Tag: inductive bible study

Does it really say that??

A case for studying the bible inductively or the danger of isolation in interpretation.

Hebrews…what comes to your mind? Is it Hebrews 11 – the “hall of faith” chapter? Or maybe you think of it as the “by faith” chapter, as it lists many Old Testament examples of people who lived by faith.

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

What you may not think of is who wrote this letter…why he wrote it or even to whom he originally wrote. When we only pick out a favorite verse from a book of the bible, or even a chapter, and ignore the reason for the verse, we run the danger of misunderstanding it and misusing it.

On the other hand…when we read the entire book or even an entire chapter of the book and look at the verse in the context is was written, we are more likely to understand the intended meaning of the verse from both the author’s perspective and more importantly from God’s perspective. Remember…

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.    Hebrews 4:12

Bouquets of sharpened colored pencils…

I love shopping the back to school sales. Not that I have children headed back to 231011361_4a4a257a60school, but I need new supplies for my home office.  Like colored pencils!  My old ones are getting short from all the sharpening. You see, I like to mark my bible as I study it.  I draw circles, underline and box in words that tell me what the passage is about, who is mentioned, where the events are happening and some of the repeated words. Look at the passage from  1 John 4 below.  What word is used 13 times?IMG_5613 Having it marked with a heart, really makes the word stand out and help me to understand the key message in the passage. I encourage you to buy a new box of colored pencils and beginning studying your bible by marking in your own colorful way- WHO is mentioned (proper nouns and pronouns) WHERE they are (geographic locations) WHEN events happened (any time reference) WHAT happened WHY it happened (look for the phrase “so that”) HOW it happened Then make a list of all you learned.  You will be amazed by how much better you understand and remember what you have read.