THE FINER APPROACH TO BIBLE STUDY

By Sherry Cumby
The synthetic Bible study method includes the view of placing various parts of the Bible that relate to one another in order to constitute the whole. The synthetic Bible study method includes the view of placing various parts of the Bible that relate to one another in order to constitute the whole. Since the word "synthetic" expresses the idea of combining two or more things together, the synthetic Bible study would mean the method of gathering related information from the main or general thought/conclusion. Actually, it moves from the general to the specifics that make up the whole. It is, in fact, a telescopic method of study in lieu of the microscopic.

In the Bible the whole is more than the aggregate of the parts, just as the living body is more than an assemblage of limbs, cells, nerves, etc. I would like to think that the synthetic approach to Bible study is an approach like the synthetic study of geography, i.e. begin with the hemispheres, then to continents, on to countries, cities, towns and villages. This would mean that the redemptive revelation (revealing of God's redemptive plan for His creation) is considered initial before Christ; is central in Christ; and is final from Christ. It has a starting-point, a track, and a goal. To break it down even more can be seen by understanding that the revelation of the Bible begins in a Garden, and ends in a City, and the record of the slow progress from simplicity to complexity lies between. This can be seen in the Garden where God's creation lives in fellowship with God himself, to a city where there are no flaws, simply perfection where a Holy and Just God, His Son, and the Spirit live in perfect harmony with the faithful and "Redeemed" of mankind. The process of God's creation failing to live by God's law in this perfected land created and approved by God, to the redemptive plan of God to bring His creation back to Him lies in between the perfect, unflawed Garden and the pure, Holy city without spot or wrinkle.

One of the great theologians of the Bible, Martin Luther, stated that he studied the Bible as he gathered apples. First of all he shook the tree, then the limbs, then the branches, and after that he searched under the leaves for any remaining fruit. This is a great example of the synthetic approach to Bible study.

With all of the above in mind, the synthetic method in Bible study demands that we get a mental grasp of the Bible as a whole, eliminating all artificial divisions and arrangements. In this way only can we discern the unity of the Scriptures.