Five Questions To Ask When Reading the Bible

In our study of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, we discuss his work in inspiring Scripture. We believe that all of Scripture is inspired and given to us from God (see 2 Peter 1:21 and 2 Timothy 3:16). Furthermore, we believe that the focus of Scripture - every line and page - is Jesus Christ and him crucified and the goal of Scripture is the glory of God. It is important we keep this foundational understanding of Scripture in mind when reading God's Word.

But how do we interpret and apply the Bible? The following is the five questions I recommend we always ask when we open our Bibles.

1. What did this text mean before I was born?
2. What does this text say about the God I worship?
3. What does this text say about the Messiah who saved me?
4. What does this text tell me about the gospel?
5. What must change in my life in order for me, in light of this text, to be more like Jesus?