e-How to study the Bible Lesson Four

Lesson Four Word Study: John 21:15-19 This week we did a Word study on the Word “Love” using the following tools: Key Word Study Bible, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, and Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary. These tools represent in our analogy of building our wood bench; the Lumber, Drill and Drill Bit.

Let’s go over our Homework: 1. Look up the word “love” in vs. 15 in the Strong’s Exhaustive

Concordance and the Key Word Study Bible and write in the Strong’s number for each word. “…Simon, son of John, do you love 25 Me more than these? He said to Him, Yes, Lord; You know that I love 5368 you. He said to him, Tend My lambs.”

2. Look up the word “love” in vs. 16 in the Strong’s Exhaustive

Concordance and the Key Word Study Bible and write in the Strong’s number for each word. “He said to him again a second time, Simon, son of John, do you love 25 Me? He said to Him, Yes, Lord; You know that I love 5368 you. He said to him, Shepherd My sheep.”

3. Look up the word “love” in vs. 17 in the Strong’s Exhaustive

Concordance and the Key Word Study Bible and write in the Strong’s number for each word. “He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love 5368 Me? Peter was grieved because He said to him “the third time, Do you love 5368 Me? And he said to Him, Lord; You know all things; You know that I love 5368 you. Jesus said to him, Tend My sheep.”

4. In the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, look up the numbers and

write in the Greek word: #25 Agapao

#5368 Phileo

5. To look up the meanings of these Greek words, take the Vine’s

Complete Expository Dictionary and look up each word and write in the meaning: 

#25 -

ἀγαπάω, agapaō

To love, in the NT usually the active love of God for His Son and His people, and the active love His people are to have for God, each other, and even enemies. 

#5368 -

φιλέω, phileō

To love, to have affection and regard of a very high order.

READ: Vine’s Pg 382 Top of Second Column: The distinction between the two verbs finds a conspicuous instance in the narrative of John 21:15-17. The context itself indicates that agapaō in the first two questions suggests the “love” that values and esteems. It is an unselfish “love” ready to serve. The use of phileō in Peter’s answers and the Lord’s third question, conveys the thought of cherishing the Object above all else, of manifesting an affection characterized by constancy, from the motive of the highest veneration. (respect) 6.

Now re-read John 21: 15-19 with the appropriate words for “love”, and ask yourself: If Christ were to ask you “Do you “Agape” me?”

What would your answer be? Did Peter ever show “Agape” love for Christ? Explain: Yes, As History shows us through a church historian Eusebius and church father Tertullian that Peter grew and showed Agape love when he was crucified – He asked to be hung upside down because he did not feel worthy to be crucified the same way His Savior did.

As you can see we did a Word Study in the parameters of a certain Passage (John 21:15-19). You could also do a Word Study by looking up all the passages where, for instances, “Agapao” love or “Phileo” love is mentioned.

Exegeting each scripture.

Let’s have some fun and do another word study.

Read Ephesians 3:14-19 “14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” Eph 3:14-19 (NASB)

What I want to concentrate on in verse 17.

Paul prays that Christ may dwell in the hearts of the saints.

Let’s look at the word “Dwell” - You will see in the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance as well as the Key Word Study Bible that the Original Greek Word is Strong’s number #2730.

κατοικέω, katoikeō

Look at κατοικέω, katoikeō—#2730 Vine's Expository Dictionary : The word “dwell” is from a Greek word made up of two words, kato meaning “down” and oikeō meaning “to dwell” “a house”. Katoikeō means “to

settle down in a dwelling, to dwell fixedly in a place.” “The “indwelling” of Christ in the hearts of believers (“may make a home in your hearts”) Eph 3:17 Paul prays that our Lord might live in our hearts as His home. He is already in us; therefore Paul’s thought must be that Christ feel at home in our hearts.

Kenneth Wuest, who is a Greek Scholar, states in his Word Studies that: The tense speaks of finality, the word for “down” speaking of permanency. The full translation is, “that Christ may finally settle down and feel completely at home in your hearts.”

It is one thing to be in a person’s home, another thing to feel completely at home there. What an honor to have such a guest in our hearts. Do we make Him feel at home? Does He have free access to all parts of our heart life, or is He shut out from this thing or that? Many have tried to make Jesus Lord of their lives, and have failed because they have tried in their own strength. No man calls Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit. That is why Paul prays in verse 16 that we might be strengthened with might by His Spirit in order that Christ might finally settle down and feel completely at home in our hearts.

Now, that completes our “Word Study” and our next study we are going to do a Biographical Study. We are going to be introducing two more tools: Nave’s Topical Bible and Zondervan’s Pictorial Encyclopedia.

A “Topical” study and a “Biographical” study are very similar. A Topical study is as its name states; you pick a topic and look up every passage that deals with that Topic. Whereas a Biographical study is where you select a person and study everything about them. For example we saw in the AMG Encyclopedia that David was mentioned 1118 times in the scripture.

Let’s do an example so you can learn how to do it for your homework.

Look up Elisabeth in the Nave’s Topical Bible. Then look up Elisabeth in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. Notice the difference between the Nave’s Topical Bible and the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: Nave’s gives a description and verses relating to “Elisabeth” and Strong’s list each verse “Elisabeth’s” name is mentioned. To learn more about Elisabeth you can also look her up in The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia – see handouts. Once you know the scriptures that talk about her look them up in your Study Bible as well as a commentary. Cross-references and Notes in your Study Bible are also great information.

Now that you know how to do a Biographical Study – you will be doing one for your homework. We are going to learn about Epaphroditus. I have given you handouts from Nave’s Topical Bible, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, and Zondervan’s Pictorial Encyclopedia to help assist you in your homework.

Have Fun!