For instance, the New International Version a popular modern translation of the Bible breaks sections in Philippians 1 down like this: Pauls Chains Advance the Gospel (vv. (He 4:12, 13-see notes He 4:12; 13). Our life ought to be and if Gods grace be much in it, it will be a new translation of the Bible. Think of it as an appointment that you do not want to miss. It can provide you with answers you werent able to come up with on your own, and maybe give you some clues on interpretive techniques and tools in the future. PDF 10 BIBLE STUDY OBSERVATION AND INTERPRETATION - Home Baptist Church If you are a leader (and most of us are leaders in some sphere of influence) remember that a good leader is one who Knows the way, Howard Hendricks' 4 Bible Study Steps - Bible Study - Crosswalk.com Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear, This method makes observations on a passage of Scripture and then draws conclusions based on those observations. Our Lord taught that those who are, blessed (makarios [word study]) are those who hear the word of God and observe (phulasso [word study]) it. The Bible helps you understand God and His relationship with humanity. (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.) (Galatians 4:1, New International Version). R4`:|ut\#jDAh]Y1]|{ >^*8"I+
+N-rjiSS-Q*c9eF,xyV]%^p]=dG- J&naSP Ezekiel But to make us more like our Savior. Have some fun taking various quizzes and assessments to learn about yourself and others. Key words and phrases are repeated in order to convey the author's point or purpose for writing. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night (this is the parallel of observation and interpretation), so that you may be careful to do (the application) according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have success (the blessing of proper application). During the week he earnestly tried to apply them to his life. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 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. (Basic Bible Interpretation). Try (Ed: in the sense of to test or examine) what you hear; try what you profess; try what you read. Comment: Sins of omission (failing to do what God wants us to do) are sins just as surely as sins of commission (doing what God has told us not to do). Learn to develop your skills, desire and ability to join others on their spiritual journeys and take them closer to Jesus. View our top Cru resources in more than 20 languages. 0000000925 00000 n
the good hand of his God was upon him (which should prompt a "Why?" T Is there a Truth to memorize and meditate upon (Click here)? ), 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. To know and not to do is not to know at all. Your grandmother translated the Bible?" The following steps follow the inductive method's process of observation, interpretation, and application. The older we are, the more experienced we become at rationalizing sin. <<6970513041DCB34C825DECB3781DD654>]/Prev 490707>>
Ask yourself all of the important questions above, and answer them as honestly as you are able. 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 want to discover what these authors have to tell you, youll have to do some work. 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. Youre attempting to get a sense of the whole before you begin to break down the parts. Leading Inductive Bible Study | InterVarsity When it comes to reading the Bible, these boundaries can hinder your ability to observe what biblical authors are saying. What did that word mean to them, and what kinds of feelings and hopes did it invoke? We must get into the Word of God for ourselves. Inductive Bible Study: Observation, Interpretation, and Application 1. Be careful not to simply amass the kind of knowledge that puffs up (1 Corinthians 8:1). A lot of people have all sorts of news. Are we spiritual or are we natural? And that has made all the difference. Youve observed the details in the text and drawn interpretive conclusions about what the author was saying to his original readers. What a glory He sheds on our way! Careless Observation -EO{0iB d("o? August 5, 2009. Scripture interprets Scripture. Puritan Thomas Manton comments thatThere is an awe of the Word, not that makes us shy of it, but tender of violating it, or doing anything contrary to it. MacArthur, J.: The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville: Word, MacDonald, W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson, Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth by Spurgeon. It is God's will that we should read In sum, acting on what God has said assumes that you understand what He has said as illustrated below. 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! Which road will you travel? Take care, nonetheless, to seek for the application of precepts. When Gods Word points out something in us that needs correction, we need to respond. Let it not only inform you but inflame you. As you work through these steps regularly, you will get better at them and you will be transformed. Once you know what the passage means (interpretation), you are responsible to put it into practice in your own life. His Word from day to day, Explore resources to help you live out your life and relationships in a way that honors God. In Gods mind, knowledge without obedience is sin. 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. It is not enough just to study the Bible. Reading the Bible without meditating on it is like eating without chewing. This typically involves reading a shorter Bible passage and doing less in-depth investigation of the text. There are three basic approaches to Bible interpretation: A. Observation. This guide presents three basic steps of Inductive bible studies, Observation, Interpretation and Application. 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. In other words, we must act by faith in what God has shown us from His Word or our hearts can become hardened (cf. Words repeated multiple times in a passage, Words that indicate a change in topic or time, Words that contrast one thing against another. Read Online Inductive Bible Study Observation Interpretation And The worldlings Bible is the Christian. How? Jesus emphasized this important truth again in John 17 declaring. To pick up the thread of Pauls argument, you need to go back and catch up. 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. And how does it show God redeeming that brokenness? 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. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable (useful, advantageous, helpful,) for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness (see notes 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Scripture reading and Bible study always represents (so to speak) a "God sighting" ("God speaking") and as such always applies to us as His creatures. About Gods redemptive plan? HLTkXw: The third rule for our guide should be Read And Apply. in my business life ? Now that you have your list of observations, you can wrestle with the questions that arise from them and the things that youve seen. It comes from knowing more about the Bible and applying it to our spiritual needs. Learn more 2. When youre first getting started with studying the Bible, its important to set some realistic goals for yourself.
