Exegesis

Although, this term had been defined in an earlier page, I feel that I need to reiterate what has already been said.

Again, exegesis is very important since this is the process that will help us find out the original meaning of the verse.  The original meaning is very important because that is the true and only meaning of the verse.  Although from that one meaning, we can have a lot of applications for different situation in our daily lives.  Applications or "lessons" that we can derive from the verse must not conflict the original meaning intended by the original author for the  original hearer(s).

1Corinthians as with every passage, Paul message to the Corinthian church in a particular context.  If our present interpretation of a passage in 1 Corinthians produced a meaning that made sense today in our church but doesn't make sense if its being told to the Corinthians church, then the interpretation is incorrect.  

To do an exegesis requires expertise in a lot of areas, but because of the availability of expert tools such as commentaries, dictionaries, handbooks, etc.  Everybody who has access and knows how to use such tools can exegete.  But the truth is, even with just minimal access to these tools, anyone can do good exegesis of the Bible.

Your most important tools in understanding the message of the Bible is reading.  You must read and reread the passage that you are studying.  You must pay attention to all the details and ask questions as you go along. You must read with an open mind to learn.  This means that you should not assume that an interpretation you have heard before is the correct interpretation.  By reading alone, you should be able to know the context and identify the theme or main point of the passage.

With good reading habits and proper use of available tools we can all do good exegesis.

Your comments are always welcome.  

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