Bible Study Tips and Techniques

ponyespresso

[ponyespresso]

BIBLE STUDY TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” Matthew 28:19, 20a

What is Bible study?

“Bible study…is the regular, careful, systematic examination of the Scriptures themselves, with an alert mind and a prayerful, open heart, and with the intent to understand and live God’s Word.”(1)

Daily devotional reading is not Bible study. Neither is Bible memorization or even hearing a verse-by-verse sermon or lecture by a pastor, teacher, or in a group setting.

Why do we need to study the Bible?

The Bible is worth studying. The Bible is God’s special revelation to His people, given so that they may have the knowledge of Him, and of His will, which is necessary first for salvation, then to walk in His will.

“You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me.” John 5:39

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16,17

We study the Bible to become mature believers. A deeper understanding of the Word of God, which is accomplished by the inner illumination of the Holy Spirit along with diligent exploration of the Scriptures, challenges our worldview, changes our nature and strengthens our walk with God.

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the world of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” Hebrews 5:12-14

“We come to the Scripture to be changed, not to amass information.”(2)

“[We study the Bible] to avoid or dispel misconceptions or erroneous perspectives and conclusions about the Bible.”(3)

“The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.”(4)

The Bible is difficult to understand.

“Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God have him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” 2 Peter 3: 15, 16 (if the Apostle Peter admitted that Paul was difficult to understand, how much more so us?)

Which Bible should I study?

Use a standard, formal equivalence translation rather than a dynamic equivalence or paraphrasing translation (see appendix I).

I recommend using either a New American Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, or King James Version. Use the New International Version only as a last resort (i.e. if you do not have access to another translation, or do not have the means to acquire another translation.). You cannot use a dynamic equivalence or paraphrasing translation (i.e. The Message, Contemporary English Version, The Good News Bible, etc) for serious Bible study.

Do not use a Bible that has too many distractions, such as pictures, charts or commentary within the text itself.

Do use a Bible that has a good concordance, colour maps and a topical index if possible.

How do I study the Bible?

We will be looking at what is called the “Inductive Bible Study Method”. “’Inductive’ study is an approach to inquiry in which students learn by examining the objects of the study themselves and drawing their own conclusions about these materials from that direct encounter with them.”(5) There has been a general sense for many years now that too many Christians (whether they be theologians or new believers) spend too much time and effort reading about the Bible and too little time actually studying the Book itself. This method of study attempts to correct this by focusing the majority of work into simply reading the Bible and trying to discover what is there, rather than continually relying on other people’s opinions about what the Bible says. It is also infinitely adaptable to a persons ability or situation; you can use this method to study one small section of Scripture, one chapter or a whole book.

All of this, of course, is utterly useless unless the Spirit opens “the eyes of our hearts” (Ephesians 1:18) and we are willing and able to receive what He has for us.

“For this reason, the first step in Bible study for the Christian is really prayer – prayer that the same Spirit who inspired the writers of God’s Word may inspire and illuminate our minds as we study, prayer for a humble and teachable mind.”(6)

Instructions on the Inductive Bible Study Method

Part One: Observation
(Note: do these steps in order)

Step 1. Observation (1x)

• read through the text once, then write down what comes to mind; cite verse references;
• be specific (getting it down on paper frees the mind to look at other things)
• use full sentences (brief phrases will not make sense later)
• let the text come to you! Don’t assume too readily what the text means.
• note what stands out (e.g. repetition, word choice, sarcasm, irony, symbolism, metaphors/similes, absence of words, etc)
• note connections and relationships between verses, not just verse-by-verse
• avoid mere summarization of facts and events – this is not observation
• make a note, if you can, of the genre of what you are reading (is it poetry, history, parable, etc? Or, if you are unfamiliar with Biblical genres, ask what genre is during the “Ask Questions” phase.)
• observation is not judgement! If you make a judgement, you are in control. Let the text be in control.

Step 2. Observation (1x)

• same as above

Step 3. Ask Questions

• is there anything you are not familiar with? (e.g. places, people, words, allusions, etc)
• avoid asking interpretative or theological questions for now (i.e. ones that usually begin with “Why…?”) – stick with the details within the text
• are there ancient customs or rituals you are unfamiliar with?
• Don’t be afraid to write down what is unclear about the text, or just what puzzles you.
• At this point, there is no need to look up answers to your questions; that will come later during the Interpretation phase.

