Ini rangkuman presentasi yang diambil dari ICF Minneapolis (pembicara Soleman Onggo) mengenai bagaimana kita bisa mempelajari Alkitab. Di IITimotius 3:16 dikatakan bahwa "All Scripture is God-breathed and is\r\nuseful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Mengetahui seberapa pentingnya peran Alkitab dalam pertumbuhan kita, jadi penting juga kita mengetahui bagaimana caranya kita mempelajari Alkitab. Ada 3 proses yang perlu kita lewati: Observation, Interpretation, dan Application. Artikel singkat ini membeberkan apa dan bagaimana prosesnya point-by-point. Selamat membaca!

1. The Bible is authoritative as God\'s inspired Word.
2. The\r\nBible contains its own laws of interpretation, that is, Scripture\r\ninterprets Scripture; these laws, when properly understood and applied,\r\nwill yield the correct meaning to a given passsage.
3. The primary aim of interpretation is to discover the author\'s meaning.
4. Diligent and systematic study of the Bible is required to get the intended results.
5. The\r\nprimary purpose of studying the Bible is to transform one\'s character,\r\nnot merely to increase one\'s knowledge. Someone has said: "Observation\r\nand interpretation without application is abortion."
6. The Bible deals with spiritual truth; as such, we need to depend continually on the Holy Spirit for guidance.

1. WHO? List all the people involved.
2. WHAT? What happened? What ideas are expressed? What are the results?
3. WHERE? Where does this take place?
4. WHEN? When did this take place? What was the historical background?
5. HOW? How are things accomplished? How well? How quickly? By what method?

1. PURPOSE: Why is the writer bringing up the subject?
2. KEY THOUGHT: What\'s the "big idea," theme, or distilled essence of the book, passage, topic, or person you are studying?
3. FLOW: How did the writer get to where he is? How did he arrive at the theme? What is the argument?
4. Rules of Interpretation
   1. Work from the assumption that the Bible is authoritative as God\'s inspired and infallible Word.
   2. The Bible interprets itself; Scripture best explains Scripture.
   3. Saving faith and the Holy Spirit are necessary for us to understand and properly interpret the Scripture.
   4. Interpret personal experience in the light of Scripture and not vice versa.
   5. Biblical examples are authoritative only when supported by a command.
   6. The primary purpose of studying the Bible is to change our lives, not merely to increase our knowledge.
   7. Each Christian has the right and responsibility to investigate and interpret God\'s Word for himself or herself.
   8. Church\r\nhistory is important but not decisive in interpreting the Scripture:\r\nthe church does not determine what the Bible teaches; the Bible\r\ndetermines what the church teaches.
   9. The promises of God throughout the Bible are available to the Holy Spirit for the believers of every generation.
   10. Scripture has only one meaning and should be taken literally as far as possible.
   11. When\r\nan inanimate object is used to describe a living being, the statement\r\nmay be considered figurative. E.g., "I am the BREAD of life" (John 6:35).\r\nThe corollary is: When life and action are attributed to inanimate\r\nobjects, the statement may be considered figurative also. E.g., Micah\r\nsaid: "HEAR, O Mountains, the Lord\'s accusation; LISTEN, you\r\neverlasting foundations of the earth..." (Micah 6:2).
   12. Interpret words in harmony with their meaning in the times of the author.
   13. Interpret a word in relation to its sentence and context.
   14. Interpret a passage in harmony with its context.
       How does the passage relate to the material surrounding it?
       How does it relate to the rest of the book?
       How does it relate to the Bible as a whole?
       How does it relate to the culture and background in which it was written?
   15. Since Scripture originated in a historical context, it can be understood only in the light of Biblical history.
   16. Both\r\nthe Old and New Testaments are essential parts of God\'s revelation and\r\nform a coherent unit. Remember: Our God never changes; He is the same\r\nyesterday, today and forever.
   17. You must understand the Bible\r\ngrammatically before you can understand it theologically. In other\r\nwords, you must understand what the passage or book says before you can\r\nexpect to understand what it means. Understanding the Bible\r\ngrammatically does not necessarily involve knowledge of original\r\nlanguages in which the Bible was written, such as Hebrew, Greek and\r\nAramaic--although such knowledge does enhance one\'s understanding of\r\nwhat the text means. What is need is simply a working understanding of\r\nthe grammar of one\'s own language in which the text is printed, such as\r\nEnglish, Indonesian, etc.
   18. A doctrine cannot be considered\r\nbiblical unless it sums up and includes all that the Scripture says\r\nabout it. Thus, for example, the idea which says that since a believer\r\nis no longer under the obligation to fulfill every iota of the Law to\r\nobtain salvation and that therefore (s)he is free to do whatever (s)he\r\ndesires in the name of grace, is certainly unbiblical and should\r\ntherefore be rejected.
   19. When doctrines taught in the Bible\r\nappear to be contradictory, accept both as scriptural in the confident\r\nbelief that they resolve themselves into a higher unity. E.g., the\r\ndoctrine of the Trinity, the doctrine of the dual nature of Christ, the\r\norigin and existence of evil, predestination and man\'s freedom and\r\nmoral responsibility.

1. Seven questions to ask after Bible study or quiet time
   1. Is there a sin to avoid?
      Tetapi sekarang, buanglah semuanya ini, yaitu marah, geram, fitnah, dan kata-kata kotor yang keluar dari mulutmu (Kolose 3:8)
   2. Is there an example to follow?
   3. Is there a command to obey?
      "Karena\r\nitu, sebagai orang-orang pilihan Allah yang dikuduskan dan dikasihiNya,\r\nkenakanlah belas kasihan, kemurahan, kerendahan hati, kelemahlembutan\r\ndan kesabaran. Sabarlah kamu satu terhadap yang lain apabila seorang\r\nmenaruh dendam terhadap yang lain, sama seperti Tuhan telah mengampuni\r\nkamu, perbuat jugalah demikian" (Kolose 3:12-13).
   4. Is there a challenge to face?
   5. Is there a new thought about God Himself?
   6. Is there a verse to memorize?
   7. Is there a promise to claim?
      "Can\r\na mother forget the baby at her breast, and has no compassion on the\r\nchild she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!" (Isaiah 49:2)
2. Meditate on the passage you are reading.
3. Pray that the Spirit will give you wisdom in applying what you have studied.