Another rule of contextual interpretation is to consider your passage in relation to the whole Bible. It is important to remember that the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament are parts of one book. Those who want to understand and live by God's truth need to see each book in light of the whole. This principle applies to the study of an individual passage. As is noted under the section 'Familiarity,' you need a growing knowledge of Scripture. The process takes a lifetime and will never be fully realized, but it is foundational for your understanding of the various parts of the Bible. Reading one verse, paragraph, or section in the Bible by itself resembles looking at one piece of a jigsaw puzzle. As you analyze it, you see elements of form and color, but you understand that it is only one part of the bigger picture. And, as that larger picture comes into focus, you find it easier to place a particular piece in its proper place.
When you study a passage you should always read and examine the passages that precede and follow the one you are studying. Then ask how the passage you are studying along with those preceding and following it fit into the author's setting or context for the entire book. For example, in the book of 2 Timothy, Paul is writing his final letter to Timothy who was the pastor of the church in Ephesus. Paul is in prison in Rome, awaiting execution for being a leader of the Church. That persecution had spread to Asia Minor where Ephesus was located, and had heretical teaching. Thus, Timothy is faced with a hard task: maintaining the truth of the Gospel and leading his people through a difficult time. If you were to study 2 Timothy 1:13-2:2 you would discover that Paul tells Timothy to 'guard the Gospel' and 'pass it on to faithful men who will teach others also.' But to gain a complete understanding of his instructions in your passage, you must also study 1:3-12 and 2:3-13. These two passages, preceding and following your text, illustrate how Timothy is to accomplish the task which Paul has assigned him. The first passage shows that God has given him everything he needs to complete the job; the second encourages him to endure the difficulties which he will face in doing so.