Inductive Bible Study Observation Interpretation And Application Through The Lenses Of History Literature And Theology is additionally useful. What we believe about the gospel and our call to serve every nation. Again, we feel God's promises to be too high for us, we know He is perfect, and we are vile. YWAM Bible Schools: A Guide to Inductive Bible Study 2023 Erroneous interpretation can lead to aberrant application. 2 Peter Use this guide to help you lead your small group to encounter Jesus through the three main parts of an inductive Bible study: Observation, Interpretation, Application. Somewhere ages and ages hence: Every time we encounter spiritual truth, we need to seek to apply that truth to our lives. For instance, as you explore the terms Messiah and Son of God, you might be moved to respond in prayer and worship. 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. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Is it because of ignorance, rebellion or indifference? Bible study is meant not merely to inform but to transform and renew our mind. of precise observation, which is essential for accurate interpretation. Romans One who uses the Bible as his guide Resource links How to Perform A Greek Word Study on the Web, Multiple resources on Biblical Interpretation (Hermeneutics). Cults use the Bible to try to prove views they already have. What can He have to do with such as we are He is faithful, but will He be so to us? Honest application of the text requires these kinds of questions and the wrestling of ideas when truth causes conflict. These three parts are observation, interpretation, and application. You may study it your whole life, and you will never be able to absorb all that it has to teach. If this were the only passage of the Bible you had access to, what would you learn from it about Gods character and actions? We try to communicate what weve never experienced in our own lives.". Not just for knowledge, but much more-- Make them your own. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. For instance, if you pick up the Book of Galatians at the beginning of chapter 4, youll find yourself in the middle of Pauls argument: What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. This is always the most challengingportion of Bible study, which most people give only cursory attention to (unfortunately).The key to doing Bible study is . If you read, He that believeth on him is not condemned, if you believe not then you are condemned already, because you have not believed in the Son of God. truly, such a, promise is as a cluster of Eshcol, but it is in Eshcols valley and I cannot reach it there; but the promise applied is the cluster brought to me just where I am, and I can receive it, and delight myself in its luscious sweetness. OIA Method of Bible Study - Iamnorthside That seems important to delve into deeper. Thresh them by meditation. To profess great love for Gods word or even to pose as a Bible student is a form of self-deception unless our increasing knowledge of the word is producing increasing likeness to the Lord Jesus. It is impossible to study the Scriptures diligently without running head-on into the need for application, "for the word of God is living and active (energetic, effective) and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge (sifting and analyzing) the thoughts and intentions of the heart and there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open (the bending back of the neck thoroughly exposing it to the eye of the skillful surgeon or the criminal on trial with a sharp dagger bound to his neck with the point just below the chin, so that he could not bow his head but had to face the court) and laid bare to the eyes of Him with Whom we must give account." Gather them. You might see the word Messiah and think, I know what that means. But that can undermine your ability to discover new things. Right here, we have countless book Inductive Bible Study Observation Interpretation And Application Through The Lenses Of History Literature And Theology and collections to . eg'1{(yzJ*| To which he responded "Yes, she translated the Bible into her life, and was the most powerful translation I've ever seen!" Permissions 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. 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? When youre studying a book, youre going to end up reading it multiple times. Search the Scriptures Chapter Analysis FormatBible study consists of Observation, Interpretation and Application.1.Observation is discovering what the author is saying looking specifically at Who, What, When, Where, Cause & Effect. 12-26). If there is a promise to be embraced, we claim it. 2 Chronicles He never reads the book, but he reads the disciple of Christ, and he judges the Christian religion, by the lives of its professors. We need to be specific here. Once we know what a passage means we are responsible to live it out. What other Scripture passages might help me better interpret this one? Here are a few questions to facilitate application of the truth you have observed How does this truth apply to my life in four spheres in my(a) personal life (b) my family (c) work (d) church (e) neighborhood? Learn the basics of what Christians believe. Why did Mark feel this title was necessary on top of calling Jesus the Messiah? Daniel /+X$!acR\Y[/EC%D @2ADk0uHha3j^ 0000003614 00000 n
