Spiritual maturity, in which we become more like Christ, comes not just from knowing more about the Bible. As you carry out your inductive Bible study you will find that observation, interpretation, and application often occur simultaneously. What else do I know about the book, author, and broader context of the passage? Some passages will not have a clear application. + The only Bible the world reads is the one bound in shoe leather: you and me! Every time we encounter spiritual truth, we need to seek to apply that truth to our lives. Now that youve come up with questions, its time to do research. 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. (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.) Now you know the three simple steps to running your own inductive Bible study. Follow it by personally doing what it bids thee. Psalms Not to make us smarter sinners Inductive Bible Study: Observation, Interpretation, and Application Through the Lenses of History, Literature, and Theology by Richard Alan Fuhr 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. and then shall we find the benefit and advantage designed thereby, and shall at last attain the happiness therein promised and assured to us.". Acronym to Aid Application. In fact, Logos even has an Inductive Bible Study Workflow built right in to guide you through these steps. (Mt 7:13, 14+). 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. 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. (Ezra 7:9, 10) (Click to read an in depth unpacking of this practical powerful principle - the "Ezra 7:10 Principle"). 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. When youre studying a book, youre going to end up reading it multiple times. What other Scripture passages might help me better interpret this one? Youll also notice right out of the gate that Mark has introduced Jesus with two titles: Messiah and Son of God. Considering these things we receive the word with that trembling of heart which God so much respects. But then we must allow that Word to get into us, to make a permanent difference in our character and conduct. To know and not to do is not to know at all. (John 7:17). And how prevalent the sight of multitudes of Christians listening to the Word of God most regularly and earnestly, and yet not doing it! He will be inquired of by us. Here are 14 important reasons to read it. When applied properly, the inductive method will provide a better overall understanding of a passagewhat it says, what it meant to its original audience, and what it means today. As for the doctrines, recollect that a doctrine killeth except as it is personally grasped and as you feel your interest in it. 2023 BGEA --Hess, Robert Cook wisely advises that we should "Never leave a passage of Scripture until it has said something to you." endstream endobj 64 0 obj <>>> endobj 65 0 obj >/PageWidthList<0 612.0>>>>>>/Resources<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text]/Properties<>>>/Rotate 0/TrimBox[0.0 0.0 612.0 792.0]/Type/Page>> endobj 66 0 obj <> endobj 67 0 obj <>stream 10 Questions the Internet Is Asking about the KJV. Next, youll want to figure out what youre going to study. The Power of Accurate Observation In Bible Study By Anna Wishart 07/31/2017 Details Bring Meaning God's Word has a lot to communicate. Often, its helpful to put chapter and verse breakdowns out of your mind as you dive into Scripture. The Bible helps you understand God and His relationship with humanity. The third rule for our guide should be Read And Apply. 2 Peter Stout old Martin Luther used to say, All vital religion is in the personal and possessive pronouns. Is it not so? There is something incredibly rewarding about mining those nuggets of truth for yourself. For one thing people mistake the pleasure they have in hearing the Word of God for Christianity and worship. (Ps139:23, 24+; cf. What did that word mean to them, and what kinds of feelings and hopes did it invoke? Bible reading fits into the devotional category. Connect each passage back to the gospel and the broader message of the Bible. Are you ready and willing for Gods Word to cut deeply into your own life (reproof), to lay bare the hidden places of your heart, and to do its work of convicting, convincing, and converting your mind in any and every area? HWM5q0^5 !EJ8`vC ! Before the Word of God can bring change to our world, it must first change our life. The word of God reveals to us our true selves. To which his colleagues exclaimed "What! A Primer on the Lost Art of Biblical Meditation Allow the Bible to help you understand other passages of the Bible. ((this mirror = Gods Word = unique for it shows our inner nature as a regular mirror shows our exterior. Imagine trying to find a specific place in Scripture during a sermon without them. trailer Inductive Bible Study: Observation, Interpretation, and Application through the Lenses of History, Literature, and Theology (9781433684142) by Richard Alan Fuhr Jr., Andreas J. Kostenberger John Blanchard underscores the crucial discipline of applying God's Word sounding the caution that "There is more to Christian growth than knowing what the Bible says; nobody is ever nourished by memorizing menus.". 1ICR, Observation This video series demonstrates how to perform inductive Bible study using the Logos Bible app thats free for web, mobile, or desktop. John kicks off with some critical theological points and then immediately launches into the baptism too. /+X$!acR\Y[/EC%D @2ADk0uHha3j^ (MacDonald, W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson). Let it not only inform you but inflame you. The Bible is an inexhaustible mine of precious gems. Maybe youre reading Matthew 5:13: You are the salt of the earth. We may find something in every passage which comes before us both to pray over and to thank God over. Mark key words and phrases (see figure on page five) A key word is one that is essential to the text. Lamentations Pray God to help you to feel the solemnity even of the threatening, for if you feel deeply the threatening now, you may be delivered from the tragic fulfilment of it by-and-by. Words repeated multiple times in a passage, Words that indicate a change in topic or time, Words that contrast one thing against another. Inductive Bible Study: Observation, Interpretation, and Application The mind delights in having the truth presented clearly; the imagination is gratified by its illustration; the feelings are stirred by its application. The New Testament gives us further teaching about the way of approach, and makes new demands on our spiritual life, whilst offering us a new standard to live up to. So even though you might be familiar with the word Messiah, you might want to focus on Mark and his original audience. xref What Do We Lose When We Forget the Importance of Prayer? Once you decide how much time you want to commit to studying, put it on your calendar. You have remained in right site to start getting this info. Everyone has distractions and responsibilities vying for their attention, so