How to Study the Bible, Part 2

Bible Study Expectations

People have many reasons for studying the Bible.  Christians read the Bible because they expect some sort of impact on their lives.  This is a good expectation to have every time one reads the Bible.  In fact, the Bible places this expectation on Christians. In James 1:22-24, we read: 

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like."

Step 4: Application

Effective Bible study is not only about finding meaning.  That's really important.  But it's how that truth affects us that can make Bible study worthwhile.  James is capitalizing on this reality of Bible study.  There is a way to study the Bible that can cause us to lack any meaningful encounter with God and the world around us, namely by hearing it.  Hearing is essential; but hearing without doing is futile.  Doing, or obeying, God's Word ingrains truth in our minds and hearts so we don't go away forgetting what it says.  Therefore, a primary purpose of Bible study is application.   I define application as the ability to take spiritual truths and react to them in such a way so as to lead to deeper conformity to Christ. 

Christians should expect a supernatural encounter with God--in varying degrees--every time we read the Bible. In other words, each time I study the Bible, I will encounter God since he has chosen to reveal himself through his Word.   Applying a biblical text is simply one way we encounter God and become more conformed to the image of Christ.  

Obstacles to Bible Study Application

1. Spiritual Blindness

Application is not easy. There are many obstacles to correctly applying a biblical text.  First, there is spiritual blindness--we can't see the truth because we don't have the right glasses.  Each time we look to a text, we must do so in faith with spiritual eyes.  Spiritual people can discern spiritual things because they have the Holy Spirit.  Without faith it is impossible to please God.  Without spiritual glasses it's impossible to see the light. 

2. Unwillingness to see our own sin

Failure to apply a biblical text can also be caused by are unwillingness to see our own sin.  Christianity has a counter-intuitive way of bringing people to spiritual fulfillment compared to other systems of belief.  In modern day religion, the key to unlocking spiritual success is by focusing on the inner-you, your "true" self.  You possess hidden potential that is waiting to be unleashed.  It teaches that humanity is basically good and that most problems are external, not internal.  Christianity teaches that our biggest problem is our self--it's internal. We are our own greatest enemy in the sense that we are wicked to the core of our being.  Because we are wicked, God's wrath is unleashed against us, and the only solution is not to follow our heart, it's to completely replace it.  When we read a biblical passage that points out sin in our life, it will take a new heart to acknowledge it's presence and eradicate it. 

3. Not enough time to think about application

A less spiritual reason, but still significant, is the lack of time we spend combing through the application of biblical texts.  When Peter saw Jesus transformed in Mark 9, he wanted to set up a tent so that he could just  gaze upon the beauty of Christ.  But Jesus wasn't so keen on the idea--there was much more work left to be done.  We must stay and gaze upon the beauty of Christ in our Bible reading. And we must work hard to see how Christ's beauty connects with our lives, lest we think that being enamored of Christ is somehow separate from striving to be like him.  

Questions for Bible Study Application

What then are some questions we should ask when we approach a biblical text in order to apply it to our lives? Here is a list of 11 questions:

1. Does this passage point out sin in my life for which I need to confess and repent?

2. What assumptions does this passage have that I don’t share?  Or that I share but don’t necessarily live by? 

3. Is there a command to obey that I see in this passage?  What are the ways in which I’m not obeying it?  What’s keeping me from obeying it fully?

4. Is there encouragement for me in this passage?

5. Is there a promise in this passage from God that holds true for me?

6. Does this passage teach me something about who God is?  

7. Does this passage help me understand something about myself?

8. What evidence for my faith does this passage give me?  How does it help me trust God’s promises?

9. What am I going to do differently because of my time in this passage?

10. How can I model or share or teach this truth so that others are also encouraged by it?

11. What application does this passage have for us as a family (if you’re married) or as a church? 

Here is a downloadable grid with these questions and spaces to fill in your responses:

 

How to Study the Bible, Part 1

Deductive versus Inductive Bible Study Method

One of the most common ways people study the Bible is by picking a topic, like "money," and then, searching the Bible for relevant passages.  This is called deductive Bible study.  You are deducing, from the topic you've chosen that the biblical passages you've stringed together must somehow fit together.  This is top-down reasoning.  Another way to say this is that you start with the whole and move to the parts--the general to specific.  

