INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY METHOD

I. Observation: What Does It Say?

These questions simply help people to understand what the text says. Look for the obvious - facts about people,
places, and events. Often these will be repeated making them easy to see. At the end of this exercise it is often
helpful to try to write your own paraphrase of the text capturing the nuances of meaning that you’ve discovered in
your observation. Questions to ask yourself as you work out ‘what does it say’ questions are:
• When and where does this take place?
• Who are the main characters?
• What key words are repeated?
• What major themes are repeated?
• What stands out?
• What comes before and after this passage?
• What do I find difficult to understand?
• Are their specific instructions or warnings?

II. Interpretation: What Does It Mean?

What we mean by Bible interpretation is the correct meaning of the passage as it was intended by the original
author. In other words, we must allow the Bible to speak for itself. We must work carefully to see that we arrive at
the Truth instead of seeking to prove that we are right. We must seek to understand what the original author had in
mind--in his context of life and history. We must seek to know what Bible words meant to the writers of the Bible.
The main way to work through this stage is to put yourself in the passage and ask questions of the text and then use
study tools to help answer those questions. Questions like:
• What does that word/phrase mean?
• What is confusing about this passage?
• What could I know that would help this to make more sense?
• What would the original hearers have heard?
• What would the original readers have read?
• What is the context – what comes before and after this passage that will help to clarify?

III. Application: What Does It Mean to Me?

The whole purpose of interpretation is not only for our understanding; it's also so that we can be changed to reflect
God's intention for us and that ultimately we would impact others. Interpretation is acquiring knowledge;
application is putting that knowledge into action. We should know there is only one interpretation of any passage,
but there can be multiple applications of the interpretation.

Questions For Application – SPACEPETS - "Is there any . . ."

• Sin to confess? Do I need to make any restitution?
• Promise to claim? Is it a universal promise? Have I met the conditions?
• Attitude to change? Am I willing to work on a negative attitude and begin building toward a positive one?
• Command to obey? Am I willing to do it, no matter how I feel?
• Example to follow? Is it a positive example for me to copy, or a negative one to avoid?
• Prayer to pray? Is there anything I need to pray back to God?
• Error to avoid? Is there any problem that I should be alert to, or beware of?
• Truth to believe? What new things can I learn about God or other biblical teachings?
• Something to praise God for? Is there something here I can be thankful for?

ANOTHER STUDY METHOD

1. What does this passage say about God?
2. What does this passage say about mankind?
3. What does this passage say about the relationship between God and mankind?

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 SAMPLE PASSAGES
• Here are some sample passages that we’ll practice these methods on together.

• The importance of Context – hisorical and literary

• The difference between reading for study and reading for devotions

• The importance of prayer and the Holy Spirit

Philippians 3:4-9
If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of
the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for
zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. 7But whatever was to my profit I now
consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more; I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing
greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I
may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that
which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

Luke 19:1-10
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief
tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of
the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at
your house today." 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.7All the people saw this and began to
mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' " 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord!
Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay
back four times the amount." 9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too,
is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

1 Corinthians 15:9-11
9For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted
the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.
No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11Whether, then,
it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

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 BIBLE STUDY RESOURCES
From most important to least (according to Derek)

1. An Insatiable Curiosity – this can’t be overstated – this is absolutely the key – relentlessly asking questions of
the text and then chasing down the answers in some of the resources listed below.

2. A Reading Plan
• www.youversion.com

• www.bibleplan.org/

• www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Product/Bible/Plans.htm?QueryStringSite=Zondervan

• www.biblegateway.com/resources/readingplans/

3. A Good Study Bible

• ESV Study Bible (not available until October 2008)

• NASB or NIV Life Application Bible

• Thompson Chain Reference Bible

• Audio bible at - www.audiotreasure.com/

• Audio bible at - www.biblegateway.com/resources/audio/

• Downloadable to your i-phone at www.youversion.com/iphone/

4. A Bible Handbook
• Zondervan Handbook to the Bible

• New Ungers Bible Handbook

• Halley’s Bible Handbook

5. Concordance
• www.biblegateway.com

• Stong’s Exhaustive Concordance (make sure it matches with your version of the Bible)

