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(6WBbN~WPe4`!Mr`+^p!MO,LP/_n]aFBcp) Job It is not enough just to study the Bible. Inductive Bible study is a practical, relevant, and time-tested approach to interpreting Scripture. The observation phase was all about observing what the text says, but the interpretation phase is the next step. Believe it to be safe Anyone can use the inductive Bible study method by following three simple steps: This phase isnt about interpretation. Not only do the books come from unfamiliar cultures, but theyre also thousands of years old. 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?) And what thou teachest well, thou canst not too well live. Strip the passage of all the jewels you can find on your own, and then come back through with a commentary. We will not fully comprehend the extent of the "return on our investment" until we enter Paradise and stand before our Lord at His bema (judgment) seat. If a servant were to hear but not do, how quickly the judgment would be given. Just like Matthew, Luke gets to the baptism in the third chapter. Inaccurate Interpretation, Robert Frost in his poem "Road Not Taken" writes in his last stanza. When youre first getting started with studying the Bible, its important to set some realistic goals for yourself. In a very real sense we are giving our brain a bath; we are washing it in the purifying solution of Gods Word (cp Ep 5:26-note). Maybe youre reading Matthew 5:13: You are the salt of the earth. When we obey the Word we are demonstrating the reality of our love for the Lord (our obedience is motivated by love not legalism!) The person who knows the truth but doesn't act on it is not simply making a mistake or showing poor judgment but he is in sin. And with all who will trust and obey. of precise observation, which is essential for accurate interpretation. Many of them include commentary at the bottom of the page or in the margins. The student has sought God's blessing on the Word, and has endeavored to find out its meaning and teaching; and it remains for him to ask, How does this passage apply to me? 3. Let me ask you a serious question -- How often do you study the Word with no intention whatsoever of obeying it? An Example of Interpretation Revelation 13:1-10. But our toil He doth richly repay; 2 Kings endstream
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Take care, nonetheless, to seek for the application of precepts. If you choose to consult a commentary during your study, try to do it toward the end. When people started complaining, he told the congregation, "I'll preach a new sermon when you act on this one. It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot (NIV). Read and practice; but we shall only be able to do this, as God the Holy Spirit shall help us. Some use the term to describe a discussion group, which may discuss the Bible or some other uplifting book. (Ep 1:3-note). 0000000016 00000 n
The more honest question is"Am I ready and willing believe this truth and to apply it in my life? Once you think youve done all you can here, its time to move on to the final phase: application. -- F. B. Meyer, Read it to get the facts, study it to get the meaning, meditate on it to get the benefit. This video series demonstrates how to perform inductive Bible study using the Logos Bible app thats free for web, mobile, or desktop. Below I have written a simplified step-by-step guide . I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee! Well, it is a very fine promise, but if it is read to me thus: I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee, what a transformed and glorified promise it then becomes! The Word is both a glass to show us the spots of our soul and a laver to wash them away. It is packed with revelation, lessons, instruction, and theology. Search the Scriptures Chapter Analysis FormatBible study consists of Observation, Interpretation and Application.1.Observation is discovering what the author is saying looking specifically at Who, What, When, Where, Cause & Effect. Look for the plainest interpretation first. If youre not careful, theyll do all the work of observation and interpretation for you. Eventually, if not immediately, these practices will reveal the meaning of the text (interpretation) and how to apply it (life application). For one thing people mistake the pleasure they have in hearing the Word of God for Christianity and worship. Step 3: ApplicationWhat will I do about what the passage says and means? For instance, if you pick up the Book of Galatians at the beginning of chapter 4, youll find yourself in the middle of Pauls argument: What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. startxref
