Counterfeit Truth
Knowing how to study the word of God is critical – especially in our culture. It has been said that the best way to identify counterfeit money is to study what real currency looks like. With so many false teachings out there we need to know how to study God’s word accurately to prevent falling into deceit.
There’s also the danger of using the Bible to create a god of our own liking – resulting in idolatry. Take this verse, for example:
“And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
– Matthew 21:22
If we interpret this verse to mean that if we ask God for anything we will get it as long as we have faith, what happens when God doesn’t give me that new car – or heal my loved one from cancer? The god that gives me whatever I want when I ask has just let me down. To prevent these problems and build a healthy relationship with God we need to know how to study His word. Let’s get started…
There’s also the danger of using the Bible to create a god of our own liking – resulting in idolatry. Take this verse, for example:
“And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
– Matthew 21:22
If we interpret this verse to mean that if we ask God for anything we will get it as long as we have faith, what happens when God doesn’t give me that new car – or heal my loved one from cancer? The god that gives me whatever I want when I ask has just let me down. To prevent these problems and build a healthy relationship with God we need to know how to study His word. Let’s get started…
|
Knowing how to study God’s word helps to:
|
A Method to the Madness
To study the Bible well, we will use “Inductive Bible Study.” This is simply seeking to understand the intended meaning of the original author – as opposed to starting with an idea of our own that we want the Bible to say and making it fit our beliefs. When using inductive Bible study the goal is to learn what God is saying and submit to Him.
In order to make inductive Bible study clear and simple, we’ll follow this plan:
Let’s get started!
In order to make inductive Bible study clear and simple, we’ll follow this plan:
- Principles. First, we’ll explain the principles to know when studying the Bible
- Inductive Bible Study Summary Sheet. We’ll then put all the principles on one sheet that you can use for a quick reference.
- Process. Next, we’ll show you a simple process to use to study any passage.
Let’s get started!
principles
The goal is to first find the intended meaning of the original author.
Again we don’t want to start with our ideas and try to put them into the passage.
Again we don’t want to start with our ideas and try to put them into the passage.
We’ll work through these steps:
- Observation – learning as much as we can about the author, their audience, and the context within which they wrote: their world.
- Interpretation - once we know the intended meaning of the author we can move to “interpretation.” This is simply identifying the main idea of the passage that can be applied to our context. This is the bridge that connect us today with the original audience: the bridge.
- Application – applying the main idea of the passage to our lives: our world.
Process it:
Take some time to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you study His word and be transformed by it.