Daily Truthbase: The 7 Passages - Introduction And How To Study The Bible Like Sherlock 'Olmes

Daily Truthbase is a guide to reading through the Bible in a year, in its original context, helping you make worshipful responses in word (prayer) and deed (application).
The 7 PASSAGES are more study (read sweat) based, helping you incarnate (word becomes flesh) seven passages of Scripture, so you can pass them on to others. The 7 PASSAGES delineate the seven key relationships a believer needs to become a reproductive disciple of Jesus Christ per the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

CONTENTS

The first page of this post give you an introduction to the 7 PASSAGES
The actual study guide to the passages is in the next post.

The second part of this post gives you seven progressive levels of Bible Study from discussion to inductive to exegetical.

The third part of this post helps you become a Sleuth for the Truth, as you learn to Study the Bible like Sherlock 'Olmes (an acrostic for the method). The material describes and illustrates the method using a familiar verse, John 3:16 (you might be surprised at what you're missing). I've been teaching people to do this for over thirty years. Everyone who puts in the effort, some without even a high school diploma, has mastered the method. It will become apparent to you, after you gain a little skill, that many commentary writers and even Bible translators do not know what you will have learned. (If you can unravel the time-warping verb tenses in the previous sentence, you'll do fine.)

You don't to master the method before you dive into the 7 PASSAGES, but you might eventually want to consult the manual when your questions exceed your intuition. If you're going to be studying the Bible for the rest of your life, don't be an amateur.

Yours* for Loving God with ALL your Mind,
-bc

*This means that help is only a comment or email away.
NB (note well) I haven't finished editing this, but wanted to get it posted for those of you who are starting a Bible Study right away. As a result, some of my favorite Sherlock quotes are still bunched together at the bottom.

Seven Key Relationship Passages Study Guide: Introduction © 1990-2013 WF Cobb Truthbase.net

The Motive: Followers of the Lord Jesus Christ need to develop certain relationships in order to mature in their faith.

There are seven key passages of Scripture that provide Divine insight into those relationships.

Truth is an essential building block in our growth as Christians. One New Testament pattern of interacting with the Truth is first:

Learning the Truth (deepening our understanding by first private meditation/study and then public interaction/discussion);

then Living the Truth (determining what we can expect of God and what He expects of us, and then applying it in our daily lives);

and finally, Loving others with the Truth (developing others in their relationship with God by helping them apply Truth to their needs).

The Master Plan: The basic idea is to learn each passage so well that it becomes part of our lives and then we can pass it on to others. It usually takes a couple of weeks to grasp the meaning of the passage and its implications for our lives. So, the idea is to meet twice to discuss each passage: the first week to raise questions and thoughts for further study, and the second time to share conclusions and applications from your study. After the first session, you’ll receive a study guide with some additional resources for the second week. It can take much longer than a couple of weeks to integrate a passage into our values and actions, depending on our desire and how closely our beliefs, values, and actions match those mandated in Scripture, but the sooner you start, the better. At the end of each session, you should be applying the Truth to your life, and able to pass it on to someone else in either helping them get established in their faith, or in assisting their growth, or in ministering to others. Go make reproductive disciples. (Matthew 28:19-20)

The Method: Devote some quality time each week (ten minutes a day or an hour a week, at a minimum) learning all you can about the passage and its implications for your belief system and life. The best way to learn is to ask questions about the verses, and then try to answer them, first on your own, and then with others. Ask: Who? What? When? Were? Why? and How? as you read. To whom is the passage written? What idea was the author trying to get across to his readers? What did he expect them to do with the information? How should they do that? What will happen if they do or don’t? Why did the Holy Spirit include it for us today? How does this work today? And so on.

Write out the verses, one phrase at a time, and try to figure out how the phrases are related. Look up words you’re not sure of in a dictionary, or any other study aids you have. But make sure you are focusing on what God has said in the verse, not what some other verse says or what someone else says about it. Ask God to give you insight into what it means and how He expects you to respond to it. You’ll learn some additional study techniques along the way, but asking questions about the verse is the best technique for studying the Bible. Bring your unanswered questions to the discussion and be prepared to share some of your answers.

The Passages (It would be a really, really good idea to memorize these verses as you go along):

1. Your relationship with God in Salvation - Ephesians 2:8-10

Focus: the assurance of salvation by grace through faith, and how to share the good news with someone else.

2. Your relationship with the Word of God - 2Timothy 3:16-17

Focus: convinced of the absolute necessity of the Bible for life and growth, we’ll learn five ways to integrate it into our lives (QT).

3. Your relationship with God the Father in Prayer - Philippians 4:6-7

Focus: stimulating communication with Our heavenly Father, by understanding the Biblical principles and methods of prayer.

