The Bible in Its Context (English and Spanish): How to Improve Your Study of the Scriptures / January 01, 2013

Requires Accordance 10.4 or above.

“One of the most important resources for understanding the Bible is in the Bible itself: context.” This introductory bible study was written to highlight the importance of studying the Bible in context as opposed to taking short-cuts to understanding the Bible by quoting random verses or blindly relying on the teaching of others.

From the Introduction:
“I arrange this course from the most basic principles to the more complex. Some students may find principles like ‘context’ too basic and may wish to skip ahead. Before they do so, I encourage them to sample the context examples; many will be surprised how many songs, sermons, and popular sayings have taken texts out of their context. In other words, it is one thing to affirm that we believe in context; it is quite another to practice that skill consistently. I have supplied concrete examples to help us grapple with that reality and encourage us to apply our ‘belief’ in context more rigorously. Context is essential because that is the way God inspired the Bible—not with random, isolated verses but with a continuous flow of thought to which those verses contribute.” (Keener)

The background illustrations can be found in much greater details in Craig’s IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament.

This product includes a secondary module with a Spanish translation (Keener-Contexto).