Highlands Reformed Church

 

1. ____ There are ___ basic skills we use to study the bible.

a. 4

b. 5

c. 10

d. 2

2. ____ The “S” skill stands for ___.

a. Sanctification

b. Situation

c. Serendipity

d. Suspicion

3. ____ The “O” skill stands for ___.

a. Observation

b. Obscurity

c. Overinterpretation

d. Oblation

4. ____ The first “I” skill stands for ___.

a. Insertion

b. Inner Sanctum

c. Interpretation

d. Inculcation

5. ____ The second “I” skill stands for ___.

a. Incitation

b. Isolation

c. Infringement

d. Implication

6. ____ The “A” skill stands for ___.

a. Application

b. Asymmetrical

c. Atheoretical

d. Avoidance

7. ____ One of the first, most important steps to understanding a biblical passage is to ___.

a. Take a very small portion of the Scripture and focus only on reading that

b. Read, reread, and re-reread the larger passage or book as much as needed to

understand the context

c. Apply the passage based on what the Scripture means to you

d. Try to empty your mind of all thoughts and listen to your feelings, as this may be

the Spirit leading you

 

 

8. ____ Which of the following would very likely lead to serious error in interpreting

Scripture?

a. Assuming that having an academic or intellectual concern about the context or

grammar is unspiritual

b. Focusing only on your personal experiences to lead your interpretation

c. All answers listed here

d. Stringing together random Scriptures based on what they mean to you

e. Praying for wisdom and then just letting the Spirit lead you as you read, without

any concern about intellectual or academic concerns such as context or what the

original author meant to the original audience

9. ____ Which of the following basic skills requires you to carefully make sure you’re

actually seeing what’s there when you read the text?

a. Delineation

b. Observation

c. Inattention

d. Concentration

10. ____ Which of the following languages were original Scriptural manuscripts or

“autographs” written in?

a. Hebrew, Latin, and Greek

b. Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek

c. Linear A and Linear B

d. Latin and Linear A

11. ____ In which of the following basic skills would you most consider who the author and

original audience was, the historical context, and literary style?

a. Application

b. Conflagration

c. Serendipity

d. Situation

12. ____ Is it important to be sensitive to the original languages? Explain why.

a. It’s really up to the individual; since we have the leading of the Spirit, you can let

the words mean whatever you think you feel led to have them mean to you.

b. No, the translators of any modern English bible version were scholars and experts

in their field, and there were many of them; it is not reasonable to expect an

ordinary Christian to compete or improve on their work.

c. Yes, the bible was written by Shakespeare, and modern English has dramatically

changed the meaning of many words since the Elizabethan period.

d. Yes, the bible was written in foreign, ancient languages that were a product of

their history. Our modern English translations do not always convey the rich,

precise, and full meaning of the original languages.

 

 

 

13. ____ In which of the following basic skills would you most consider looking at

understanding the meaning of the text using grammar and sensitivity to the original

languages?

a. Application

b. Interpretation

c. Distillation

d. Improvisation

14. ____ Which of the following is true about the skill of Application?

a. I should unflinchingly face any sins in my life and deal with them through

repentance, based on a correct interpretation of God’s word

b. Applications should be personal, practical, precise, and progressive (applied to

help me grow in holiness over time)

c. Application of God’s word may very well be the most difficult part of bible study,

because it requires me to obey God, no matter how I feel

d. All answers listed here

15. ____ A biblical passage may have many implications, hundreds of applications, but it

will only have one correct interpretation (although sometimes the interpretation may be

complex and rich in meaning, or may even be a play on words).

a. Both True and False: The correct interpretation is the one God gives you as you

feel led by the Spirit, so many people may have their own, mutually exclusive

interpretations. Who are we to judge?

b. True

c. False

16. ____ When you use the skill of Implication, it is appropriate ___.

a. to compare Scriptures only within the New Testament books, since the Old

Testament is now irrelevant

b. to remember that “True Biblical doctrine is what the Westminster Confession says

about any given subject”

c. to look at what other passages in Scripture say about the same subject

d. to compare other Scriptures, but choose them at random, and don’t worry about

interpreting them

17. ____ A key danger of Implication is that ___.

