Experience God Through Great Bible Study
by Bob Grahmann
Picture a scientist going about some great work. He or she is searching for
the cure for some horrible disease, or making a marvelous new discovery. First,
the scientist digs for facts, looking deeply, studying carefully, investigating
every clue, relentlessly hunting for any and every fact that will make the discovery
deeper, richer, and more accurate. Then, the scientist ponders what the facts
mean, finally coming up with a theory. After much more testing, the scientist
is ready to put the theory into practice, to apply it. This is a picture of
“inductive” study. “Inductive” means going from the particular to the general,
from the facts to the thesis or teaching.
The Bible Is Alive
“Inductive Bible study” starts with the facts of the Bible gleaned through careful
observation of the text. After observing everything that can be seen in the
text, inductive study then asks what the facts mean. This is “interpretation.”
Then, after we understand the teaching or point of the passage, we apply the
text to our lives.
So inductive study asks three questions:
- What does the text say? OBSERVATION
- What does it mean? INTERPRETATION
- What does it mean to us? APPLICATION
Inductive study is not dry intellectualism. The Bible is alive. It is God’s Word, the way He communicates with us and reveals Himself to us. Good inductive Bible study is a way to engage the Scriptures deeply so that we meet God there. We put ourselves into the text, sense and feel the story or the teaching, and let God’s Word grip us. As we are gripped by His Word, we experience God Himself speaking to us individually and as a community through the Scriptures. This is the most exciting thing in the world—to actually meet God and hear from Him in His Word!
Inductive study is also very applicable to the mission field. It works from the text outward, and everyone is equal coming to the text. It takes no special knowledge or background to study the Bible inductively. Also, because inductive study depends on observation—seeing what is actually in the text—the more people from different cultures who look at the text, the deeper the observations will be.
A Quick Primer
APPROACH THE PASSAGE.
- Approach the text EXPECTANTLY, prayerfully, as a primary source, and be open to learn.
- Let the text SPEAK FOR ITSELF. Don’t depend on something you have read or heard about it. Come to the text as if you had never see it before.
- STAY in the passage. Don’t cross-reference to other texts until you have figured out the meaning of this one. Then compare it to other texts.
- Read the CONTEXT: what comes before and after your text?
- Study with a GROUP so that you get the insights of others and God can speak to you as a community and not only as an individual.
OBSERVE
- Get the FACTS; find out what the text actually says. Relive the passage.
- Make a LIST of facts that you notice. Note who, what, when, where and how. Note the atmosphere of the text. Do you see any words or ideas that are repeated, similar or contrasted?
- Put YOURSELF into the passage. If you were there, or were one of the main characters, or a recipient of an epistle, what would you be thinking and feeling? Relive the text in your mind or in your group.
- Make your own PARAGRAPHS if none are provided. What are the main thought units in the passage? Pretend you are “saving” the paragraph to your computer’s hard drive and give it a short title.
- Find CONNECTIONS between paragraphs. Look for words, phrases, or concepts that are repeated in a few paragraphs, or contrasted. Are there any causes that lead to effects?
INTERPRET
- Find the MEANING of the passage. Interpreting takes some thought, some sharing together.
- First ask: what IMPRESSES you from the passage? What is the main thing that “hits” you from it? If you were to leave the study at this point, what would you remember?
- Ask “WHY” questions here, like: “Why did the author put this story here and not elsewhere?,” “Why did Paul write about this subject and not others?
- Look at each of the CONNECTIONS you found between paragraphs in the “observation” section. What is the meaning of each of these connections? What is the principle or teaching they are pointing to?
- Then put your meanings together into a sentence that encapsulates the MAIN MEANINGS, the main threads of the passage. This is your “main truth.” Again, it is best to have a group, so you can arrive at the main truth together or share it together if you studied individually.
APPLY
- What is the MAIN THING the Lord is saying to you through this passage?
- Is there something to OBEY or an example to follow or avoid?
- Is there a TRUTH about the Lord you can rejoice in? Is there a promise for a situation you are in? What are the conditions to the promise? What does the Lord say He will do?
- What is the Lord saying to your GROUP, and not just to you individually?
As you study and obey the Bible regularly in this way, God will speak to you. You will grow in mind and heart. You will see the majestic themes, the great doctrines of Scripture, discovering them for yourself. You will meet God. You will be changed day by day into His likeness.
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
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