Step 4. Observations with a map (1x)

• make observations using a map; note distances, location, type of geographical area, neighbouring cities/nations, etc. of locations mentioned in the passage
• expand on observations; consider the effect of location on the situation or on the persons (i.e. does Jesus or Paul speak to people differently in different locations?)

Step 5. Note Divisions (1x)

• divide the passage according to several different categories (e.g. by subject matter, by tone or attitude, by themes, by the speaker, by verb tense, by genre, etc.)
• account for each verse in the passage, in order; do not skip around or place verses in different positions.
• At this stage, try to avoid making a detailed and specific outline, merely observe and record the structure and flow of the text.

Step 6. Observation (1x)

• same as 1 and 2

Part Two: Interpretation

• First, try to make an outline of the text you are studying.
• Review the divisions you noted at the observation stage and work from there.
• This will help you understand better the flow of the text, and understand the context of any word study or cultural study you will do later.
• Knowing the immediate context of a passage will also help give the clues to a more accurate meaning of key words and phrases within the text itself.
• Try to write the outline in your own words, and not just copy information from the text.

2. Ask questions to find answers

• Here is where you begin to ask what are called interpretive questions.
• Do not ask a question to get an answer you presuppose.
• Avoid abstract or vague language. Try to pinpoint a specific problem or issue from the information given in the passage.
• Also, avoid wordy, overblown questions. Try to be as clear and concise as possible.
• Try to answer as much of question as you can yourself; again, the context often gives tremendous information into meaning. Also, allow the Holy Spirit time to reveal insights about the passage before turning to secondary sources, such as encyclopaedias or commentaries.

Ask questions to get definition.

• Who or what is this? What does this [term, phrase, item, event] mean?
• What are the key words or themes?

  A key word is an important term within the context of the passage.
  Repetition is a indicator of key words. Proper nouns are also indicators.
  Keep in mind that the meanings of words change significantly over time and place. Ask how the key word or phrase would be different nowadays from those who would have first heard it?

  
  
• How is this [term, phrase, item, event] significant?
• What is the literary context?

  Who is the author? Who is the audience?
  Can we know the authors intent? (See Mark 1:1 or Luke 1:1-4 for excellent examples of authors statements of intent.)
  Try to establish what Biblical genre you are studying. For example, is it poetry? Find out about Hebrew poetry, and how it differs from regular English poetry.

  
  
• What is the historical and cultural context?

  When was this written? Where was this written? What else was going on at this time?
  What ancient traditions are in the passage, and how might they differ from the traditions we have today?
  For example, how would a wedding that Jesus would have attended in 1st century Palestine (John chap. 2) differ from a wedding in contemporary Britain?

After you have devoted a reasonable amount of time to answering the questions yourself, then you may begin to use dictionaries, encyclopaedias, commentaries and other secondary sources. Always refer to at least two different secondary sources so that you will have different points of view to consider.

If you are going to try to devote yourself to serious, continuous Bible study, I would recommend buying an exhaustive concordance and a Bible dictionary or encyclopaedia as the most essential resources for your library. Here are two examples of good resources:

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, D. N. Freedman, ed. Grand Rapids, Mich. Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2000 (£24.73 from Amazon.co.uk)
Anchor Bible Dictionary (6 volume set), D. N. Freedman, ed, NY, Doubleday, 1992 (£197.84 from Amazon.co.uk)

If you have access to the internet, here are some helpful online sources for information:

http://www.studylight.org
http://bible.gospelcom.net
http://unbound.biola.edu
http://www.bibles.net (best site for just printing out Bible passages)
http://bible.crosswalk.com

Part Three: Application

1. Raise the “So What? Question. What does this have to do with us and with our world?

Living the Word: This is the goal of the entire process. Good Bible study is much more than an academic pursuit. It aims at human transformation by the power of God’s Word and Spirit.”(7)

• Apply major principles first.

  It is best to identify the central concerns of the passage and the general principles…and to ask regarding the significance of these matters for contemporary life. Then one may proceed to various details of the passage which may or may not apply to our day. Try to see which features of a passage are of universal significance, and which are more culture-specific and confined in application to a specific time and place in the past.

• Apply ideas and actions

  Through Scripture God will to shape both our ideas and our actions, not just one or the other. Both our inner and outer lives, our thoughts, beliefs and “world views” as well as the actions which flow from those life convictions present agendas for spiritual growth and transformation….Significant application will not occur in vague realms of “spirituality” or “holiness” that have nothing to do with life as it is lived.

