How to Study the Bible
How to Study the Bible For the Christian, there is no greater authority in this life than the Bible. In it, God reveals Himself and His desires for humanity. Thus, it is of the utmost importance for all who claim to be disciples of Christ to learn how to study the Scriptures. And, since the Bible is God’s revelation, our goal is to discover what He intended for us to understand. Though, this is not always easy, its rewards make the work worth it. The first step in Bible study is the choice of a passage. The amount one studies can vary from a verse or two, to an entire chapter. The main rule to keep in mind is to choose enough verses so that a complete thought is presented. For example, Ephesians 1:3 is not long enough to study, since it is not even a full sentence. Adding a few more verses is also too short, since the entire thought is not completed until verse 14. Thus, one might want to choose Ephesians 1:3-14. The paragraph breaks in an English translation are helpful in this area. Usually the translators who put them together tried to include a complete argument, story, or thought in a paragraph. After choosing a paragraph (or so), you want to read not only the passage, but also its context (or surrounding portions of text). This may mean reading the chapter or two before and after your chosen verses. In a short book (like Ruth, Colossians, etc.), it may be profitable to read it in its entirety. This has understandable advantages. In a story, knowing the events before and after what you are studying will help you get a feel for what is going on. In an epistle (Romans to Jude), knowing what the entire letter is about will help you understand what is important about your portion. When you have become acquainted with the text for study, a three-step method is used to examine the passage. OVERVIEW OF THE OIA METHOD Step 1: Observation (Discover the facts) Key Questions: who, what, where, when, why, how Key Process: Make lists Step 2: Interpretation (Recover the original meaning) Key Questions: What, why, how Key Process: Identify the author’s intent Step 3: Application (Uncover the truth for today) Key Questions: How is it relevant? Key Process: Move from the original to the contemporary context How to Study the Bible I How to Study the Bible STEP 1: Observation (Discover the facts) Key Questions: Who, what, where, when why, how > Who Who are the characters in the story? How is each one described? • Who is being addressed? • Who is doing the addressing? • Who is the author? • What do we know of him? • • > What What is happening? What has happened? • What will happen? • Note the order and detail of the events, actions and conversations of the people in the story. • What is known about the persons, places and time references? • • > Where Where does the story take place? Is it famous or of special significance? • Locating it on the map helps to visualize it. • • > When When does the story take place? What is the time element? • To find this information, you may have to look at surrounding passages. • • > Why Why do the events happen? Why do the characters act and react the way they do? • Why did the author record this story? • Why did he place it here? • • > How How does the story happen or unfold? How does it end? • How do the events and actions of those in the story shape that ending? • How is the story told (style)? • • II How to Study the Bible How to Study the Bible STEP 1: Observation (Discover the facts) Key Process: Make lists Type Definition Examples Atmosphere General tone or mood of the text and changes in mood as you read through the chapter and book. I John is very pastoral: readers called children, beloved, etc. Key words, ideas, or concepts Which seem important or stand our in the passage? Mark 1:21-27: authority Repetition Repeated words often give clues as to the main focus of a passage. Mark 1:1-13: baptism Continuity The repeated use of similar words, phrases, ideas/ Phil.” Brother, partner, fellow worker Emphasis Emphatic actions, statements or words; may reveal feelings of the writer. Mark 11:23: I tell you the truth… Commands, warnings, promises Note imperative verbs, promises with conditions. Mark 13:33: Be on guard! John 15:14: You are my friends if you do what I command. Questions How does the question function? Does it introduce an idea? Summarize a point? Challenge thinking? Mark 4:30: What shall we say the kingdom of God is like or what parable shall we use to describe it? Comparisons Association of things that are opposite, different; often introduced with the word “but.” Mark 11:17: My house shall be called a house of prayer... But you have made it a den of robbers. Illustrations Used to help make a point or clarify it. Matt. 6:28-30: …why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies grow… Cause and Effect/Means to an End When “a” is done, “b” happens / ”a” is done intentionally so that “b” will happen. Mark 1: The mighty acts of Jesus caused crowds to