4. Your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ - 2Corinthians 5:9-10

Focus: trusting and submitting ourselves to His perfect Lordship, so we’ll learn how to experience His perfect will in our lives.

5. Your relationship with the Holy Spirit of God in Sanctification - Romans 12:1-2 (study supplement: Romans 8:8-17)

Focus: developing a Biblical understanding and sensitivity to the HS in our lives, to draw on His power to live fruitfully and faithfully.

6. Your relationship with Other Believers – Hebrews 10:24-25 (study supplement: Acts 2:41-47)

Focus: obeying Biblical commands to interact with “one another,” we’ll reap the blessings of Biblical relationships and fellowship.

7. Your relationship with Non Believers – Romans 1:16-17 (study supplement: John 4:1-42)

Focus: seeing Jesus share the gospel at the water cooler, we’ll be motivated to sensitively share God’s love (and our testimony) with others.

The Seven Passages help you experience the Seven Key Relationships of the Christian life. Which in a pistachio shell is: Learning and Doing God's will. The goal of this material is to help you own these passages of Scripture, so you can pass them on to others. Every disciple (follower of Jesus Christ) needs to: Learn the Truth, Live, the Truth, and Love others with the Truth. Make these three phrases your mantra as you master the passages.

Each unit has three objectives:

A. Discover or observe what the Bible actually says, not what others say about it.

B. Develop Bible Study skills so you can understand or correctly interpret a passage in context, entering into the author's thought.

C. Deepen you relationship with God by applying His Truth to your life, taking steps to incorporate the disciplines of the Spiritual Life into your daily practice.

The first time you encounter these passages you might only get through the first couple of levels. That's OK, as long as you make progress. You could take each passage in two study times.

First time: Think about the topic, look at the passage. Ask and start to answer your questions.

Second time: After a little investigation, answer the rest of your questions and figure out what kind of a life response would please God. Then do it. Simple.

The next time you go through the passages, go deeper. The accompanying “manual” will guide you in finding the answers. It might even answer a few questions for you, but the goal is for you to develop the skills of a lifetime. Reading a swimming manual is not going to help you surviving stormy seas, but using the manual to build and refine your technique will.

Level One: Put your brain in gear in the vicinity of an open Bible. Each passage starts with some questions to get you thinking about the topic. Don't skip them. See if you can articulate an answer to them. Add a few questions of your own about the topic, and then see if the passage answers them. At very least, start thinking, and discuss what you're thinking with others. This is actually pre-Bible Study, which should give you some impetus for actually studying the Bible.

Level Two: Bible Study for Beginners. Look at the passage (maybe in various versions) and try to explain what it means. This might be as far as you get your first time through. This should move you from unconscious ignorance to conscious ignorance, the first step in true education.

Level Three: Basic Inductive Study. Observe, Interpret, Apply. Ask the questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? about the passage and the topic. See what gets answered by the passage. To whom is it written? Why is it written? Who is the subject? What are they supposed to do? Why should they do that? Then figure out what God might want you to do in Response to His Revelation: An activity to do or not do; a way to think or not think; something to believe/say or not believe/say, etc..

Level Four: Exegetical Study. Eventually you want to be able to express the author's intended meaning to his original audience. This will develop your skills in Inductive Bible Study, so that after you finish the Seven Passages, you'll be equipped to tackle an entire book of the Bible on your own. (Start small, like with Titus or 1Peter.) You'll learn how to develop an outline of a passage that traces the progression of the author's thought through the passage. You'll be able to state the function or job of each word in the verse, and know why he used those words.

Level Five: Exegetical Outline. This is simply taking Level four up a notch, tying in the passage to the rest of the Book. You should be able to state unequivocally why he was imparting the information and what he intended the audience to do with it.

Level Six: Transformational Application. Finally you'll attempt to figure out why the Holy Spirit included this information in the Scriptures for a modern audience, what's the principle that applies to us today, and what does God expect us to do in response to it? You'll come up with a means of applying the Truth to your life.

Level Seven: Biblical Theology. This harmonizes your understanding of a passage with what the rest of Scripture states about the topic. Some people jump from a surface understanding of a passage to a shallow understanding of a bunch of other verses, and build a theology without a foundation. You interpret a passage in its context, and then compare it with the rest of Scripture to validate your understanding. To aid in this step, you'll find a topical study, which might answer some of the questions about the passage or topic which the author didn't address in the verses you studied.