Avoid the temptation to try to make the text mean anything just yet. Believe that the text means what it says. Colossians What did that word mean to them, and what kinds of feelings and hopes did it invoke? This is a motivating truth that you can trust and which you should welcome and willingly acknowledge. THE ERROR IN THE "FORK" IN THE ROAD in my dealings with the world ? 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. August 5, 2009. The Pharisees set the standard for this superficial, hypocritical, self deluding approach. Refrain Your grandmother translated the Bible?" This guide is written for people of all levels who are looking for a deeper and richer study of Scripture. Practice it to be holy. To which he responded "Yes, she translated the Bible into her life, and was the most powerful translation I've ever seen!" When words or passages make an impression on you, stop and meditate on what God has shown you or as the great preacher C H Spurgeon advised Read the Bible carefully, To an active mind knowledge gives pleasure. Yes, the Scripture (through your Teacher the Spirit) will bestow spiritual blessings, not by knowing but by doing! In truth thou canst not read the Scriptures too much; Bible studies include workbooks that help connect you to the ideas of Bible texts. 12-26). (Josh 1:8-note). All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable (useful, advantageous, helpful,) for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness (see notes 2 Timothy 3:16-17). never loses his sense of direction. 0 :L
Philippians Once you have explored the passage, its time to make some connections. 0000008074 00000 n
If not why not? (Ps 119:15, 23, 27, 48, 78, 97, 99, 148 - see A Primer On Biblical Meditation). Refrain. Fourthly and this is very hard work Read And Practise. You can find the Inductive Bible Study Workflow (with five other Workflows and many other Bible Study tools) inLogos Starter. Interpretation is not necessarily a separate step from observation, for often, as you carefully observe the text, you begin to see what it means at that very moment. Internship opportunities with Cru's ministries. (Ezra 7:9, 10) (Click to read an in depth unpacking of this practical powerful principle - the "Ezra 7:10 Principle"). Another addition to a lot of Bibles is a subheading before many passages or chapters. Psalms As you make it your practice to study God's Word, you will experience the joy of having Him directly unveil His truth and reveal His purpose in your life. Numbers King Edward VI of England would stand while the Word of God was read in worship service. These divisions are incredibly convenient. Do not read it merely to say, Yes, it is true; very true; I believe its doctrines to be the revelation of the infallible mind of God himself. But endeavour also in reading a page of the Scriptures, always to see how much it belongs to you. H. P. Barker has a graphic illustration emphasizing the importance of both knowing and doing the Bibles truths As I looked out into the garden one day, I saw three things. Don't deceive yourself! 1 Thessalonians (Col 1:28, 29-See notes Col 1:28; 1:29), The basis for application is 2 Timothy 3:16. We all need to ask ourselves are we studying the Word that we might be more like Jesus or more like the Pharisees? It can provide you with answers you werent able to come up with on your own, and maybe give you some clues on interpretive techniques and tools in the future. Needless to say, the group of pastors got the point! It went in empty every time and came out full (A. Naismith, 1200 Notes, Quotes and Anecdotes [Chicago: Moody, 1962], p. You may start with reading a specific book of the Bible for five to 10 minutes every day and setting aside one day a week for a more intentional time of studying Scripture. Refrain, But we never can prove the delights of His love to which the context answers) for (every time you see a "for" at the beginning of a sentence pause and ponder why it's there and remember you can usually substitute the word "because" in place of "for" to help understand the meaning) Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel. When thou passest through the river I will be with thee, the floods shall not overflow thee! Oh! Thats the kind of serious-minded response to truth application calls for. There are three basic approaches to Bible interpretation: A. Yogi Berra's advice is appropriate at this juncture -- When you arrive at a fork in the road, take it. It is unified in all its parts and will never contradict itself (Ps. A key discipline for good study is not to be too quick to fall back on what you think you know. But to make us more like our Savior. The story is told of several pastors who were arguing over which Bible translation was the best. Helping students know Jesus, grow in their faith and go to the world to tell others. It is more focused on the immediate application of the passage to your life. But His smile quickly drives it away; Why Are There Lament Psalms at the End of the Psalter? Study the New Testament at your own pace in workable units of material that follow the inductive method of study. And to do this, you need to look at the context (Logos Bible Software can be a great help with this). Inductive Bible study is one reliable way. Galatians Often, its helpful to put chapter and verse breakdowns out of your mind as you dive into Scripture. I have known some rejoice greatly in the doctrine of election who never were elected, and some who were very pleased with the doctrine of justification by faith, but who had no faith by which to be justified. Even those who have invested a lifetime into studying it will tell you their commitment has continued to pay off with new insights, understanding and spiritual growth. 