flock to him. Also, if-then statements. How to Study the Bible III How to Study the Bible Type Definition Examples Sequence, progression of ideas Movement from particular to general idea or activity. Mark 1:29-34: Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law, then many people. Climax Progression from lesser to the greater to the greatest. Mark 11-16: Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem to crucifixion to resurrection. Preparation or introduction Inclusion of background or setting for events or ideas by which the reader is prepared to understand the events that follow. Mark 1:1-13: Quotation from Isaiah prepares reader for appearance of John the Baptist. Omissions That which seems important but isn’t mentioned or explained. Mark 11:12-14: Why did Jesus really curse the fig tree? Important connectives (prepositions/ conjunctions) Reveal key ideas and relationship: but = contrast; if = conditional clause; for, because, therefore = reason and results; in, into, with = important connectives. Gal. 2:19: For through the law I died so that I might live for God. Grammatical Construction Notice verbs and tenses, the use of pronouns, adverbs, and adjectives. Eph. 4:14: Then we will no longer be... tossed... blown... by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in the deceitful scheming. Literary Form Note if the passage is discourse, narrative, poetic, etc. Paul’s writings are letters. General Structure Arrangement of ideas in the passage; relationship of verses; statements; examples; lists Matt. 6:25-34: General statement, then elaboration about worrying and faith. IV How to Study the Bible How to Study the Bible STEP 2: Interpretation (Recover the original meaning) Key Questions: What, why, how > Significance What is the significance of a key word, phrase or statement? What is the significance of the verb tenses, connectives and the way the grammar is constructed? • What is the significance of the observed patterns (contrasts, repetitions, etc.)? • • > Meaning • • What is the meaning of the word, phrase, or statement? How could it be defined? > Implication • • What is implied by the use of a particular term or phrase? What is implied by the use of a question or illustration? > Relationship What is the relationship of words to other words? One part of a verse to another part? • What about verses to verses, paragraphs to paragraphs, chapters to chapters? • What is the relationship between the beginning and end of a chapter or section? • • > Progression: What, if any, is the progression in the thought pattern? Does it move toward a climax? • Is one idea built on another? • Is there any significance to the order of words or ideas in a series? • • > Literal or figurative • Should a term or statement be considered literally or figuratively? STEP 2: Interpretation (Uncover the original meaning) Key Process: Identify the author’s intent > Pray and meditate Pray and meditate on your observations. Ask the Lord to give you understanding through His Holy Spirit. • Ask Him to guide your thinking and give you an open mind and heart. • Know that God wants to not only teach you but fellowship with you and transform your life. • • How to Study the Bible V How to Study the Bible > Define key words, terms, and phrases Use your observations to examine more closely the words and phrases that help you get at the meaning of the text. • Use a Bible dictionary and concordance. • Seek to find the meaning of words/ideas in their original context. • > Consider cultural and historical context When was it written? To and by whom? • What do we know of the author? • Use references to look up info on the culture in which the passage was written, the people in the story and those for whom it was written. • • > Note literary type • • What type of writing is this (e.g. gospel, narrative, etc.)? How does knowing the type help to interpret the text? > Paraphrase Try to rewrite important phrases or the entire passage in your own words to further get at the meaning. • > Compare Scripture with Scripture • • Look at other translations and cross-references. Look at the sources of any verses quoted in the text. > Identify Put yourself in the passage: Ask yourself what it must have been like. Feel, taste, smell, see, hear, live the story or passage. • What do you discover? • Then, try to get into the “skim” of the characters. • What were they thinking and feeling? • • STEP 2: Interpretation (Uncover the original meaning) Key Process: Identify the author’s intent (continued) > Discover “indicators” What does the passage indicate about God? About the persons involved? • Other issues? • • VI How to Study the Bible How to Study the Bible > Determine significance Why is the passage here? How is it important to the message of the book? • What is the significance of the actions, questions, words, places, etc.? • • > Notice literary context • • How does this text relate to what precedes and follows? Notice the relationships between