• Apply corporately and individually

  While God certainly cares about the response of individuals to His Word, most of Scripture itself aims at the transformation of communities and individuals as members of those communities….Adequate application thinks both of how the Bible shapes my ideas and actions and also of how it must shape the iedeas and actions of the several communities of which I am a part – home, town, clubs, schools, businesses, associations, state and federal government, and the social political, and legal structures that shape them.

• Apply positively and negatively

  Scripture applies both positively and negatively to our lives. God, through his Spirit and the Word, both affirms and rebukes, comforts and confronts, assures and unsettles…Because of God’s grace at work in His world, we should be surprised if we never sense affirmation through His Word, but on the other hand, because of the realities of the human condition, we should be suspicious if we never find ourselves unmasked, our sin exposed before the living God in His Word.

Tips and Techniques

• Try to do observations from a text with the fewest distractions within the text itself. If possible print out a copy of the text you are going to study from an online source or from the Bible on CD-rom. If you do not have access to a computer, try to photocopy the text you are going to study (again, from as clear and uncluttered text as possible).

• This allows you to write notes, underline or highlight passages and mark divisions without permanently impairing an expensive (and precious) Bible. Also, it frees your Bible to be a daily devotional book uncluttered with scribbles and observations. It also allows you the freedom to make mistakes, as well as the ability to come to the same passage again in future unencumbered by your previous observations.

• This is not to say that your observations are disposable. In fact, always keep your notes for future reference, recollection and inspiration. If at all possible, never throw your work away.

• Do not to do all the steps at one time, but allow time to meditate on the Scripture you are working with, as well as the observations you are making or the questions you are asking.

  “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
  nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
  But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
  and in His law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1,2)

---

(1) David L. Thompson, Bible Study That Works (Nappanee, IN: Evangel Publishing House, 1994), p. 16.
(2) Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1978), p. 69.
(3) Dr. William Klein et al., Introduction to Biblical Interpretation (Dallas, TX: Word Publishing, 1993) p. 19.
(4) Westminster Confession; Chapter I:10.
(5) Thompson, p. 12.
(6) Thompson, p. 20.
(7) Thompson, p. 85. The whole Part Three quotes heavily from Chapter 6 of Thompson.

[ponyespresso]

I will be teaching my home group Bible Study some tips and techniques on Bible Study itself. Most have been Christians for a while but still seem to be on milk, and have not really moved on to the solid food of the Word. I have culled this information from several sources and am posting it for review and advice. Please let me know if there is anything you are concerned with, any suggestions for improvement, anything you would have added or worded differently, or even anything you would suggest that I leave out entirely. Also, I would also like to know if there are any other research tools that you would consider absolutely essential, must have items that I did not include here.

Also, if you think this is good stuff and want to use it for your own study or to share with others, please be my guest (just make sure you keep the notes on the sources that I have quotes, just so we don’t get the glory, lol.)

Again, I understand that there are large tomes devoted to this subject, so don't come down too hard on what I did not include; this will eventually be a simple six or seven page handout for a Bible Study.

I am currently living in England, which is why the price for the books are in British Sterling, not Dollars.

[ponyespresso]

This is the Appendix I that I referred to under the heading “Which Bible should I study?” It is a one-page handout that shows the wide variations of different translations. I chose 1 John 3:17 because it was short, fairly self-contained and really brought out how much the various translations of the Bible go astray from the original text. If anyone has any better single scripture, though, I would be open for suggestions.

---

1 John 3:17 from the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament, 4th ed.

(in theory, the Greek text itself was supposed to go here, but I couldn't make it work. It will be on my handout, though. Here, however, is the word for word translation from the UBS Greek of 1 John 3:17)

now whoever has the (this) life’s possessions of the world and sees the brother of him need having and closes inner affections his from him how [does] the love of God abide in him?

King James Version

But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

New American Standard Version

But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

New Revised Standard Version

How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

New International Version

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

New Living Translation

But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help – how can God's love be in that person?

Contemporary English Version

If we have all we need and see one of our own people in need, we must have pity on that person, or else we cannot say we love God.

The Message

If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God's love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.

[ponyespresso]

I don't really have any ping lists as such, so if there is anyone you know that might be interested in this, or would have an opinion about how I could make this better, please ping them and let them know about my article.

