This is the fourth post in a series titled "Properly Interpreting the Scriptures." Read thefirst,second, andthirdposts. In order to accurately interpret Scripture, it is important that we do not view it as simply an assortment of unrelated pieces; we must have an understanding of the overarching storyline of the Bible. What is the overarching storyline of the entire Bible...

This is the third post in a series titled "Properly Interpreting the Scriptures." Read thefirstandsecondposts. After first seeing the need to evaluate a passage's context, the second principle of biblical interpretation we're going to look at is the importance of understanding the meaning of words used. This has to do with the true content of words. Gordon Fee writes, "Co...

This is the second post in a series titled "Properly Interpreting the Scriptures." Read thefirst post. The first principle we must understand when interpreting Scripture is the context of the passage, or you could say understanding the passage's place in the Bible. Everything that is said or done has some form of context. We speak words within the context of a sentence. E...

How many times have you spoken to a friend using a passage of Scripture only to find out later that its true meaning was different than the way you presented it? Such an occurrence should lead us to ask several questions: Why did this happen? How can we guard against this? Can we ever be sure of the meaning of a particular passage? Are we willing to do the work to ensure i...

You may have heard the word "sufficient" used to describe the Bible's level of competence for counseling. The word speaks of being adequate for its purpose. Hearing that definition may lead you to think something like, "That doesn't sound very powerful. It sounds like Scripture is 'just barely good enough' to counsel, as if it just narrowly makes the qualifying cut." Think...

John is a forty-two year old husband and father of three. John has worked for the same company since college and has provided well for his family. Last June, hard economic times hit his community and John was informed that his position at work would be eliminated within three months. He has now been unemployed for several months and his savings are gone. John never thought...

In a world filled with contradicting thoughts and ideas about life, it can be difficult to know who or what we can trust. Specifically in the area of counseling, there exist all kind of differing philosophies fighting for our acceptance. At Grace Biblical Counseling Ministries we believe in the supreme power and authority of the Bible to give counsel. In supporting its tru...

Jeff and Marie have been married for almost four years. Jeff is a police officer in a large city. Marie is a stay-at-home mom with their two small children. Both Jeff and Marie profess to know Jesus Christ and are very active in their church. By all external appearances they seem very happy, close, and able to handle life's problems with great ease. At home things do not l...

Suffering and hardship are common human experiences. If we live, we will suffer hardship. Knowing this does not make our current suffering any easier, but only assures us that we are not alone. Suffering takes many forms. We may think of the minor irritations of life as suffering, while others would see them as trivial. However, there are some experiences that we would all...

Julie is a twenty-one year old single woman in her last year of college. She moved away from home to attend college with the hope of finding a young man there who would want to marry her. Now after three years down, and without a steady relationship, she is beginning to think there is no one out there for her. All of her hopes had been placed on finding a husband at school...