Dont twist Scripturemeaning, dont manipulate the text to get it to say something youd like for it to say. It is God's will that we should read You may study it your whole life, and you will never be able to absorb all that it has to teach. Will Graham Devotion: Paralyzed by Uncertainty? Be sure to visit the Precept Ministries International Web site to go deeper into inductive Bible study. Neither are you to be "Bible botanists" (even good inductive students), who laboriously observe the Biblical text and derive accurate interpretation but fail to apply these truths. One of the pastors startled the group with the declaration that "My grandmother's translation is the best I've ever read." Otherwise, its easy to become dependent on them. (Ps139:23, 24+; cf. If we fail to apply the Scriptures, we cut short the entire process and have not finished what God wants us to do. Avoid basing important doctrines on obscure passages. Answers to questions on donations, financial policies, Crus annual report and more. If you want to discover what these authors have to tell you, youll have to do some work. Observe whats there, and document it. Logos can be an incredible resource as you seek to make this a part of your daily routine. Youre attempting to get a sense of the whole before you begin to break down the parts. Another addition to a lot of Bibles is a subheading before many passages or chapters.
The Inductive Method of Bible Study: Know The Basics Inductive Bible study is one reliable way. Inductive Bible Study is an ideal textbook for courses in biblical interpretation, and for anyone who desires to better understand and teach Scripture. These four steps help you to orient yourself to a passage, wrestle with what it's trying to communicate and examine your life in light of God's Word. Reading and studying the Bible are two different practices. When Gods Word points out something in us that needs correction, we need to respond. In Observation and Interpretation we study God's Word, but in Application, God's Word "studies" us! Its good to set aside time for both devotional reading and studying. It consists primarily in picturing up the actual state of things brought before us in our reading, whether it be an incident, a prayer, an exhortation, a proverb, a prophecy. When it comes to reading the Bible, these boundaries can hinder your ability to observe what biblical authors are saying. Try challenging yourself to come up with 10 observations about a passage, and once youve hit that number, push yourself to come up with five more. 1 Timothy Are for them who will trust and obey. 2 Samuel 2 Chronicles What is the cultural and/or historical context of this passage? When youre studying a book, youre going to end up reading it multiple times. This is the ultimate step: we submit to Scripture and let it transform our lives. Coleridge once said that, if we wish to make old truths fresh, we must turn them into action.
Bible study - Assignment - Bible Study observation, interpretation And so we should react with overwhelming wonder, admiration, respect, or dread, this latter emotion relevant especially to those who read but fail to heed God's Word (application). P Is there a Promise to believe or condition to meet in order to partake of the promise? When you break the discipline of Bible study down to its simplest forms, its just a few steps: Explore: What did God say (to the original readers)? For example, Philippians 4:13, in context, isn't about being the greatest and most famous basketball player, but about being content and having joy in any and every circumstance ( Phil 4:10-13 ). James emphasizes the importance of follow through in inductive study exhorting us to "prove (ourselves) doers of the word, and not merely hearers (the Greek word was used of one who audited a class rather than taking it for credit -- are you just auditing the Bible or are you fully enrolled?) If there is a promise to be embraced, we claim it. Leading from values so others will walk passionately with God to grow and bear fruit. Youll also notice right out of the gate that Mark has introduced Jesus with two titles: Messiah and Son of God. Although the Bible tells one cohesive story, it does so through the work of many authors who wrote during times hundreds of years apart. It is impossible to study the Scriptures diligently without running head-on into the need for application, "for the word of God is living and active (energetic, effective) and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge (sifting and analyzing) the thoughts and intentions of the heart and there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open (the bending back of the neck thoroughly exposing it to the eye of the skillful surgeon or the criminal on trial with a sharp dagger bound to his neck with the point just below the chin, so that he could not bow his head but had to face the court) and laid bare to the eyes of Him with Whom we must give account." In short, as John MacArthur says "Bible study is not complete until we ask ourselves, What does this mean for my life and how can I practically apply it?, We must take the knowledge we have gained from our reading and interpretation and draw out the practical principles that apply to our personal lives. Just like Matthew, Luke gets to the baptism in the third chapter. 