Inductive Bible Study

First of all, I want to state up front that I am NO Bible expert and I am certainly not an expert on inductive Bible study.  I was first introduced to Inductive Bible Study from Courtney over at Women Living Well.  She did a post about “How to Study Your Bible With Colored Pencils”.  I had never heard of such a thing, but I was intrigued.  So, she introduced me to Kay Arthur’s books about the Inductive Bible study method.

So, just WHAT is inductive Bible study?  It’s a systematical way of digging into the Word of God.  Inductive Bible study is broken down into 3 parts, observation, interpretation, and application.  But before we get into the different parts, I want to talk about the tools you will need to do inductive study.

1. You will need a copy of the book you’d like to study, printed out on paper using double space between each line and with extra wide margins for notes.  I simply print out my own .  I go to Unbound Bible and simply choose the Bible version I want and the book I want and then click search.  This will pull up the entire book.  I then copy and paste the text to my MS Word.  I then set the margins wider and double space.  I also have each chapter of the book on a new page (using page breaks).  Then print.
2. You will need a set of colored pencils and pens.  I  use Crayola 12ct Twistable Colored Pencils.  These work great for me and I don’t have to worry about sharpening them .  I also use a set of highlighters (pink,  orange, yellow, green, and blue) and a set of gel pens (red, purple, green and blue)
3. You will also need a pen for writing notes (I use black)
4. you will need paper, I simply use regular notebook paper, I prefer college rule.
5. A dictionary, just a good basic one.  I would love to get the American Dictionary of the English Language (1828 Facsimile Edition)(Noah Webster’s), but until I can afford it, I’m just using what I have.
6. Strong’s Concordance, keyed to the Bible version you plan on using (I prefer KJV). I use one similar to this one, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible Expanded Edition

While not required, I also like to have a couple of other Bible versions available to refer to.  I have the New King James and New American Standard Version.

Before you begin, I always start my Bible study with prayer.  I like to pray for understanding of what I’m reading and to be shown areas that I need to apply to my own life.

Observation is when you just read through the book and observe what’s going on.  Answering the simple questions who?, what?, when?, where?, why? and how? (WWWWW&H)  As you read through, you will find key words/phrases (words often repeated), people, place and times.  You will mark these items with your colored pencils in a distinctive way to help you recognize them.   You may also observe lists in which you want to keep track of.  Also, look up words you don’t understand.   Basically this step is to help you get the gist of what’s going on and what the book is about (key words).  During this step, I read Titus at least 12 times! 

The next step is interpretation.  This is basically discovering just what the Bible is saying.  For this step, I used my dictionary and my Strong’s.  I took the key words and looked up each instance it was found in the book in my Strong’s and made a note of the Strong’s number, definition and how the word was translated in the Bible.  I then made list of what I observed for each key word.   I look up in the dictionary any words I don’t understand and also refer to my other Bible versions when I need help clarifying something. I also write up a summary of what I have learned from the lists I made about the key words in the observation step of the study.   During this step I read Titus at least 3 times.

The final step is application.  This is where you learn how to apply Bible truths to your own personal life.  You get reproof, correction and training on doctrine.  You apply the doctrine/truth you’ve learned to your own life.  You correct misunderstanding in doctrine.  As I read the Word, there are always certain verses that really POP out to me.  This is the Holy Spirit showing me Scripture that I need work on in my personal life.  I mark these verses in a special way.   For these verses, I like to use the SOAP method.  I do the SOAP method on each of these verses that POP out to me. 

So, this is how I do an inductive Bible study.  I don’t follow all the steps listed in Kay Arthur’s book, but I took what worked for me and added a few things I’ve learned in other places (like the SOAP method).  This method was great to use and I ended up reading Titus at least 15 times, which really helped me to remember what I read and helps me to “hide” His Word in my heart.  I really grew from this study and am now looking forward to more Inductive studies!  I’m currently working through the smaller books of the New Testament, until I get the hang of it and then I’ll give a try on a longer book.  I’d like to work this way through the entire New Testament and then start working through the Old Testament.  My Titus study took over a month to do, but I worked in small chunks of time when I could.  It could certainly be done faster if you set aside a specific time for it each day, say an hour.   I have grown so much as a Christian, just by doing one inductive study, and can’t wait wait to see how I grow with each additional one I do!!  I cannot recommend this Bible study method enough!

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