6. Commentary
• bible.crosswalk.com/ (search a passage and click on “include study tools”)

• Expositor’s Bible Commentary (blends scholarship with readability)

• IVP Bible Background Commentary

7. Other
• Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem

• Personal Bible Study Methods by Rick Warren

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 Getting Started
BIBLE STUDY
1. Get study sools together

2. Set aside ample time (minimum of ½ hour encouraged)

3. Pick a specific book (Luke and John are good for beginners)

4. Choose the clear beginning and end of the passage you wish to study

5. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance

6. Paraphrase, ask questions, then write down your application (what does it say, what does it mean, what does
it mean to me)

7. Pray that the Holy Spirit would assist you in applying the spiritual truth to your life and then share your plans
with an accountability partner

DEVOTIONAL READING
1. Slow Down (1 min.)
• Be still and quiet! Slow down! Prepare your heart. Take a few deep breaths and wait on God.

2. Read the Word (4 min.)

• Read the assigned passages for the day or begin where you left off the day before. Read until you feel that God has
told you something. Then stop and think about it.

3. Meditate on the Word (4 min.)

• Think about what the passage means in your life. Write down your thoughts in your journal.

4. Apply the Word (2 min.)

• Write out a personal application statement in your journal. Something that is very specific that you will do in response
to this passage of scripture.

5. Pray (4 min.)
• Conclude your quiet time by talking to God about what He has shown you and making requests from your prayer list.

The Common Problems

1. Discipline. Go to bed on time, get up immediately upon waking, be aware of quiet time robbers (TV,
phone, etc.), go to bed thinking of scripture.

2. Dry Spells. Don’t base your success on fuzzy feelings. Long periods of dryness could be because of:
disobedience, physical condition, trying to do too much in a hurry, making it a ritual, not sharing your
insights with others

3. Concentration. Be awake, clear your mind, read and pray aloud, walk while you pray, record things
in your journal.

4. Discouragement. Dropping your quiet time is the first step in spiritual backsliding. Consider:
making a covenant with God, expect the devil’s excuses and attacks, leave your Bible open the night
before to the passage you’re going to read the next day.
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 OVERVIEW OF THE BIBLE

OLD TESTAMENT:
The Old Testament consists of the 39 books of the original Jewish Bible, still used by Jewish people today. The
word "Testament" means "covenant, agreement, contract". The word "Old" means "older, original," or the way
God related to men and women before the Coming of Christ.

The General Content of the Old Testament:

The Old Testament is divided into three major sections.
a. HISTORY, Genesis to Esther.
b. POETRY, Job to Ecclesiastes
c. PROPHECY, Isaiah to Malachi

The Specific Content of the Old Testament Books.

HISTORICAL BOOKS
The first five books of the O.T. are called "The Pentateuch" and were written by Moses.

• GENESIS is the book of beginnings or origins....of the world, the human race and especially the Hebrew
nation. It contains the stories of Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah and the flood, and the biographies of Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.
• EXODUS is the book of the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian slavery. It includes the origin of the Passover,
the Red Sea crossing, and the Ten Commandments.
• LEVITICUS is a detailed description of Jewish religious ceremonies and sacrifices.
• NUMBERS records the journeying of the Israelites from Mount Sinai, where they received the Ten
Commandments, to the Jordan River, just before their conquest of the Promised Land.
• DEUTERONOMY means 'second law.' It is a of repeat of Leviticus and Numbers.
• JOSHUA is about the new generation of Israelites crossing the Jordan River and beginning the conquest of
Canaan, or "The Promised Land" under the leadership of Joshua. This book includes the famous story of the
battle of Jericho.
• JUDGES is the record of thirteen judges or popular leaders. The book records the sad result of man doing what
is right in his own eyes. Main characters include Samson and Gideon.
• RUTH is a simple but beautiful love story. Ruth is a gentile who becomes the great-grandmother of King.
David.
• I SAMUEL records the history of Israel from the last judge, Samuel, to the death of Israel's first king, Saul.
• 2 SAMUEL is the story of Kings David and Solomon.
• I KINGS records the history of Israel from David's death, through the reign of Solomon, to the life of the
prophet Elijah. After Solomon's death, the Jewish kingdom is divided into Israel, or "the North" and Judah, or
"the South."
• 2 KINGS is about the ongoing civil war between Israel and Judah. Both kingdoms are finally destroyed by the
judgment of God.
• 1,2 CHRONICLES are a kind of repeat of 1,2 Kings, with an emphasis on the history of the southern kingdom,
Judah, from the reign of David to the Babylonian Captivity.
• EZRA AND NEHEMIAH are about the return of the Jews to Israel after 70 years of captivity in Babylon. Ezra
is about rebuilding the Jewish temple, while Nehemiah is about rebuilding the wall and city of Jerusalem.

