Biographical Method

DEFINED

Select a biblical person and research the Scriptures to study his or her life and character.  Try to become thoroughly acquainted with that person’s inner life and find out what made it a spiritual success or failure.

You apply this study when you examine your own life in light of the study and ask God to help you make positive character changes in your weak areas.

Why this is Important

• The Bible is a record of God’s dealings with men and women.  To understand the Bible we must get to know the prominent people it talks about.
• Much of the Bible is narrative.
• There are around 3,000 people mentioned in the Bible, when you learn to study their lives you have opened the door to a lifetime of understanding and learning.

Beginning Tips:

• Start with a simple study.  If you start with a study of a major character you can get overwhelmed.
• The secret to successfully discovering insight is to live with that person during your study.
• Ask a ton of questions about them.
  • How do they think, what to do they see, how to do they feel, how do they respond to circumstances?
• Be careful not to confuse different people who have the same name.
• Carefully find the various names that may apply to the same person.
  • Paul = Saul
  • Peter = Cephas, Simon, Simeon
• Stay away from other books written about Biblical people until you have completed your research.  Let God be the one who shows you insight about people you study.  Once you have finished your study then look to see what other people have written.

Steps to the Biographical Study

Step 1

• Select the person you want to study

Step 2

• Make a list of all the references about that person.
  Search for any mention about them, make sure you find out the different names they may have gone by and search for them as well.  Make a list of all the times they are mentioned.

Step 3

• Write down your first impressions
• Read through all the references that you just wrote down and record your first impressions remembering the questions you asked earlier.

Step 4

• Make a Chronological Outline
  How did their life start?  What are the high points?  What are the low points?
  This gives you a good idea about how different things that happened impacted them and relate to one another.
  This is a real key to studying the characters of the Bible.  By outlining their lives you see how God molded them or Satan brought them down.

Step 5

• Search for Insights
  Go back over the references again and look for answers the the questions that you have asked.
• For an in-depth list of questions to help guide your study click here

Step 6

• Identify Some Character Qualities
  Read the references again and identify the qualities that you see.
  Write down the good and bad qualities and verse references for both.
• For a helpful list of character qualities click here

Step 7

• Show how other Biblical truths are illustrated in this person’s life
  Look for principals in the Psalms and Proverbs that their life displays and reference them with the promise and verse showing it in their lives.

Step 8

• Summarize the Main Lesson(s)
  Use a few sentences to describe what you think are the main lessons of this person’s life.  Is there a single word that could describe their life?  What was their outstanding characteristic?

Step 9

• Write out a personal application
  Did I see anything of myself in this person’s life?
  Did they show me some of my weaknesses?
  Did they reveal to me some of my strengths?
  What impressed me most about this person’s life?
  Where do I fall short in this area?
  What do I intend to do about it?

Step 10

• Make it transferable.
  Condense what you have learned into a simple outline that is easy to share with others and can help you remember what you have learned.

Use your journal or this form to help guide you in your study

Word Study Method Defined:

The Word Study Method takes a microscopic look at the origin, definition, occurrences, and uses of a particular word, especially as it relates to the context of a passage of scripture.  The purpose is to learn as precisely and comprehensively as possible what the biblical writer meant by the word he used.

Why is this Method Important?

• Most of the great doctrines we hold to revolve around one word.
  • Grace
  • Atonement
  • Faith
  • Justification
  • Regeneration
• Meaning gets lost in translation
  • When the Bible was translated to English about 6,000 words were used.
  • When it was originally written (Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic) 11,280 words were used.
  • Several different original words were translated to the same English word.
• Two things to keep in mind
  • Our word studies must be based on the original language word, not the English word.
  • Always allow the context to indicate the ultimate meaning of the word being studied.  No matter what the English equivalent might be.

Common Difficulties

• Sometimes several Greek words are translated by just one English word.
  • The English word “Servant” has seven different Greek equivalents.
• Sometimes one Greek or Hebrew word is translated several ways in English.
  • The word “koinonia” is translated many different ways.
• Sometimes an original word is translated by a whole phrase in English.