Thank you.

pony

[RnMomof7]

I have a ping list..

I did a quick read as I am on my way out...did you mention that when we read scripture we should make certain that our interpretation is always consistant with the nature and attributes of God (that is how the cults get into trouble)

[computerjunkie]

Inductive Bible study is an excellent method, although it does require a lot of time. But it's worth it!!

I like your suggestion of printing out the text you are going to study to make it "uncluttered". Simple idea, but I had never thought of it!

Also noticed your reference to Anchor Bible Dictionary. I have it on CD and it is one of the best resources I have found!

[jude24]

Thanks for the ping Mom.

I tend to use the inductive method a fair amount. I'll read the portion several times before I even dream of cracking open a commentary (unless something shouts out to me.) Before I get to the phrase by phrase exegesis, though, I try to get a feeling for the flow of the book (usually try to come up with a thematic outline).

There are also six guiding questions I try to keep in the back of my mind:

1.) What do you like about this passage?

2.) What do you not like about this passage? (Hey, let's admit it -- we don't like certain things that the Bible teaches. That doesn't make it less true-- so we have to safeguard against that.)

3.) What does this passage communicate about God and His nature? Us and our nature? Our relationship to Him?

4.) What do you not understand about the passage?

5.) How will you apply this passage in your life? In the next week or so?

6.) What key word or phrase will you take with you to remember this week (for application)?

When they taught us these at Crusade, I must admit that a part of me on the inside scoffed. They seemed overly simplistic, and yet, as I've used them in my studies, they've really helped. It keeps the balance between the theological (questions 3 and 4) and the practical (5 and 6), which is something that before I struggled to keep.

[Jerry_M]

One hint: Never conduct a Bible study by reading a text and then asking your listeners "What does this mean to you?"

Unfortunately, this is how a grat number of so-called "Bible studies" are conducted, and this emphasis on the subjective observations of the group is a poor way to treat the Word.

Who cares what it "means to you"? What is important is what it means to God.

Here is great articleon this subject. (Taken from the May/June 2002 issue of SBC Life.)

Author-Centered Interpretation
by Jeff Robinson

It is washing over evangelicalism like the violent waters from a broken dam and its tepid backwash threatens to leave eternal damage in its wake: the reader-centered approach to interpreting Scripture.

It often begins with innocent intentions, in, say, a Sunday school class or mid-week Bible study. The "teacher" — or perhaps more accurately, facilitator — reads a passage of Scripture. He or she follows it with the question: "Now what does this text say to you?"

And around the room it goes with disjointed responses coming like a merry-go-round off its axis: "This part where Jesus feeds the 5,000 says to me that we should not be stingy and more like the little boy with the loaves and fishes."

Or the textus classicus me-centeredus, "Philippians 4:13 means I have the power to be anything I want to be and do anything I want to do because God gives me that power."

It is against this stream of fanciful subjectivity that Robert Stein has been swimming over the past thirty-two years. Stein, the Mildred and Ernest Hogan Professor of New Testament at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary since 1997, has established a hermeneutics program which he hopes to be his enduring legacy within evangelicalism. (Hermeneutics is the study of biblical interpretation.)

Stein teaches the author-centered approach to Scripture and employs a specific vocabulary in solving the question: "What is the author's meaning?"

"I am really frightened by how many evangelicals are buying into the reader-centered approach," said Stein. "And if you really believe that it's not the author who determines the meaning, then any doctrine of inspiration is ultimately irrelevant.

"If I'm the one that is inspired in reading the text and giving meaning to it then you have to come down real low with a view of inspiration to fit that. But if you believe that what the biblical author — Mark or Paul or John — what they meant is the word of God and they are inspired in writing this, then I want to know what they meant. I want to know what they meant, not treat the biblical text as kind of an inkblot that each one of us, with good imagination, sees something in it. I think that's the key issue we're facing."

Stein is a veteran of the hermeneutical battles. Prior to coming on staff at Southern, the Jersey City, N.J., native spent twenty-eight years as New Testament professor at Bethel College and Bethel Seminary in Minneapolis.

And he has contributed many works — including a dozen books and scores of articles and reviews — to the body of scholarly evangelical literature. Among his best-known books are Jesus the Messiah, published in 1996 by InterVarsity Press; The Synoptic Problem, first published in 1987 by Baker Books; and Playing By the Rules (Baker, 1994), the textbook used in Southern's hermeneutics classes.

