The Purpose of Bible Study (lecture)

The purpose of Bible study is, plainly and simply, to understand Scripture itself and to be changed by it.

      For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner [or critic] of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

      I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing [literally, the renovation] of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1-2)

       How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your Word. With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your Word. (Psalm 119:9-16)

        The focus of Bible study must be on Scripture. It may seem absurd to say that – too obvious for words. But in our time, that’s not the case. Many view the Bible as, in effect, just another religious book – perhaps of a somewhat higher order, but not what it truly is. Dear friend, the Bible is not just another religious book. It is the only supernatural Book. God the Holy Spirit is the author of every word, having used human authors to communicate His truth:

       All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

       And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:19-21)

        The Bible is therefore uniquely authoritative, and uniquely powerful. It stands far above every other book: The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. (Psalm 12:6)      As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. (Psalm 18:30)
        Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar. (Proverbs 30:5-6)

        And so, when coming together for group study, don’t settle for lesser things. Don’t settle for the mere opinions of men about Scripture. See what God Himself says. Remember – it’s a Bible study.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (Psalm 34:8)

Bible Study Methods and Applications

       According to Richard Warren in 12 Dynamic Bible Study Methods, the secret of effective Bible study is knowing how to ask the right kinds of questions. There are different questions for each Bible study method. Write down insights as they come; the ultimate goal is application, not just interpretation. Make up your mind that you will regularly put some time into the study of the Bible. Below are several Bible study methods, followed by a description of widely available research tools.

Topical Bible Study: According to R. A. Torrey in How to Study the Bible for Greatest Profit, Bible students should take up various subjects, one by one, and search the Bible for what it has to say on these subjects. Collect and compare all the verses you can find on a particular topic. Select a biblical subject and trace it through a single book. Compile a list of words, collect Bible references, consider each one, and compare and group the references. Organize your conclusions into an outline that you can share with another person. It may be important to know what great men and women have to say on important subjects; but it is far more important to know what God has to say on these subjects. It is important, also, to know all that God has to say. The topical method of Bible study is simplest, most fascinating, and yields the greatest immediate results. Sometimes it will be necessary to look up other subjects that are closely related to the one in question. For example, if you wish to study what the teaching of God’s Word is regarding the Atonement, you will not only look under the heading “Atonement” but also under the heading “Blood.”

The Chapter Summary Method: According to Warren, the student should read a chapter of a Bible book at least five times, and then write down a summary of the central thoughts as well as the major points in the chapter. Make a list of the most important people. Why are they included? Choose a verse which summarizes the whole chapter or one which speaks to you personally. List any difficulties you may have with the chapter (such as statements you don’t understand), questions, and key words of the chapter. Look for other verses that help clarify what the chapter is talking about. What are the major principles, insights, and lessons? Why does God want this passage in the Bible? Ask yourself a series of questions relating to the content of the chapter, and ending with a general summary of the chapter. Divide the chapter into its natural sections and find headings for them that describe their contents. Write down the leading facts of the chapter in their proper order. Make note of the persons mentioned in the chapter and of any analysis of their character. Think of what might be the central truth of the chapter, along with the key verses.

The Book Survey Method: Survey an entire book of the Bible by reading it through several times to get a general overview of its contents. Study the background of the book and make notes on its contents—the history, geography, culture, science, people, events, and topics covered. Outline and chart the key events and themes. Use Bible reference books to increase your understanding of the Word.

The Verse-by-Verse Analysis Method: Select one passage of Scripture and examine it in detail. Write out a personal paraphrase, list some questions and observations, find cross-references, record any insights, and write down a brief personal application for each verse.

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. Think of topics such as: What should we strive for as Christians? What traits of a fool are given in this book or chapter?

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. Compare translations, check the word’s occurrences, and find the root meaning. Write an application.

The Character Analysis Method: Select a Bible character and research all the verses about that person in order to study his or her life and characteristics. Make notes on his or her attitudes, strengths, and weaknesses, and show how Bible truths are illustrated in his or her life. Live with that person during the study, walk in his or her shoes. See how he or she thinks, feels, and responds to circumstances. Choose a character quality you would like to work on yourself, and study what the Bible says about it. Select a situation in your own life to work on and memorize a verse that speaks to you.

The Devotional Method: Select a short passage of Scripture and meditate on it. Visualize the scene or the narrative. Put yourself into the biblical situation as an active participant. What would I say? How do I feel? Read through the passage several times, emphasizing a different word each time. Rephrase the passage in your own words to personalize it. Write out an application that is personal, practical, and possible. Ask yourself, Does this application help me become more like Jesus?

                            “What is inductive Bible study?”
        Inductive Bible study is an approach to God’s Word focusing on three basic steps that move from a general overview to specifics. Through these three steps, we apply inductive reasoning, which is defined as the attempt to use information about a specific situation to draw a conclusion.

