Grace Institute: Bible Study Methods: Understanding

Understanding Bible Study Methods Winter 2009

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February 1, 2009: Understanding

Homework due Feburary 8

Various Methods of Bible Study

Academic Approaches to Bible Study

Today there are several ways bible scholars approach studying the bible. These approaches are based on presuppositions regarding the nature of the scriptures. That is, those who believe the bible to be inspired by God approach the scriptures much differently than those who don't. Likewise, there are those who believe the scriptures to have multiple layers beyond its obvious message. This has given rise to at least four primary academic approaches to Scriptures:

• Allegory – Interpreting the Scriptures to have a mystical or spiritual interpretation beyond the literal meaning of a passage.
• Liberal – Interpreting the Scriptures from an academic perspective which rejects the possibility of the supernatural or transcendental inspiration.
• Neo-Orthodox – Interpreting the Scripture from a perspective that believes the Bible can only imperfectly point us to the true Word of God, Jesus Christ.
• Literal or “Plain” – Accepting the literally rendering of the Scriptures unless the text specifically gives us reason not to.

Rationale for “Plain” Interpretation

In this class, we will be using the literal or “plain” interpretative approach. Because we hold to the inspiration of the scriptures, the liberal and neo-orthodox approaches are not appropriate. Furthermore, the allegorical approach does not have any valid basis in the scriptures:

• Jesus never made an allegorical interpretation of the Old Testament. Paul only used allegorical interpretation on very rare occasions, and then only in a restrained manner (Fink 1994) .
• Old Testament prophecies have been fulfilled literally, indicating that these prophecies were not meant to be considered as allegories (Ryrie, 113) .
• I John 2:27 rejects the idea that there are multiple layers of meaning beyond the simple message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Only the “plain” interpretation can be objective. If we use an allegorical approach, then interpretation becomes an exercise in creative thinking rather than an object attempt to discover truth (Ryrie, 113) .
• Language, which was given by God, is intended to provide communication in a normal, plain manner (Ryrie, 113) .

Pragmatic Approaches to Bible Study

However, even among those who hold to the plain interpretation of scripture, there are a multitude of practical approaches to studying God's Word. Many of these approaches are as dangerous as an allegorical or liberal interpretation (Wecks, 12) :

• The Chapter Check-off Method – This is when we read a chapter a day just because we are supposed to, and not to gain any understanding or application from it. It's the “chapter-a-day keeps the devil away” philosophy.
• The Commentary Crutch Method – This is when we read a commentary or the study notes with more interest than we do the text itself rather than do our own independent study of a passage.
• The Dart Board Method – This is when we randomly open the bible and just start reading without any strategy to our study.
• The Proof Text Method – This is using the text to support my opinion rather than letting text determine my opinion.
• The Surfing Method – This is just skipping around the surface of the bible, moving from verse-to-verse without ever stopping to dig into a passage.

Inductive Bible Study

Principles of Inductive Bible Study

The approach we will be using in this class is called Inductive Bible Study. There are two hallmarks of inductive bible study (Traina, 6-9) :

Inductive

In the deductive method or the “scientific” method the student first develops a hypothesis and then tests that hypothesis with the evidence. In deductive bible study, the student begins with a generalization or a hypothesis and then looks to support this from the scripture. This approach tends to be subjective and is by nature prejudicial.

Inductive study means to let the text speak for itself without any preconceived notions or ideas of what we expect it to say. It is an objective approach which does not presuppose what the text says before we get to it.

It should be noted there is no such thing a pure induction, for it is impossible to let go of all our preconceptions. It is important that we are aware of this, for otherwise, we can arrogantly and ignorantly be just reaffirming our subjective opinions. However, as much as it is possible, we need to let the scripture speak for itself rather than use it to support our opinions.

Independent

Inductive bible study requires that the student do his or her own research and not rely on the interpretation of others. Inductive bible study emphasizes letting the text speak for itself, forcing students to immerse themselves in the biblical passage rather than in commentaries or study helps. As we will see, there is a place for commentaries and study bibles, but only as an aid and only after the text itself has been thoroughly explored.

