It's been a while...But it's time to resume.
The last post discussed the data analysis part of the process. The next step is data collection, but data collection is not an end goal. Data collection is a necessary part of the process because it furthers the work of the collective process. What do I mean?
Look at the diagram again. It "recycles" its steps. Data collection serves the important purpose of providing a corrective to the primary ideas. You had an inkling that they were correct or incorrect in the beginning. By the time you finish analyzing the data from one text, you're ready to tweak your perspective as you look at other texts and analyze more data, especially if that data is related to the information in the previous passage. Ready for an example?
I should probably continue with the previous example, so I will. We were looking at John 3 and the concept of being born again. We saw that the primary notion that the text is pointing to involves a change of parentage, which could have implications for theological development (e.g. the doctrine of regeneration) but is primarily about one's family status
with God.
Alone, this data would just be an interesting case but with our ideas attuned to this new understanding, we are prepared to encounter another similar concept in 1 Peter. In this letter, the author uses the phrase, "born again" to describe his intended recipients. He does not use the same words as Jesus in John's Gospel, but look at the verse that contains this phrase, "having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever." (1 Pet 1.23)
Isn't it interesting that the phrase would be used in this way - born again into a different type of lineage - not a corruptible lineage but an incorruptible one. Again, this could have implications for the doctrine of regeneration, but the main idea of the text is that it seems to have something to do with a family relationship. It affirms a new relationship primarily. (The previous verses also speak of family connection having love for one's brothers, etc.)
These two passages, then, are collected together to clarify the ideas of these two passages. They help to bring one another into sharper focus. Make sense yet?