The Word Study Method In Practice

• Selecting a word: “Fellowship”
  • As you are reading different words will stick out.  They may be repeated, they may just be different, or God may simply show you different words or phrases.  Choose a word that has meaning to you
• Find the word’s English definition
  • Use an English dictionary. Fellowship is defined as:
  • friendly association, esp. with people who share one’s interests : they valued fun and good fellowship as the cement of the community.
  • a group of people meeting to pursue a shared interest or aim.
  • a guild or corporation.
• Compare Translations
  • Use the tools you have available to compare.  You can do this online for free without having to buy anything and it is fast.
• Write down the definition of the original word
  • “Fellowship” is translated from the Greek word “Koinonia”
  • fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, intercourse
  • the share which one has in anything, participation
  • intercourse, fellowship, intimacy
  • the right hand as a sign and pledge of fellowship (in fulfilling the apostolic office)
  • a gift jointly contributed, a collection, a contribution, as exhibiting an embodiment and proof of fellowship
• Find the root meaning and origin of the word
  • Koinonia comes from the word “Koinonos” which itself comes from the word “Koinos”
  • What do each of these words mean and how are they related?
• Check the word’s occurrences
  • Ask a lot of questions
  • How many times does this word occur
  • What books is this word in?
  • What writers used this word?
  • What book has this word the most?
  • Where does this word occur first?
• Discover the word’s usage in the Bible
  • Find out how the word was used during the time the book was written.
  • Keep asking questions…who wrote this, what was the culture like during their time, why did they use this word?
• Find out how the word is used in the Bible.
  • Read the other passages that use this particular word.
  • Find out how the word is used in the context of the passage.
  • Does the context give clues to the meaning of the word?
  • Is the word compared or contrasted with another word?
  • Is there any illustration in the context that clarifies the meaning of the word?
• Write an application.
  • Once you asked a ton of questions and have a good grasp of the word write down a personal application.
  • HOW CAN UNDERSTANDING THIS WORD STRENGTHEN MY SPIRITUAL LIFE?

Use your journal or this form as you study individual words

About Chapters

Chapters were not a part of the original text.  In fact, there is no punctuation in the Hebrew language.
The chapters of the Bible that we now have were added by bishop Stephen Langton in 1228.  The Bible we have now is broken up into 1,189 chapters.

Chapter Summary Method Defined:

The purpose of the Chapter Summary Method is to gain a general understanding of the contents of a chapter by reading it through numerous times, asking a series of content questions, and summarizing the central thoughts of the chapter.

Why is this method important?

• Easy to Learn
  • Once you learn the principals or if you have the form with you it is self explanatory and easy to use.
• Does not take much time
  • There are some chapters that are very short that won’t take long to investigate.  However, there are other chapters that can take a lot of time as you dig deeper and find more meaning.  For example, Psalms, Proverbs, and some of the gospels can take as much time as you will give them as you discover new ideas and applications.
• Does not require any outside tools.
  • All you need is to either memorize the 10 steps or have the reference guide with you.
• Good type of study if you are doing a rapid survey of the Bible.

Tips

• Read  without notes.
  • Taken in context many sections of scripture will communicate a different message than a single verse at a time.
• Read without stopping
  • Read it all the way through like you would a letter from a good friend.  The first time you read it through make sure that you are reading it from start to finish without stopping.
  • It’s really important to make sure you are free of distractions.  Don’t be pulled away by to-do lists, cell phone, or other things that come to your mind.  Take some time and focus on the single chapter.
• Read in several different translations.
  • Different editors will phrase and translate differently.  Read the chapter through in different translations to get a better idea of the general idea and don’t pay so much attention to how things are phrased.
• Read quietly to yourself
  • Not only will this help you focus but it will also help you remember.

The Steps to Summarizing (the 10 C’s)

• Caption
  • Make your own short caption that captures the meaning of the entire chapter.
• Contents
  • Make a list of the major points.  There are a lot of ways to do this.
  • Analytical - outlining
  • Summarizing
  • Simply make observations about the contents of the chapter.
• Chief People
  • Who are the main people
  • Why are the included
  • Why do you think they are the chief people
• Choice Verse
  • Choose a verse that summarizes the whole chapter or speaks to you personally.  How does this verse encapsulate the chapter?  How does this verse apply to you?  What is God trying to tell you?
• Challenges
  • List any difficulties you might have with the chapter.
• Crucial Words
  • What are the key words in the chapter?  Many times these words are used the most frequently.  There may be more than one crucial word but try to find that one word that is the most important.
• Cross References
  • What else helps me understand this verse?
• Christ Seen
  • The Bible is about Jesus!  Jesus uses the Bible to teach his disciples about himself in Luke 24:27 and shows how from the beginning of the Bible it is all about him.  The last book is a revelation from Jesus that show’s how we should see him now and how he will look when he returns.
  • Where do you see Jesus in the chapter that you are studying?
  • What can I learn about Jesus from this chapter?
  • What attributes of God are illustrated here?
• Central Lessons
  • Major principals, insights, and lessons that you see in the chapter.
  • What does God want to teach me from this chapter?
• Conclusion
  • Application.
  • After all is said and done how does this chapter apply to your life?  What is God trying to tell you?
  • How do these truths apply to me?
  • What, specifically, am I going to do about them?