a. We will interpret the clear by the unclear

b. There aren’t enough other Scriptures to consider

c. Since the bible contradicts itself, true biblical doctrine is what any part of the

bible says, without regard to the context of all of Scripture

d. If we are not careful, we will misinterpret the other verses we are looking at

 

18. ____ If you come to a passage of Scripture that you find difficult or unclear, the first and

most important thing you should do is to ___.

a. Give up, because it is just too hard

b. Just ask your pastor, dad, mom (or if you are from England, your mum), Christian

friend, or read a reliable commentary

c. Make a note of it and your question about it, come back to it later if need be, after

letting it “simmer”; but ultimately, the solution is to apply your study methods

consistently, and interpret the unclear by the clear

d. Skim over it with a blank look on your face, and pretend you didn’t see it

19. ____ It is critical for all Christians, but especially men and heads of households, to know

how to study their bible because ___.

a. We will be weak, easily deceived, make foolish decisions, and be led to

destruction if we don’t understand God’s will as revealed in His word

b. God commands us to “long for the pure milk of the word, as newborn babies” and

to be holy as He is holy; and the standard of holiness is His word

c. Men especially, are charged by God to spread His knowledge, glory, and

authority over all the earth, starting with themselves and those in their care

d. All answers are correct

20. ____ In which bible study skill are we most concerned with correctly understanding the

meaning of God’s word?

a. Interpretation

b. Eisegesis

c. Situation

d. Election

21. ____ When trying to understand the historical context of the author and original

audience, which of the following tools would be good to use?

a. Your common sense: just assume they lived long ago just like we do today

b. The headlines from broadcast news or a news website

c. A reliable, conservative bible atlas or commentary

d. A local, national, or international newspaper

22. ____ One of the best tools to use when doing an implication study on a word or related

words would be ___.

a. An iridium hydrospanner-randomizer

b. Strong’s concordance or other exhaustive concordance, including reliable

concordances on-line or in bible study software

c. A calculator

d. An ion impulse drive

 

 

 

 

 

a. Look for the same word in the same book, then by the same author, then by the

same testament, then by the whole bible. Choose first, significant, and last, or all,

if doing an exhaustive study. Look for similar English words, but you can also

look to the original language word and key off that. Don’t forget to define the

word using the original language dictionary included in the back of most

concordances; you can also look to the root words to help clarify

b. Just use an English dictionary

c. Ask your grandpa

d. There is no benefit from studying other occasions of the same word, just focus on

what you’re studying

24. ____ When it comes to studying the bible, God must first change our spiritual natures –

He must make us spiritually alive — if we are to truly understand and apply His word.

a. False, the bible itself teaches in numerous places that “There is no God”! I did an

implication study and came up with the following verses (and there are more!):

Psalm 10:4, 14:1, 53:1; Isaiah 44:6, and 1 Corinthians 8:4

b. False, we should never come to the bible with a “spiritual” approach; the bible is

literature, just like any other book, and hermeneutics is a science, not spiritual

magic

c. True, although we use intellect and academics to study God’s word, it is still a

book authored by His spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “a natural man does not

accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he

cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”

25. ____ Two tools that are most important, are without cost, and available to every Christian

in every age and in every place are ___.

a. Humility and a will to work

b. A bible atlas and a reliable, conservative commentary

c. A good concordance and a reliable English translation

d. Historical aids and Google

e. An interlinear translation and multiple English translations

26. ____ We must apply God’s word because ___.

a. God commands His people in all ages and all times to obey Him

b. All answers are correct

c. We can generally expect God’s blessing for obedience and His curses for

disobedience

d. A good understanding have all those who do His commandments

 

 

27. ____ Two of the greatest dangers we face when interpreting Scripture in a group or

church are ___.

a. That ordinary Christians are incapable of interpreting Scripture correctly and they

won’t have the money to invest in tools

b. There being two completely correct but diametrically opposed interpretations and

there being a resulting conflict

c. The impossibility of knowing absolute truth and that interpretation of the

Scriptures is subject to opinion

d. Pride and a lack of perseverance

28. ____ When I sit down to start studying the bible, I will always ___.

