This article attempts to convince an already busy person that the first step of preparing to teach the Bible is a slow step, one most of your hearers won’t or shouldn’t notice, and a step that’s intrinsically steep. Further, to compound the difficulty of convincing you to take this steep step, a shortcut sits on the corner of your desk. It’s as if the moment your knees begin to bark on a long trail, a gassed-up 4×4 pulls up, promising a comfortable ride to the peak. To be honest, persuading you to turn down the Jeep’s overture could be—dare I say it—an uphill battle.
But this brief article’s goal remains: if you’ve been taught the language, read the Greek New Testament before you teach the English one. And if you haven’t been taught the language, attempt to learn it for the four reasons detailed below.
1. Greek Often Forces a Closer Reading of the Text.
Before I’m accused of describing our English translations as unclear, let me clearly state that you do not need to know Greek to understand the Scriptures. In case you skimmed that sentence, let me be even more direct: our English translations are better than yours.
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