Use your journal or this form to help you in your study

Devotional Study Method

DEFINED:
Devotional method involves taking a passage of the Bible, large or small, and prayerfully meditating on it until the Holy Spirit shows you a way to apply it’s truth to your life in a way that is personal, practical, possible and provable.

The point of the Devotional Method is application.  How does what you just read apply to your life and what do you need to do about it?  Just knowledge without application is pointless.  Here are some thoughts about application:

• Application is HARD!
• Application requires serious thinking.
  • Our culture has trained us to expect that everything happens instantly.  Sometimes understanding how to apply scripture to our lives takes a lot of time, reflection, prayer, and meditation.  If we’re not willing to work at it we can expect a surface level understanding, or worse.
• Application is hard because Satan fights it.
• Application is hard because we naturally resist change.
  • Each of us wants to think that we are good the way we are.  We don’t want anyone to point out the ways that we fall short or don’t measure up.  Life would be so much easier if we never struggled with anything or at the very least could pretend that we don’t.
• We like things the way that we like them and we don’t want them to be any different than that.

The Steps:

• Pray for insight
  • Always begin studying the Bible by asking the author to show you what He wants to show you.  Be humble and ask him to reveal his will for you as you read.
• Meditate on a section.
  • After you have read through the entire section of scripture as a whole meditate on a verse or two that really stuck out to you.
• Write out an application.
  • Make it personal.  Use the words I, me, my, and mine.  This is how God’s word applies to YOUR life.
  • Make it practical.  It needs to be something that you can accomplish or do, WITH GOD’S HELP.
• Memorize a key verse.

Use a journal or this form to write your thoughts

Why is it important to study the Bible?

• People will have questions about what the Bible says
• People will question the Bible’s validity
• Many people of other faiths (or no faith) know what the Bible says about certain issues that they care about.  Even better than we do

As Christians we should always be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have.  Peter says,

“¹³ Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? ¹⁴ But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. ¹⁵ Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. ¹⁶ But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.”   1 Peter 3:13-16

The first question to ask is,”Can the Bible be trusted?”  There is no other book like the Bible.  Nothing else has changed so many lives or inspired so many to do so much.  Here are some facts about the Bible that point to its uniqueness:

• written over a 1500 year span (from 1400 B.C to A.D. 100)
• written over 40 generations
• over 40 authors from many walks of life (i.e. - kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, scholars)
• written in different places (i.e. - wilderness, dungeon, palaces)
• written at different times (i.e. - war, peace)
• written in different moods (i.e. - heights of joy, depths of despair)
• written on three continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe)
• written in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek)

In the communication and information age the way we gather and use information is different from what it ever has been before.  Where we used to collect books and form a library we now have laptops, smart phones, and the Internet to use for our research.  This has drastically changed how we can study the Bible.  So, what do I need to get started?

• A Bible
• Humility - if you’re not humble and teachable it doesn’t matter what you study
• Time
• Discipline
• Resources
• Biblegateway.com
• http://www.blueletterbible.org/
• www.biblestudytools.com
  • These sites have a host of tools and useful resources that you can use to study.  However as with anything it is important to focus on what you are doing and not get caught up in other things as you are on the Internet.

There are certain principals that you will need to be able to effectively study the Bible.  Without these principals in place you will read and you will learn a few things but you will certainly miss out on all that God has for you.

• Ask the right kind of questions
• Write down your observations
• Application, not simply interpretation
• Be systematic

Studying the Bible is one of the most important things we can do.  Whether or not your are a Christian there can be no denial that the Bible has had a profound impact on our culture.  Skeptics will point out the evil that has been done by people who have claimed to act on God’s behalf.  And for some examples they would be correct in their criticism.

We believe it is important to study the Bible because it is God’s word, written by the men, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to communicate to us.  The Bible tells us about who God is.  This is the primary way that we understand what God is like.  Apart from the Bible we do not have anything to reference when we experience God.  The Bible also tells us about ourselves.  As we read about biblical characters and see how they lived their lives we can identify areas that our lives are weak.  As we read instruction and teaching we are corrected, by the Holy Spirit, to live lives that are pleasing to God.

Studying the Bible is important and there are many ways to approach it.  Much of this information is taken from Rick Warren’s book Bible Study Methods. I hope these posts can be instructing and encouraging as we seek to know God and ourselves better.