Many times a Bible passage is read only with eyes but not with the mind engaged. To know and not to do is not to know at all. 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. Avoid the temptation to try to make the text mean anything just yet. Keeping some form of journal will allow you to go back and review what God has been teaching you. The goal of Bible study is not simply to determine what it says and what it means, but in the final analysis to apply it to one's life. How to Do an Inductive Bible Study - Logos Bible Software Did they know where the Messiah was to be born? The proper spirit for profitable Bible study is a tender, teachable heart willing to obey the truth and the fruit of this humble approach is an eternally changed life lived to glory of God. For example, Peter says in 1 Peter 5:8: "Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion." Note expressions of time The relationship of events in time often sheds light on the true meaning of the text. (Basic Bible Interpretation). Inductive Bible Study: Observation, Interpretation, and Application through the Lenses of History, Literature, and Theology (9781433684142) by Richard Alan Fuhr Jr., Andreas J. Kostenberger Once you know what the passage means (interpretation), you are responsible to put it into practice in your own life. Once you do that, you can start shining a light on smaller sections of Scripture. Read Online Inductive Bible Study Observation Interpretation And 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. So people go to church, and enjoy the preaching, and yet do not do what God asks. (Mt 7:13, 14+). Here, you want to go back over the passage and your observations and ask as many questions as you can. Contact Us. (Ps 119:15, 23, 27, 48, 78, 97, 99, 148 - see A Primer On Biblical Meditation). The ideal combination is to read the word and then heed it expeditiously and implicitly. Its what everything else is built upon. Bible study is meant not merely to inform but to transform and renew our mind. Observe whats there, and document it. Don't be like Crowfoot, the chief of the Blackfoot nation in southern Alberta, who gave the Canadian Pacific Railway permission to lay track from Medicine Hat to Calgary, and in exchange received a lifetime railroad pass. These four steps help you to orient yourself to a passage, wrestle with what its trying to communicate and examine your life in light of Gods Word. Thus, interpretation flows out of observation. Many of them include commentary at the bottom of the page or in the margins. You have remained in right site to start getting this info. The botanist would lean over a certain flower and he would look for a long time and then he would write notes in his notebook. (Persevere!). S Is there Something to thank or praise God for? If you're looking for the best Christian jobs and careers, check out Cru's ministry job openings for full- and part-time missionaries and professionals. Some sections make much more sense if you read them within the context of the surrounding chapters, like Matthew 23-25 or 1 Corinthians 12-14. Sow an action, reap a habit. (John 7:17). Using a trusted commentary can help in a few ways: It can help show you the details you missed in the observation phase. P Is there a Promise to believe or condition to meet in order to partake of the promise? See related resource: Relationship of faith and obedience, As Vance Havner wisely said "It is not the Word hidden in the head but in the heart that keeps us from sin. All action presupposes prayer, and all prayer ought to lead on to action. )R z9=_)\_`w0s3^xT{bhi ?%\hMKINZ>0!L ik0%kjDb V >{f NGaE"VU{Z}M-9Eik$oflK pA!~~?\sDNSUke And how does it show God redeeming that brokenness? Answers to questions on donations, financial policies, Crus annual report and more. When Dr. Houghton became pastor of the Baptist Tabernacle in Atlanta, a man in that city hired a private detective to follow Dr. Houghton and report on his conduct. In sum, acting on what God has said assumes that you understand what He has said as illustrated below. Otherwise, its easy to become dependent on them. 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?) Don't deceive yourself! To an active mind knowledge gives pleasure. Inductive Bible Study: Observation | Precept Austin To be sure our first goal should be to get into the Bible and then to allow the Bible to get into us. startxref 8. Interpretation, Illumination and Application | Bible.org Who may go up to his holy dwelling place?" ( Ps 24:1-3 ). 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, ", Application is the most neglected yet the most needed stage in the process. 0000004118 00000 n It will walk you through each step of inductive bible studies in details. Let me ask you a serious question -- How often do you study the Word with no intention whatsoever of obeying it? 