For instance when you study 2Timothy 3:16-17 on your relationship with the Word of God, the topical study will entail a list of verses specifying the major benefits and uses of the Scriptures in your life. When you study your relationship to God the Father in prayer, out of Philippians 4:6-7, you'll find a topical survey of all the Bible teaches about prayer. The topical studies give you a macro view of the micro study you've just done, to not only aid application, but serve as a check or confirmation of your understanding of the passage you've just studied. When you study your relationship with the Holy Spirit in sanctification, you'll do the in depth study on Romans 12:1-2, but have some supplemental verses on the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and a topical study on how the Spirit renews our minds, beginning in Romans 6-8. When you study your relationship with other believers, looking at the narrative of the early church in Acts 2, you'll find a topical study on the “one-another verses” where God specifically commands us to do certain things with other believers.

If you want to move from conscious ignorance to conscious intelligence, and beyond to unconscious intelligence, you're going to need a sound methodology. You don't need all the following to profit from the Seven Passages, but you eventually will have to master them. The individual passage study guides use this methodology, and if you want to study the Bible like Sherlock 'Olmes, and be a Sleuth for the Truth, you will want to make friends with what follows.

Here is a brief overview of the Study process. Remember it is a process, or skill, that you will develop over time, which at first might be pretty challenging to you. Remember John 8:31 “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." The Truth is knowable; but hidden treasure takes some sweat and digging.

Pep talk: Are you planning on being a Christian the rest of your life? If so, are you planning on reading the Bible the rest of your life? If you said yes, then doesn't it make sense to learn how to do it right?

The method you are about to learn is actually rather simple once you get it (kinda like a magic trick), but it is the only method you need to understand most of God's Word. Without it, some passages will always be a mystery to you. There are a couple of 10minuteBible.com videos that can help you develop your Bible study skills. Get a Grip on the Word, and The Dick and Jane story, are the two most helpful in these exercises.

Sherlock says: “Like all other arts, the Science of Deduction and Analysis is one which can only be acquired by long and patient study, nor is life long enough to allow any mortal to attain the highest possible perfection in it.”

Be a Sleuth for the Truth. There is an outline on “How to Study the Bible like Sherlock 'Olmes” on Truthbase.net which you might want to visit sometime, but for the purposes of these passages, here's the approach of Mr. Holmes, which should be more than enough to get you started.

Observe what is actually written, the facts, or data from which you'll draw your conclusions.

Sherlock says:“You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear. It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” “The smallest point may be the most essential.”

List Questions/Layout – draw a map of the passage (diagram or mechanical layout described below so you can trace the flow of the argument. Then ask yourself all the questions you want to answer about the passage. The more you study, the more questions you'll have. Eventually you'll get answers.

Sherlock says:”After you left I sent down to Stamford's for the Ordnance map of this portion of the moor, and my spirit has hovered over it all day. I flatter myself that I could find my way about."

"A large-scale map, I presume?" "Very large." He unrolled one section and held it over his knee. "Here you have the particular district which concerns us. That is Baskerville Hall in the middle."

Mystery Solve – answer your questions using the facts you've observed and discovered (more help below).

Sherlock says:“Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth.” “I never guess. It is a shocking habit — destructive to the logical faculty.”

Exegetical Outline – a method for precisely rendering the progression of ideas in a passage.

Sherlock says:“There is no branch of detective science which is so important and so much neglected as the art of tracing footsteps.” The same can be said of Bible Study. The art of tracing an author's footsteps or argument, is both vital and neglected.

Since you will have the most difficulty with this art, it warrants another quote:

Sherlock says:"They say that genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains," he remarked with a smile. "It's a very bad definition, but it does apply to detective work."

Searchlight on Your Life – determine how God intends the Truth to meet the needs of your life.

Sherlock says:“You know my methods. Apply them.”

The above scheme will help you master the Scriptures methodically, but you don't need that much background to just dive in and splash around. But, for those who want some more help, read on.

Observe: In the first part of each study, you will study or observe the passage, to see what is there, and what isn't there. Try explaining the verse to someone in your own words. Sometimes it's easy, other times you might be bewildered at first. But if you read the chapter on God communicating, you know you should be able to figure out the important stuff. The incomprehensible might take a little longer.

The very first class I took in studying the Bible asked me to come up with 20 observations about Acts 1:8. I huffed and puffed and managed to hit the magic number just as class started. The prof didn't collect the homework, but asked us to come up with another 20 for the next class! I though I had exhausted the passage, but eventually came up with a hundred observations. Of course not all were equally useful nor necessary for understanding the passage, but the more I saw in the passage, the better I understood it.

Sherlock says:“It is of the highest importance in the art of detection to be able to recognize, out of a number of facts, which are incidental and which vital. Otherwise your energy and attention must be dissipated instead of being concentrated.”

