Inductive Bible Study

Kingsway Christian Church Life Groups Introduction to Inductive Bible Study

What it is Inductive Bible Study is an intentional method for studying the bible that puts your assumptions on hold. By doing so, you allow the Holy Spirit to speak directly through the Biblical text. It removes any sort of third party commentary or interpretation. Why you should use it It will teach how to study the Word of God for yourself, independent from the thoughts and interpretations of other people. Principles of Inductive Bible Study (more important than the methods used) Purpose of Inductive Bible Study is to Study the Word of God for yourself using the Word of God Word of God interprets itself Word of God stands alone Through the Holy Spirit we can understand what God is saying to us through His word alone Inductive Bible Study Resources http://www.inductivebiblicalstudy.com/ http://precept.org/about_inductive_bible_study How to Study Your Bible o Kay Arthur o ISBN 0-7369-0544-8 How to teach Inductive Bible Study Select a block of text, preferably a single book of the Bible. There are three phases to the study of the passage: Observation Interpretation Applications Observation Purpose To see the text as a whole. Goals

Understand authors purpose for writing it Main themes

Structure of the text Type of Literature (Prophecy, HIstory, Poetry, Biography, Epistle, etc)

Process With a notebook in hand: 1. Read through the entire text 2 to 3 times o Do not stop to interpret anything o Read it if it is the first time you have seen it o Goal is to become familiar with the text o It is helpful to remove verse numbers and headers 2. Ask and Answer: o Who wrote it o Who are the the main characters o To Whom is it written o What is it about o What are the main events and ideas o When was it written o When does it take place o Where was it written o Where does it take place o Why was it written 3. Write down Key Words and Phrases o Vital to understanding the text o Repeated often o Reveal a theme or main idea o Look for contrasts and comparisons 4. Discern the MAIN THEME of the text o Should be obvious from key words and phrases o Write a summary statement of the main theme 5. Subdivide text into segments and repeat steps 1-4 o Skip this step for small segments of text Interpretation The goal in this step is to determine what the text means. Principles Remember the context: o Verse o Chapter o Book o Entire Bible Scripture never contradicts scripture

Do not allow any one verse to dictate your view on a topic Interpret scripture literally. o Do not look for hidden meaning o Recognize figures of speech and literary style and interpret accordingly Look for the authors intended meaning Use a good study bible for cross referencing your interpretations o NIV Study Bible (Zondervan) o ESV Study Bible (Crossway)

Character Study Learning from the lives of others Gather all the information you can about a particular character from everywhere in scripture Make note of: o Meaning of their name o Their ancestry o Their training o Their conversion o As much biographical data as possible: Children, where they lived, what they did for a living, etc o What were their shortcomings o What were their accomplishments o What was their spiritual life like Prayer Life Obedience Attitudes Responses Suffering o What was the effect of their life on others o The way they died o Impact of their death Apply the truth you found to your life o Write out statements about truths God has taught you through their life Application In this phase, your goal is to answer these questions: o How does the meaning of this passage apply to me o What truth am I to embrace, believe, or order my life by o What changes should I make in my belief or life o 2 Tim 3:16-17 (all scripture is breathed out by God and is useful ...) Teaching Is it general or specific Does it apply only to specific people or cultural problems

Does it only apply to certain time in history Has it been superseded by a broader teaching Reproof Does the scripture expose any errors in my o Belief o Behavior o Attitudes o Motives Correction Does it offer correction for wrong thinking or behavior

What Passages to Use For the first inductive study, the shorter epistles are a good starting location: 1, 2 or 3 John 1 & 2 Timothy 1 & 2 Peter