Lesson 4 | Vocab
Building Blocks
Words are the building blocks of meaning. Just like you must use individual Jenga blocks to build a tower, so an author must use words to build an argument.
To expand the metaphor, if you fail to understand important words, you are pulling out some of the blocks.
You might still be able to understand most of what the author is saying if you miss a few words, but if you take out enough blocks, eventually the tower will fall!
Of course, like any metaphor, this one falls short in some ways. We can't topple the Bible, since it exists regardless of your lack of understanding! But what is at stake when you don't understand the Bible is your joyful view of the glory of Christ, which is the central message of the Bible. Your love for Christ is what can collapse.
But there is something else at stake if you teach and preach the Bible: accurate communication of the Bible's message to others. You won't get the message right if you don't get the words right. And the most accurate way to understand and interpret the Bible is in the original languages—which is why you're taking this course!
Keep filling in the gaps of your understanding by learning more vocabulary words, and by understanding their nuances in context as you study.