What began as a hobby, I have now come to truly appreciate as a necessary practice of children of God. About a year ago, I began learning how to study the scriptures exegetically. That looks like a big word, but it only means to study scripture without preconceived notions. It means that when you study the Bible, you do so in order to define what you believe rather than to prove what you believe. The first few steps of doing this are pretty easy: reading the whole before studying the part, reading the part in many different translations to find common themes and any conflicts, examining the cultural and historical context of the passage to extract greater meaning, etc. However, there is one step that I imagine could be difficult for many people. This step is text analysis, specifically, sentence structure.
As an English teacher, this was not difficult for me to learn to do with scripture. And, though it was fun at first applying my knowledge and enjoyment of grammar to scriptural study, I soon realized that what I was gleaning from the text by applying my knowledge of grammar was very meaningful and insightful to true Biblical understanding. It was so intriguing, in fact, that I soon began to feel that this was a talent that all believers should practice as a necessary skill to accurately understand God's word.
Many students and common church goers see no need for understanding grammar. As a teacher, I'm asked often by my students why they have to learn grammar. Other than the typical answer explaining that proper understanding of grammar helps you to write papers well for college, to apply for jobs, and to impress employers with well-written reports, I have begun informing them that proper knowledge of grammar will help them to understand text better, whether it be legal documents, work forms, or, most importantly, scripture.
I have learned that there are so many doctrinal disagreements in churches today by people who simply haven't learned to read their Bibles exegetically. In addition, we have people who have elevated meditation and mysticism above honest biblical study. The Holy Spirit is within us to help us to be learned of the Lord, however we are still flesh and blood, and battle against our flesh which is hostile to God. So, we cannot lazily rely completely on the Holy Spirit to give us perfect, accurate biblical understanding. Though we will be taught be the Holy Spirit, we choose what we believe based on our understanding of scripture. When we have understood falsely, we, in the flesh, limit the Holy Spirit's ability to reveal truth to us. It is in this, that we are challenged in our obligation to the gospel to rightly understand and apply scripture.
Let me give you two examples of this type of study using a simple grammatical rule. The rule is that subjects and verbs must agree, and in any given clause or sentence the verbs must be conjugated (used with a subject) consistently. It is important to be able to point out the subject and verbs of a sentence in order to understand what the sentence is meant to communicate. Or more specifically, what the author wants the reader to understand.
Let's first look at Ephesians 5:15-21. This is a common passage that seems to have many different interpretations.
"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."
The passage begins with an instruction to walk as wise and to make the best use of our time because the days are evil. We are then told, therefore, not to be foolish but to understand the will of the Lord. Through literary analysis, we can see that the author of Ephesians is drawing a parallel here to make a point. To be unwise, would be foolish. To be wise is to know the will of the Lord. Then we are drawn into a secondary parallel. "Do not get drunk with wine...but be filled with the Spirit." Many don't stop here because the sentence doesn't stop here. Many people read this as 5 commands or instructions. To be filled with the Spirit, to address one another in psalms, etc, to sing and make melody to the Lord, to give thanks, and to submit to one another.
This is simply not the case. The author begins a pattern and sticks with the pattern. Unwise versus wise. Foolishness versus understanding. Being drunk with wine versus being filled with the Spirit. Everything that comes after is meant to clarify the last comparison in the progression. Notice the verb "be filled" is used with the understood "you." The clause "be filled with the Spirit" is written in present tense, in imperative mood (command form). The verbs that come after this are written in gerund form, ending in "ing" and acting like nouns. Grammatically speaking, this means that the gerund phrases that follow the command, to be filled with the Spirit, are meant to offer clarity or to define what is meant by the instruction. Paul is not giving us 5 instructions here, but one: "be filled with the Spirit." The rest is meant to help us understand what that means or looks like. The 4 gerund phrases that follow are meant to be the evidence of being filled with the Spirit.
The second example is one that has been the subject of many debates about the deity of Jesus. Philippians 2:5-8 references Christ emptying himself, but the question that has fueled many debates is of what?
"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
* The above reference is from the ESV (English Standard Version), however, many translations say "emptied himself, taking on the form..." without the word by.
Notice that Paul begins the passage referring to the form of God, "though he was in the form of God." What is the form of God? We know from scripture that God is holy, eternal, and wrapped in glory. Moses wasn't able to see his face because of his glorious form. God's form is indestructible and almighty. We see the connection between God the father and God the son in that they are of the same form and share in the same glory. And, though Christ shared in this form, he did not consider equality with God (in form) something attainable in his duty and purpose as Jesus.
Beginning at "..but emptied himself" we can look analytically at the grammar of this verse to understand its real meaning. We know that the subject of the verb emptied is he by looking at the beginning of the sentence. But, examining what comes after this independent clause, we can find the meaning of "emptied himself."
As in our first example, we have an independent clause being followed by gerund phrases, "taking on" and "being born." The two gerund phrases that follow are grammatically meant to clarify and define the use of the verb in the preceding clause. We can see from analyzing the text that Jesus did not empty himself of deity, power, or position. But of his appearance of glory. He emptied himself of his form of God (in appearance) and took on the form of man (in appearance). By this, we see that Jesus was both fully God and fully man at the same time without confusion. He humbled himself in that He was looked at as a mere human and insignificant, treated in the same manner as any other man, though he was the creator of man. Almost like a supernatural version of "The Prince and Pauper."
I hope this post will encourage you to appreciate grammar and it's use in studying your Bible. We are told in John 1:1 that Jesus was the word in the flesh and we are instructed in all of the Gospels to abide in Christ, which is the word. Your Bible is the material version of Christ. To abide in Jesus means to abide in His word. I encourage to to study and hold precious this most valuable tool for the children of the living God.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes..." Romans 1:16
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15
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