COMA Method Explained (Greg Clarke, Matthew A Malcolm, Matthew Brain., The Bible Overview: How to Understand the Bible as a Whole, Matthias Media)

The COMA process is a simple way of approaching any passage of the Bible that we come across. It has four stages, which should take place after you’ve prayed for understanding and read through the passage:

1. CONTEXT—Where does this passage fit? 
2. OBSERVATION—How is this passage communicated? 
3. MEANING—What does this passage mean? 
4. APPLICATION—Why does this passage matter?

We are going to add PRAYER because of the importance of this in our relationship with God

We’ll try using this process together with a short passage from the New Testament.

READ COLOSSIANS 3:12-13.

CONTEXT

The context of a passage is the answer to the question: “Where does it fit?” To answer this, you need to address the following issues:

• Where does the content of this passage fit into the bigger story of the Bible?
• What has happened so far?
• What is still to come?
• What is the main thrust of this book of the Bible?

For instance, in trying to understand Colossians 3:12-13, it might be worth reading through all of Colossians. We would see that the book as a whole is talking about Christ’s rule over everything, and what it means for how we live now as we wait for his return. The book looks back at what Jesus has done (all the way back to creation), and forward to what God will bring to completion through Jesus. Certainly, we should read the verses before verse 13, since verse 13 begins with the word “Therefore”. In verses 5-11, we see the nature of the new self and we learn that in Christ the divisions between his people—Jew and Gentile, circumcised and uncircumcised—have been removed.

OBSERVATION

Observation refers to how something is communicated. It’s worth asking questions such as:

• What type of writing is this book/passage?
• Is there any way that the passage can be naturally broken down into smaller sections?
• Are there any words that seem particularly important, or that are hard to understand?
• How is this writing structured? (E.g. is it a poem? A proverb? A letter?)

With our Colossians passage, we’ll notice that it’s part of a letter to various Christians (see 1:2). We might divide our passage up into smaller parts and try to summarize what each part is about. And we might notice that some of the wording that is used is quite significant. The phrase “God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved” has an Old Testament ring to it. Israel is often called by God his “chosen” and “beloved” (e.g. Deuteronomy 7:7-8; Psalms 135:4; Isaiah 45:4, 65:9). That’s the observation of our passage of the Bible.

MEANING

That brings us to meaning (“What does this passage mean?”). Here, we draw together the things we have already found out, and ask the questions:

• What does this passage tell us about God, Jesus, God’s people, or the world?
• What might this passage have meant to its original hearers?
• How can we sum up the meaning of this passage in our own words?

In Colossians, Paul identifies Christian people as “God’s chosen” and his “dearly loved”. With this identity, they are urged to behave in a manner worthy of their God. Just as Israel’s special relationship with God meant they were to act in a holy fashion, so those who know Christ are to aim for perfect unity through their holiness and love. That’s the meaning of the passage.

APPLICATION

The final stage of the process is the application (“Why does this matter?”). Ask yourself:

• How does the message of this passage instruct us today?
• Does it require us to change our understanding of who God is, what God does, or how God works in relation to his people or the world?
• Does it require that we change the attitudes we hold, or the way we live?

From our Colossians passage, we might conclude that we need to rethink our identity and our task as Christians, or as a church. Do we understand that we are extremely privileged—chosen and loved by God? We would also be challenged about the way we relate to each other. Do we bear with each other and forgive each other? Do we seek to love each other and thus find unity? That’s the application of the passage.

PRAYER

The idea here is to write a short prayer relating to your reflections.

• What do you want to say to God?
• What is God saying to you?

Use the following acronym ‘ACTS’ to write your prayer to God

• Adoration: What do you want to give God praise for?
• Confession: What would you like to offer to God for forgiveness, healing, renewal or restoration?
• Thanksgiving: What blessings in your life do you want to thank God for?
• Seeking: What needs, or desires do you want to lay before God?

Answer the following question in the quiz.

• I understand the journaling process and what is required of me.