Though Stein is troubled by the "reader-is-king" approach to Scripture, he does see encouraging signs of life among evangelical scholars. The pool of quality scholarship among evangelicals has deepened significantly in the past three decades, Stein says, to such a degree that evangelical scholars are now being taken seriously outside of Christian schools.

Stein says he keeps his target audience in mind when writing books.

"I wrote my Playing By the Rules for lay people," he said. "I kept in mind that I was not writing this for other professors of hermeneutics, I was not writing this so that reviewers would know how smart I am, but I constantly thought of the lay reader who would read this.

"I am very much angered by those who want to make hermeneutics so complicated that people don't know how to interpret the Bible. I think hermeneutics should be very down-to-earth and basically very helpful."

Stein's upbringing may have contributed to such conviction. He was reared in New Jersey, the youngest of two sons to German parents who immigrated to America in the roaring 20s. His brother is an attorney. Stein says his parents were uneducated but wise beyond knowledge that could be gained in any school. Their work ethic was such that it instilled in the two boys an integrity and grit that would serve them well in their careers.

"My mom's education is probably up to a fourth-grade level, my dad's up to a sixth- or seventh-grade level," he said. "They had a lot of wisdom — common sense wisdom. They had integrity — they kept their word, which was very special to them. They worked very hard and gave their sons a model of hard work."

The greatest issue that evangelicals will face in the 21st century is the location of the meaning of Scripture, Stein said.

"I don't think what the evangelical is going to be struggling with over the next twenty years is going to be how to interpret Genesis or creation or things of that nature. I don't think it's going to be an issue of inspiration. I think that was done in the 1970s and early-80s. I think the issue facing us is the issue of where is the meaning of the text to be found."

[drstevej]

Now the LDS approach is much easier.

"When your bosom glows, you know."

And when it glows no matter what the text actually says in its historical grammatical context you can be sure you are right and you can act superior to all those silly people who use concordances, etc.

BTW, your material looks very useful. Two books I have found helpful.
Mortimer Adler, How to Read a Book
Howard G. Hendricks, Living by the Book

[don-o]

I think the issue facing us is the issue of where is the meaning of the text to be found."

Intriguing. And it absolutely goes to the heart of the question that has been discussed often here: "How does one know that a particular interpretation, or a system of interpretation is the correct one?"

I would be interested in seeing other things that this man has written.

[Salvation]

We often forget that the apostles were afraid so I like to include the lead-in as well as the follow-up statement to that instruction by Jesus:

16

⁸ The eleven ⁹ disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.

17

¹⁰ When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.

18

¹¹ Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19

Go, therefore, ¹² and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,

20

teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. ¹³ And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

[Uri’el-2012]

?We come to the Scripture to be changed, not to amass information.?(2)

(2) Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1978), p. 69.

Be very careful in your reading of Foster as he supports the Rhema school of belief
contained in the writings of Kenneth Hagin , Kenneth Copeland and others.

Further he is a follower of Agnes Sanford and her book Healing Light.

Agnes Sanford believed "experience comes before theology." She taught various visualization techniques, teaching that one could forgive another's sins through visualization.  The technique of visualization became the key to her inner healing teachings. One visualizes a situation in the past, then visualizes Jesus coming into their circumstance to solve the problem. She stated "I believe imagination is one of the most important keys to effective praying . . . God touches me through my imagination . . . Imagination is one of the keys to the relationship of prayer with God." "Prayer through the imagination . . . picturing the healing." She also promoted Jungian psychotherapy, and believed Jesus became a part of the collective unconscious of the human race.   Sanford called God "primal energy,?  ?the very life-force existing in a radiation of an energy ... from which all things evolved," that ?God ... made everything out of Himself and  He put a part of Himself into everything" and called Jesus "that most profound of psychiatrists."  Sanford's pastor was Morton Kelsey who studied at the C.G. Jung Institute near Zurich, Switzerland, and who became a Jungian psychologist, as did Sanford's son, John Sanford.

He is a practicing Quaker.

