Sometimes Christian Living and devotional writers study a Bible passage and the application jumps off the page. Other times we read the passage once…twice…three times and nothing is coming to us. That’s when we need the Inductive Bible Study Method.
Although there are other Bible study methods out there, the Inductive Bible Study method is the most thorough and in depth yet still allows the individual to listen to the Holy Spirit and what He is guiding you to notice in the passage. This method was made popular by professor and author Howard Hendriks in his book Living By the Book and by author and speaker Kay Arthur through her Precept Ministries.
Melissa Deming, author of Sweeter than Honey: Cultivating an Appetite for the Word of God, teaches the Inductive Study Method to women so they know how to feast on God’s Word for themselves. She says, “Like a hands-on cooking lesson, the inductive study method outlines the basic principles for Scriptural meal prep. And because the method grows as the disciple grows, the student’s confidence grows in accordance with his or her skill. This method also gives the student a safeguard to treat the Word with its due honor and respect, allowing the text to speak for itself. When a student spends time carefully observing the facts an author included in a text, he or she will be less likely to interpret a passage apart from its context, or ultimately, to make poor or shallow applications. I guess you could say that the inductive study method is like a spiritual oven mitt, keeping us from burning ourselves and safeguarding our handling of biblical doctrine.”
There are three steps to the Inductive Study Method.
Step #1 Observation
In this step we discover what the text actually says. This may sound overly simple, but when the Bible passage is very familiar, we may overlook some details that might lead us to notice something new. In this observation step we look for key words and themes. Kay Arthur recommends using colored pencils throughout a book of the Bible to mark repeated words so the themes stand out to you more easily.
In this step we answer basic questions like:
- Who is speaking (or writing) the passage?
- Who is the author writing to?
- What is happening in the passage?
- Where is this taking place?
- When is this passage taking place?
- How does the writer feel?
- What literary genre is this passage?
Write all of this information down on a notebook. If you are working with a short passage, you may even want to rephrase it in your own words.
This step may require a little digging into the Bible passages around the one we are studying in order to find some context.
Step #2 Interpretation
Once you have found out what the passage says, the next step is to find out what the passage means. Put yourself in the shoes of the original audience first. It’s important to understand that before we try to apply the passage for today.
Once we have discovered what we think is the meaning of the passage, then it’s time to check with others to see if our interpretation matches what other Biblical scholars have discovered. I like to look in commentaries like the NIV Application Commentary Series or the Matthew Henry Commentary which is available online. The website preceptaustin.org has a lot of free resources. Check with your pastor or other Bible educated friend to find out what they know about the meaning of the passage. This step will help you avoid a misguided application.
Step #3 Application
Once you know what the passage says and what it means, then you can figure out what to do with the passage for life today. This is the step devotional and Christian living writers get excited about! Here we can use the God-given gift of words to explain the application to our readers, to compel them to see God’s truth and act upon it.
Howard Hendricks suggests these nine application questions. You will not answer all of them in every passage.
- Is there an example for me to follow?
- Is there a sin to avoid?
- Is there a promise to claim?
- Is there a prayer to repeat?
- Is there a command to obey?
- Is there a condition to meet?
- Is there a verse to memorize?
- Is there an error to mark?
- Is there a challenge to face?
What if the method doesn’t work for your writing?
There have been several times I was assigned a particular passage for devotional writing and even with using the Inductive Study Method, it was difficult to find an application for the readers. Since I was assigned the passage, I was not free to use a different portion of Scripture. In those instances, I focused on what characteristic of God was on display in the passage. From that characteristic of God, I was able to make application to our lives of how that aspect of God’s character makes a difference for us.
Those tough devotional assignments drove me to my knees in prayer wondering what God would have me write about for those who would eventually read it. No matter whether the passage is easy or hard, prayer is always the first step so that we can be tuned in to what the Holy Spirit is teaching from the passage.
More Tools to Help
If you are looking for a tool to help you with the Inductive bible Study, I highly recommend Melissa Dimming’s Heart and Hive Guided Bible study journal which already has three steps clearly marked out for you including the questions to ponder during the observation, interpretation, and application steps. She even has guided Bible study journals for kids which my kids love!
The Navigators also has some helpful questions to ask for use in Inductive Bible Study and so does Crossway.
The Inductive Bible Study method will help writers treat God’s word with care and accuracy so that His truth will shine through in your writing.
Rachel Schmoyer is a pastor’s wife who is loving her church life. She writes about the hard parts of Scripture at readthehardparts.com. She has had devotionals published in the past, but now she is looking forward to getting her first Christian Living book published. You can connect with Rachel on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.
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