Many of them include commentary at the bottom of the page or in the margins. You haven't really learned the Word until you live the Word. So people go to church, and enjoy the preaching, and yet do not do what God asks. Just like Matthew, Luke gets to the baptism in the third chapter. We all have a story. The best way to define application is to first determine what it is not. Philippians Imagine trying to find a specific place in Scripture during a sermon without them. Though he draw them they will not come to him, and when he calls them they will give him no answer. (Ed: And I would add that the Word of Truth ALWAYS has something to say to our heart! Nahum He now teaches two courses: "Bible Study" and "Advanced Bible Study." "All of my courses are built on the basic pattern of observation, interpretation, application and correlation (or . In other words every divine revelation demands a determinative response. Inductive Bible Study is an ideal textbook for courses in biblical interpretation, and for anyone who desires to better understand and teach Scripture. It involves three steps: observation of the text, interpretation of the text, and application of the text. One of the pastors startled the group with the declaration that "My grandmother's translation is the best I've ever read." If there is a warning to be followed, we heed it. Revelation, Search Wikipedia using spiritual discretion, Authority of God's Word - study on 2Timothy 3:16-17, Ezra 7:10 - Exposition of the "Ezra 7:10 Principle", A Primer on the Lost Art of Biblical Meditation. 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. Avoid basing important doctrines on obscure passages. 1. As a result, that man became a Christian. We are either a little more sweetened or a little more hardened. Shows the way. Girdlestone in his 1887 classic "How to Study the English Bible" has a chapter on application that speaks to "THE PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL USE OF THE BIBLE" - We have now come to the last and most important stage of our subject. Helping students know Jesus, grow in their faith and go to the world to tell others. Apply yourself to the whole text, and apply the whole text to yourself. Inductive Bible study is one reliable way. Then when you read descriptions of the human heart, and the fall, the corruption, and the depravity of our nature, look, and see yourselves as in a looking glass, and say of each man as you hear of his sin, I am such a man as this was, and if I do not fall into precisely the same sin, yet the possibility and peril of it is in my heart, and I should do so, but for Gods restraining grace. Take the very histories home to your heart, and find a point in them, either of encouragement or of warning for yourselves. Instead, we need to be Bible "bees", using inductive study to go deep into the Scriptures obtaining its divine nectar and then allowing God's "nectar" to change us. %%EOF
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." Bible study is about digging into the text and pulling out insights. You might discover that salt was not only used to flavor food, but it helped keep it from spoiling. Step 2: InterpretationWhat does the passage mean? 63 12
Connect each passage back to the gospel and the broader message of the Bible. Ezra 1 John Below I have written a simplified step-by-step guide . Especially let this be so with the promises. And what thou readest well, thou canst not too well understand; It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot (NIV). 0000001036 00000 n
This is a motivating truth that you can trust and which you should welcome and willingly acknowledge. We all need to ask ourselves are we studying the Word that we might be more like Jesus or more like the Pharisees? Truth revealed brings responsibility to respond. Thus, we are called and encouraged to new labour in prayer, whilst we have a new example in Him Who prayed, and wept, and bled. Feed on them with joy" Trust and obey, for theres no other way Start with the obvious. Righteousness in simple terms is whatever God says is right on any subject. (Ep 1:3-note). This is likewise one of the factors by obtaining the soft documents of this Inductive Bible Study Observation Interpretation And Application Through The Lenses Of History . ", Application is the most neglected yet the most needed stage in the process. Spiritual maturity, in which we become more like Christ, comes not just from knowing more about the Bible. r2T4000F1h+JTqkR=9K'ZOH1{csjr3U
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In most respects they might have been written in our own life-time. What a terrible delusion to be content with, to delight in hearing the word, and yet not do it. and then shall we find the benefit and advantage designed thereby, and shall at last attain the happiness therein promised and assured to us.". What Do We Lose When We Forget the Importance of Prayer? Step 3: ApplicationWhat will I do about what the passage says and means? Inductive Bible study is a practical, relevant, and time-tested approach to interpreting Scripture. Have I overlooked anything or made any assumptions? If not why not? If you are made to tremble under Gods Word, you may never be made to tremble under Gods hand. Well, this is it. Armed with that knowledge, youre ready to start thinking about how to apply what youve read. For some of you there is very little in the Word of God except threatening. 