Holman Guide to Interpreting the Bible: How do you handle a sharper than sharp two-edged Sword? Very Carefully - eBook

The Holman Guide to Interpreting the Bible by David S. Dockery and George H. Guthrie is only 99 pages long, but the book’s five short chapters provide everything readers need to begin seriously studying the Bible.
The first chapter explains why “rightly dividing the word of truth” is so important for Christians. According to the authors, “[w]e should study and learn to study more effectively because such study is a key to a healthy, growing relationship with God, a key to fulfillment as a person, and a key for ministry to others.”
The second chapter, a brief, but enlightening, history of Bible interpretation, acts as an introduction to the third, which takes the reader step-by-step through a study of Philippians 2:5-11. In a clear fashion, the authors show readers how to go about interpreting a passage of scripture. Their outline is so easy to follow that even beginning Bible students should have no trouble making sense of it. At the end of the chapter, Dockery and Guthrie provide a bibliography of helpful books for biblical interpretation.
Chapter four emphasizes that application must always follow accurate interpretation because, according to the authors, “the movement from understanding the Word to its application in obedience is non-negotiable from the Bible’s standpoint.” The Holman Guide ends with pointers on how to effectively communicate what you’ve learned, a chapter especially useful to teachers and preachers.
If you’ve been wanting to move into more serious Bible study, but didn’t know where to start, The Holman Guide to Interpreting the Bible may be just what you’ve been looking for. Thorough without being intimidating, The Holman Guide can be used profitably by both the beginner and the advanced student alike. -- Linda Whitlock, Christian Book Previews.com