Bible Study
Here are a few different ways you can study your Bible at home…
Method 1: Topical Study
A topical study is a method used when you want to glean as much information from the Bible as you can about one subject. You will pull from a bunch of different verses to learn about the subject. Here is a good way to do it.
0 Get the dictionary definition of a word or subject you are looking for in the Bible, for example, take forgiveness and write it down.
0 Using the concordance in the back of your bible, or even some online help from google, find important verses regarding your subject, right now we’ll use forgiveness: (write them out)
Ephesians 4:32:
Ephesians 1:7:
Read the parable in Matthew 18:21-35
o What did you take from these verses about forgiveness?
o What does forgiveness show about your relationship with God?
o Summarize how God is calling us to forgive:
o Who do you need to forgive?:
o You can do this with lot’s of topics! If you are looking to do a Topical Bible study, Here’s a helpful Website: www.biblegateway.com – to find the verses about each subject, go to Bible Gateway and type in your subject/topic. Hit “Search” and all the verses containing that word or phrase will come up.
Method 2: 10/10/10 Study
In this method, there will be three 10 minutes periods where you will do different things. See below:
- •For the first 10 minutes, you will read and underline any word or phrase that sticks out to you
- •For the second 10 minutes, you will go back and re-read all the words or phrases that you underlined. You should meditate or think about how they relate to your life. Why did you underline it? What does it mean? How does it apply to your life?
- •For the last 10 minutes, you should journal your thoughts and write down anything that is running through your head based on your reading and meditation of the Scripture. Ask yourself: What about my life needs to change based on what I just read? What did I learn about God? What did this say about Jesus?
For example, instead of doing the 10/10/10 approach, try the 1/1/1 approach with the following passage of Scripture:
Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Method 3: Inductive Bible Study
The inductive Bible study method is very simply and is based around three questions. This is one of the best ways to read the Bible because it allow us to read exactly what the Bible says and what it means to our lives. After reading Scripture, you ask yourself these questions:
- •What does it say? (figure out what the text is actually saying)
- •What does it mean? (figure out what the text actually means)
- •What does it mean to my life? (figure out how this text applies to your life… this is the most important part of the inductive method)
Now, practice this method by using Romans 5:8 which says, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
What does Romans 5:8 say? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What does it mean? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What does it mean to me? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The goal is to figure out how your life should be different based on what the Bible says.
Method 4: Read & Journal