---

If you are going to try to devote yourself to serious, continuous Bible study, I would recommend buying an exhaustive concordance and a Bible dictionary or encyclopaedia as the most essential resources for your library. Here are two examples of good resources:

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, D. N. Freedman, ed. Grand Rapids, Mich. Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2000 (£24.73 from Amazon.co.uk)
Anchor Bible Dictionary (6 volume set), D. N. Freedman, ed, NY, Doubleday, 1992 (£197.84 from Amazon.co.uk)

For a serious study of the Word of G-d,

You might want to look at this resource : Master Christian Library, V. 8

Matthew 23:39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say,
`Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" [Psalm 118:26]


Barukh haba b'Shem Adonai
Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord
Y'shua HaMashiach

chuck <truth@YeshuaHaMashiach>

[OLD REGGIE]

Re. Bible Study:

Thanks, excellent article. I have saved it in my Documents folder for future, and continuous, reference.

[ponyespresso]

I have a ping list..

Thank you!

I did a quick read as I am on my way out...did you mention that when we read scripture we should make certain that our interpretation is always consistant with the nature and attributes of God (that is how the cults get into trouble)

I guess I would ask you how exactly anyone arrives at the correct nature and attributes of God unless through Scripture, right? I mean, how did you come to your knowledge of the nature and attributes of God?

[Ff--150]

Be very careful in your reading of Foster as he supports the Rhema school of belief contained in the writings of Kenneth Hagin , Kenneth Copeland and others.

OH NO! GOD HELP US! The EVIL Rhema school, AND Kenneth Hagin--AND Kenneth Copeland. GOD SAVE US FROM THESE DEMONS!!!!!!!!!

[ponyespresso]

Inductive Bible study is an excellent method, although it does require a lot of time. But it's worth it!!

I see these things like "The 5 minute Bible Study" or some such crap and I just think that, IMO, there is no way they anyone using stuff like that is getting the solid food of the Word of God.

All this stuff, study, meditation, fasting, praying, worshiping, they ALL take up a lot of time. Good. What else do we have to do with our lives but spend it knowing and loving our Saviour, right?

Sorry, it's a tangent. Didn't mean to take it out on you, lol.

I like your suggestion of printing out the text you are going to study to make it "uncluttered". Simple idea, but I had never thought of it!

Actually, what I've been doing is making folders for the book that I am studying. For example, I am working through Numbers, so I print out the whole book; that way I can scribble all over it with notes and thoughts. Then, when I get to words or things I want to research (like the concept of redemption in Numbers chap. 3) I photocopy the articles from secondary sources (or what I have downloaded from the internet) and keep them in the folder.

Ideally I will have 66 really full folders at the end of it (which, at the rate it is going, will be in about 35-50 years.)

[ponyespresso]

Good questions. I think I might to try to incorporate some of those ideas; espically the one about what key word or phrase will you take with you this week? It has an immediacy that I like.

[ponyespresso]

One hint: Never conduct a Bible study by reading a text and then asking your listeners "What does this mean to you?"

Unfortunately, this is how a grat number of so-called "Bible studies" are conducted, and this emphasis on the subjective observations of the group is a poor way to treat the Word.

Who cares what it "means to you"? What is important is what it means to God.

Scary stuff. Do you think the lesson plan I've posted encourages such subjective obervations? Or, should I include a stronger warning about sticking to what the text is saying, rather than how you *feel* about the text?

[ponyespresso]

BTW, your material looks very useful. Two books I have found helpful.
Mortimer Adler, How to Read a Book
Howard G. Hendricks, Living by the Book

How to Read a Book; read it, loved it, will strongly consider including it in my resourses because several other people have suggested it to me as well.

Living by the Book; honestly never heard of it before, but will try to find it here.

thanks

[Uri’el-2012]

XS>Be very careful in your reading of Foster as he supports the Rhema school of belief contained in the writings of Kenneth Hagin , Kenneth Copeland and others.
XS>OH NO! GOD HELP US! The EVIL Rhema school, AND Kenneth Hagin--AND Kenneth Copeland. GOD SAVE US FROM THESE DEMONS!!!!!!!!!

14 posted on 02/22/2003 10:48 AM MST by Ff--150 (Praying in the Holy Ghost)

I pray that you understand the difference between Rhema ( the word itself as spoken by man) and Logos( the Word of G-d).

Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the
Thessalonians, for they received the message with great
eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if
what Paul said was true.

chuck <truth@YeshuaHaMashiach>

[drstevej]

Howard Hendrick has taught Bible Study Methods at Dallas Seminary for decades and has taught thousands of seminarians (including yours truly) inductive Bible study. This text is the core of his course. It is very readable and has lots of examples.