Bible Study Basics: What is the Inductive Bible Study Method?

What is the Bible?

The Bible is God’s Word. God is the author of the Bible. Scripture says it is inspired by God; in the ESV translation it says “breathed out by God”. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV) There is power in the Word of God! The Bible brings heart and life transformation by changing us from the inside out.

God’s Word is authoritative, sufficient, infallible, inerrant, and eternal. God’s Word is the authority on truth; nothing is higher than the Truth of His Word. Sufficient means that it is the ultimate guide for our life. God’s Word is dependable and unfailing. Inerrant means that it is without error. Everything in the Bible is true. It is eternal because the Word of God lasts forever.

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”

Isaiah 40:8, ESV

Why is Bible Study Important?

In the Bible, we discover the character of God, our salvation through Christ, and how we should live. We learn about who God is when we study the Bible. The Bible is not about us, it is about God. It is our guide and brings us to grace and salvation.

The Bible tells us that there is ONE God, who is revealed in Three Persons of the Trinity. The Trinity consists of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Three Persons of God are seen in Matthew 3:16-17, where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. 

“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’” Matthew 3:16-17, ESV

Books of the Bible

The Bible tells 1 big story of redemption through a collection of 66 books, which are divided into two parts: the Old Testament and New Testament. God used around 40 people to write His inspired Word. 

Literary Genres

The books of the Bible are organized into literary genres:

• Law
• Pentateuch (first 5 books): Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
• History
• Historical Books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
• Poetry
• Wisdom Literature: Job, Psalm, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
• Prophets
• Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Proverbs, Ezekiel, Daniel
• Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
• Gospels & History
• Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
• History: Act
  
• Epistles
• Letters: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude
• Prophecy
• Revelation

The Old Testament 

The books of the Old Testament are Genesis to Malachi. There are a total of 39 books in the Old Testament. Old Testament books were originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic. They cover the time between God’s creation of the universe until the time before the birth of Jesus. The literary genres included in the Old Testament are Law, History, Poetry, and Prophets. 

The New Testament

The books of the New Testament are Matthew to Revelation. There are a total of 27 books in the New Testament. New Testament books were originally written in Greek. They cover the birth and life of Jesus to the letters of Paul and the book of Revelation. The literary genres included in the New Testament are Gospels, History (book of Acts), Epistles, and Prophecy (book of Revelation).

What is the Inductive Bible Study Method?

Inductive Bible Study is used a study guide. The inductive method splits your study of the Bible into three stages. We will cover each stage in three steps: Observation, Interpretation, Application. The method of Inductive Bible Study takes appropriate steps to search for the intended meaning of Scripture by understanding the context. Context is everything. To understand the context, we must discover what the context meant to the original audience. 

The term “inductive” refers to reasoning. It strives to understand a specific passage of Scripture by using actual Scripture. Scripture is the best interpreter of Scripture. The term “deductive” allows fixed ideas and views to influence our interpretation of Scripture. The intended meaning of a passage of Scripture shows us truths of who God is. Truths about God remain true for everyone, no matter the circumstance, culture, and era. 

Regardless of the type of Bible study method you are completing, it is valuable to begin your time in God’s Word with prayer. It sets your heart and mind on the Lord. Pray that God will open your heart to His Word and show you what He wants you to know. Ask for His wisdom to understand what you are reading and to help answer any unanswered questions you may have while studying the His Word. Allow God’s Truth to change your heart where it needs to. So that you will not only hear God’s Word, but do what it says to do. 

Biblical Literacy 

Biblical literacy is important. Many passages of God’s Word have been used out of context. This should not be. Which is one of the many reasons that it is important to let Scripture interpret Scripture. It is easy to think that only church pastors, Bible majors, and Bible teachers should study the Bible, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Everyone should study the Bible. To avoid biblical illiteracy, it is important to carefully and prayerfully use biblical exegesis. 

Method of Exegesis 

Never heard of exegesis? Exegesis is the process of interpreting and applying God’s Word to your life. The word sounds daunting, though the definition is simply the interpretation of Scripture. Dictionary.com defined EXEGESIS (ek-si-jee-sis) as “critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text, especially of the Bible”. Studying the Bible through exegesis goes through steps to interpret the original meaning of a passage and how it was intended to be interpreted by the original audience. 

So, what are the steps to studying the Bible through exegesis? The inductive bible study method is the use of exegesis. The steps may appear overwhelming at first, but as you apply this to your regular study of the Bible, it gets easier. The important thing to remember is to not rush through the process. There is no reason to rush through exegesis. Exegesis takes time and that is alright. So, remind yourself that there is no pressure or time limit against you!

1. Inductive Bible Study: Observation – Ask specific questions

What Does the Passage Say?