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HEBREW POETRY
The second section or division of the Old Testament is Hebrew poetry. All of these books were written
at different times during the historical record of the first 17 books. Psalms, for example, was written by a
number of people, most notably David, during the books of Kings and Chronicles.

• JOB, the oldest book of the Bible, tries to explain the most difficult question or life: why bad things happen to
good people.
• PSALMS is a book of prayer and praise.
• PROVERBS is a collection of wise sayings.
• ECCLESIASTES is about how to trust God and obey his commands, even when life makes no sense and even
God seems unfair.
• SONG OF SOLOMON is a love story. It has often been understood as a picture of God's love and relationship
with us.

PROPHECY
The prophetic books have been subdivided into two categories: the Major Prophets, called "major" simply
because they are longer books, and the Minor Prophets, or shorter books of prophecy.

MAJOR PROPHETS
• ISAIAH is about the future kingdom of the Messiah. Isaiah is full of beauty and hope. Some of the most
familiar passages of Bible prophecy are found in Isaiah.
• JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS are prophecies of warning and judgment on wayward Israel.

• EZEKIEL was written during the Babylonian captivity of Israel. It is about how the glory of God will return

one day to the sanctuary in Jerusalem.

• DANIEL is history and prophecy concerning Gentile world rule in relation to Israel and the Kingdom of Christ.

It includes the famous stories of the three men in the fiery furnace and Daniel in the Lion's den.

MINOR PROPHETS
• HOSEA about backsliding and spiritual adultery.
• JOEL, the prophet of Pentecost.

• AMOS, about judgment on complacency and materialism.

• OBADIAH one short chapter on the doom of ancient Edom.

• JONAH, and the whale, Of course!

• MICAH about Israel's sin and God's grace in the promised Messiah.

• NAHUM, about the doom of ancient Nineveh.

• HABAKKUK, the just shall live by faith.

• ZEPHANIAH, on God's judgment and the future of Israel.

• HAGGAI, about Zion's temple.

• ZECHARIAH, a fairly long "minor" prophet with several chapters on Armageddon and the end of the world.

• MALACHI, on robbing God, judgment, and the return of Elijah in the last days.

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New Testament:
The New Testament consists of 27 books. The word "Testament" means a "covenant, agreement,
contract". "New" is used as in contrast to the "Old" Testament, or the way God related to men and
women after the coming of Christ.

The General Content of the New Testament

The New Testament is very similar in its structure to the Old Testament. The New Testament also has three
major divisions:

a. HISTORY, including .the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and Acts.
b. TEACHING, or the Epistles (personal letters) of Paul, Peter, James and John
c. PROPHECY, the Revelation, also known as the Apocalypse of Saint John.

The Specific Content of the New Testament Books.

HISTORY: THE GOSPELS
The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) are not biographies in the pure sense, although they are historical
in every sense. Perhaps "portraits" is a better word than "biographies." In each of the Gospels, Jesus is painted in
a different pose. Each Gospel writer saw Jesus from a different angle and wrote his Gospel for a unique purpose.

