text of Scripture, so that one might experience oneness with God. Although this has a strong devotional foundation to it, the method also invites critical investigation of the text.
The letters of John offer us an interesting opportunity to bring these two elements of biblical study together. There is much here that stirs the soul and draws one into the life of faith. There is theology and spiritual practice in these letters. These are pastoral messages that speak to congregations that may be experiencing spiritual challenges. In addition, it’s possible that 1 John, which has few marks of a letter, could have been a sermon that was later shared with different congregations. There are also important critical questions to be answered as one explores these texts. Because we don’t know the identity of the author(s) or the destination of these letters, it is difficult to read them contextually. We don’t know the full back story to the words we read here. Many are attracted to the words about love, but they may also find the words about church discipline disturbing. My hope is that at the end of the study, participants and readers will not only have a better understanding of the text, but also find themselves moving toward a more mature faith in God. If we take the author of 1 John at his word, then the intention here is that what appears on the page was written “to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). It would appear that there is some uncertainty about such things as eternal life. Discernment of spirits is called for, for not all who claim to represent Christ are truly representatives of his mission. Thus, we have a word of hope and a word of warning.
Faith and understanding are not mutually exclusive categories, and this study seeks to draw them together. It is a study that can be undertaken by individuals in the quiet of their own homes, but it is also designed for use by groups. So, whether in groups or alone, my prayer is that you will experience the blessings of God’s continuing grace.
Before the journey is undertaken, I must give thanks to Henry Neufeld, my publisher and editor for inviting me to participate in this series of studies. Henry laid the format of the study, which I have followed closely, but he also gave me the freedom to set my own tone and texture in writing this study. I’d like to also thank the members of my Wednesday Bible Study groups at Central Woodward Christian Church, who have been attentive to the study of scripture and have pushed themselves and me into new understandings of the faith. Finally, I wish to thank my wife Cheryl who has given me room to write works such as this, but most of all has been a constant companion in life.
Using this Book
This study guide consists of two sections:1
1. Introductory information
2. Study sheets
As you prepare to enter this process of biblical study, it involves several steps reflecting the principles of lectio divina. You may have other ideas, or even a completely different method, and that is fine, but it will still help if you understand the starting point.
You should also have some kind of guideline for how you will approach your study. That guide is going to suggest a process of study, which I’ll repeat briefly here:
1. Preparation, including materials, prayer, and opening your mind
2. Overview
3. Background
4. The inner cycle (or central loop): Meditate, Question, Research, Compare
5. Sharing
This is a study process and it says very little about what you might do at each step of the process. It is, however, built on the principles of lectio divina, or “holy reading.” Let’s summarize those principles first and then look at the steps and see how they will help you apply these same principles to your study.
Holy Reading: A Model for Bible Study
Lectio divina, which means holy reading, is an ancient practice of studying scripture. There are many ways to practice lectio divina. It has been done in many ways since Origen described it around 220 CE. The great monastic traditions of the church further developed it into distinct phases and practices. The basic principle is that reading and studying the Bible should be remarkably different than reading the morning paper or studying Shakespeare. The Bible is a sacred text; it is a Living Word. It should not be, therefore, studied like as if it were a collection of dead pages from history.
When the two men were walking down the Road to Emmaus, they met the risen Christ, but did not recognize him (Luke 24). As they were walking down the road, Jesus interpreted to them the biblical story. Only later, as they were breaking bread, did they realize that Christ was with them the entire time.
Lectio Divina is a practice that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, invites the risen Christ to interpret scripture to us anew. It is a prayerful reading of scripture that expects God to speak once again through this Holy Word. Prayer should influence the way you study the Bible, and studying the Bible should influence the way you pray. In lectio divina, it is impossible to tell when you are studying and when you are praying, as there is no difference.
This practice is usually applied on small passages of scripture for an extended period of time. However, in this study lectio divina is used as a strategy to study an entire book of the Bible. This is somewhat challenging because the scripture text is so large, but the prayerful approach is still crucial to Christian study of the scripture. In these lessons, the ancient practice of lectio is blended with modern study methods that consider the historical, cultural, and literary contexts.
The historical methods are important to us because they help connect us to people of a different time and place who experienced the same God that we do, learned from the same texts, and were led by the same Spirit. In this context we do not study history for its own sake; we study history so that we might meet those who wrote the texts and those who have studied the passages before us.
The lessons in this guide are designed around the four movements of lectio divina established by Guigo II, a 12th century Carthusian monk, in a book called The Monk’s Ladder. He organized the practice around four rungs that help us draw closer to God through reading the Bible.
Reading (lectio): The first rung of the ladder is reading. Believe it or not this is the step most often skipped or diminished. It is important to do the Bible reading for each lesson to get the most out of it. Ideally it should be read several times so that you can become familiar with the language and themes of the text. This book is a guide to help you study the biblical text. It is a supplement to the text itself, and the text of scripture should be the primary focus in your study. The steps of the participatory study method emphasize different ways of reading to help the text become part of you as you study.
Meditating (meditatio): The next step is to prayerfully meditate on the text. Dig deep into it. Study the words. Break it down into pieces. In this study this is where most of the background information is located. Look up words to find their meaning. Notice if there are any words or actions that the Holy Spirit may be leading you to examine further.
Praying (oratio): Third, we learn to pray the text. Use what you have learned from the scripture to formulate a prayer. It may be helpful to write it down. (There are note pages at the end of each chapter.) At the end of each lesson is a prayerful exercise that expounds on one of the themes from the text. Feel free to add your own prayers. This is where the text really becomes alive to us.
In the method used for this study guide, prayer is not seen as simply one part of the study; prayer permeates your study. You start with prayer and listening so that you will hear what God has to say through the text. Then you end by turning what you have heard from God back into prayer. The prayer never ceases!
Contemplating
