apparatus
with gears and belts and flywheels and electronic
components with their flashing lights and digital
readouts. With a push of a button, the machine hummed
into motion with seamless precision, all the moving
parts operating together like a miniature galaxy. The
neighbor was hypnotized by the synchronization of the
parts, then he asked, But what does it do?
What do you mean? asked the professor.
I mean, what does it do? What is it good for?
Oh, said the scholar, it doesnt really do anything,
but look how wonderfully it works.
Thats a picture of much of todays thinking. Scholars
have elaborate theories and we all have lots of opinions;
but sometimes we never get around to application. We
can accumulate information, explain ideas, and discuss
data, but left unanswered is the questionSo what?
Without application, any educationeven training in
the contents of the Bibleis useless. Thats why all the
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major professions include practicums for application.
Thats why young physicians have internships at
university hospitals before launching their careers, why
educators begin as practice teachers, why pilots spend
hours in the cockpit beside seasoned aviators before
flying solo, and why ballplayers have coaches to drill
them before the season starts.
Warnings to Heed
With Bible study, information without application is
stagnation. James told his readers, Be doers of the
Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves
(James 1:22). He compared the Bible to a mirror. As we
gaze into the Word of God, we see ourselves reflected
in it. We see our blemishes and stains. We see how we
need to beautify our lives in Gods sight. Perhaps we
need to apply the salve of the Spirit, the highlighting
graces of faith, or the corrective lines of obedience. Some
people walk away from Gods mirror without making
the needed changes. But, said James, he who looks
into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and
is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one
will be blessed in what he does (verse 25).
This was also the theme of the Sermon on the Mount.
Dismayed at the hypocrisy in His day, Jesus condemned
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the religionists who studied the Old Testament but
never got around to applying its message. In His sermon
in Matthew 57, Christ urged life-changing obedience
to His words and concluded with the story of the two
builders. One built a
house on a rock, the
other on sand. The first
mans house withstood
the storm, but the house
on the sand collapsed.
What was the difference?
Jesus said, Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and
does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his
house on the rock, . But everyone who hears these
sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a
foolish man who built his house on the sand (Matthew
7:24, 26, emphasis added).
Both men heard the words of Jesus. Both were in His
audience that day, as it were, listening admiringly to
His eloquence and wisdom. Both were Bible students
who heard His words. But one put the truth into practice
while the other nodded politely and continued his life
as usual. Their responses were as different as rock and
sand. The lesson: Its not enough just to be students of
the Bible. We have to be disciples of the Lord, which
Its not enough just
to be students of the
Bible. We have to be
disciples of the Lord.
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means we study His Word with a determination to put
it into practice, whatever the cost.
Questions to Ask
When we study the Bible, then, whether in a group or
on our own, we should always consider what it says,
what it means, and what it means for us. Dont stop
at satisfying your mental curiosity. Lots of people, for
example, are fascinated by the study of the end times,
the Rapture of the Church, the Great Tribulation, and
the Second Coming of Christ. I often preach and write
about these things, but I always stress that God hasnt
given prophecy just to satisfy our inquisitiveness but
to spur us to holy living and evangelism. Our beliefs
should regulate our behavior. Knowing Christ is coming
tomorrow should affect the urgency of obedience today.
Here are some questions to pose to every passage you
study in the Bible: Is there a commandment here I need
to put into practice? Is there a promise I need to claim?
An attitude to adopt? A prayer to echo? A habit I should
begin? Is there a behavior I must change? Is there a sin
to forsake? How can I be more Jesus-like because of my
study of these verses?
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When you ask yourself those questions while studying
the Bible, the Lord will show you the answers. When
you ask those questions while teaching the Bible, your
listeners will come to realize the Bible wasnt merely
given to inform us but to transform us.
Lessons to Learn
This is one of the reasons the Bible is full of stories.
As we work our way through Gods Word, we read
about the dangers of lust; but in the story of David
we see those principles come to life. We read about
justification in Romans, but we see it actually happen
in the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. God has given us
a multi-dimensioned book to teach us His truth and
to show us the difference it makes when we obey or
disobey it. The lives of Bible characters are laboratories
in which the truths of the Bible are applied, as are our
own lives.
Ethel Edison, who now lives in a Florida retirement
village, recalls learning to apply Scriptural truth at
age fifteen: When I was teenager, my mother and
I lived alone; she was divorced and we were very
worldly people. I was already five-foot-eight and
could pass for twenty-one. Mother and I would go on
double dates with servicemen. The kids in high school
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The Bible wasnt
merely given to
inform us but to
transform us.
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rejected me because I didnt date peers; I went with
soldiers. Then through the ministry of a local church
I became a Christian. A nearby lady who worked with
Child Evangelism Fellowship told me I must learn
1 Corinthians 10:13. She emphasized the word must,
knowing of my environment and lifestyle. I looked
it up and thought it contained too many words and
phrases to memorize. But I worked until I learned it:
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is
common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow
you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with
the temptation will also make the way of escape, that
you may be able to bear it.
The power of that verse kept me from the temptations
I faced as a new Christian. My biggest worry was my
boyfriend, a soldier in the army, and I didnt know what
to say to him. But that same week he was transferred
and taken out of my life. The Lord was applying
1 Corinthians 10:13 to my experience, even as I was
working to do my part in applying it.
Ethel continued, Three months later my mother was
converted. Shortly afterward was New Years Eve,
which had always been the biggest night in the year for
us. This year we skipped the parties and went to church.
When Mother got home she realized she had not once
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thought about what she would have been doing in the
world, and after that she had no doubt she was truly a
Christian. God had given us both a way of escape.
Ethel later became a career missionary in Africa. She
had many occasions to put 1 Corinthians 10:13 into
practice, along with the many other verses she learned.
Each page of the Bible is a discipleship manual telling us
how to live. Every passage of Scripture has one correct
interpretation but many applications. We can never
exhaust the impact of a Bible verse, and it will never
fail to improve our conduct as we put it into practice.
Bible study should be practical, applicable, and livable.
Know what the Scriptures say, interpret Gods Word
wisely, and put it into practice constantly, always asking
yourself: What does it mean for today? What does it
mean for me?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Jeremiah is the senior
pastor of Shadow Mountain
Community Church in El
Cajon, California. He is the
author of several best-selling
books including The Coming
Economic Armageddon and
What Are You Afraid Of? His
popular syndicated radio and television Bible-teaching
program, Turning Point, is broadcast internationally.
David and his wife, Donna, have four children and
eleven grandchildren.