words, parts, and paragraphs. > Wrestle What are the implications of this text for the people in it? For the original leaders? • How did they hear the text? • Try to draw some conclusions. • • > Consult • Look at commentaries to compare your conclusion with those of others. > Summarize and record Summarize your interpretation into principles or generalizations. Try to state clearly the main point of the author. • Write it down. • • STEP 3: Application (Uncover the truth for today) Key Questions: How is it relevant? > What am I to know… About God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit? About myself/ourselves, others, or the world? • About God’s grace, love, forgiveness, etc.? • About sin? • • > What I am to think… About values? About attitudes? • About convictions and principles? • About perspectives? • • > What am I to feel? Compassion or empathy? Conviction or motivation? • Excitement or gratitude to God? • • How to Study the Bible VII How to Study the Bible > What I am to do… Act out of conviction? Confess and repent? • Try something new? • Reconcile? • Avoid or take specific action? • Reflect, pray, offer praise, or memorize Scripture? • • > What areas am I to become more like Christ… Character? Ministry? • Obedience? • Relationships? • Actions, attitudes or values? • • > How I am to relate… To God and His church? To family and friends? • To leaders, employers, co-workers, strangers, and neighbors? • To the community, nation and world? • • STEP 3: Application (Uncover the truth for today) Key Process: Move from the original to the contemporary context > Pray and meditate • • Ask God to help you to apply the meaning of the text. Meditate on the main point you derived from your interpretation work. > Consider the original context and intended response. What were those in the story expected to learn, and how were they expected to respond? • How were those who first read the story expected to respond? • What did the author want them to learn, know, think, feel, do or become as a result of their reading or hearing the text? • Knowing this will out appropriate boundaries on the modern-day applications you can draw. • > Consider what the passage says to our society and culture today. What does the passage say to our society, our American culture, or our Asian-American-ness? • How does it inform, correct, or affirm our corporate identity? • VIII How to Study the Bible How to Study the Bible > Reflect on what the passage says to our church or the local community What does the passage say to our community of faith? Are there promises, warnings, commands, or words of encouragement we need to hear? • How does it address the community we live or belong in? • • > Make personal connections to the text or main point How am I like to different from the recipients of the text or the characters in the story? • Rather than pass judgment on the people depicted, the goal is to let the discovered truth address issues in your own life. • > Identify the specific changes God wants you to make Based on what God reveals to you, how does He want you to personally respond? Is He asking you to change an attitude or behavior, or is He pointing out an area for character development? • What will you do with the truth the Lord has spoken to you? • • > Offer petition and praise Any change that we experience is a gift of God. Therefore, it is important to ask the Lord to empower us through His Spirit to apply biblical truth to our lives, to not just master the Word, but be mastered by it. • Offer praise and thanksgiving for the work He is doing and will do in your life as you place yourself under the authority of Scripture. • • (Contributed by Raynold Nakamura) Glossary Of Bible Tools Bible Atlas A Bible atlas contains information concerning the geographical features mentioned within Scripture. It often contains maps of significant locations, as well as explanations of their history. Bible Dictionary Akin to any dictionary, a Bible dictionary defines the noteworthy terms in Scripture. Its entries are usually brief and most helpful for those words or phrase of which one has little or no understanding. Bible Encyclopedia Similar to a Bible dictionary, a Bible encyclopedia seeks to give, in a concise form, the pertinent information about various terms. The entries are longer than that of a dictionary and usually provide a more complete understanding of words or phrases. How to Study the Bible IX How to Study the Bible Bible Translations Since the Bible was primarily translated from Hebrew and Greek, English Bibles are translations. And since translators can render foreign languages in different ways, various translations will read slightly different. It is often good to have others (such as ESV, NASB, NIV, NKJV, etc.) beside that which you primarily use. Comparison of different translations can help illuminate particularly difficult sayings. Commentary A commentary is the result of a scholar’s Bible study. It contains what the commentator