There is an Appendix on “What to look for in Observation”, which gives you specific structure to try to observe. Things that are repeated, compared, or contrasted are usually important. So are parts of speech, especially verbs. You don't need a grammar course to study the Scriptures, but you will need to learn some grammar and syntax (whatever that is) as you develop your lifetime skills. You want to approach the Scriptures from both a literal and literary perspective, so figure on learning a few figures of speech as well. Fortunately there are some software programs, which do most of the heavy lifting for you, referenced below. One of the best ways to learn is to study some examples of Bible Study, after you've attempted to study the passage on your own. As you gain skill, even if you have a poor memory, you'll learn to spot the key facts and ask the crucial questions.

Sherlock says:“The principle difficulty lay in the fact of there being too much evidence. What was vital was overlaid and hidden by what was irrelevant.”

Layout and List Questions: When you first read the passage, jot down whatever questions come to mind. Read it in a couple of other translations and start figuring out why they might have different meanings or words (which sometimes happens). Try doing what's called a mechanical layout, breaking up the verse into clauses (parts of sentences with verbs/action words), putting each on it's own line. If you want to go the extra mile, try indenting the clauses, phrases (usually start with a preposition) and words (adverbs or adjectives or objects) under the part of the verse that they modify. If you don't get this last point, re-read it, then skip it; you'll meet it again later.

Mystery Solve: Find out the possible meanings of words by looking them up in an English dictionary, or better yet, a lexicon (Greek or Hebrew dictionary with categorizations of the meanings in English, such as Thayers, BDB, which are used with Strong's numbering system in the OnlineBible or theWord).

Sherlock says:“When a fact appears to be opposed to a long train of deductions, it invariably proves to be capable of bearing some other interpretation.

Your objective is to figure out which meaning the author intended in your passage. A big clue is finding out how he used the word previously. So using an Bible software program and searching on the corresponding Strong's number will pull up a list of all the other usages of that word in the Bible. Look for how the author previously used it. In fact this will all be a lot easier if you download either of the above programs, and set them to display Strong's numbers, and then just click on the number to bring up all kinds of useful (and a little unhelpful) information instantly. Biblos.com has a similar online program. Check out 10minuteBible.com on YouTube for a ten minute tutorial if necessary.

Sherlock says:“In solving a problem of this sort, the grand thing is to be able to reason backward. That is a very useful accomplishment, and a very easy one, but people do not practice it much. In the everyday affairs of life it is more useful to reason forward, and so the other comes to be neglected. There are fifty who can reason synthetically for one who can reason analytically.”

Exegetical Outline: As you start understanding the meanings of the words, you'll understand the passage on a deeper level. Now try the most basic yet most misunderstood and thus difficult task of understanding God's Word, an exegetical outline. Look up exegetical in a dictionary if you don't know what it means. Jesus is actually said to exegete the Father in John 1:18.

Sherlock says:“Of all the facts presented to us we had to pick just those which we deemed to be essential, and then piece them together in their order, so as to reconstruct this very remarkable chain of events.”

An exegetical outline is simply a way of capturing your understanding of the author's flow of thought. It should identify the author's main idea (usually a independent clause with a verb in it, that can stand alone, aka the MVP, most important phrase, or Major Verbal Proposition for the budding linguists reading this), and the various relationships between the surrounding words, phrases, and/or clauses, and the MVP. The Dick and Jane Story explains or exegetes this concept in a painless ten minute YouTube.

Pep Talk: Biological and social life is all about relationships; so is Bible Study. Most people misinterpret the Bible for one of two reasons:

1. They assume a word means the first thing that pops into their head, or what they heard someone say about it, or that it means what another author or Scripture meant when used in a different context, or that it always means the same thing every time it's used. These errors are remedied by recognizing multiple meanings or nuances behind words and determining the correct usage from context. For example if you want to know what in the image of God means in Genesis 1:27, you start with the previous 26 verses. Then you can branch out to the context of the original audience, and the rest of the book, and then the whole Bible. The author didn't expect you to wait until the NT was written before you could understand the first chapter in the OT. Similarly if you want to understand what Peter meant by “salvation” in 1Peter 1:9, you start with the first eight verses of the chapter to see what he said about the subject there; you continue with studying his elaboration of the verse in the rest of the chapter; then you look at: his audience and their culture/context; the rest of 1 Peter; Peter's speeches in Acts; his words in the Gospels; then 2 Peter; the OT; the other letters of the NT; and finally the Book of Revelation. For the most part, you don't have to go that far. Peter expected the recipients of his letter to understand it as they read it. We suffer from a language and cultural gap of a couple of thousand years, and in some cases, decades of biased presuppositions that keep us from seeing what's written.

