Bible interpretation In a nutshell

Michael Patton has an excellent article titled "Bible interpretation In a nutshell" at Parchment and Pen, in which he provides "a practical guide to biblical interpretation following a three step process."

The three steps are as follows:

• Step one: Exegetical Statement - What did it mean then?
• Step two: Theological Statement - What does it mean for all people of all places of all times?
• Step three: Homeletical Statement - How does it apply to me?

Patton: The Bible is two-thousand years old and often seems very archaic. This makes it hard to know how it applies to us. It can be very frustrating as all Christians are encouraged to read their Bible daily but often are at a loss as to how to understand it and apply the message to their own lives. This process has served me well and I believe it is representative of the best way to interpret the ancient word of God and apply it to today. I hope that it will alleviate some of the “Bible interpretation anxiety” that is out there, allowing the Bible to become real and relevant to your life.

Read the entire article and view helpful charts here.