The Basic Steps Of Bible Study
I have been teaching people how to read and study the Bible for many years now -- and it is an extremely rewarding endeavor. It is a new day in the life of a person of faith when they begin to learn how to feed themselves spiritually from the Scriptures. I find it amazing -- and a bit amusing -- that most people who believe that the Bible is important are nevertheless not well acquainted with even the most rudimentary of understandings of the basic steps of Bible study.
Let me share something with you that I hope will be a very liberating truth: learning to study the Bible for yourself does not require you to be a theological expert -- or even a deeply mystical, spiritual person -- effective Bible study is largely the utilization of the proper set of techniques. After all, we don't think of a person as being mystical and different simply because they know how to drive an automobile to attend a religious service -- driving a car is simply a matter of developing the right kinds of skills and abilities. Studying the Bible is a lot like that: use the proper approach, and you'll gain many valuable insights. This is not to minimize the importance of the spiritual dimension -- spiritual sensitivity is required of everyone -- but it doesn't mean that Bible study is only for the spiritually gifted or the "experts" -- the Bible was given to everyone.
No matter which method you choose to use to study the Scriptures, they usually boil down to three distinct steps: observation -- interpretation -- and application. Let me briefly describe what each of these are about.
Observation: Learning to Be a Detective
Our first task as Bible students is to learn to observe -- to see what is really there. Many students of the Scriptures fail at just this point -- they see something in the text that doesn't actually exist. Have you ever wondered why some people can read and study the Bible and get so much meaning from it -- while others will read a passage and have no clue as to the meaning of what they have just read?
Getting meaning from our Bible study begins with learning to ask the right kinds of questions from the text: Who? What? Where? When? How? When we approach a passage to study it, our first need is to capture all of the information that is contained there -- we need to learn to be a detective -- a spiritual detective -- because the basis of our understanding of the meaning of the text will be determined by what we have observed in it.
One technique that I always follow when I am studying the Scriptures is to begin by outlining them. I do my outlining in a very special way. First of all, I use a translation of the Bible that groups the verses into predefined paragraphs. On a separate line of paper, I will list the verses that make up a particular paragraph, place a ":", and then attempt to give a brief title or heading for that paragraph. Doing this forces me to pay attention to the CONTENT of the text as I go -- trying to write a succinct heading for each paragraph can be a challenge, but when I am done outlining a passage in this way, I will usually have a good grasp on what I have read. Now it's time to proceed to the next step --
Interpretation: What Does It All Mean?
Having asked some basic questions from the text that I am studying -- having sharpened my focus by outlining it -- I am now ready for the next step -- interpretation. I cannot stress to you how important it is that you understand the difference between observation and interpretation! In the observation stage we are simply coming to an understanding of the text as it stands before us. Interpretation involves a search for "meaning" -- what is the meaning, purpose, or significance of this passage of the Scriptures?
A quick example may serve to illustrate the difference: When we read the opening chapters of the book of Genesis, we understand that the text says, in Genesis 1, that God's creative activity spanned seven days. This is a simple statement of observation. Now if we ask ourselves the question, "What does the word 'day' refer to? A 24-hour day, or some other period of time?" That is an interpretive question -- by asking this question we indicate that we are seeking meaning.
It is also very important for you to understand that if your OBSERVATION of the text is incorrect or incomplete, and then your INTERPRETATION will be incorrect as well. Many people mishandle the Bible by not paying attention to the details -- their personal doctrines do not, in fact, square with all the little details that they have conveniently chosen to ignore. Think of it this way: in Bible study you are building a house -- observation is the foundation; interpretation is the superstructure. If the foundation is faulty, the building will be unsafe.
Application: Relating Personally to the Text
Assuming that our observation and interpretation has proceeded smoothly, what is the next step? It is application. At this point I must stop and emphasize: application comes last. Many people do not study the Bible in the right way because they seek to find a personal application in the text before they have done the necessary preliminary work (detailed observation, and careful interpretation). If you jump into a Bible text and construct an "application" right away -- how do you know that it is appropriate? The only way you will know is if you have worked with the text in the proper way.
A Final Note
In this article on the basic steps of Bible study, we are simply trying to get you moving in the right direction -- you will need to spend a lifetime learning what observation, interpretation and application are all about. Also, throughout this site you will find a number of article pages that detail some of the more popular -- and useful -- methods of studying the Bible. While each approach can bring benefits, it is important to understand that no one particular approach will meet everyone's needs at all times in their life. For maximum benefit, and to maintain a sense of interest and enthusiasm, you should vary your Bible study methods from time to time.
Bible Study Methods The Basic Steps Of Bible Study Understanding Bible Translation Differences Choosing A Good Study Bible Book-by-Book Bible Study The ABC Bible Study Method The Markup Bible Study Method Theme Bible Study Bible Study Software Guide 6-Year Bible Study Plan Our Privacy Policy |