Tip: develop a goldfish mind when reading the Scriptures. Pretend you're meeting the verse for the first time. “Hi, I'm Dory; who are you, and what do you have to say to me?” For the record, Dory is a blue tang, not a goldfish, and would have trouble with a complex sentence. In actuality, fish tend not to talk.

Sherlock says: “We approached the case, you remember, with an absolutely blank mind, which is always an advantage. We had formed no theories. We were simply there to observe and to draw inferences from our observations.” “Now, I make a point of never having any prejudices, and of following docilely wherever fact may lead me.

The second reason people misinterpret the Scriptures is because they skip over words and phrases they don't understand or sweep under the rug if they don't fit a preconception. Do this enough times, and parts of the verse will actually become invisible. Unfortunately, both the Divine and the Devil are in the details, and God thinks every jot and tittle is important. To help you understand and correctly interpret all the pieces, use an exegetical outline.

SUGGESTION FOR YOUR SANITY: If this is your first exposure to Bible Study, stop reading the following as soon as you get confused. Education is moving from unconscious ignorance to conscious ignorance; from conscious ignorance to conscious intelligence; and then to unconscious intelligence. So it begins with getting confused, but at least you're confused at a higher level; progress is being made. However, what follows is something you will need to master

What's the Big Idea?

Sherlock says:“Let us get a firm grip of the very little which we do know, so that when fresh facts arise we may be ready to fit them into their places.”

Your Exegetical Outline should identify the author's main idea, usually a independent clause with a verb in it, that can stand alone as a sentence. If the author could only say one phrase, what would it be?

This Verbal Independent Phrase VIP, aka the MVP, most important phrase, (or Major Verbal Proposition for the budding linguists reading this). It should have a subject, a verb, and maybe an object. Find it and put it on its own line in your outline. Underline the verb; put a circle or stars around it, and treat it like the VIP it is. Again, it should make sense all by itself.

What about the rest of the verse or passage? All that stuff modifies the MVP. Everything in the verse should relate to the MVP. If it doesn't it probably relates to another MVP later in the passage. Put each of those parts of the verse on its own line so they don't feel left out.

The KEY task of Bible Study is to determine the various relationships between the surrounding words, phrases, and/or clauses (a clause is a phrase with a verb), and the MVP. The Dick and Jane Story explains or exegetes this concept in a painless ten minute YouTube. There's an appendix for the internet impaired.

Almost all meaning, or relationships between words and the MVP, can be expressed as an answer to one of the questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? Put your pen, crayon, or cursor on the MVP; put your finger on one of the other parts of the verse (which should be sitting on its own line); ask yourself: “Self, do the words under my finger tell me Who? What? When? Where? Why? or How? about the MVP?”

For instance, John 3:16 states that “God so loved the world...”. Let's pretend that clause is the MVP of the verse. If you want to be a grammarian, “God” answers the question “Who” about the verb “love”, serving as the subject of the clause; and “world” answers the question “What” about the verb, indicating the object or thing which God loves. For those of you who will go on to write boring books about grammar, “the world” is put for the people in it, using a figure of speech known as a metonymy, where one thing is put for another. You would be able to figure that out from the rest of the verse (context) which goes on to talk about Jesus dying for people, rather than dying for birds, grass, trees, rocks, and lakes. Bonus points if you are saying to yourself: “Hey, what about 'so', he just tried to sweep that under the rug!” Not so fast, buckaroo, I was getting to that. “So” answers the question “How” about God loving the world, indicating the manner.

Tip: If you watched or read Dick and Jane, you'd recall that the question “How” expresses two nuances or shades of meaning: Manner and Means. The former usually describes how something looks, the latter how it actually occurs. The question “Why” contains three nuances, Purpose (what's intended), Reason (actual cause or grounds) and Result (what actually happens). If you have been working on developing a goldfish memory and don't remember any of this, go back and look at the previous tip, which was only applicable to reading the Scripture for the purposes of Bible Study.

What about the rest of John 3:16? Observe it all you want, list some questions, you can even cheat and check out the How to get to heaven in ten minutes or less” on YouTube, or skim the transcript elsewhere on these pages, but you will develop more skill and get more benefit from applying the process to the passage before you look at other resources.

1. First we'll get some surrounding context so the verse won't be too lonely.

2. Then we'll do a mechanical layout, one phrase or clause per line, indenting things over or under what they modify. If you know how to diagram a sentence you will have an unfair advantage. Use it.

Sherlock says: "The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.”

Hint: There is a 10minuteBible.com video on YouTube that walks you through this passage, so if it becomes all cloudy and foggy, find the video on John 3:16 Exegetical Outline Part 1, and all will be come clear, or at least clearer.

