What is an Inductive Bible Study?
The Inductive Bible Study method is one of the more detailed and systematic approaches to Bible study, but the technique is a proven and tested method for diving deep into the truths of Scripture. The approach for the inductive Bible study seems simple at first glance with just three main elements: observation, interpretation, and application. The power of this method comes not in the what, but instead in the how.
Inductive Bible study puts an emphasis on a systematic and methodical approach to Scripture. The idea is that you will take a single book at a time and work through it in a detailed and thorough manner. While it’s human nature to bring conclusions and biases to the table with anything we do, this method encourages you to suspend any predilections and focus on Scripture alone to define Scripture. This is important, because otherwise it can be far too easy to draw out of Scripture the conclusions we want to make, rather than interpreting and applying the instruction God has given us.
This idea is the heart of inductive study—the opposite of deductive study, in which we assess the entire body of our knowledge and filter what we read in Scripture through that knowledge. Instead, when we practice inductive techniques, we are filtering Scripture through Scripture alone, and the result is ultimately that we filter our entire body of knowledge through what Scripture says. Do you see the important difference? In short, we draw conclusions from Scripture, we don’t bring them to Scripture.
There are a few different popular ways to go about an inductive Bible study, and plenty of resources online that can help guide you through an inductive Bible study that fits the way you work, but we’ll outline a few of the tips and practical methods that we’ve found useful. For this example, we’ll work through 1 John 1:1-4.
Observation
We’ll start by breaking down some of the different elements of observation under the inductive technique. The objective here is to be able to identify the context and the background of what you’re reading. A few ways to put your mind in that place would be to list a few key facts about that passage or book:
Author
Date or dates written
Location written or written to
Who is the audience? Who was it written for?
Key figures who appear in the text
Why was it written?
Ask the five W’s and an H: who, what, when, where, why, and how
As you’re working through these ideas, make sure you note as much as you can about what you’re reading and seeing. The more detail and the more observations the better. All of these will help us understand what was written and why.
List key words and themes you find. So, for us, we might make a really thorough list like:
John the Apostle
Written sometime toward the end of the first century to the church as a whole
John is the only key figure in the text
It was written to build the faith of believers and testify to Jesus’ identity
Key words: life, testify, eternal life, fellowship, made manifest
Interpretation
Now we want to spend time drawing our conclusions from our observations, this is called interpretation. It’s important to interpret Scripture through the lens of Scripture and not our own preconceptions. Remember, we want to draw conclusions from Scripture, not bring conclusions to Scripture.
This is where we ask deep and detailed questions and challenge ourselves to answer them from the text alone and not outside sources. As part of this process, it’s helpful to identify and list any other Scriptural cross-references. How does the body of Scripture help support this idea? Doing this helps us make sure that we are interpreting Scripture holistically and not leaving room for any strange interpretations of out-of-context verses. We’ll write out our conclusions in summary.
What was from the beginning that John saw, looked upon, and touched with his hands? Jesus Christ, the life in the flesh. (John 1:1)
How was the life made manifest? The life John is speaking of here is Jesus, who was with the Father but was made manifest to us so that we may have fellowship with the Father. (Phillipians 2:5-11)
What is it that John proclaims to us in verse 3? The Gospel that Jesus is God, but became manifest in the flesh in order to be the sacrifice for our sins that we may have eternal life and fellowship with Him. John is speaking as an eyewitness so that we may have confidence in the news we have received.
Application
This final step is where we put legs to what we’ve learned. Now that we’ve prayed through and meditated upon what the Word says and have a good understanding of some of the details, we must make it stick. How do we get to a point where it’s not only passive Bible reading, but true, life-changing submission to what the Word says?
We’ll summarize what we’ve learned and we’ll put the passage into our own words—this helps us understand it at a deeper level. I find it helpful and effective to list some specific ways I can respond. I’ll try to be as descriptive as possible, because I’m outlining the steps to the changes in my life that will challenge me to be more like Christ.
While we’ll try and think of a specific response, keep in mind that the end goal is to build up our toolkit with helpful Scriptures that will provide an answer and application for many of the situations we’ll face in life.
John experienced a life and ministry with Jesus that testifies to who Jesus was: eternal life who was made manifest in the flesh in order to bring about the salvation of His children through His blood. As an eyewitness to the person and ministry of Christ, John can confirm that what has been said is true and we can have faith in that promise.
In verse 4, John declares that proclaiming these truths makes his joy complete. Does my joy feel incomplete without sharing the Gospel? I need to pray for God to make the Gospel truth the foundation of my joy, such that when I am not sharing it or proclaiming it, I feel without joy. I need to put myself in intentional positions to proclaim the truth that Jesus lived, died, and rose again. I need to testify to what Jesus has done for me.
How about you? Have you ever used an inductive technique for your personal Bible study?
Word in Habit Journal
Practice an inductive bible study method with the word in habit journal.
