Basic Reading

First Pass

Completing a basic reading of scripture is foundational and pre-requisite to a subsequent deeper study that will yield richer results. The first step is one we are all familiar with. We have to simply read (or listen to) the words. Complete a first pass through the relevant passage of scripture to gain an initial understanding of the content.

Context

Expand on your initial reading by beginning to construct the historical and scriptural context in which the passage exists. Identify some foundational characteristics if possible, such as:

• What happened immediately before this passage?
• What happened immediately after this passage?
• Who is the author of the passage?
• Who is speaking, and are the speaker and author the same person?
• Who is the audience?
• For what reason was the passage was given?
• When and where did the passage take place?
• Are there any customs, historical facts, or notable events that are important to understanding the passage?

Note that you do not need to know the answer to all of these questions at this point, but it can be helpful to begin thinking about them and filling out what you can. Your construction of the context will likely be significantly expanded over time, but identifying the answer to even some of these questions will greatly inform the rest of your study.

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Understanding History and Context

Doctrines and Principles

Identify the key doctrine and principles covered in the passage of scripture. You do not need to dive too far into this at this stage, but it may be helpful to tag them to this section so that you are able to reference them later on.

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Remember that a doctrine is an eternal truth, and a principle is a law or rule you can adopt to help make correct decisions. Principles are based on doctrine.

Doctrine: Jesus Christ is my Savior
Principle: I should have faith in Jesus Christ

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To get started, many of our foundational doctrines and principles are described in the Articles of Fatih.

Backlinks

• Overview / How I Study / Deep Reading / Themes

  • Identifying these themes will enhance the work you did when defining the doctrines and principles, and will build your personal knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You will see several themes repeated throughout scripture.

• Overview / How I Study / Deep Reading

  • After you have completed an initial basic reading of the relevant passage, you can proceed to deep reading using the tools and strategies defined in this section. This is where your knowledge of the scriptures will drastically expand.