14a And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,

14b even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

15a that whoever believes in Him

15b should not perish

15c but have eternal life.

16a-d For God so loved the world= MVP

16e that He gave His only begotten Son,

16f-h that

16f whoever believes in Him

16g should not perish = SVP#1

16h but have everlasting life. =#SVP #2

17 For (the reason for v 16)

17a God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,

17b but that the world through Him might be saved.

18a He who believes in Him is not condemned;

18b but he who does not believe is condemned already,

18c because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God

If your layout looks like the above, you've done well. Notice 16g and 16h are called SVP's, or Subordinate Verbal Propositions, since they are subordinate to the BIG IDEA or MVP of “God loving the world”. They are introduced by “that” on line 16f-g, which you'll learn is a subordinating conjunction. There are two of them, parallel to each other and joined by the contrasting conjunction, “but”, sharing the same subject, “whoever believes in Him”.

You first exegetical outline should have a MVP, with group of modifiers surrounding it on separate lines, which you've determined somehow indicate either Who, or What, or When, or Where, or Why, or How, about the MVP and labeled accordingly. If you don't grasp the next step, you need the Dick and Jane video on YouTube from 10minuteBible.com.

Just ask: “What does the word “God” tell me about loving the world. Does it tell me When loves the world'; Why loves the world; When loves the world; How loves the world, What loves the world; or Who loves the world. If your answer is: “Who; The One Who loves the world is God”, you've got it!

Next ask: “What do the words in 16e tell me about the MVP. Then write down “Why” next to “that He gave His only begotten Son”.

Look at the relationship between 16f and 16g. Which modifies which?

If you identified “'somebody' should not perish” as the verbal proposition, and “whoever believes in Him” as the modifier, you did well. Now what's the relationship? How about: “The One Who should not perish is whoever believes in Him”? Does that make sense to you?

John, actually Jesus, is talking about*****

If you flipped it around the other way, saying: “The One who believes in Him is the one who should not perish.” you wouldn't be incorrect theologically, nor Biblically, but you'd miss the mark exegetically. It would be like flipping the first two lines of the verse to read: The reason God gave His Son is because He loved the world. Again true, but not exegetically correct.

Now, if you're not hopelessly confused, we're going to kick it up a notch, and expand our outline of verse 16 so we can indicate some of our observations and interpretations on it. We want to indicate how the phrases modify each other. The Biblical text is in boldface, and the observations are in italics.

16 For (this is a conjunction which subordinates what follows to the verse above, answering the question “Why” about the above verse, giving the proof, reason for, or reason the author can make the previous point. If this makes sense to you, you're an exegetical genius. If it doesn't, and it shouldn't, it will by the end of your study of the Seven Passages. Put a star by it, and one day you'll come back to it, the light bulb will go off, and you'll have an “ah-ha” moment, and feel good about yourself. In the meantime ask God for grace to continue, or just listen to the video.)

16a God This is a noun, the subject of the verse; it answers the question Who? about the MVP, indicating The One Who loved the world is God.

16b so This is an adverb, modifying the verb loved; it answers the question How? about the MVP, telling us how God loved, or the Manner in which God loved the world, ie, sacrificially.

16c Somebody loved = MVP

This is our Major Verbal Proposition. It has a Major Verb in it (one that isn't a participle {verbs ending in “ing” in English}). We throw in the subject “Somebody” so we can make 16a an explicit outline point. Normally you wouldn't break down your outline into such fine detail, but sometimes it's necessary for correctly understanding a verse. Even though verse 16 is introduced by a subordinating preposition “for”, we temporarily ignore the “for”, and treat “God loved the world” as the independent clause VIP-verbal independent proposition or Very Important Phrase of this verse. We will eventually summarize it and tie it back to verse 15, to which it is subordinate, indicating the Reason belief in the Son of Man being lifted up for their sin, like the serpent, yields eternal life rather than perishing. See next section.)

16d the world A noun, serving as the object of the verb loved; it answers What? about the MVP indicating The Thing Which God loved is the world. As noted above, this is a figure of speech known as a metonymy, where one thing is put for another, in this case world for the people in the world. It stresses the fact that God loves all people, not just the Jews.

16e that He gave His only begotten Son,

16e is introduced by a subordinating conjunction, which makes it subordinate to what's above it (usually), in this case the MVP, or the summary statement of the MVP, “God loved the world”; it answers the question Why? about the MVP indicating the Result of God loving is that He gave His Son. Remember WHY has three nuances contained in it: Purpose {what's intended}, Reason {what causes something to happen}, and Result {what actually happens}. Most precise translations will indicate Purpose by “so that”, Reason by “for” or “because” and Result by simply“that”. I added the “so” in the next line to more accurately reflect the underlying Greek text, which I'll explain under the following “Hint”.