The inductive study starts with observation. The observation step of the inductive Bible study method observes Scripture by asking appropriate questions related to the historical context of the passage. The purpose behind this is to comprehend what the original context was saying to the original audience. This step isn’t about interpreting the meaning and applying it to your life. It is to ensure you have the general flow of thought and historical background. 

For literacy context, it is key to read the whole book you are studying instead of select Bible verses. In other words, if you want to understand one or two specific verses, read the entire book where those verse are located. Aside from Proverbs and Psalms, due to their genre, the books of the Bible were meant to be read as a whole flow of thought. Taking the time to slow down to ponder the foundations of the book will give you more understanding to any select verse within the book.

Here are some questions to view and ask about the book as a whole:

• What is the historical background?
• What is the genre?
• Who is the author of the book?
• Who was it written to?
• When was it written?
• What is the general context?
• What was the purpose of the book?

Once you have read the entire book, read it again. Yes, you read that correctly. Repetition is a form of learning. You did this learning method in school and the same can be applied to studying the Bible. This method is effective for retaining knowledge and perceiving something you missed. Repetitive reading is a form of meditation of God’s Word, which can store it in your heart. The way of the righteous delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night. (Psalm 1:2, ESV)

“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

Psalm 119:11, ESV

To dive in deeper, making notes verse by verse will help you discover key themes and elements. You may prefer to highlight, write, and mark in your Bible. Some themes and elements to note are key words and phrases, commands to obey, spiritual truths, truths about God’s character, lists, comparisons, and questions.

2. Inductive Bible Study: Interpretation – Analyze the meaning

What Does the Passage Mean?

The interpretation step of the inductive Bible study method goes deeper into the questions of the passage from the observation phase. After taking the time to understand the historical context and basic line of thought, you are ready to take on the harder questions that you may have. Now that you know what the passage says, you can move on to what it means—the interpretation of Scripture. 

When interpreting a passage, one of the main objectives should be to discover how that portion of Scripture fits into the bigger story of God’s Word—Redemption through Jesus Christ. All of God’s Word points to Jesus Christ and God’s story of redemption for mankind.

A good place to start is with cross-references. Let the Bible speak for itself. Cross-references bring you to the same topic found in other sections of the Bible and the source of quotations. Study Bibles have many cross-references to help you gain a better understanding of God’s Word as a whole. 

If you have another Bible translation, you can read the passage in a different translation. Since the Bible was translated to English from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, there is no perfect translation of the Bible other than the original manuscript. It can be helpful to compare translations through Bible apps like YouVersion or Bible Gateway. Choose Word for Word Translations and Thought for Thought Translations instead of Paraphrases (The Message) when interpreting Scripture.

Here are some steps for the interpretation phase:

• Read the cross-references in your Bible
• Read other Bible translations (Word for Word and Thought for Thought Translations)
• Use Biblical resources (Bible dictionary*, Bible concordance*, and Study notes in a Study Bible)
• Write your thoughts and questions in a notebook
• Summarize the passage in your own words
• As a last option, read trustworthy and reliable commentaries if needed.

3. Inductive Bible Study: Application – Apply the Scripture to life

What is the Truth to Apply to My Life? 

The application step of the inductive Bible study method takes all the information from the observation and interpretation steps to know how to apply the Scripture to your life. Consider the truths you have discovered through your study, is there something in your life that needs to change? Ask yourself, “How can you apply this passage of Scripture to your life?” We must not only be a hearer of God’s Word, but we are to be doers. 

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

James 1:22-25, ESV

Scripture says to be “a doer who acts” when hearing God’s Word. The application step is for collecting the truths that you have learned and applying them to your life through action. In the application step of the inductive Bible study method, there are many things to consider. 

God’s Word reveals truths about who He is, His attributes, and His character. Scripture can show you attitudes to imitate, action to initiate, principles to apply, and sins to turn from. It can call you to obedience and prompt you to pray. The more you read the Bible, the more you discover your need for the salvation of our Lord Jesus. 

Everybody has been born into a sinful nature and falls short of God’s commands. The Bible says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” Romans 3:23-24, ESV

Learning about who God is should change the way you think and how you live your life. In the application step of the inductive Bible study method, consider what you have learned to allow it to transform your heart. List out the truths that God’s Word reveals to you and walk in those truths. May we all be doers of the Word of God!

If you are interested in an in-depth resource for intentional Bible study, the Search the Word Collection by Daily Grace Co.* is a phenomenal set of Bible Study Workbooks. It consists of three Daily Grace Co. products: In the Word—a Biblical exposition journal workbook, Search the Word—a six-week study and workbook, and Book by Book—a Bible study companion for studying complete books of the Bible.