“A Bible that’s falling apart usually
belongs to someone who isn’t.” (Charles Spurgeon)
I
am advocate of Bible study that is guilt-free (from what the church tells you
to do), meaningful (and unforgettable) at whatever frequency you do it
(according to what works out best for your lifestyle). You can make your time
in the Bible more profitable and interesting in the way you study it. Below are
five popular methods of Bible study you can use:
Bible Journaling isn’t necessarily a
new method of Bible study, but has gained
popularity recently. If you’re a beginner to
Bible journaling,
it’s pretty much learning and reflecting on a particular passage of scripture
through painting, coloring, drawing, scrapbooking, and more. You can keep these
journal entries in a notebook or there are even Bibles designed specifically for art journaling with wide margins
and thicker pages.
Don’t
worry if you aren’t the most artistic person. Bible journaling is for everyone (even
the artistically challenged). Bible
journaling is one of the different Bible
study methods especially helpful if you are a visual learner. Scripture can be
easily remembered when it is associated with a journaled image. Bible journaling gives you the
opportunity to simply be in God’s presence, and focus 100% on Him.
Chapter Analysis has you read one book of the Bible at a time, and one chapter at a
time. The beauty of this Bible study
method is that it gives you the opportunity to go deeper into each book of the Bible. By focusing on only one chapter
each day you are able to understand the historical/cultural context of each
passage, understand what the author was trying to convey, and then take the
time to come up with a strategy to apply the passage of scripture to your life.
It may take a long time, but it’s rewarding.
Inductive is a simple Bible study that is very rewarding. It
consists of three parts: observation, interpretation, and application. The goal
is to use the actual scripture to learn and grow (inductive learning) rather
than approaching scripture with preconceived notions and ideas that impact
how/what you learn (deductive learning).
The
observation element asks what a particular passage of scripture has to say.
This step is so important because people often read with their eyes and not
their minds, which means they don’t process what they’re reading.
Interpretation
builds upon observation. Interpretation asks, “What does this passage of scripture
mean?” which can only be answered accurately if one makes careful observations
about what the passage of scripture is saying.
Application
answers the question of how the particular passage you’re studying can be
applied to your everyday life. Application is an action. It is an everyday
decision to apply the truth you have learned in scripture to your own life.
This results in a transformed life and a deeper relationship with Jesus.
Scripture Verse Mapping
is
a fun way to learn from the Bible.
Though it sounds complicated, it’s actually simple. The overall idea is to take
one or two verses and dissect them. It’s good for those who want to learn to
study the Bible effectively. It’s
great for breaking down each verse and getting to the original meaning,
studying the cultural and historical context, and different translations of the
same verse.
This
method is also good for those who like to be more creative in their Bible studies. Most people use a variety
of colored pens, markers, and highlighters along with different arrows and
shapes to denote each part of the scripture they’re analyzing. While there are
several different ways to use the scripture mapping method, most include
writing out the verse, highlighting sections or words that stand out to you,
defining words you don’t know the meaning to, and looking up cross-references
for the verse you are studying.
Topical is one of the
effective Bible study methods that
help you connect a single concept throughout the entire Bible. For example, if you felt compelled to do a study on love,
you could use the concordance in your Bible
or do a google search to find a list of scripture that is about love. You could
then go through this scriptures one a day, or even one a week, to focus on its
meaning and how you can apply it to your life.
One
of the nice things about this particular Bible
study method is that you can use it along with another study method. If a
topical study was done on courage, and the verse for the day was Joshua 1:9, I
could use the SOAP (Scripture, Observe,
Application, and Prayer) study method to analyze
and learn from that particular verse.
[i] Adapted from:
·
“Digging Deeper: 5 Effective Bible Study
Methods” by- LeeAnn @ Kingdom Bloggers
·
“SOAP Bible
Study Method (Learn Why It’s Amazing)” by Lee Ann
·
“Read | Study
| Meditate” by William
J. Stewart
·
“What is the
difference between Bible reading and Bible meditation? "by BGEA Staff
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