sees as the interpretation of a given text of Scripture. It does not always give application, but will usually contain pertinent observations and interpretations. These can help check your understanding of a text, and even point out those lessons that were missed. Concordance A concordance is a list of those places in the Bible where a given word appears. These come in two types: concise and exhaustive. The former gives only selected Scriptures for important terms. The exhaustive concordance gives every instance of a word’s usage. This not only helps one get a feel for a term’s meaning, but it may also lead to other passages that speak on a similar topic to the one you are studying. Manners and Customs There are various books that deal with the culture present at the time of the Scriptures. These can be categorized under the heading of manners and customs. Since the Bible was written over 2000 years ago, it is often hard for us to conceive of what civilization was like as described in Scripture. Books on manners and customs help to fill in the cultural gap between Bible times and ours. Study Bible A study Bible is a Bible that contains cross-references and short notations. Cross-references show where a similar word, phrase, or idea is used somewhere else in Scripture. The notations in a study Bible are almost a short commentary on a verse. They are not as complete as an actual commentary, but they are a quick way to check your own understanding. Systematic Theology Since the Bible speaks to many topics, some scholars have attempted to take all the teachings within Scripture on given subjects and organize them in a systematic way. Thus, a systematic theology helps to gain an understanding of what the entirety of the Bible teaches on any given topic. For a more detailed explanation, please see Donald Whitney’s book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Chapters 2 and 3. X How to Study the Bible How to Study the Bible summary You should always begin with prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to open your mind and grant you understanding of His Word. First, choose a passage: Make sure that the passage you choose presents a complete thought. This means that it may be several verses to several chapters. Second, make sure that you read the surrounding passages to determine the context of the passage in question. This can often be the whole book if you have the time. Without reading the surrounding passages, you will be unable to determine the type of literature, the style, or the tone of the passage (for example, if it is sarcastic). Now you can go into the work of examining the passage using the “OIA” method. Step 1: Observation (Discover the facts) • Key Questions: who, what, where, when, why, how • Key Process: Make lists of the facts from the passage • Goal: Know what is actually happening or being said in the passage In this step you are trying to determine what is going on. You need to put into practice your skills of reading comprehension. Can you answer simple questions about the text? Do you know who is talking and who is being talked to? It is important to notice anything that seems strange, needs to be explained, or has any other interest. It is vitally important in your Bible study that you figure out objectively what the Bible is saying, what is going on in the passage, and who the passage is concerned with. Step 2: Interpretation (Recover the original meaning) • Key Questions: What, why, how • Key Process: Identify the author’s intent • Goal: Be able to summarize clearly the main point of the author to his audience In this step you are analyzing the passage to find out what it means. What idea does the author want his audience to understand? How does he want them to react? Here you are determining the spiritual truths and principles that the author means to communicate to his reader. These can also be referred to as “specific truths.” What are the things that the Biblical author intends to reveal about God, man, and how the author’s audience ought to live? Step 3: Application (Uncover the truth for today) • Key Questions: How is it relevant? • Key Process: Move from the original to the contemporary context In this final important step, you determine what you ought to do with the “specific truths” you uncovered. To do this you must understand and broaden the author’s intent to the Biblical principle behind it. This principle can be referred to as the “timeless truth.” That is, it is a truth about God and man that is applicable independent of one’s immediate context. The timeless truths are meant to impact your life today, and ultimately change you. How can you apply this timeless truth to your life? Areas to consider are: How does the truth apply to your family, work, school, finances, time management, etc. It may help to focus on the following question: What does God want to see change in my life in a certain area this week?
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