EXEGESIS RESOURCES
PIT STOP 1: AUTHOR’S INTENDED MEETING
Consider the Book
Where does my text fall in the big picture of the Bible?
What book of the Bible is this text in? What’s the main point of that book of the Bible?
Who was this book of the Bible originally written for? How would this first audience have understood this text?
Is this book broken up into clear divisions or sections? If so, where does my text fall and how does its placement in the book inform how I should understand it?
Consider the significance
What period of redemptive history is this book in? (Creation - Noahic Covenant - Abrahamic Covenant - Mosaic Covenant - Davidic Covenant - New Covenant - New Heavens/Earth)
How does the text's location in redemptive history inform how I should teach it?
PIT STOP 2: THE GOSPEL
Consider the gospel
The Bible is clear that we are saved by grace through faith, not of works, so that no one may boast. How is this principle seen in this text? How does this truth come to bear on this text?
What part of the gospel is seen in this text? (Creation, Fall, Savior, Cross/Atonement, Resurrection, Spirit, Second Coming)
Look for foreshadowing in the OT
Is there any clear foreshadowing of Jesus in this text? (Jesus shows up all over the OT, Luke 24:27) Any promises fulfilled in Jesus? Any prophecies fulfilled in Jesus? Any typology pointing to Jesus?
Is there any clear foreshadowing to the Good News/the New Covenant? The news that God will make atonement for sinners himself so that they can know him?
Are there any cross references to New Testament texts that help interpret the meaning?