PAULA WISEMAN

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Posts that reference the Gospel of John

STT: The Word Picture Method

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The Word Picture Method title graphic featuring an open Bible on a blue background

Throughout Scripture, God uses vivid imagery to help us grasp spiritual truths. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5), using a familiar agricultural image to illustrate our dependence on Him. The Bible is filled with metaphors, similes, and symbols that make abstract concepts tangible.

The Word Picture Method focuses on identifying and exploring these biblical images to deepen our understanding of spiritual truths.

1. Identify Word Pictures

Look for imagery language throughout Scripture:

  • Metaphors (“The Lord is my shepherd”)
  • Similes (“like a tree planted by streams of water”)
  • Symbols (bread, light, water, rock)
  • Extended analogies (the armor of God)
  • Parables (the prodigal son, the sower)

These word pictures aren’t just literary devices—they’re divine teaching tools designed to help us grasp spiritual realities.

2. Explore the Image

Examine the picture in its cultural and historical context:

  • What would this image have meant to the original audience?
  • What properties or characteristics of the object are being highlighted?
  • Why did God choose this particular image to convey this truth?

When Jesus calls Himself “the bread of life” (John 6:35), understanding bread’s essential role in ancient diets helps us grasp our daily dependence on Christ.

3. Connect to Spiritual Truth

Move from the concrete to the abstract:

  • What spiritual reality does this physical image represent?
  • How does this picture help explain a complex concept?
  • What aspects of God’s character or our relationship with Him does it illuminate?

The image of God as potter and us as clay (Isaiah 64:8) reveals His sovereignty, our malleability, and the intimate way He shapes our lives.

4. Look for Patterns

Notice how images develop throughout Scripture:

  • Water progresses from physical thirst (Exodus) to living water (John 4)
  • Shepherding evolves from David’s psalms to Jesus as Good Shepherd
  • Light appears from Genesis 1 through Revelation’s eternal city

For your next study session: Explore the image of “rock” throughout Scripture. Start with Deuteronomy 32:4 (God as Rock), continue to Psalm 18:2 (rock as refuge), Matthew 7:24-27 (building on rock), and 1 Corinthians 10:4 (Christ as spiritual rock). Consider how this consistent image reveals different aspects of God’s unchanging, reliable nature.

What biblical word picture might you explore to gain fresh insight into a familiar truth?

STT: Book Study Method

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Book Study Method title graphic featuring a marked open Bible with a pink pen

When Paul wrote to Timothy, he didn’t just send isolated verses—he sent entire letters meant to be read as complete units (2 Timothy 3:16-17). While verse-by-verse study is valuable, studying entire books using a book study method provides context and reveals the author’s complete message.

The Book Study Method helps you grasp the big picture of Scripture by examining entire biblical books as cohesive units with specific purposes, themes, and structures.

1. Survey the Book

Begin with a broad overview:

  • Read the entire book in one sitting (for shorter books)
  • Note the author, recipients, and historical setting
  • Identify the book’s literary genre (history, poetry, epistle, etc.)
  • Look for natural divisions or major sections
  • Spot recurring words, phrases, or themes

For example, reading through Philippians in one sitting (only 4 chapters) reveals joy as a dominant theme, appearing in various forms at least 16 times despite Paul writing from prison.

2. Create a Book Chart

Visualize the book’s structure:

  • Divide the book into major sections
  • Give each section a descriptive title
  • Note key verses for each section
  • Identify the main theme of each chapter
  • Draw connections between sections

A simple chart of 1 Peter might show how Peter moves from our identity in Christ (ch. 1-2) to how that identity shapes our relationships (ch. 2-3) to how we handle suffering (ch. 4-5).

3. Analyze the Purpose

Determine why the book was written:

  • Look for explicit purpose statements (John 20:31, 1 John 5:13)
  • Consider the historical context and needs of the original audience
  • Note problems or issues the author addresses
  • Identify the central message or argument

Galatians clearly addresses the problem of people adding works to faith for salvation, with Paul’s purpose being to defend the gospel of grace alone through faith alone.

4. Study Individual Sections

After understanding the whole, examine the parts:

  • Study chapters in light of the book’s overall purpose
  • See how each section contributes to the main message
  • Connect individual verses to their surrounding context
  • Notice how themes develop throughout the book

For your next study session: Choose the book of James for a book study. Read it entirely in one sitting (5 chapters). Create a simple chart showing the major sections. Identify recurring themes (wisdom, speech, faith and works, trials). Consider how each chapter contributes to James’ overall message about practical, lived-out faith.

What biblical book might you explore using this comprehensive book study method?

STT: The Background Method

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THe Background MEthod title graphic featuring library aisle

Study Tip: The Background Method

When Jesus told the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), His Jewish audience would have immediately understood the cultural tensions between Jews and Samaritans. Modern readers might miss this crucial context without some background knowledge.

Understanding the historical, cultural, and geographical background of Scripture enriches our study by helping us see the text through the eyes of its original audience.