3 John He never reads the book, but he reads the disciple of Christ, and he judges the Christian religion, by the lives of its professors. When you take a book like Romans one piece at a time, you can miss the forest for the trees. The mind delights in having the truth presented clearly; the imagination is gratified by its illustration; the feelings are stirred by its application. For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows, It will walk you through each step of inductive bible studies in details. It might be tempting to stop at the interpretation phase, but youll be selling yourself and Scripture short if you do. Well, this is it. For some of you there is very little in the Word of God except threatening. These subheadings can be useful for understanding the different parts of a biblical book, but they can also force you to read a passage in a particular light. truly, such a, promise is as a cluster of Eshcol, but it is in Eshcols valley and I cannot reach it there; but the promise applied is the cluster brought to me just where I am, and I can receive it, and delight myself in its luscious sweetness. Such a person is like the church who had a new pastor who preached the same sermon every Sunday. What we believe about the gospel and our call to serve every nation. Once you do that, you can start shining a light on smaller sections of Scripture. If there is a warning to be followed, we heed it. Observation. As we search the Scriptures, we must allow them to search us, to sit in judgement upon our character and conduct. To profess great love for Gods word or even to pose as a Bible student is a form of self-deception unless our increasing knowledge of the word is producing increasing likeness to the Lord Jesus. Striving to see Christ-followers on every team, in every sport and in every nation. In the margin of many pages in D. L. Moody's Bible, he wrote the letters T and P, meaning "Tried and Proved." How do we apply what we just learned to everyday life? Instead of studying by chapter, its smart to look at pericopes. In this spirit of readiness we seek to turn God's truth into action. The New Testament gives us further teaching about the way of approach, and makes new demands on our spiritual life, whilst offering us a new standard to live up to. But if this conforming of their own souls unto the power of the Word be not fixed in the first place in their minds they do not strive lawfully, nor will they be crowned (!). (3) substituting rationalization for repentance. In the 13th century, Stephen Langton added chapters to Scripture, and in the late 16th century, Robert Stephanus added verses. We must align ourselves with the Bible, never the Bible with ourselves. Each book is usually read 4 - 5 times, and with each step you are given a new tool for uncovering revelation within the pages.
Inductive Bible Study: Observation, Interpretation, and Application The goal is that we live holy, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose and action and that in so doing we are made adequate and equipped for every good ("God") work, which represents only those works He initiates and empowers. Once you think youve done all you can here, its time to move on to the final phase: application. There is something incredibly rewarding about mining those nuggets of truth for yourself. Accurate interpretation and correct application rest on the accuracy of your observations. (The blessing of God is integrally related to your response to the revelation of God. This is always a powerful application of Scripture. If you are a leader (and most of us are leaders in some sphere of influence) remember that a good leader is one who Knows the way, Youve observed the details in the text and drawn interpretive conclusions about what the author was saying to his original readers. Especially let this be so with the promises. Resource links How to Perform A Greek Word Study on the Web, Multiple resources on Biblical Interpretation (Hermeneutics). Sources like these can give you vital information to help answer your questions. By It would touch as many lovely blossoms as it could, but derived absolutely no benefit from it. Explore answers to life's biggest questions. Scripture reading and Bible study always represents (so to speak) a "God sighting" ("God speaking") and as such always applies to us as His creatures. This guide is written for people of all levels who are looking for a deeper and richer study of Scripture. The Bible is divine in origin. They are to leave behind their assumptions and make a ruling based on the facts alone. Righteousness in simple terms is whatever God says is right on any subject. This guide provokes you to read the Bible honestlyto let it surprise, challenge, and correct you as you apply the many steps of interpretation. Many times a Bible passage is read only with eyes but not with the mind engaged. S Is there a Sin to avoid, forsake or confess? Where does your passage show how human beings or their world are broken? The world will learn better, and will more likely be brought to know Christ when the lives of Christians are better, and when the Bible of the Christian Life shall be more in, accordance with the Bible of Christian doctrine. Once we know what a passage means we are responsible to live it out. BGEA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. As someone has blunted phrased it "Interpretation without application is abortion.". Which road will you travel?
How to Study Your Bible, Part 2 | Articles | Revive Our Hearts Your goal in observation is to notice as much as possible.