By discovering the structure of a Bible passage, we find the main focus (or emphasis) of the biblical author; that emphasis then leads us to the right application of the passage to our lives.

Scripture’s Structure Is a Guide

Every passage in the Bible has a structure. The human authors of Scripture were inspired to write by God’s Holy Spirit, but they wrote with careful attention to organization and structure; in other words, they did not write haphazardly, randomly, or chaotically. Often, however, we do not work hard to actually find the structure of the biblical passages that we study. We simply read them and ask general questions—or make general comments—about them, or we focus on the impressions or feelings that biblical passages give us. When we study this way, failing to pay attention to the structure of the passages we are focusing on, we run the risk of making incorrect interpretations and applications.

To counteract that danger, we need to add the construction tool to our hermeneutical tool belts.

Understanding the Construction Tool

The construction tool is designed to help you find the structure (or the shape) of any given passage in the Bible in order to find your way to its true meaning, purpose, and application.

This tool operates on the basis that every passage in the Bible has a clear structure, and the structure is important because it shows us the focus or thrust of the passage. In other words, the way the biblical author puts a passage together can show us what that author means to emphasize, highlight, and bring out for his readers. Very often, the structure of a passage is the main key to interpreting it well, understanding it rightly, and applying it faithfully to our lives. This is why the construction tool is so important—it helps us see what the biblical authors want us to see.

What are some ways that we can begin to see the structure, or construction, of a passage in the Bible? We can do the following:

• Look for key words (such as so, therefore, if, or since) and phrases (such as “In conclusion” or “Because of this…”). Those kinds of key transition words and phrases often help us see the way a passage is put together.
• Look for changes in subject or topic; when an author shifts from one topic to another, that is usually an indication of the way he is structuring his thoughts or argument.
• Look for repeated words. Repetition of words in key places in a biblical text can offer a hint as to the structure of that text.

This tool helps us avoid problems in our study of the Bible, as well as providing some benefits when we put it to work in good ways that can help us in our study and grasp of the biblical authors’ emphases and main points.

Problems Avoided

The construction tool is not simply a fun and helpful addition to your hermeneutical tool belt (although it is); it also can actually protect you from some serious errors and misunderstandings about the Bible. As I noted briefly above, we often read and study Scripture simply to hear it and see how it makes us feel rather than to discern the way the biblical author has intentionally put his words together in order to teach us. Now, hearing the Bible and being emotionally moved by it are, of course, good things. There are certainly times when we should simply sit and listen to the Bible, or read it devotionally, without the kind of careful study that we are learning about in this book. But as I hope to convince you, there are also times to study the Bible carefully in order to understand what it really means (given its context, structure, etc.), and therefore, how we should apply it as Christians today. That’s where the construction tool comes in. It is extremely important for helping you rightly understand the main point and main application of any passage in Scripture.

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