How to Study the Bible

Week 1 – Introduction/How to read the Book

01/03/18

1. Various Bible Study Methods
2. The Devotional Method. Select a short portion of your Bible and prayerfully meditate on it till the Holy Spirit shows you a way to apply the truth to your life. Write out a personal application.
3. The Character Quality Method. Choose a character quality you would like to work on in your life and study what the Bible says about it.
4. The Thematic Method. Select a Bible theme to study. Then think of three to five questions you’d like to have answered about that theme. Next study all the references you can find on your theme and record the answers to your questions.
5. The Biographical Method. Select a Bible character and research all the verses about that person in order to study his life and characteristics. Make notes on his attitudes, strengths, and weaknesses. Then apply what you have learned to your own life.
6. The Topical Method. Collect and compare all the verses you can find on a particular topic. Organize your conclusions into an outline that you can share with another person.
7. The Word Study Method. Study the important words of the Bible. Find out how many times a word occurs in Scripture and how it is used. Find out the original meaning of the word.
8. The Book Background Method. Study how history, geography, culture, science, and politics affected what happened in Bible times. Use Bible reference books to increase your understanding of the Word.
9. Deductive Bible Study. Deductive or synthetic Bible study gathers propositions from Scripture and arranges them as premises in formal arguments which reason toward necessary doctrinal conclusions which may not otherwise have been stated in the Bible. In this way, it builds Biblical doctrine. On the basic level, the gathering and arranging of Scripture to prove doctrines has already been done for the student. On the advanced level, the student researches these on his own.
10. Inductive Bible Study. Inductive or analytic Bible study examines in detail large passages of Scripture in order to understand those passages in context. In this way, it builds a general understanding of the Bible. On the basic level, the student researches on his own. On the advanced level, the student surveys all or large portions of Scripture looking for patterns, and theorizes about the meaning of what he observes. He then goes back and attempts to prove his theory deductively.

1. Why Study the Bible?
   1. It is essential to growth – 1 Peter 1:22
      1. Attitude
      2. Appetite
      3. Aim – grow

1. It is essential to spiritual maturity – Hebrews 5:11-14
2. It is essential to spiritual effectiveness – 2 Timothy 3:16-17
   1. Doctrine or teaching
   2. Reproof
   3. Correction
   4. Training in righteous living

• How well do you know the Bible?

1. Hendrick’s inductive methodical method
   1. Observation – What do I see?
      1. Terms
      2. Structure
      3. Literary form – genre
      4. Atmosphere

1. Interpretation – What does it mean?
   1. Questions
   2. Answers
   3. Integration

1. Application – How does it work?
   1. How does it work for me?
   2. How does it work for others?