it helps if you have a set time when you will read your Bible. (Read the entire sermon - How to Read the Bible), "Our Masters field is full and rich. By using the tools included inInductive Bible Study, youll approach Bible study with more depth and understanding. James As you make it your practice to study God's Word, you will experience the joy of having Him directly unveil His truth and reveal His purpose in your life. Inductive Bible study is one reliable way. It went in empty every time and came out full (A. Naismith, 1200 Notes, Quotes and Anecdotes [Chicago: Moody, 1962], p. Colossians 0000003614 00000 n 8. But when the report came of His birth, did they go to check it out? Some are always looking out for other peoples duty, and are great judges and critics for what others ought to do. When you become a Christian, you enter into an exciting, lifelong relationship with the Bible. This is where secondary resources become really helpful. Haggai Different Approaches to Interpretation 1. Then you might turn your attention to verses 18 in the first chapter. If you choose to consult a commentary during your study, try to do it toward the end. In view of this truth, what specific changes should I make in my life? Ecclesiastes who delude themselves. 1:20-21). Why are we deluded in this way? I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee! Well, it is a very fine promise, but if it is read to me thus: I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee, what a transformed and glorified promise it then becomes! The Apostle Paul's great passion was transformed, Christ like lives as he explained to the saints at Colossae writing we proclaim Him (Christ in believers the hope of glory), admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ. When we have read the Bible, many passages may become "overfamiliar." We think that we know what they say and cease . Cults use the Bible to try to prove views they already have. 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. A (supernaturally charged and) changed life is the clearest testimony of genuine understanding of the Bible. Its what everything else is built upon. Leading from values so others will walk passionately with God to grow and bear fruit. Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. Part of this work is active: Youre wrestling with the text and learning to understand it. We build up a reservoir of responses so that whenever the truth gets too convicting, weve got a multiplicity of reasons why it applies to everyone else but us! How do you do that? Bible study is meant not merely to inform but to transform and renew our mind. 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. In a very real sense we are giving our brain a bath; we are washing it in the purifying solution of Gods Word. To an active mind knowledge gives pleasure. Learn how you can know God personally. The Bible is the best prayer-book in the world, as it has been called the best story-book in the world. 0000000925 00000 n It is thework of applying something (I like that -- it make take a little "holy sweat" to apply what we have learned, but it is worth the effort exerted! Inductive Bible Study: Observation, Interpretation, and Application Some people say they cannot meditate; they do not know what it means, or they have no time, or they go to sleep when they begin. It is unified in all its parts and will never contradict itself (Ps. When people started complaining, he told the congregation, "I'll preach a new sermon when you act on this one. We are either a little more sweetened or a little more hardened. The Power of Accurate Observation In Bible Study Answers to questions on donations, financial policies, Crus annual report and more. If there is a warning to be followed, we heed it. We try to communicate what weve never experienced in our own lives.". Just make sure it's the one based on careful observation and accurate interpretation! In Bible study, application is putting truth you've discovered (through observation and interpretation) to use in your life with the ultimate goal of transformation or life change. Once you think youve done all you can here, its time to move on to the final phase: application. 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! For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it. One of the pastors startled the group with the declaration that "My grandmother's translation is the best I've ever read." Armed with that knowledge, youre ready to start thinking about how to apply what youve read. If youve uncovered truth youve not known or understood before, what does it mean for your life, priorities, and decisions now that you do understand it? In the margin of many pages in D. L. Moody's Bible, he wrote the letters T and P, meaning "Tried and Proved." Owen wrote that To seek after mere notions of Truth, without an endeavor after an experience of its power in our hearts, is not the way to increase our understanding in spiritual things. In other words, am I applying this truth? Inductive Bible Study: Application | Precept Austin Men may have in their study of the Scriptures other ends also, as the profit and edification of others. But as helpful as these tools are, theyre not always ideal for personal study. After personal application, the best way to make the truth your own, is to teach it and even if you are not gifted to be a formal Bible teacher, there is always someone in your sphere of influence whom you are teaching by your life and your lips. The records of human need and Divine generosity are not far-fetched ; they answer to our own case. (Keying into the term good news early will help you understand Marks Gospel, as its a critical term that he uses repeatedly.). 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. Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear, ", Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote that "It is a good thing to be a student of the Word, but only in order to be a practiser and experiencer of the Word.". Not just for information in my teaching, visiting or mission work? 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. How? Overview of Inductive Study with Observation Worksheet and example of how to mark a page, Click for Introduction to Inductive Bible Study using PowerPoint (2002), The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville: Word, How to Study the Bible and Enjoy It - see page 30, Skip Heitzig How to Study the Bible and Enjoy It, Chicago Statement on Biblical Hermeneutics, Chicago Statement on Biblical Application. 1 Thessalonians Too much Bible study begins and ends in the wrong placewith interpretation. Equipping families with practical approaches to parenting and marriage. (Ed: And I would add that the Word of Truth ALWAYS has something to say to our heart! Its the shortest of the Gospels, and you might have noticed that Mark seems focused on the action and hitting all the significant points. And what thou teachest well, thou canst not too well live. Leading Inductive Bible Study | InterVarsity