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. Step 2: InterpretationWhat does the passage mean? We must meditate upon it. John kicks off with some critical theological points and then immediately launches into the baptism too. Goldsmiths keep bottles of acid by which they test everything that is offered them for sale, whether it is gold or merely tinsel, and the Christian should keep Gods word near at hand and treasured in the soul, to test thereby all that he hears. In fact, Logos even has an Inductive Bible Study Workflow built right in to guide you through these steps. Song of Solomon For example, in a court of law, jurors are asked to reach a verdict based on the evidence presented to them. Dont twist Scripturemeaning, dont manipulate the text to get it to say something youd like for it to say. this Inductive Bible Study Observation Interpretation And Application Through The Lenses Of History Literature And Theology can be taken as competently as picked to act. Every promise must be grasped and realized as true : every precept must be registered in the heart, and acted out in the life, in the strength of God. Pretend youre an investigator and youre just gathering the facts. Scripture interprets Scripture. So before we can apply the truth as God intended, we need to be certain that our interpretation is accurate, which in turn hinges on careful observation. 1ICR, 2 Samuel --C H Spurgeon, Choose Book of Bible to Study Find resources for personal or group Bible study. Therefore, it is vital that you develop observation skills which might, at first, seem difficult, laborious, and time-consuming. Until all on the altar we lay; For the first question, you might think through your initial reading of Mark. 1 Corinthians A single revealed fact cherished in the heart and acted upon is more vital to our growth than a head filled with lofty ideas about God. Too often we come to Gods Word to study it, to teach it, etcto do everything in the world with it except be changed by it! How to Study the Bible (part 2): Interpretation and Application And to do this, you need to look at the context (Logos Bible Software can be a great help with this). Philippians For one thing people mistake the pleasure they have in hearing the Word of God for Christianity and worship. We need to be specific here. In view of this truth, what specific changes should I make in my life? 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. 0000005006 00000 n Comment: Don't be like the butterfly flitting from one Bible study [preacher, devotional, commentary, etc] to another, but failing to personally apply what you learn. Develop your leadership skills and learn how to launch a ministry wherever you are. This is always the most challengingportion of Bible study, which most people give only cursory attention to (unfortunately).The key to doing Bible study is . Girdlestone in his 1887 classic "How to Study the English Bible" has a chapter on application that speaks to "THE PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL USE OF THE BIBLE" - We have now come to the last and most important stage of our subject. Apply yourself to the Scriptures (John Calvin), Gods Word can only produce growth in soil "fertilized" by obedience. Too much Bible study begins and ends in the wrong place: It begins with interpretation, and it also ends thereObservation plus interpretation without application equals abortion. Can abide while we trust and obey. And how prevalent the sight of multitudes of Christians listening to the Word of God most regularly and earnestly, and yet not doing it! Of course, there are a few steps involved during each of these components. 7 Principles for Teaching Kids to Interpret the Bible (Self deception is the worst form of deception and occurs when we come to believe there is virtue in hearing the truth of God but failing to apply it.) 119:160). Youll also notice right out of the gate that Mark has introduced Jesus with two titles: Messiah and Son of God. PDF Simple Biblical Interpretation - Westminster Theological Seminary (Josh 1:8-note). Amos To go on gaining an intellectual knowledge of the Bible without obeying it can be a trap instead of a blessing. 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. --Hess, Robert Cook wisely advises that we should "Never leave a passage of Scripture until it has said something to you." Joshua Its apowerful toolfor those who want to learn how to study Scripture well. It is more focused on the immediate application of the passage to your life. J A Bengel wisely admonished "Apply yourself to the whole text, and apply the whole text to yourself.". Coleridge once said that, if we wish to make old truths fresh, we must turn them into action. Kay Arthur on Inductive Bible Study: Observation, Interpretation (MacDonald, W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson). If we fail to apply the Scriptures, we cut short the entire process and have not finished what God wants us to do. Haggai Daniel How about Son of God"? So you might write that observation down: Marks beginning of the gospel story does not start at the very beginning., Youll also notice that Mark desires to tell you some good news, and this news is about Jesus. Many of us struggle to wade through the dense lists of commands, genealogies and prophecies in the Old Testament. Details of the OIA Method - Knowable Word (How to Study the Bible and Enjoy It - see page 30). Your goal in observation is to notice as much as possible. my heart stands in awe of Thy words. He had put into practice (applied) passages from God's Word, proving that they work which of course they always do! Pastor Houghton assiduously applied what he preached. (1 Sa 15:22, 23) Related resource: Relationship of faith and obedience. The story is told of several pastors who were arguing over which Bible translation was the best. The growing numbers of sermon-sippers and seminar-sitters who flit from one doctrinal dessert to another like so many busy, buzzing hummingbirds are most assuredly deceiving themselves unless they are also choosing to assimilate (heed) the truth ("honey" Ps 119:103-note) which they have tasted (cp Jas 1:22, 23, 24+, Jas 1:25+).