 The steps are observation (what does it say?), interpretation (what does it mean?), and application (what does it mean for my life?). Inductive Bible study is a valuable tool in understanding and applying the principles of God’s Word. Inductive Bible study can be done on many different levels. The shorter version is good for a brief devotional. The more extensive study is wonderful for digging deeper into the mind and heart of God.
                  A sample verse to illustrate the method is 2 Samuel 9:1: “David asked, ‘Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?’” As we observe this verse and ask ourselves “what does it say?”, we see that David simply wants to know if there are any living relatives of Saul’s that he may be kind to for Jonathan’s sake. Whether or nor there are any relatives or why David is asking are to be determined in the next step. The first step of observing the verse is generally confined to a simple understanding of what the verse is saying. At this first step, there may be words or phrases that are unfamiliar to us, in which case checking different Bible translations is helpful.

The second step—interpretation (what does it mean?)—requires a more in-depth examination than the first step. At this step, we want to be careful to find the meaning of the verse in its context. For our sample verse, as we look into the background of the incident we find that the relationship between David, God’s anointed future king of Israel, and Jonathan, son of King Saul, was very close. Jonathan had saved David’s life when Saul was pursuing him (1 Samuel 20). David had described their relationship as “extraordinary” and he mourned Jonathan’s death greatly (2 Samuel 1:25-27). In this context, we see David wanting to do something nice for any of his relatives who might still be alive. His love and loyalty were still strong even though Jonathan had been out of his life for some time. David did not sit passively and wonder about this; he took action and searched for these people.

The third step in inductive Bible study is the practical application of the principles (what does it mean to me?). Among the ways we can apply our sample verse to our own lives is to see David’s action as one of love and loyalty. We might ask ourselves: How loyal am I to my earthly friends and my heavenly Friend? Am I casual and passive about the relationships? Or am I willing to go out of my way to honor them? What can I do this week to let them know that I love them? Based on my detailed research, what did God communicate to me? Has He given me any commands, warnings, promises, or encouragement? Part of the application process is asking ourselves where we go from here. How can we use what we have learned from the passage in the future? A crucial part of any Bible study is asking God to implement the principles into our lives and praying for His wisdom as we go forward with this knowledge.
        It is important to note that, while inductive Bible study or any other method is helpful to Christians as we delve into God’s Word, ultimately it is the Spirit of God who opens the Scriptures to us because He has first opened our hearts to Truth. It is the Spirit who interprets spiritual truth to those who are spiritual. The natural man does not and cannot understand spiritual truth (2 Corinthians 2:12-14). So before attempting any Bible study method, we must be sure we have the Holy Spirit living in our hearts (1 Corinthians 6:19) through faith in Christ as Lord and Savior.

Four Steps of Inductive Bible Study

Setting the context: “ABCs”

• Author — Who wrote the passage?
• Background — When did the author live? In what culture? 
• Context — How does the passage fit in with what comes before and after it?

What does the passage say? (Observation)

• Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Read and reread the passage. Read it in another version of the Bible if available. 
• Gather all sorts of facts like an investigative reporter. Ask questions to help you observe the facts: Who? What happened? What was taught? When? Where? How? Why? This is where you see and discover what the author is saying.
  • Who? — Who wrote it?                                    Who did he write it to?
  • Who are the main characters?                         What? — What are the main events?
  • What is the meaning of the message?            What are these people like?
  • What is his purpose in saying this?                  When? — When was it written?
  • When did this event happen?                          When will this take place?
  • When did he do or say this?                             Where? — Where was this done?
  • Where was this written?                                    Where will it happen?
  • Why? — Why was this written (Why did God want me to know this?)
  • Why did the author say so much, or so little about this?
  • Why should they do such and such?               How? — How did it happen?    
  • How did they do it?                                            How do I do that?
• Locate and mark any key words, repeated words or phrases, and commands.

What does it mean? (Interpretation)

• Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Why do you think God put this in the Bible?
• What is the author’s intent in this passage? What is one principle or lesson the writer/God was trying to communicate? What was he saying to the people of his day? What would they have understood?
• Look at other scriptures that relate to the passage. These are usually found in the margins of Bibles or in footnotes. What do other verses say about this thought or idea?
• How does this passage unfold a broader theme of this particular book of the Bible?
• What doctrinal or moral problem was he addressing?
• What action did he want readers or listeners to take?
• What is still unclear? (Are the confusing terms or phrases used elsewhere in this book, or elswhere in the Bible?). Before reaching for your dictionary, allow Scripture to define its own terms contextually through cross referencing.
• Use Bible study helps to get a clearer meaning of the passage as needed: commentaries, Bible dictionaries, concordances, Vine’s Expository Dictionary or a Bible study guide for the text, subject, or person your studying. Use a dictionary to define any unfamiliar terms or ideas.

How does the principle apply to one specific area of my life? (Application)

• What is the Holy Spirit saying to me in this passage? Ask Him.
• What is one way I can apply the heart of this passage to my life?
• What will I do differently because of what I’ve learned?
• Make it personal — Identify what is holding you back from fully believing the truth of the passage or fully obeying its commands. Confess any sins or doubts that come to mind.
• Imagine the difference — Think of what would change in your life and relationships if you fully obeyed the passage.
• Make a plan — Ask God what action He wants you to take and when you should do it. Then make sure to set a time in your calendar to follow through.

Rely on the Holy Spirit — Since none of us can be like Jesus on our own, we must practice being filled with the Holy Spirit. Confess your weaknesses and seek God’s empowerment to follow Jesus better. Then step out in faith boldly. Spiritual breathing, as described below, is a great way to depend on God throughout your day as you try to live out what you have learned.