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. Read and practice; but we shall only be able to do this, as God the Holy Spirit shall help us. During the week he earnestly tried to apply them to his life. Samuel addressing King Saul after his serious "miscalculation" (sin) said "Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? 1 Samuel And while pastors and teachers are wonderful, individual Christians should also be able to pick up any passage and read it with basic understanding and application. Take the next step in your faith journey with resources on prayer, devotionals and other tools for personal and spiritual growth. Proverbs ), A T Pierson said that "While other books inform, and some few reform, this one book transforms. But for your study time, its helpful to use them as secondary sources after youve done some preliminary work. This step is asking these questions: What are the biggest ideas and the important details? The main tool for each step is the Bible itself, meaning that when there is a question in my mind as to a passage's meaning, I first look to other scripture to provide the answer. Observation Inductive Bible study is Based on what youve learned, what does this passage mean for you? These divisions are incredibly convenient. There is something incredibly rewarding about mining those nuggets of truth for yourself. You too can try and prove God's wonder-working precious and magnificent promises that provide everything needed for life and godliness -- but only if you seek to apply them to your life. In other words, am I applying this truth? We must meditate upon it. Observation Sometimes the application will simply be deeper faith and firmer belief. If a Christian is careless in Bible reading, he will care less about Christian living. Just make sure it's the one based on careful observation and accurate interpretation! One practical approach to Bible study is a four-part process of observation, interpretation, connection, and application. He was there for hours writing notes, closed them, stuck them under his arm, tucked his magnifying glass in his pocket and walked away. The tireless runner is a picture of what Application should look like in each of our livessobrethren, beloved of God, chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world for so great a salvation, filled with His Spirit and controlled by the love of Christ "let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith" (He 12:1-note, He 12:2-note) pressing "on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Php 3:14-note) disciplining ourselves "for the purpose of godliness for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." The real authority of their view is always some single leader who has his or her ideas in writing. The person who knows the truth but doesn't act on it is not simply making a mistake or showing poor judgment but he is in sin. Reportedly, Crowfoot put the pass in a leather pouch and wore it around his neck for the rest of his lifebut he never once availed himself of the rights and privileges it spelled out. 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. And yet, so complete is the delusion, that Christians never realize they are not living good Christian lives. How? What we believe about the gospel and our call to serve every nation. Try challenging yourself to come up with 10 observations about a passage, and once youve hit that number, push yourself to come up with five more. As mentioned earlier, its easy to become dependent on them. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it. The student has sought God's blessing on the Word, and has endeavored to find out its meaning and teaching; and it remains for him to ask, How does this passage apply to me? The writer of Psalm 119+ (virtually every verse of which deals with some aspect of God's holy Word) speaks to the importance of one's attitude that should undergird and stimulate right and ready application of truth gleaned Princes persecute me without cause, but (what's being contrasted?) The following books are a great place to learn more about this simple methodology: Kay Arthurs inductive method has helped millions of people learn how to study the Bible for themselves. The story is told of several pastors who were arguing over which Bible translation was the best. This is where secondary resources become really helpful. HLTkXw: For some of you there is very little in the Word of God except threatening. And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. The questions you raise in the interpretation phase might even push you back into the observation phase. If we fail to apply the Scriptures, we cut short the entire process and have not finished what God wants us to do. What are its elements ? The best way to define application is to first determine what it is not. Absolutely. And what thou understandest well, thou canst not too well teach; The well known Puritan writer John Owen had some pithy comments on the need to study the Scriptures with the ultimate intent to apply them to one's life. Take the time to dive into the application step. What Do We Lose When We Forget the Importance of Prayer? Click To Tweet Inductive Bible Study Not only do the books come from unfamiliar cultures, but theyre also thousands of years old. Used by cults. Genesis Then you might turn your attention to verses 18 in the first chapter. And what thou readest, thou canst not read too well; Nehemiah It is more needful for you to hear God's words than that God should hear yours, though the one will always lead to the other. meditate and meditate and meditate, Devout meditation on the Word is more important to soul-health even than prayer. If you want to study Scripture, youll need to carve out intentional time for it. But one who looks intently (a picture of the man who meditates -- puritan Richard Baxter said "There must be inward practice by meditation and outward practice in true obedience.") 