1. Explore the Historical Setting

Every biblical text was written in a specific time period:

  • Who was in power? (Romans, Persians, etc.)
  • What major events were happening?
  • What was daily life like for ordinary people?

For example, knowing that Amos prophesied during a time of unprecedented prosperity in Israel (around 760-750 BC) helps us understand why his messages against complacency and social injustice were so pointed and necessary.

2. Understand Cultural Customs

Many biblical practices seem strange to modern readers:

  • Marriage and family customs
  • Religious rituals and festivals
  • Social hierarchies and expectations

When Ruth uncovered Boaz’s feet and lay down (Ruth 3:7), this wasn’t inappropriate behavior but a culturally recognized way of requesting his protection through marriage as a kinsman-redeemer.

3. Recognize Geographic Significance

Biblical locations often carry meaning:

  • “Going up to Jerusalem” was both literally uphill and spiritually significant
  • The wilderness represented testing and dependence on God
  • Crossing the Jordan symbolized transitions and new beginnings

When Jesus chose to travel through Samaria (John 4) rather than around it like most Jews, this geographical choice revealed His intentional breaking of cultural barriers.

4. Use Study Resources

You don’t need to be a scholar to access background information:

  • Study Bible notes
  • Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias
  • Bible atlases and maps
  • Reputable online resources

For your next study session: Choose the story of Jesus healing the centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13). Research what a Roman centurion was, the relationship between Romans and Jews at that time, and why Jesus’ praise of the centurion’s faith would have been shocking to the Jewish audience. How does this background information enhance your understanding of the passage?

What biblical story or passage might you explore using this background method?

Love That Transforms

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Love That Transforms title graphic featuring three wire hearts

“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:5-8

In our exploration of love this month, we’ve seen that love is supreme among virtues and that true love is giving in nature. Today, we turn to another essential quality of divine love: its transformative power. In Romans 5:5-8, Paul reveals that God’s love doesn’t just change our status; it changes our hearts. It doesn’t merely affect our position before God; it transforms our disposition toward others.

The passage begins with a remarkable statement: “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” This isn’t describing God’s love as an external reality we observe or a theological concept we affirm. Rather, it’s an internal experience—God’s love literally “poured out” within us. The Greek word Paul uses (ekkechutai) conveys abundance, suggesting not a trickle but a flood of divine love filling our inner being.

What makes this internal transformation possible?

Paul immediately connects it to the Holy Spirit “who has been given to us.” The indwelling Spirit becomes the conduit through which God’s love flows into our hearts. This reveals something profound about Christian transformation: it’s not primarily about behavior modification or moral effort but about a supernatural infusion of God’s own love into our being.

Paul then contrasts this transformative love with human love. Human love is typically conditional and limited—”Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.” Even at its best, human love tends to be selective, based on the worthiness of its object. But God’s love operates on an entirely different principle: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God’s love reaches us not when we become lovable but when we’re at our most unlovable.

This contrast highlights the transformative nature of divine love. When God’s love is poured into our hearts, it gradually reshapes our capacity to love others. We begin to love not just those who are lovable or deserving but even the difficult, the ungrateful, and the hostile—just as God loved us when we were His enemies. Our love becomes less conditional and more sacrificial, less selective and more inclusive, less self-serving and more self-giving.

How do we experience and express this transformative love in our daily lives?

  1. Recognize love as a fruit, not a work. Galatians 5:22 lists love as the first “fruit of the Spirit,” not a “work of the flesh.” This means that love flows from our connection to the Spirit, not from our own efforts. Focus first on abiding in Christ (John 15:5) rather than striving to love better through willpower alone.
  2. Create space for transformation. The pouring out of God’s love happens most powerfully in moments of receptivity and openness. Develop regular practices of silence, prayer, and Scripture meditation that position you to receive God’s love more deeply.
  3. Identify love blockers. What hinders the flow of God’s love in your life? Common blockers include unforgiveness, bitterness, fear, self-protection, and pride. Ask God to reveal specific barriers in your heart and to help you remove them.
  4. Practice love beyond boundaries. Challenge yourself to express love to someone outside your normal circle of care—perhaps someone difficult, different, or distant from you. This stretches your capacity to love as God loves.
  5. Trace love to its source. When you find yourself struggling to love others, return to the foundation: “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Spend time meditating on specific ways God has demonstrated His love for you, allowing that awareness to renew your capacity to love others.

The transformation of our hearts through God’s love isn’t instantaneous but progressive. Like a garden that gradually takes on the shape intended by the gardener, our capacity to love grows as we remain connected to the source of love. There will be seasons of rapid growth and seasons that feel dormant, but the trajectory remains—we are becoming more loving because Love Himself dwells within us.

As we continue our exploration of love this month, we’re discovering that biblical love is not just a command to obey but a reality to experience and express. Next week, we’ll examine “Love That Endures” through Romans 8:38-39, exploring how God’s unbreakable love provides the pattern and power for building relationships that withstand life’s challenges.