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. Imagine trying to find a specific place in Scripture during a sermon without them. Use your hobbies and interests to find the best place for you to serve. You want to be able to trace the authors argument all the way through. One of the pastors startled the group with the declaration that "My grandmother's translation is the best I've ever read." If youre new to studying, why not start with the Gospel of Mark? If we fail to apply the Scriptures, we cut short the entire process and have not finished what God wants us to do. As the devotional writer Matthew Henry prayerfully put it"O that we may love our Bibles more, and keep closer to them than ever! and then Nevertheless our duty is clear. THE THREE COMPONENTS The third thing I noticed was a bee, just a little bee. John kicks off with some critical theological points and then immediately launches into the baptism too. Cults use the Bible to try to prove views they already have. Local: 704-401-2432 (John 17:3), Heart appropriation, not merely head apprehension, is the true goal of Bible study. Showing God in action in and through His people. Different Approaches to Interpretation 1. And so prayer is not a substitute for action, but the deliberate contact of the soul with God, whence we draw an enabling force whereby we go forth conquering and to conquer. Not just for information This step is asking these questions: What are the biggest ideas and the important details? In most respects they might have been written in our own life-time. J A Bengel wisely admonished "Apply yourself to the whole text, and apply the whole text to yourself.". Your next question should be, Hows my saltiness? 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, Would you like to give your time to work with Cru? May we all seek to so diligently apply what we observe and interpret that we see "the world turned upside down.". Is your heart conditioned to listen and obey? It is God's will that we should read Where similar words are used, explore the context of each of those instances. About Gods redemptive plan? Goes the way, They are to leave behind their assumptions and make a ruling based on the facts alone. Head knowledge without heart change is not enough and in some ways is even worse than no knowledge. Reading the entire book in one or two sittings is part of the observation process. (1) Substituting interpretation for application as did the Pharisees; (2) substituting superficial obedience for substantial life-change and. And its in this phase we start to look at what the text means. Matthew Henry adds: Every gracious soul stands in awe of the word of God, of the authority of its precepts and the terror of its threatenings; and to those that do so nothing appears, in the power and wrath of man, at all formidable. Study the Bible to be wise. The precious promises lie in front of you. Malachi That seems important to delve into deeper. A Primer on the Lost Art of Biblical Meditation What does the term Messiah mean? (Jas 4:17+, cp Lk 12:47, 48+, Jn 9:41). The Bible is Gods way of making Himself known to us. Every time we encounter spiritual truth, we need to seek to apply that truth to our lives. The questions you raise in the interpretation phase might even push you back into the observation phase. This awe is called by a proper name, reverence, or godly fear; when we consider Whose Word it is, namely, the Word of the Lord, Who is our God, and has a right to command what He pleases; to Whose will and word we have already yielded obedience, and devoted ourselves to walk worthy of Him in all well pleasing (Col 1:10-note, Ep 4:1-note, Php 3:17,18-note, 1Th 2:12-note); who can find us out in all our failings, as knowing our very thoughts afar of (Psalms 139:2), and having all our ways before Him, and being one of Whom we read, -- "He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins" (Joshua 24:19), that is to say, if we impenitently continue in them. Hebrews 8. (Lk 11:28+, cp Jn 13:17), D. L. Moody quipped that "Our great problem is the problem of trafficking in unlived truth. 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. There are great apps out there, like YouVersion, that allow you to set reminders for yourself to get into Gods Word. Make them your own. Avoid basing important doctrines on obscure passages.