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. To not respond to supernatural illumination would be like saying the Biblical teaching on idolatry is great but it doesn't apply to me and then going off to spend the rest of the day seeking anxiously to accumulate wealth in this present but passing (away) world (cp the words of Jesus Mt 6:24+and Paul Col 3:5+). In sum, acting on what God has said assumes that you understand what He has said as illustrated below. If there is a promise to be embraced, we claim it. In Observation and Interpretation we study God's Word, but in Application, God's Word "studies" us! You might see the word Messiah and think, I know what that means. But that can undermine your ability to discover new things. Avoid the temptation to try to make the text mean anything just yet. He never reads the book, but he reads the disciple of Christ, and he judges the Christian religion, by the lives of its professors. (John 17:3), Heart appropriation, not merely head apprehension, is the true goal of Bible study. Goes the way, endstream endobj 71 0 obj <>stream 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. In Gods mind, knowledge without obedience is sin. Then you could go back and look at how the other Gospels start: Matthew begins by giving us Jesus genealogy and then gives us a little glimpse into His birth. What I mean is just this. It is not enough just to study the Bible. Connect each passage back to the gospel and the broader message of the Bible. (John Calvin), Gods Word can only produce growth in soil "fertilized" by obedience. For example, Psalm 24 says, "The Lord owns the earth and all it contains, the world and all who live in it. Logos can be an incredible resource as you seek to make this a part of your daily routine. William MacDonald explains meditation as follows Christians should meditate on the Word of God (chew the cud) and have a separated walk (the cloven hoof). 2. This volume incorporates insights from contemporary evangelical hermeneutics into an approachable, step-by-step process moving from observation through interpretation and on to the application of God's Word. Habakkuk The first step in studying a passage is to observe what it actually says. 2 Thessalonians Pastor Houghton assiduously applied what he preached. Jude Titus 2023 BGEA It would touch as many lovely blossoms as it could, but derived absolutely no benefit from it. Marking them will help you see the sequence of events and lead to accurate interpretation of Scripture. Of course, there are a few steps involved during each of these components. In many ways, observation is the base of the Bible study pyramid. Inductive Bible Study - Observation Inductive Bible Study - Interpretation Inductive Bible Study - Application Simple Study on the Power of God's Word Authority of God's Word - study on 2Timothy 3:16-17 Ezra 7:10 - Exposition of the "Ezra 7:10 Principle" Job's "Secret" of perseverance? This is the ultimate step: we submit to Scripture and let it transform our lives. Your goal in observing is to identify what the author was trying to communicate to his readers. Theres an inherent danger in inductive Bible study -- it can degenerate into a process thats intellectually fascinating but spiritually frustrating. Inductive study should cause us to be mentally excited by the truth, yet we may still fail to be morally changed by it and when that happens, you know there is something wrong with your study of the Bible. Romans Stout old Martin Luther used to say, All vital religion is in the personal and possessive pronouns. Is it not so? Be careful not to simply amass the kind of knowledge that puffs up (1 Corinthians 8:1). Now that you have your list of observations, you can wrestle with the questions that arise from them and the things that youve seen. which then results in being and doing. We will not fully comprehend the extent of the "return on our investment" until we enter Paradise and stand before our Lord at His bema (judgment) seat. Learning to read andstudy Scriptureis an important part of the Christian life. This volume incorporates insights from contemporary evangelical hermeneutics into an approachable, step-by-step process moving from observation through interpretation and on to the application of God's Word. J@GD0Q0rqD@!QTTXF1ID>IgIyy;GABp_8;.7_0?\h*4z/Bzc`S!zJP2[VgVM52,6.*0.199QP1T`}G/I(tSE)BQF*jE()*RMq>&}P* If you are made to tremble under Gods Word, you may never be made to tremble under Gods hand. Whenever (every time) we read the Scriptures, the question we should always honestly seek to ask is How does the meaning of this text apply to me? These are the ideas that were true for the original audience and are equally true for you. Observation. This book walks through each of the three steps of the inductive method paying particular attention to historical, literary, and theological elements that come into play at each stage. Even those who have invested a lifetime into studying it will tell you their commitment has continued to pay off with new insights, understanding and spiritual growth. Janet Chismar )R z9=_)\_`w0s3^xT{bhi ?%\hMKINZ>0!L ik0%kjDb V >{f NGaE"VU{Z}M-9Eik$oflK pA!~~?\sDNSUke Next, youll want to figure out what youre going to study. To know and not to do is not to know at all. 3 John (Ezekiel 33:31), Hearing and not heeding the word is as foolish as cooking an expensive filet mignon and then not sitting down to eat it! Many of us struggle to wade through the dense lists of commands, genealogies and prophecies in the Old Testament. Because ethnicity is part of the good of creation, we seek to honor and celebrate the ethnic identity of those with whom we serve as well as those we seek to reach. The word of God reveals to us our true selves. Grasp these sweet promises. The danger of Observation and Interpretation without application is that we become hypocrites like the Pharisees, filled to the brim with intellectual knowledge, but failing miserably to allow the truth to transform our hearts! Or well walk by His side in the way. (How to study the English Bible), SPACE PETS Live in another country building relationships and ministries with eternal impact. This is not the fruit of slavish fear, but of holy love; it is not afraid of the Word, but delighting in it, as it discovers the mind of God to us; as in the next verse it is written, "I rejoice at Thy word." When you take a book like Romans one piece at a time, you can miss the forest for the trees. With Logos Fundamentals, youll find the truth for yourselfno matter what questions arise as you study the Word. Okay, so what is inductive Bible study, exactly? It is full of instances of prayer; it supplies us with those thoughts about God which stimulate our faith to approach Him expectantly, earnestly, confidently. Believe it to be safe 0000002043 00000 n Coleridge once said that, if we wish to make old truths fresh, we must turn them into action. Is Your Interpretation Supernaturalistic, Naturalistic, Existentialistic, Dogmatic? Kay Arthur on Inductive Bible Study: Observation, Interpretation & Application,Christy Tennant - Read more about spiritual life growth, Christian living, and faith. Mark says hes starting at the beginning. Have I overlooked anything or made any assumptions?
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