The Greatest of These

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Deep Love The Greatest of These title graphic feturing thre wire hearts

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

In a chapter often reserved for wedding ceremonies, the Apostle Paul makes one of the most profound theological statements in Scripture: “the greatest of these is love.” After describing love’s patient, kind, and enduring nature, after declaring that love “never fails,” Paul concludes by elevating love above even faith and hope—the other pillars of Christian experience. This declaration invites us to consider: why is love supreme?

The context of Paul’s statement is significant. The Corinthian church was spiritually gifted but relationally divided. They valued impressive spiritual manifestations but neglected the foundational virtue that should govern all others. Paul’s message was corrective: without love, even the most impressive spiritual gifts amount to nothing. Faith can move mountains, hope can sustain through trials, but love transforms the heart from which all actions flow.

What makes love “the greatest”?

First, love most clearly reflects God’s essential nature. John tells us plainly that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Not that God has love or shows love, but that love defines His very being. When we love, we don’t just obey God; we reflect His character. Faith connects us to God, hope anticipates God’s promises, but love embodies God’s nature.

Second, love alone will continue unchanged into eternity. Paul notes that prophecies will cease, tongues will be stilled, and knowledge will pass away. Even faith and hope will be transformed in heaven—faith becoming sight, hope becoming realization. But love continues forever because it belongs to both our earthly journey and our eternal destination. Love is not just a means to heaven; it is the atmosphere of heaven itself.

Third, love fulfills all other commands. When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus responded with two love commands: love God and love your neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40). He then added, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Paul echoes this in Romans 13:10: “Love is the fulfillment of the law.” Love isn’t one virtue among many; it’s the virtue that properly orients all others.

How do we make love supreme in our daily lives?

Here are some practical steps:

  1. Practice love as a discipline. Love isn’t just an emotion but an action and choice. Each day, intentionally choose one person to show Christ-like love to through specific actions. This might mean patience with a difficult colleague, forgiveness toward someone who has hurt you, or sacrificial service to a family member.
  2. Filter decisions through love. When facing choices, ask: “What would love do in this situation?” This doesn’t mean avoiding difficult truths or necessary confrontations—remember that love “rejoices with the truth” and sometimes must be firm. But it does mean ensuring that your motivations and methods reflect Christ’s love.
  3. Study love in action. Spend time meditating on how Jesus demonstrated love in various situations—with the marginalized, with His enemies, with His disciples. Notice how His love was both tender and tough, both gracious and truthful. Let His example shape your understanding of what love looks like in practice.
  4. Pray for love’s increase. Recognize that true love exceeds our natural capacity. Ask God daily to pour His love into your heart through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Acknowledge your limitations and dependence on Him for the ability to love as He loves.

As we begin this month focused on love, let’s remember that we’re not just exploring a virtue but the very heart of God. In a culture that often reduces love to sentiment or passion, we’re called to embody a love that is patient and kind, that does not envy or boast, that is not proud or self-seeking. This love—divine love expressed through human hearts—truly is the greatest of all virtues.

Next week, we’ll explore “Love That Gives” through the lens of John 3:16, examining how God’s sacrificial love becomes the pattern for our own giving love.

STT: Building Your Personal Bible Study Toolkit

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STT: Building Personal Bible Study Toolkit title graphic with hand tools

Study Tip: Building Your Personal Bible Study Toolkit

When Jesus taught His disciples, He didn’t just give them answers—He equipped them with questions and methods to discover truth for themselves. “Search the Scriptures,” He said, “for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me” (John 5:39).

Effective Bible study isn’t about having someone else explain everything to you—it’s about developing skills to discover God’s truth for yourself. Here are some foundational techniques to include in your personal study toolkit. Today we’ll do an overview, then in the coming weeks, we’ll do a deeper dive into some different ways and approaches to incorporate into your Bible study.

1. The Question Method

Begin by asking basic questions of any passage:

  • Who wrote this and to whom?
  • What is the main point being made?
  • When and where did this take place?
  • Why was this written?
  • How does this apply to my life?

These simple questions open doors to deeper understanding without requiring advanced training.

2. The Word Study Approach

Choose a significant word in a passage and explore it:

  • Look up its original meaning (using a concordance or Bible dictionary)
  • Find other places it appears in Scripture
  • Notice how the meaning develops across different contexts

For example, tracing the word “love” through 1 Corinthians 13 reveals layers of meaning beyond our English understanding.

3. The Context Connection

Never read verses in isolation. Always:

  • Read the paragraphs before and after your passage
  • Consider the chapter’s overall message
  • Understand the book’s purpose and audience
  • Connect to the broader biblical narrative

Remember that Philippians 4:13 (“I can do all things…”) makes more sense when you see Paul was talking about contentment in various circumstances, not superhuman abilities.

4. The Personal Application

After understanding what the text meant to its original audience, ask:

  • What principle is illustrated here?
  • How does this reveal God’s character?
  • What might God be saying to me through this passage?
  • What specific action should I take in response?

For your first study session: Choose a shorter book like Philippians or James. Read it completely through in one sitting. Then go back and apply these four methods to one chapter. Notice how your understanding deepens with each approach.

What passage might you start with to practice these techniques?