Ways to study the Bible : Exposition

 

The first Bible Study method we will look at is exposition. According to Dictionary .com exposition is explaining. It is one of the easiest and yet hardest types of Bible studies, 

Lets look at an example...

The well known verse Jo 3:16  KJV For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Start with where the book was written and when  

The Gospel's place and date of composition are uncertain; many scholars suggest that it was written at Ephesus, in Asia Minor, about 100 ce for the purpose of communicating the truths about Christ to Christians of Hellenistic background  (Greeks).

Next examine the words and their syntax. A dictionary can be helpful here. For instance the adverb so it has a totally different meaning if it came before the word God. 

The word God Θεὸς Theos The word Theos means, God, the Creator and owner of all things

The word loved ἠγάπησεν ēgapēsen this form of loved is used 12 times in the Bible.

Other words I would consider worth exploring world, begotten, son, believes, life

Lexicons and concordances can help you look at root words origins and other uses

After you have examined the words that interest you, look at the context. This verse is in John chapter 3 What is that chapter about?

From Biblehub 

John 3 provides profound insights into the transformative power of faith in Jesus Christ and the overwhelming depth of God's love for humanity. It serves as a call to spiritual rebirth, to step out of darkness into God's marvelous light. This chapter prompts us to experience and share the incredible love that God offers us through His Son, encouraging a life illuminated by truth and dedicated to the glory of God.

In a larger context what is the Gospel of John about?

From GotQuestions.org 

Author: John 21:20–24 describes the author of the gospel of John as “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” and for both historical and internal reasons this is understood to be John the Apostle, one of the sons of Zebedee (Luke 5:10).

Date of Writing: Discovery of certain papyrus fragments dated around AD 135 require the gospel of John to have been written, copied, and circulated before then. And, while some think it was written before Jerusalem was destroyed (AD 70), AD 85—90 is a more accepted time for the writing of the gospel of John.

Purpose of Writing: The author cites the purpose of the gospel of John as follows: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). Unlike the three Synoptic Gospels, John’s purpose is not to present a chronological narrative of the life of Christ but to display His deity. John sought to strengthen the faith of second-generation believers and bring about faith in others, but he also sought to correct a false teaching that was spreading in the first century. John emphasized Jesus Christ as “the Son of God,” fully God and fully man, contrary to a false doctrine that taught the “Christ-spirit” came upon the human Jesus at His baptism and left Him at the crucifixion.

To do all this means that you will move slowly. It requires refelction on word choice and word order> Additional materials like Biblical maps, Leicons and Concordances can all be helpful  Summarize what you learned. Write the essentials down it will help you recall them later.

"I want to know God's thoughts, the rest are details." Einstein