At the Kanakuk Institute I get the opportunity to dive into the Bible every day. Each week speakers are brought in to teach us in different subjects such as ministry, Bible study, history of Scripture, spiritual disciplines, and our great Creator. For the first part of this week David Lawson and his wife BJ Lawson came to teach us about Inductive Bible Study. They both work for a company called Precept Ministries International whose goal is to establish people in God’s Word. For the purpose of teaching us Inductive Bible Study, David selected the book of Titus. We took one class and devoted it to looking deep into God’s message in Titus.
While reading the Bible is still a valuable action, studying the Bible gives meaning and understanding to what you are reading. Inductive Bible Study uses only the Bible to teach about God. It doesn’t reach out to commentaries or articles, just simply the Word of God. It brings us to look at the grand picture of Scripture, but then zoom in to see details. Inductive Bible Study is important because we are learning what God said. The Christian faith is based on this book and the way to know its Author is to intensely study it. How can we be a follower of God if we don’t know His Word? Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (ESV). The Bible is a tool, a weapon. If we were a carpenter we would be expected to know how to use a hammer, saws, and a sander. A Christian should know their Bible, especially since it’s alive and protection against Satan, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” Ephesians 6:11 (NIV).
Some of the major areas of Inductive Bible Study are observation, interpretation, and application. In the area of observation we are going to ask six questions. Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? We are looking for the author, recipients, purpose, and subject. We are simply examining what the text literally says and looking for the obvious. In this phase we are at a bird’s eye view, just seeing the big details. David encouraged us to read the Titus two or three times through. We marked people, places, and events. For example, whenever we saw “God” in the text we’d draw a triangle by the name and whenever we saw “Jesus” we’d draw a cross. We’d also go through and highlight key words or phrases that were repeated. We used different colored pencils or pens so the markings would be easier to see. So possible a good incentive to do inductively studying is because you could buy some new colored pencils!
Interpretation is the next step in the study. We went back through to understand what it means. This is the stage where we used a concordance for cross referencing verses to see what other areas of the Bible said on the subject. It was similar to a treasure hunt. The Bible is a big treasure chest and every time you open it a new jewel or pearl emerges. With the key phrases we pondered why they were repeated and their importance. An important principle to remember is that context leads to proper interpretation. Context is defined as “the parts of a discourse that surround a word or passage and can throw light on its meaning”. In the words of David, “Context rules!”
After class we had a lot of “head knowledge” but in order to for it to make a difference we had to apply it to our life. Application is an important step because it is the one that affects our actions. Our beliefs determine our behavior. By studying the Bible we see how believers are supposed to live and that we are commanded to practice that way of life, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” James 1:22 (NIV). We can say we are Christians all day long, but if our actions deny our words it will be hard for people to believe.
I know that while I’m at the Institute it will be easier to study the Word and apply it to my life. I’m in a community of believers and surrounded by people who are striving to live a life for Christ. My desire is that I can learn how to study inductively on my own, weave it into my daily life, and continue to do it for years to come. Treating it as homework is the wrong attitude. My God is a personal God and this is one way I can spend time with Him.
Our class as a whole is inductively studying the life of Abraham for the rest of the semester. We will come together each week to discuss what was revealed to us while studying. It’s going to be a time of growth and learning. Seventy-one students coming together to talk about how the God of the universe spoke to them. I’m pumped!
