Bible Study Part 1

Bible study; what do these two words bring to mind? Do you relate them perhaps to a time when you were eager to learn as much as you could about God, or the Bible’s content? Perhaps, there is a sense of guilt that comes because you haven’t spent more time reading the Bible. Or, perhaps, there is recognition of how far you have come from your earliest reading of this Divine Record. Nonetheless, God’s Word is a continually accessible spiritual resource and still remains the primary means of learning about and experiencing God.

So how can we return to that eagerness? How can we study out of joy, not guilt? How can we allow God’s word to have a bigger impact on our lives? Perhaps the first place to start is to improve our study skills.

Malcolm Knowles, a renowned professor of adult education observed that adults learn 20% of what they hear, 40% of what they hear and see, and 80% of what they do or discover for themselves. They also learn best when new learning is related to their life experience and has some immediate usefulness to them. In this lesson I’m going to do less talking and you’re going to experience a little more.

A closer look at our current cultural context reveals that our present-day technological social environment, popular thought, practices, attitudes and views have influenced our approach to learning and how we implement newly discovered information.

Furthermore, in the spiritual realm and its link to lifestyle, the well noted research of George Barna points out that statistics tell us that in our information centered world there is no longer a marked difference between many believing church members and nonbelievers in, way of life practices, choices, habits, and attitudes.

How then do we study the Bible in a manner that will connect its study with our life experience? How can we meet our goals and outcomes for spiritual growth and Christian development?

A starting point is to note the contrasts between the informational and formational approaches to learning. Informational learning style approaches learning and reading in order to gather as much information as possible; moving quickly through the material in order to grasp it, master it and bring it under our control. This methodology makes our reading analytical, critical and judgmental. Unfortunately we use this same approach to Bible study and wonder why we are dissatisfied.

Contrary to the informational approach, the formational approach encourages us to study the Bible slowly enough to reach the deeper levels of meaning—giving enough room for meditation that actively helps us listen to God’s Word. The formational approach allows the Holy Spirit to speak into our soul and heart and allows the Word to master us. Therefore, our posture becomes one in where we become servants of the Word, rather than masters of the text.

The spiritual discipline and method of Inductive Bible Study is a formational process that incorporates a systematic method of Bible study, supplying skills that facilitate learning and experiencing the joy of discovering for oneself deeper insights into God’s truth. The inductive Bible study skills of observation, interpretation, personalization and application encourage and cultivate the posture of listening, reflection and response to God’s Word. Inductive Bible study creates an ideal greenhouse environment for learning, spiritual growth and development that is related to real life experience.

When we take on the skills that the inductive Bible study method furnishes, we are empowered with immediate usefulness for both personal and a teaching setting. As a result, inductive Bible study equips us with skills and tools for in depth Bible study resulting in life changing potential.