a. get my interpretation right the first time

b. first and primarily refer to commentaries, what my pastor said, or what my

confession says

c. go with my first impression or understanding, and never need to verify it

d. have to work, have to be self-disciplined, have to be diligent, humble, willing to

accept correction and willing to obey God and change my behavior as He directs.

e. emphasize intellectual knowledge, precise, propositional statements and theology

above all else

29. ____ There is no place in a Christian’s life for pastors, teachers, dad, mom, orthodox

confessions, commentaries, or other good books about the bible — I’ve learned now that

it’s only about bible study.

a. False, I’m a Christian, and I listen to everybody and everything. The bible is only

part of it. I try to keep an open mind because truth is what you believe truth is,

and it can therefore come from anywhere.

b. True, I don’t have to listen to anyone or anything, except what I believe about the

bible. The fact that the bible says I should obey my parents and elders, well,

they’re really dysfunctional, so I just consider myself an independent.

c. False, God tells us in the bible that He gave us pastors, teachers, and our father’s

and mothers. Good pastors and teachers have written good confessions,

commentaries and books. We can learn some truth even from those with error,

including pagans, but we must interpret all matters about life, faith, practice,

knowledge and learning in light of a correct interpretation of the Scripture.

30. ____ Some of the best ways I can preserve my life and pass the faith on to the next

generation are ___.

a. Pray: Confess and deal fully with my sin, learn to praise and worship God, give

thanks, and ask God for all my needs

b. All answers are correct

c. Keep good company: be active in a good Christian community and church, and

choose wise, godly friends who are good examples of Christians

d. Study God’s word personally as a lifetime habit; lead my family and educate and

train those in my care in the Scriptures, and teach them to do the same to the next

generation

 

 

 

 

 

a. The Hindenburg Catechism

b. The Westminster Confession of Faith, 1647

c. The Nice Creed

d. The Epistle’s Creed

32. ____ Creedalism and confessionalism (that all men believe something and express or

confess it in some form) are inescapable concepts.

a. True

b. False

33. ____ Creeds and confessions are summaries of Christian doctrines, and are useful tools,

but Scripture is always supreme in any controversy or matter of faith.

a. False

b. True

34. ____ In referring to prayer, the acronym CATS helps us remember and address the basic

elements of praying according to the Scriptures. CATS stands for:

a. Captious introduction, Assignment (of blame), raTionalization, Sulking

b. Confession, Adoration, Thanksgiving, and Supplication

c. Cathartic venting, rAtionalization, Tingling sensation, Self-actualization

d. deConstruction, Arguing, Tedious Self-justification

35. ____ Which part of prayer causes us to examine ourselves with regard to our sin and

God’s holiness, so that we might repent and ask forgiveness?

a. Confession

b. Self-Justification

c. Blame-shifting

d. Rationalization

36. ____ Which part of prayer leads us to praise God for His nature and for Who He is?

a. Thanksgiving

b. Humanism

c. Evolution

d. Adoration

37. ____ Although we should pray “without ceasing” and about everything, why is it often

advisable to confess our sins before moving on to other areas of prayer?

a. It will guarantee that we get what we want when we get to the part where we ask

for things.

b. So that we can be better than other Christians who don’t pray in the form that we

do.

c. Because prayer should be a routine, and it’s important to go through the motions,

using repetition and many words, to ensure we will be heard.

d. God says He will not hear our prayers if we “regard wickedness in our heart”; He

says that we should deal with our own sin fully and firstly, before we deal with

anything else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

repent of, but may still cause offense before God?

a. Failing to offer one male goat for a sin offering.

b. The sins that others have committed against us.

c. Unintentional or inadvertent sins; we are so corrupted by sin or so ignorant of His

holy law, that we sometimes don’t even realize that we sinned against him.

d. Sins that we have forgiven others for, but that we still need to remind God that

they need to be punished for.

39. ____ In which part of prayer do we consider and respond to God with humility and deep

gratitude about the many good gifts that He daily gives us?

a. Bargaining

b. Thanksgiving

c. Demanding

d. Supplication

40. ____ In which part of prayer do we ask God for all that we need or desire, according to

and submitted to His will?

a. Demanding

b. Bargaining

c. Arguing

d. Supplication