Know Your Word

Aloha from the "Island"!  This week was the second week of classes at the Kanakuk Institute.  We started the week with David Lawson from Precept Ministries International.  David taught on the importance of Inductive Bible study.  I have known about Inductive Bible Study for several years.  However, I did not actually understand how to inductively study the Bible nor did I understand how inductive study could be extremely useful to my life.  After three days of intensive learning, I now have a better grasp on how to teach myself what the Biblical authors wrote by using inductive study methods.  Naturally, I cannot wait to share it with you!  It includes making your Bible a little more colorful in hopes to better understand the author's train of thought.  

Inductive Bible study allows us, as Christ-followers, to study God’s Word for ourselves without having ever stepped foot inside a seminary classroom.  As Believers we also have a responsibility to know the Word.  We need to know when we hear false teachings.  If I do not know what the Living Word of God says, how can I properly defend my faith against the lies of this world?  One very real example that comes to mind is how we, as Americans, think of Jesus as blonde hair and blue eyed and white, yet there is nothing in Scripture that gives reason to believe Jesus had any of those attributes.  We need Scripture to speak for itself.  Scripture, in context, is our guide.  

To study inductively means to look at a something, pick out the key words or phrases, and then be able to apply those key words to better understand the situation.  For the purpose of illustration, think of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.  On the outside you see the sweet chocolaty goodness with the textured rimmed edges.  If you have ever tasted one of these delicious treats, you know that there is something even tastier in between all that chocolate.  However you cannot taste the next element until you have bitten into the Reese’s.  Once you have taken your first bite you can look back at your half eaten piece of candy and see peanut butter!  You see the peanut butter now that you have exposed the inside of the candy.  Much like studying the Bible we can study on a basic surface level, but doing so only means eating the thin layer of chocolate.  The best part of a Reese’s is the peanut butter.  Studying the Bible inductively allows us to dig past the thin layer of words and experience the deep thoughts of the author who was divinely inspired by God to put those specific words to the page.  

Now that your mouth is watering for a tasty treat, how do you feed your spirit with Truth?

There are three major areas of Inductive Bible study:  observation, interpretation, and application.  Observation simply means examining what the text says.  To observe well, you need to answer the questions who, what, where, when, why, and how.  Then mark repetitive words or phrases.  Interpretation is to understand what the text means.  This involves reading the passage within its context.  Reading in context leads to proper understanding of the passage.  With interpretation you also want to use a concordance for cross-reference and word studies to enhance your understanding of the specific text.  The Bible seems like a giant puzzle with all the pieces included, only you must put them together.  The reason everything about Jesus's life is such a big deal is because He fulfilled Scripture that was written four hundred or more years before His arrival on the Earth.  How would you know that though unless you cross referenced Jesus's teachings and life pattern?  In basic form, interpretation helps us to understand doctrines of the faith.  The last area is application.  Application means to apply the meaning of the text (which you found through observation and interpretation) to your personal life.  Studying Scripture is worthless if we do not apply its Truth to our personal lives and relationship with the Lord.

For me, personally studying the Word inductively forces me to slow down and examine the text for what it is worth.  God divinely appointed these authors to write these specific words to send future believers a message of hope and salvation.  Now that I know what I have been missing out on, I do not want to miss another step.  If you want to know more about inductive Bible study, please let me know by leaving a comment or contacting me.  Thank you for your prayers and support as I continue to grow this year!  

Aloha,

Kaitlyn