How to Study the Bible - Week 6 Session 1

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth... (2 Timothy 2:15–18)

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

A guided introduction to "Bible arcing"—a technical but powerful way to break a passage apart and see exactly what the author is arguing.

A Caveat Before We Begin

What we're going to look at tonight is somewhat technical, and I've wrestled with whether to even share this approach. But I think it's important for you to see the way that I and a lot of other teachers approach the Bible when we're trying to dissect it and really break it apart.

I've shared Paul's exhortation to Timothy several times: study to show yourself approved unto God as a worker who's not ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Over the last many weeks we've used various methodologies to do exactly that. Tonight we move to a higher-level way of dissecting the Scriptures. I teach this to my students at the Bible College in a class that is both how to study and how to teach the Bible, so this is the transition from studying a passage to moving it into a teaching.

Understand that this is like a fire hose of information—or a dam bursting. What I'll show you tonight is a trailer or preview of something that is an entire 15- or 16-week class at several seminaries. Most of you will reach the end of this and think, "I don't even know how to grasp what Miles just showed me." That's okay. I just want to show you the process, because I've found it very helpful for breaking the Scriptures into pieces and seeing the logical relationships in the text—to understand what it says, what it means, and then to draw out the application.

Why Rightly Dividing the Word Matters

The whole purpose of this class is so that we might learn to access the Scriptures ourselves in order to make them accessible to others. To see why rightly dividing the truth is so important, go back to where the phrase appears in 2 Timothy. If you trace the word truth through this section, it keeps appearing again and again.

Paul says to rightly divide the word of truth so that we don't stray concerning the truth. Hymenaeus and Philetus had strayed—imagine having your name immortalized in Scripture as the bad example of what not to do. Then in chapter 3 Paul describes perilous times and people who are always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth, who resist the truth just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses.

So Paul keeps hammering it: truth, truth, truth. We need to rightly divide the word of truth so that we don't stray from it, so that we know it, so that we live under it. This is why a class like this matters, and it still boggles my mind how many of you are here on a Tuesday night.

The error the church has seen throughout history is not new. When Paul wrote to Timothy 2,000 years ago, there was already error in the church. We see so much error today, especially in America, because so many people do not know the truth of Scripture. They receive bad teaching from people who either have an agenda or who themselves don't know the truth. And many Christians are not like the Bereans who searched the Scriptures daily to see if those things were so. I'd rather you not fact-check me mid-sermon on a Sunday—I do sometimes get a reference wrong moving at pace—but I do want you to look into the Scriptures to see whether what I'm saying is really there.

A Quick Review of Where We've Been

We've covered devotional Bible study with the TIPS method—looking for Truths to believe and do, I examine myself in light of them, then I Plan to obey and Pray, and I obey by the Spirit's help. We looked at purposeful Bible study, reading through the lens of a question. We did word studies using freely available online tools. And last week we went through the inductive method—observation, interpretation, application: what does the text say, what does it mean, and what does it mean for us.

Tonight we move to something called Bible arcing for deeper study. When I first encountered this several years ago, I realized I already do much of this intuitively, even though I'd never seen it formally laid out this way.

What Is Bible Arcing?

Bible arcing is a graphical tool used to discern, display, and discuss the flow of thought in a biblical text. When you arc a text—say Galatians 2:15–16—you break it into its propositions, and on the right side you produce a set of arcs and symbols that show how each clause relates to the others. This helps the student see the logical progression and structure and determine its meaning.

I'll say at the outset: some of this is more art than science, and I'll explain what I mean as we go. But there's a lot of straightforward grammar-level science in it as well.

Step One: Divide the Text Into Its Propositions

Step one is to break the passage down to the clause or proposition level. Take Galatians 2:15–16:

We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

That's a big run-on sentence. Paul, who wrote 13 New Testament letters, is notorious for very long sentences, so to understand his thought progression this method becomes really helpful. Think of Romans 7—one long chain of challenging arguments where Paul anticipates his reader's response ("but you will say...") and then deconstructs it.

When I taught through Romans 7 and 8 at a Bible college—with translation into German, which is even harder because the translator kept asking me to say things more simply—I had to break down everything to understand Paul's flow. So step one is simply taking those verses and breaking them down into all their individual clauses.

Step Two: Discern the Logical Relationship Between Propositions

Step two is to discern the logical relationship between each proposition. This is what we all do intuitively with language anyway. If you took higher-level grammar, you'll remember diagramming a sentence. Many seminaries have students do exactly this in the original Greek; in Hebrew they do more of a block diagram, since Hebrew doesn't break down quite the same way.

When you pick up an exegetical commentary, the scholar who wrote it probably did this at the language level. That's what makes a good exegetical commentary so valuable—the scholar has spent the time breaking the text into its component parts so they can tell you what it's saying. My Hebrew professor at Gateway Seminary, Dr. Watson, served on the translation committee for the Christian Standard Bible, block diagramming Old Testament texts word by word to determine the proper translation. Having watched how this is done, I can tell you that you can trust your Bible translations pretty well.