Overview of Inductive Bible Study

Finally, Inductive Bible Study is methodical. There is a proper path to follow to determine what the Scriptures are saying. There are specific steps necessary in order to keep our approach inductive and independent. Skipping one of the steps or taking the steps out of order will result in a less effective understanding and application of the scripture (Wecks, 12) .

Step #1 – Observation

When studying a passage of the bible, we begin by observing that passage. We begin our study by asking, what does the text say . It requires that we be good readers. It requires that we be detectives. And, it requires that we look at the big picture. But we always want to know what does the text say . To accomplish this we must look for and understand the following components of any passage:

• Terms – the meaning of the specific words in a passage.
• Structure – the parts of speech in a sentence, and the development of sentences within a paragraph.
• Literary Forms – understanding the structure of different literary genres.
• Atmosphere – understanding the historical context of the passage.

Step #2 – Interpretation

After observing the passage, we are ready to interpret the passage. We are ready to ask the question, what is the point of the passage ? There is only one true interpretation of any passage of scripture. That interpretation is the meaning, principle, or point that the original author was trying to communicate to his original readers.

In interpretation, we are attempting to stand in the author's shoes and ask, what did he mean? What was he trying to say? What principle was the author trying to communicate? What is the key point of the passage to the original readers? To accomplish this we:

• Ask interpretative questions – Developing questions are the key to interpretation.
• Utilize good hermeneutics – There are specific rules of interpretation which will guide our understanding of a passage.

Step #3 – Correlation

The Bible never contradict itself. Therefore, we must always check our interpretation against other passages of scripture to make sure we have the proper interpretation. The correlation step asks, where does the passage fit in the overall teaching of God's word ? This requires that we:

• Capture the unique contribution of the text
• Let Scripture interpret scripture

Step #4 – Verification

Up to this point, our study has been independent, using only the bible and tools which help the observation process. However, in this step we must ask, is the meaning I discovered the best meaning ? How have others understood this passage? If our interpretation is so unique that no one else in the history of the church has come up with this, our interpretation is on shaky ground. Therefore we look the good bible commentators to verify our interpretation. To do this we will learn:

• How to choose a good commentary
• How to use a good commentary

Step #5 – Application

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1:22)

It is not enough to know what the passage says, or even what it means. We must make the bridge from knowing about the Bible to living it. This is called Application . Here we ask the question, what does the point or principle of the passage mean to me ? How does it work in my own life? What does it mean to me today? This is a three step process of:

• Determining the timeless principle.
• Personalizing the principle.
• Practicing the principle.

Observing the Scripture

When studying a passage of the bible, we begin by observing that passage. We begin our study by asking, what does the text say . It requires that we be good readers. It requires that we be detectives. And, it requires that we look at the big picture. But we always want to know “ what does the text say .”

Learning to Read

• Read better and faster. Some of us struggle with our reading skills. Some of us devour books. All of us could learn to read better and read faster. Reading better means retaining more of the meaning. Reading faster allows us to see the bigger picture, but should never be such so as to sacrifice our reading comprehension.
• Read as if for the first time. – Use an unmarked text without study notes.
• Read it inquisitively. – Ask questions while you are reading. The key is to be active and engaged as you read, and if you keep asking questions your mind will remain on the text.
• Read Prayerfully . - We tend to think of Bible Study and prayer as separate disciplines. But prayer is the key to effective Bible study. Learn to pray before, during, and after your reading of scripture.
• Read Repeatedly – Don't settle for just reading a passage one time. Read it again and again. Try reading an entire book at one setting. Try reading different translations. Try reading aloud, or listening to the Bible on tapes. Be creative and work to make it interesting. But give yourself repeated exposure to the same passage. Set a regular time each day to read the Bible and pray.

Impress them (God's commandments) on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:7-9)

• Read Meditatively - Don't just read it, but think about it. Mull over it. Contemplate the passage over the course of the entire day. One very effective way to meditate on God's Word is to memorize a verse or a passage of scripture.