Certainly, there are benefits to this approach, like systematizing the Bible's view on the character of God.  But it also has many pitfalls.  For instance, if you were trying to prove that the Bible endorsed slavery, and were looking for texts to support this conclusion, you'd realize pretty quickly that you have two options: a) bend and twist the Bible to say what it doesn't say, or b) change your conclusion. 

In order for the Bible to come alive with meaning, we need another approach--one that lets the Bible speak for itself.  Often, this approach is called "Inductive Bible study."  Inductive Bible study often focuses on only one particular passage of Scripture at a time, and often includes a thorough process of observation, interpretation, and application. I recommend a step-by-step process: prayer, observation, interpretation, and application. This post starts with observation and interpretation--and in another post, I'll present application. 

Step 1: Prayer

Step 2: Observation

In the classic story, "Agassiz and the Fish," a student chronicles his encounter with his professor, Agassiz, and the fish he was to study.  Agassiz tells the student to observe absolutely everything about the fish.  Unfazed, the student begins jotting down all the possible observable details and returns it to his professor. Dissatisfied,  Agassiz requires the student to take the fish yet again. Each time the student looked at the fish, he noticed more and more details emerge.  This process continued for a whole semester-long, until finally, the student no longer needed to see the fish, for he could envision it using only his mind! Pleased with the results, Agassiz permitted the student to study what he originally sought out to learn--insects.  

The point of the story is that observation is an essential step for investigating.  The student had to learn that to be a good scientist, one has to patiently notice details that others would not so easily observe.  

Observation is the first step in effective Bible study.  It seeks to describe what the author is saying.  At this point, all you're doing as the reader is asking the 5 Ws and an H--who, what, where, when, why, how.  Besides this, there are some things to look for:

1. Keywords and phrases that are repeated

2. Contrasts and comparisons 

3. Expressions of time and when events take place

4. Geographic locations and shifts in setting

5. Transition words and terms of conclusion: therefore, so that, as a result of, and, but, in order that, thus, etc..

6.  Themes that appear throughout the book and chapter.  For example, the Gospel of Matthew carries the theme of authority and Christ's power.  

Step 3: Interpretation

Observation tells us what a text says.  Interpretation tells us what a text means. Several factors allow us to eventually derive meaning:

1. Context, Context, Context - The first step in deriving meaning is to determine context.  To get context, ask: What happens before the passage you're study? What happens after? What happens in the whole book where the passage is located?  Finally, How does the passage I'm studying fit into the whole Bible? 

2. Let Scripture interpret Scripture - If a passage appears to say something contradictory to something else in Scripture (i.e. God's sovereignty and human responsibility), simply remember that Scripture is God breathed, therefore it doesn't contradict itself. No part of the Bible undermines another part. In the end, it's better to be humble than to think you know more than God. 

3. Don't base your doctrine on vague passages of Scripture alone (i.e. Mark 16:9-20). 

4. Interpret Scripture the way the author intended - If the Bible says that God created the world, then the author most likely intended to mean that God did in fact create the world.  As you read through the Bible, you'll see that it puts to use a whole spectrum of genres, imagery, and symbolism.  We need to take these major differences into account when trying to understand the Bible's meaning.    

5. To look for the main message of a passage, ask "How would I teach this to a 5-year-old?" This will help you summarize big truths in brief statements while also challenging you to retain the biblical truth. 

6. Keep in mind that the Old Testament is pointing ultimately to Jesus in the New Testament.  

7. Maintain the same attitude the New Testament has of the Old Testament.  When reading the NT, ask these questions: How is this passage a fulfillment of promises from the OT? How is the NT different or similar to the OT teaching?  In what way does the NT clarify and reveal something from the OT? 

By looking for these details, you'll be able to find the meaning of a biblical passage.  With enough practice, you'll commit these steps to memory, all the while, making your Bible study time a very meaningful experience.  These are the first three steps in effective Bible study.  In the coming days, I'll discuss the fourth step, which is application.