You're doing intuitively with your native language what this method does deliberately. You can spot a bad writer quickly—a book you can't get past page 20—because the grammar doesn't read right. A good writer is so much easier to comprehend. We're breaking the text apart to see where the independent and dependent clauses are and how they relate.

Coordinate Relationships

Coordinate relationships connect two independent clauses; each makes its own independent contribution, and neither supports the other. There are four kinds: alternative, progression, series, and both.

A series simply connects independent clauses, marked with the symbol S. For example, Matthew 24:29: the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Each clause stands on its own. Keywords include and, moreover, furthermore, likewise, neither, nor.

A progression is like a series, but each proposition is a further step toward a climax, marked with P. Romans 8:30: whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; whom He justified, these He also glorified. You see how it steps down the whole way—you must follow the logic. This is where I struggle with people who claim a passage can have fifty different interpretations. Paul made one logical argument, and we should be able to clearly see what it is.

An alternative relationship expresses different possibilities arising from a situation, often contrasting, marked with A. Keywords are or, but, while, on the other hand. For example: some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved.

Subordinate Relationships

Subordinate relationships connect dependent propositions—one supports the other. Here are the main types.

Action-manner states an action followed by a more precise statement of how it's carried out. Acts 14:17—God did not leave Himself without witness (the action), in that He did good and gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons (the manner). Keywords: in or by.

Comparison expresses an action more clearly by showing what it's like, marked CF. John 20:21: as the Father has sent Me, I also send you. Keywords: even as, as, just as.

Negative-positive sets two alternatives where one is denied so the other is enforced. Ephesians 5:17: do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Keywords: not... but.

Idea-explanation clarifies the meaning of a previous statement, marked ID/EXP. Jesus said, why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. Keyword: that is.

Question-answer simply pairs a question and its answer. Romans 4:3: what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

General-to-specific states a whole and then one or more parts of it. Romans 7:7: I would not have known sin except through the law. For example, I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet."

Grounding, Inference, and Bilateral Relationships

A grounding statement gives the argument or reason for a statement, marked G, using for, because, since. From the Sermon on the Mount: blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

An inference moves from a statement to a conclusion, marked with three dots, using therefore, wherefore, consequently, accordingly. 1 Peter 4:7: the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

A bilateral proposition supports two others—one preceding and one following. Psalm 67:4–5: Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You shall judge the people righteously... let the peoples praise You, O God.

Action, Conditional, and Time-Based Relationships

Action-result connects an action and the consequence accompanying it. Matthew 8:24: a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. Keywords: so that, with the result that.

Action-purpose connects an action with what it's intended to bring about. 1 Peter 5:6: humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. Keywords: in order that, so that, to the end of.

A conditional statement is like action-result, except the action is only potential. Galatians 5:18: if you are led by the Spirit, [then] you are not under the law. Keywords: if, then, provided that, except.

Temporal markers connect a proposition to when it occurs. Matthew 6:16: when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites. Keywords: when, whenever, after, before. Locative markers connect a proposition to where it's true. Matthew 18:20: where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am in the midst of them. Keywords: where, wherever.

Anticipation, Concession, and Situation-Response

Anticipation-fulfillment pairs a proposal or promise with its fulfillment, marked ANT/F. Galatians 6:2: bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

A concessive relationship pairs a main clause with a contrary statement. 2 Peter 1:12: I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know them and are established in the present truth. Keywords: although, yet, nevertheless, but, however.

A situation-response connects a situation in one clause and a response in another. Matthew 7:22–23: many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name?"... and then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."

Why All of This Matters

All of this—every plus and minus sign, every symbol—is meant to help you see the logical flow of what the author is writing so you can understand what the text actually says. It may seem pedantic, but you're trying to see exactly how each clause relates to the others.

I get it that some of these things are obscure right now—or totally obscure—and that much of this may have gone over your head. That's okay. There is no test, and this is not homework. If you start to look at the Scriptures in this systematic way over time, it'll change how you read the text, and it becomes second nature. I do this intuitively in my own devotions and use it deliberately on challenging passages like Romans 7.

When we come back from a fifteen-minute break, I'm going to take a passage and show you how this comes together. It will make far more sense once we put it into practice, and you'll see why it becomes so important. Make sure you've signed in, grab a cookie, and we'll resume at the top of the hour.

Closing Prayer

God, I pray that You would help us to still our hearts and our minds now, and that You would prepare our hearts and minds for what You'd like to teach us. It is my hope and desire that as a result of this class You would bring us into a place where we are Your disciples—true students of Your word—growing in our knowledge of who You are and in our relationship with You. Open the door so that we would draw nearer to You. Speak to us tonight and give us wisdom. I pray that the things we talk about will make sense, because I recognize some of these things are challenging. So open our hearts and our minds, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen.