Kyle's Rules for Bible Study #4 context, Context CONTEXT
Don't turn away from this one too quickly. It has wide-ranging applications. Over the years I have developed my own set of "rules" for studying and teaching the Word of God. They are not meant as substitutes for established sound exegetical guidelines , but are my own personal addendum that help guide my studies. Rule #4: context, Context, CONTEXT Like most everything else in life, understand the context of a matter aids in understanding the matter. You might even say that a matter cannot be understood unless the context it understood first. We see this in media and politics frequently where a word or phrase taken out of contex t so that the story can be tainted or spun at the author's discretion. The great rule in real estate was aptly stated by Lord Samuel Harold, "There are three things that matter in property: location, location, location ."(NY Times 6/28/2009) In theology and Bible study the rule is similar: context, context, context.