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. Inductive Bible Study method is one of the most effective bible study methods for personal bible study, quiet time or small group bible studies. 1 Corinthians 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.") Read and practice; but we shall only be able to do this, as God the Holy Spirit shall help us. When the attitude of our heart reflects a readiness to hear and respond, the text of the Bible comes alive. PDF Precept Bible Study Method The gospel is a very solemn thing to every man, because if it be not a savour of life unto life, since it must always be a savour of some sort, it therefore becomes a savour of death unto death. Bible Study Observation Interpretation And Application Through The Lenses Of History Literature And Theology is universally compatible following any devices to read. There are several reasons for this . This volume incorporates insights from contemporary evangelical hermeneutics into an. The story is told of several pastors who were arguing over which Bible translation was the best. For he set its foundation upon the seas, and established it upon the ocean currents. Its worth it. And with all who will trust and obey. 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. We may find something in every passage which comes before us both to pray over and to thank God over. If you skip this step, you will never enjoy your Bible study and the Bible will never change your life. Home Sow an action, reap a habit. Equipping families with practical approaches to parenting and marriage. In His Words: What Billy Graham Once Said About Eternity. This means youre going to start by reading the whole thing hopefully in one sitting before you begin to deal with smaller portions of it in greater depth. +t8HL~Y,/0B_<7)K]JOSTx*=JOlgTx*=kp]un?VHk?Z,u-tglS But we are never just the same. never loses his sense of direction. H\j0z and how much we really believe what we have observed. ", James warned that "to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin." endstream
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When you begin to study a passage, your first step will be observing the text. These divisions are tools that help us read Scripture; theyre not an actual part of it. Micah Matthew 0000001930 00000 n
Observation Tips What are some tips to help with observation? Ephesians The religionists of Jesus' day had all of the data. Chapters, verses and subheadings are all very convenient and helpful, but when it comes time for genuine study, its appropriate to remember theyre not inspired elements of Scripture. Ask the Lord to show you your interest, in every truth, and; do not be satisfied until you have an assured personal interest therein. Explore answers to life's biggest questions. I shall be telling this with a sigh A Is there an Attitude to change or guard against or an Action I need to take? Learn how you can know God personally. What was the result in his life and by way of application what will be the result in our life if we emulate his example? Bible study is intentionally digging into a passage of Scripture and using various interpretive techniques to understand what the author is saying. Can abide while we trust and obey. Read the Bible as a man reads his relations will, to find what legacy there is in it for himself. Avoid the temptation to try to make the text mean anything just yet. In this spirit of readiness we seek to turn God's truth into action. Jonah Galatians One of the best things about studying Gods Word is that you can come back to a book youve already studied in the past and discover all-new insights. See what precepts are binding upon thyself, and then, as a child of God, be thy feet swift to run in the way of his commandments. We need to be honest with ourselves at this point. Inductive Bible Study: Observation, Interpretation, and Application %PDF-1.4
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Reaching students and faculty in middle and high school. Application brings us into this sphere of abundant life in the Spirit. A (supernaturally charged and) changed life is the clearest testimony of genuine understanding of the Bible. When you take a book like Romans one piece at a time, you can miss the forest for the trees. Comment: Don't be like the butterfly flitting from one Bible study [preacher, devotional, commentary, etc] to another, but failing to personally apply what you learn. It went in empty every time and came out full (A. Naismith, 1200 Notes, Quotes and Anecdotes [Chicago: Moody, 1962], p. Of the three steps of Bible studyobservation, interpretation, and applicationthe middle one is often the most daunting. So before moving on to the crucial step of application, pause for a time of reflection. Reading the entire book in one or two sittings is part of the observation process. We must never forget that the ultimate goal of Bible study, whether inductive or otherwise, is to know God and His Son so that we might have life in Him. This can train you to be more of an explorer in the future. Fourthly, we seek to stir up our soul to notes of praise and thanksgiving, delighting ourselves in God's Word, rejoicing in the prospect it presents, yielding ourselves in joyful submission to its precepts, and at the same time searching ourselves in the light of its cautions, humbling ourselves over our past coldness or doubtsfor most of our failures come from doubting God.