by Mark Kahn
A. [The purpose of this blog is] to give an overview of several methods that can be used to study the Bible.
B. Here are four methods that I think would be suitable:
1. Verse and Chapter Analysis (this is the method made famous by Irving Jensen).
2. Paraphrase & Summary (Peterson’s ‘the Message’ uses this method).
3. Personal Application oriented questions (the method used in the Serendipity Bible).
4. Word analysis and Word study (a lexical method used by the Thompson Chain Reference Bible).
C. Here is a brief description of each of these methods. Note, in teaching I would not give these descriptions; instead I would show by example How to Do Each One of Them. I am giving you these descriptions in case you need them.
Verse and Chapter Analysis systematically takes all the verses in any given passage of the Bible (for instance a whole Chapter, or a Paragraph), and seeks to make sense of that passage. The passage is broken down into its thought segments, and the themes that run through the passage are written down and collated together. When the overall theme has been determined, then all of the parts of the passage (e.g. each verse of a chapter, or each chapter of a paragraph) are shown in relation to the big themes that have been detected.
In Paraphrase and Summary, the reader rewrites portions of Scripture in his/her own words, and then summarizes what that portion of Scripture is saying (e.g. with a key phrase). This can take a very long time and is better suited for shorter sections of Scripture. In concluding the summary the reader can respond with a prayer of thanks to God, or with a renewed conviction, or with a specific life burden.
Personal Application Questions are a standard set of questions that the student of the Bible applies to each of the sections being studied. The sections are usually predetermined by the paragraph divisions.
The questions are for example:
1. What does it say?
2. What does it mean?
3. What will I do?
Or:
1. Who are you Lord?
2. What shall I do Lord?
Or:
1. What is the context?
2. What is the meaning within the context?
3. What is the application to my life?
Using Word Analysis and Word Study the reader sets him/herself to dig deeper. Questions are asked of every verse such as: Why does the writer use these words? Why does Jesus say this to these people? Why does this idea follow that idea? What is the full meaning and significance of this word? How does the idea expressed here correlate with the same or a similar idea in another passage of the Bible? The key is to pursue the meanings of the words in the text as thoroughly as the reader has time for, and to comprehend the meaning of the ideas that are voiced in God’s Word.
This is not an exhaustive list of Bible Study methods; it is just a selection. The number of approaches to studying the Bible is only as limited as our creativity.
I hope that this is useful to you, and your comments and feedback are welcome. One last word: I would give this overview in a dynamic, hands-on, and enthusiastic manner.
This posting was written by Mark Kahn and posted at the request of Christl Kirchner
