Everyone Has a Bible Study Method

I’ve been blogging for a few months now, talking a lot about different principles of Bible study.  Look out for this, pay attention to that, consider these things, etc.  Today I’d like to show my cards a bit by revealing a shocking truth: I follow a Bible study method.

A method?  Yes, a method.  How do you respond to that word?

Does it make you nervous or is it a relief?  Does it make you feel like a piece of cookie dough jammed onto the tray or does it give you hope?

Whatever your reaction toward the idea of a method, I’m writing to propose that, like it or not, everyone has a method for Bible study.

Some methods are unintentional and informal.  For example:

The Divination Method

1. Open the Bible
2. Drop your finger into a random place
3. Read what you find
4. Trust this is God’s will for you today

The Support Group Method

1. Read a passage of the Bible
2. Close the Bible
3. Consider (or discuss, if in a group situation) how you feel about what you just read

The Prayerful Method

1. Ask God to bring to mind a passage of the Bible that will address your current problem or need
2. Listen to what thoughts are put in your mind
3. Look at those passages for encouragement or help

Other methods, however, are quite intentional and formal.  For example:

The Cross-Reference Method

1. Read a passage of the Bible
2. Highlight the key words or phrases in that passage
3. Look up another passage that this one reminds you of (the cross-references in the middle column of your Bible really help with this)
4. Look up another passage that the second one reminds you of
5. Look up another passage that the third one reminds you of
6. Repeat until you run out of time

The Word Study Method

1. Decide which topic you’d like to study in the Bible
2. Identify one or more key words that represent your topic
3. Search the whole Bible for passages that use those keywords (something like Bible Gateway)
4. Read each verse that comes up
5. Compile all the components of your topic
6. Live in light of what you learned

The Expert Method

1. Read a passage of the Bible
2. Read a commentary on that passage of the Bible
3. Believe and act upon what the commentator wrote

My point is this: everyone who reads the Bible has a method for studying the Bible.  What is your usual method?  Are you even conscious of how you study the Bible?

My secondary point is this: not every method is a good method.  In other words, many methods do not result in correct interpretation.  If, as we believe, the Bible is God’s Word to us, shouldn’t we make sure we understand it?

In future posts, I’ll lay out my method more explicitly.