Lesson 4 | Discern the Core Issue
Review
In order to rightly grasp the author’s message, identify the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How topics within a passage and then discern the author’s central concern.
What’s at Stake
Gain: Eyes to see
Loss: Spiritual blindness
Study Skill
Discern the author or speaker’s primary burden
- Start with each paragraph
- Use a wide angle lens to view the whole chapter
- Raise a caution flag on your own interests
- Identify evidence for your assessment
- Be alert to genre
Markup Lens
- Highlight the topic of each paragraph
- Add a succinct label for each color
- Highlight related details in matching colors
- Use dot notes to record observations, questions, and other notes
- Turn on the ESV headings to compare with your labels
- Discern and circle the main topic