16f-h so that This is another subordinating conjunction which answers the question Why? about 16e, indicating the Purpose of God giving His Son is so that believers wouldn't perish but have eternal life. You could try taking it back to modify the MVP in 16c, yielding the Purpose of God loving the world, but then you leave Christ out of the picture, which usually isn't a good idea.

16f whoever believes in Him This is a participial phrase (see second Hint below) serving as the subject of the verbal propositions which follow, answering the question “Who?” about the following verbal propositions in 16g and 16h; it indicates that The Ones Who won't perish but have life are those who believe in Christ as their sin bearer or one who takes away the penalty of their sins. We're not talking about believing in Christ as a prophet, or Messiah, or even as God, but as their sin bearer. How do we know that? Kontext is King. While it is true that Jesus is everything in the foregoing sentence (and more), the CONTEXT in verse 14 is comparing Jesus being lifted up (on the cross, if you study how John uses the world in the fourth gospel), to the serpent being lifted up in the wilderness (Numbers 21). The serpent was lifted up as a provision for the people's sin, so they wouldn't perish in their rebellion. All they had to do was look to God's provision as He promised in Numbers 21:8, and the owies went away. They didn't die, but instead lived records Numbers 21:9, just as God promised. It is OK to go outside the passage you're studying for the context the passage specifies. In fact, if you don't, you'll probably misinterpret the passage.

16g Somebody should not perish = SVP#1 This and 16g are both verbal propositions, but are introduced by a subordinating conjunction, “that” on line 16f-h. They are subordinate to the MVP, or idea that “God loves the world”.

16h but Somebody should have everlasting life. =#SVP #2 Linked by a contrasting conjunction to 16g, this clause provides the flip side of perishing. When two parallel grammatical constructions (in this case subjunctive verbs) are joined, they share the same nuance, ie, the negative and positive purposes of God giving His Son.

EXTRA MILE: For you brighter crayons in the box, you'll notice that 16e and 16 f both begin with “that” yet my “outline” interprets one of them as a Result of the MVP, and the other as the Purpose of the MVP. “Why?” you ask. The following is not for the faint of heart and mind. Don't freak out, but you'll eventually need to learn about a dozen Greek words in your lifetime of Bible Study. In a quarter century of teaching people from high school drop-outs to Ivy League folks with advanced degrees, not one of them has experienced any brain damage from the process. Au contraire, after a brief period of fuss'n and cuss'n, most indicate they not only “get it”, but they start thinking clearer at work. You could limp along without knowing them, but see the second paragraph of the first “Pep talk.”

If you did a little clicking on a software program, or looked up the words in the Greek lexicon, or glanced at one of my cheat sheets, or used a secret decoder ring, you'd know that the subordinating conjunction in 16e is “hoste” (Strong's #5620) which always introduces the Result of the MVP it modifies. The subordinating conjunction in 16f is “hina” (Strong's #2443) which, when combined with a certain verb form (Strong's #5792, #5725 & #5643) {the Subjunctive} always gives the Purpose for the MVP. This makes your life and Bible Study a whole lot easier, and not dependent on the vagaries of translations. Learn this next one and you'll have 60% of the Greek you need to know under your hat. Verses 16 and 17 both open with the English word “for” which is a translation of the Greek subordinating conjunction “gar” (Strong's #1063) a word which always “Gives A Reason” for the the MVP or verse it modifies.

Sherlock says: “This writing is of extraordinary interest. These are much deeper waters than I had thought.”

Second Hint: The most painless way to brush up or learn the essential grammar you will eventually need to do top notch Bible Study is to find the Appendix entitled “A Word About Words” on Truthbase.net. It even teaches you how to diagram a sentence. It's attached to a thesis I wrote in grad school, using programmed instruction, to teach ordinary folks like yourself to do exegetical Bible Study.

Speaking of notches, it's time to kick the outlining up another notch, and give you a peak at the next stage of interpretation, summarizing and synthesizing your outline. Actually we're just going to attempt to summarize one verse and relate it to the verses around it.

Sherlock says: “The ideal reasoner would, when he had once been shown a single fact in all its bearings, deduce from it not only all the chain of events which led up to it but also an the results which would follow from it.”

Pep Talk: This will not be easy, though once you get it, it makes perfect sense. So if your little gray cells are getting fatigued, skip this part until later. You'll eventually need it to summarize the main points in your exegetical outline, and it's also helpful for expressing the smaller relationships you've been observing. At no extra charge, learning this will also help you understand all forms of communication.