• MATTHEW was the tax collector. He wrote his Gospel for the purpose of showing a Jewish audience how
Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament, More than in any other Gospel. Matthew uses the phrase,
"This was to fulfill ..." See Matt. 1:22.
• MARK was the first Gospel account to be written, and it seems quite clear that Matthew and Luke borrowed
material from Mark. Mark begins with the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River and contains no Christmas
story. Some feel Mark was addressed more to the Roman mind. His use of "straightway" throughout the book
and his direct "get to the point" writing style may be a reflection of the Roman attitude.
• LUKE was a physician and the only non-Jewish author in the Bible. He also wrote Acts. He was not one of the
original apostles, but was a traveling companion of Paul. Luke's Gospel is the most detailed and carefully
organized of the four gospels. See Luke 3:1. Luke also has the most extensive material on the birth and early
childhood of Jesus.
• JOHN is very different in its content and style from the other Gospels. It is the most theological, in that it is
almost entirely teaching. You can see this stand out in a red letter edition of the Bible. In fact, of the 21 chapters
in John, the last 10, almost half the book, are about the last week in Jesus life. Chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, arid 17
are composed of teaching that took place in the Upper Room the night before Jesus' crucifixion. A key phrase in
John is "I am ..." The purpose of John is clearly stated in John 20:30-31: BELIEVE.

HISTORY: ACTS
• ACTS is Luke's record of the events that took place in the early church, underlying the special events is a

powerful explanation and defense of Christianity, to the Jews, the Greeks and the Romans. If you read the book
carefully you can see where Luke joined Paul by change of the tense (from "they" to "we").

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THE EPISTLES: PAUL
• ROMANS, written to the Christians in Rome, is the most systematic presentation of Christian doctrine in the

Bible. Its themes are judgment and righteousness, Jew and Gentile, law and grace, free will and
predestination.....or in one word, salvation,
• 1 CORINTHIANS, written to the Christians in the Greek city of Corinth, is about a myriad of seemingly

unrelated issues--like law suits, communion, spiritual gifts, women in the church, matters of conscience, the
resurrection. But the unifying theme is the community, or how Christians are to relate to one another in all kinds
of settings and situations.
• 2 CORINTHIANS. It seems that there were some leaders in Corinth who were questioning Paul's authority; so

much of 2 Corinthians is autobiographical, defending Paul's calling and right to apostolic authority.
• GALATIANS was written to the Christians in the Roman province of Galatia, or modern-day Turkey. It is the

declaration of the Christian's independence from the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament. The theme of
Galatians is that salvation is by grace. Jesus plus nothing.
• EPHESIANS, written to the Christians in the Greek city of Ephesus, is about the church - what it is and how

God wants to use it. See Ephesians 3:10.

• PHILIPPIANS, which Paul wrote from prison to the Christians in the Greek city of Philippi, is about the joy of

our salvation.
• COLOSSIANS, written to the Christians in the Greek city of Colossae, is about the magnificence of Christ.

• PHILEMON is a short personal letter from Paul to a wealthy Christian by the name of Philemon. Paul had

somehow met Philemon's runaway slave, and sent this letter back to Philemon, imploring him to receive back
his former employee - as a brother in Christ.
• 1 & 2 TIMOTHY and TITUS are personal, instructional letters from Paul to his young understudies.

THE EPISTLES: HEBREWS

• HEBREWS is in a class by itself in that no one really knows who wrote it. Written to Jewish Christians, it is

perhaps the most profound book of the New Testament. The letter presents a comparison between the Old
Covenant of law and ceremony and the New, or "better" Covenant of grace in Christ.

THE EPISTLES: JAMES

• JAMES is a short but powerful letter about the importance of how you live out your faith. It is a kind of New

Testament book of proverbs.

THE EPISTLES: PETER

• 1 & 2 PETER, among other things, focus on how the Christian is supposed to respond in adversity. Keywords

in the book are sanctification, suffering and obedience.

THE EPISTLES: JOHN

• 1, 2, & 3 JOHN are three little letters by the "Apostle of Love" ...the same John who wrote the Gospel of John.

The theme of Christian certainty is evident in these letters. Both certainty that Christianity is true and certainty
that his readers have been born of God and possess eternal life.

THE EPISTLES: JUDE

• JUDE is a fiery little letter about serving God with purity and integrity.

PROPHECY
• REVELATION is the most mysterious book in the Bible. It has been understood and misunderstood many

ways! Its purpose, if it can be simply stated, is that Jesus and his kingdom will triumph, no matter how bleak
life becomes. This was an incredibly important message at the time, because the church was going through one
of the fiercest persecutions in its history.