Bible Study Methods



Hi Gang,

Great time studying the Word last night, and some deep, amazing insights that y’all taught (after that half-hour of study!).  Imagine the possibilities if you spent 30 dedicated minutes a day for even a month: how much of the Bible you’d know, how much truth you’d learn, how much change in your life, and how much closer you’d be to God.  Whether you study our daily devotions or other passages, individually or with friends, let’s become a people of the Holy Word:

“so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” – Isaiah 55:11

As promised, here are resources and outlines for the three methods we learned (sorry about formatting):

TOOLS: Bible dictionary (look up background info), Strong’s Concordance (find Bible references for words/topics)

RESOURCES

1. 1. Look up verse/words
      1. biblica.com/niv: NIV version online
      2. biblegateway.com: Topical index, Bible versions
   2. In-depth Bible study
      1. blueletterbible.com: Meanings of words in original language, commentaries, Bible dictionary, concordance, Bible versions, etc.

1. GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR ALL METHODS

a. Set aside time

b. Be still, focus, clear distractions

c. Pray, invite Holy Spirit before reading, and pray in response after reading

d. Remember the context of God’s love letter to us in revealing Jesus

1. INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY

a. Ajith Fernando

i. “Sitting with an attitude of a child”: Learn what God wrote to me to help me grow stronger

ii. “Skill of a detective”: Find evidence, meaning, and application

b. Preparation

i. Read passage 3 times

1. Read for overview

2. Read for details

3. Read for overview to place details in context

ii. Imagine being there

iii. Place it in context of the book/entire Bible

1. What type of book is it (Law, letter, poem, Gospel, historical, etc.)?

c. Observation: What does it say?

i. When and where?

ii. Who’s involved?

iii. What’s happening?

iv. Write down important names, actions, phrases that stand out

d. Interpretation: What does it mean?

i. What’s the theme/core issue?

ii. What does it mean/What is it telling us? Why is this important?

iii. What does it teach me about God?

1. Give the passage a title

e. Application: What does it mean for our lives?

i. How does this apply to our present situation?

ii. What is it calling us to do?

1. MANUSCRIPT METHOD

a. Preparation

i. Read passage 3 times

1. Read for overview

2. Read for details

3. Read for overview to place details in context

ii. Imagine being there

iii. Place it in context of the book/entire Bible

1. What type of book is it (Law, letter, poem, historical, etc.)?

b. Observation: What does it say?

i. Highlight, underline, arrows, brackets

1. Repeated words and ideas (Assign different colors, symbols)

2. Repeated themes (’Son of God’ etc)

3. Contrasts

4. Metaphors

5. Key words such as ‘therefore’, ‘but’, ‘then’, ‘because’ etc.

6. Setting of writing or event

7. Time of day, month or year

8. Characters

9. Cause and effect

c. Interpretation: What does it mean?

i. Make connections

ii. Draw lines, arrows between different words

iii. What’s the theme/core issue?

iv. What does it mean/What is it telling us? Why is this important?

v. What does it teach me about God?

1. Give the passage a title

d. Application: What does it mean for our lives?

i. How does this apply to our present situation?

ii. What is it calling us to do?

1. LECTIO DIVINA

a. “Divine reading”: Promotes communion with God and spiritual insights

b. Preparation

i. Time: Every day for a block of time

1. Take your time and move slowly through the passage

ii. Place: Free from distraction

iii. Preparation: Quiet, prayer

c. Method: The Four Moments

i. Lectio Divina has been likened to “Feasting on the Word.” The four parts are first taking a bite (Lectio), then chewing on it (Meditatio). Next is the opportunity to savor the essence of it (Oratio). Finally, the Word is digested and made a part of the body (Contemplatio).

d. Lectio

i. Read passage 3 times slowly

ii. Savor each portion of the reading, constantly listening for God to reveal a word or phrase that somehow speaks

iii. Write down words/phrases that stick out

e. Meditatio

i. Reflect on the passage and outstanding words, and what it means to you personally

ii. Invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you, and let Him bring messages/images to mind

f. Oratio

i. Pray in conversation with God, responding to the Word and dedicating yourself to Him

g. Contemplatio

i. Listen to God, focus only on Him, and have a joyful rest in His presence

h. Application

i. Share our experience with each other (Operatio – Action; works)

ii. Expectation: Deeper knowledge of Scripture, oneself, others, and God