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:8)

Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. (Psalm 119:97)

 The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. (Psalm 119:72)

• Read Purposely - Purposeful reading looks for the aim of the author. Every word of every verse is there for a reason. When reading we want to read to understand the author's purpose in writing. . Look for:
• Things which are emphasized – How much space is devoted to a topic? Does the passage tell you its purpose plainly? What is the order of topics or events? Does the passage increase or decrease in intensity?
• Things that are repeated – Are there words or themes that are repeated? Are there patterns that are followed?
• Things that are related – Is there a movement from the general to specific? Does the passage use a “question and answer” format? Does the passage state a cause and effect relationship?
• Things that are Alike and Unlike – Does the author use a simile or a metaphor? Are their contrasting words used, like but or however? Is the author using irony? Always keep in mind, as we read, that we want to know What Does the Text Say .
• Read Strategically - One of the biggest mistakes people make when reading the Bible is selecting a passage at random, or choosing books without considering why they want to review a passage. Taking a little time to strategically read through the bible is important. Try choosing a reading plan, and stick with it.

Making Observations

The first exercise in inductive bible study is to make a list of observations from the target passage. An observation is a complete statement of one thought that is true according to the text.

Observations do not try to determine meaning. Meaning comes from the interpretation phase. Therefore, observation statements use the same words as the text and does not make any assumption about the meaning of those words by replacing them with synonyms.

Where the process of observation become difficult is when the text doesn't make sense. But observation doesn't try to create meaning or sense of the text, but merely observe what it says. Avoid short circuiting the process by beginning to assign meaning to early.

Finally, the task of observation is an on-going task, and one should never think they have exhausted all there is to observe.

Observation Guidelines

1. The statement should be a simple sentence, not a compound sentence.
2. Observations are true according to the target text.
3. Observations may refer to the relevant context (e.g. using the context to determine the antecedent to a pronoun).
4. Observations are not correlations with other scripture portions.
5. Observation is not speculation. Avoid words like might, maybe, and perhaps.
6. Observations can build on one another.
7. Observations are positive statements. Don't state what the text doesn't say.
8. Observations should not use the pronouns I, me, my, we, us, etc. This is application, not observation.
9. A good observation observes more than simple grammar (e.g. rather than saying “God loved the world,” say “God's love was in the past.”)
10. Observations should avoid meaningless numerology observations. Observing that that a verse has 45 words is not helpful to the process.

Observational Questions

The key to the observational process is to continually asking questions as you approach the text. Some of your questions will have to wait until the interpretation step to be answered. Other questions will result in additional observations about the passage.

You have to learn the difference between “observational” questions and “interpretive” questions. Observational questions answer the questions, “who, what, where, when, why, and how.” If the text answers these questions, write them the answers as observations. Interpretive questions ask, “what does this mean?” On a separate sheet of paper, write down your interpretive questions for answering later.

Here are some questions you can ask to help spark additional observations in a passage:

Where?

• Where is are the events of the passage taking place?
• Are there any geographic identifiers in the passage?
• Is the text closely connected with a geographic setting?
• Is there movement from one location to another?
• From where are the people going or coming?
• Are there any topographical references (e.g. above, below, high, low, etc.)
• Are there any relationships between two locations?

When?

• When are the events of the passage taking place?
• What are the time references in the passage?
• What tenses do the verbs use?
• Are there any references to frequency?
• Are there any references to sequence or cause and effect?
• Are there references to the time frame between different events?

Who?

• Who is involved in the passage? (List all the persons mentioned)
• What are the relationships between the persons in the passage?
• Who are the antecedents to every pronoun in the passage?
• Who is doing what in the passage? (List out the activity of each person mentioned).

How?

• How do the events of the passage happen?
• Are there any processes mentioned?
• How are each of the persons mentioned related to these processes?
• How did each event come about? (Be careful not to interpret!)
• How did the setting (time and place) influence the events of the passage?

What?

• What is happening in the passage?
• What events take place?
• What is the sequence of these events?
• What is the most important or climatic event?
• What is the response of the participants?
• What role do each participant play in the events?

Why?

• Why are these events taking place?
• What cause and effect relationships are in the passage?
• What is the author's intent or purpose in writing?
• Be careful not to interpret. Only make observations of the whys if they are specifically disclosed in the text.