Inductive Bible study in four questions
A deeper way to study a book of the Bible: observe, interpret, correlate, apply. Ideal for groups and for longer personal study.
Inductive study means letting the text lead. Instead of starting with what we want a passage to say, we look carefully at what it does say, then work outward. It is the method many pastors and teachers use to prepare, and anyone can learn it.
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:11, KJV)
1. What does it say? (Observation) Read the passage several times, ideally in one sitting. Mark what you see. - People, places and times. - Repeated words and phrases. - Commands, promises and warnings. - Connecting words like "therefore", "but", "because" and "so that". They show the argument.
2. What did it mean then? (Interpretation) Ask what the author meant for the first readers. - What kind of writing is this: history, poetry, prophecy, letter, gospel? - What was happening in the lives of the people who first heard it? - What is the main point of the paragraph in one sentence?
3. What does the rest of Scripture say? (Correlation) Scripture interprets Scripture. Look up the cross-references in your Bible or ask: where else does the Bible talk about this? A clear passage helps explain a harder one.
4. What does it mean for me now? (Application) Truth always meets real life somewhere. - Is there a sin to confess, a promise to trust, a command to obey, an example to follow? - What will I do differently this week, and who will I tell?
Using it with a group Give everyone the passage a week ahead. At the gathering, spend the most time on questions 1 and 2. Groups that rush to application miss what the text is actually saying. Close by having each person share one application, then pray for each other by name.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16–17, KJV)