Another Hint: The following methodology elaborates on the KEY idea of how to express the relationship between the various parts of a verse, idea, paragraph, what's known in linguistic circles as a Subject-Complement Statement. It's going to be using the word “Subject” in a manner that might be unfamiliar to you, so be prepared to stretch you thinking and rearrange you preconceptions.

The Subject = what the author is talking about in the verse, usually the MVP. It's just like the subject in a sentence, but it's the Subject of the paragraph, sometimes called the BIG IDEA.

The Complement = what the author is saying about the Subject. It completes the idea of the Subject.

The NUANCE expresses the relationship or shade of meaning that links the two. It could be Reason, Purpose, Result, Manner, Means, The One Who, The Time When, The Place where, The Thing Which, etc.

TEST TIME:

Question 1. What was I just talking about?

Answer 1. The Subject-Complement Statement (This is the Subject of the above paragraph)

Question 2. What was I saying about the Subject-Complement Statement?

Answer 2. That is is used to express the relationship between the Subject of the verse and the surrounding clauses or modifiers. (This is the Complement of the Subject in the above paragraph)

Question 3. How do you link the Subject and Complement?

Answer 3. With a Nuance, that shows the relationship or meaning between the two. (It shows that the complement answers the question: Who? What? When? Where? Why? or How? about the Subject).

Question 4. Do those questions sound familiar?

Answer 4. ???? (I hope so.)

Question 5. What's the Subject and what is the Complement in the following example?

“Dick threw the ball.”

Answer 5. The subject of the sentence is Dick, but the Subject of the concept or IDEA, what the author is talking about is Dick throwing something, or technically “Dick threw”, the MVP.

The Complement of the IDEA of Dick throwing something is “the ball” (which also serves as the object of the sentence.)

Question 6. What's the Nuance that links the Subject and Complement in the above example?

Answer 6. “The ball” answers the question “What?” about the Subject, telling us “The Thing Which” Dick threw was the Ball.

VITAL POINT: When you put your observations and ideas into your Exegetical outline, always use the format: “The NUANCE of the SUBJECT is the COMPLEMENT” Trust me on this one. The only exception is when you are stating the MVP or an SVP.

VITAL HINT: When you start putting together an outline, START with identifying the MVP, or whatever Verbal Propositions you can find. Then tie in the surrounding phrases and modifiers using the Subject=Complement Statements. They follow a formula:

The NUANCE of “the SUBJECT” is “the COMPLEMENT”

Note: The SUBJECT of a verse is the MVP, so those terms will be used interchangeably below.

If the modifier/clause or phrase answers the question WHO? about the Subject or MVP, your outline point should read: The ONE WHO...MVP... is “the COMPLEMENT.”

WHO: The ONE WHO threw (the ball) was Dick

Hint: If Dick was playing with Jane, and your text was “Dick threw the ball to Jane”, “Jane” also answers the question WHO?, and your outline point would read:

The ONE TO WHOM Dick threw (the ball) was Jane.

If the modifier/clause or phrase answers the question WHAT? about the Subject or MVP, your outline point should read: The THING WHICH...MVP... is “the COMPLEMENT.”

WHAT: The THING WHICH Dick threw is the ball.

EXAMPLE: First put each phrase on its own line and identify the Verbal Proposition.

“Dick threw the ball to Jane”

1. “Dick” WHO? The ONE WHO threw was Dick “

Threw” is the VP and “Dick” is the Complement, answering the question WHO about the VP.

2. “Somebody threw” = VP Verbal Proposition START by listing this point, then tie in “Dick” etc.

3. “the ball” WHAT? The THING WHICH Dick threw is the ball.

“Ball” is the Complement, answering the question WHAT about the VP.

4. “to Jane” WHO? The ONE TO WHOM Dick threw the ball was Jane.

“Jane” is the Complement, answering the question WHO about the VP.

If the modifier/clause or phrase answers the question WHEN? about the Subject or MVP, your outline point should read: The TIME WHEN...MVP... is “the COMPLEMENT.”

If the modifier/clause or phrase answers the question WHERE? about the Subject or MVP, your outline point should read: The PLACE WHERE...MVP... is “the COMPLEMENT.”

WHY has three nuances Purpose (what's intended), Reason (the underlying cause for the MVP, or the reason the author can say something, usually an OT quote) and Result (what happens or will happen).

If the modifier/clause or phrase answers the question WHY? about the Subject or MVP, indication the intention of the action, your outline point should read:

The PURPOSE of...MVP... is SO THAT or IN ORDER THAT “the COMPLEMENT”

PURPOSE always goes with “SO THAT” or “IN ORDER TO/THAT”