Key Terms
Meaning — What the original author intended to communicate — the message baked into the text itself
Significance — What a text means TO YOU personally — your response, your application, your feelings about it
Authorial Intent — The idea that the author's intended message determines what a text means — not the reader's preferences
Verbal Plenary Inspiration — The belief that God inspired every word of Scripture through human authors — making the Bible both fully divine and fully human
Key Concepts
- Meaning vs. significance — what the author meant vs. what it means to you
- Authorial intent determines meaning
- One meaning, many applications
Scripture Focus
2 Timothy 3:16-17
2 Peter 1:20-21
Romans 4:23-24
1 Corinthians 10:11
Learning Objectives
- Explain the difference between what a text means (the author's message) and what it means to you (your personal response)
- Defend why the original author's intention — not our feelings or traditions — determines a text's meaning
- Understand that a passage has one meaning but can have many faithful applications across different situations
Resources
Download the companion handout for this lesson to review key terms and concepts offline.
Download Lesson Handout (PDF)