METHODS OF

BIBLE STUDY
“LETTING THE BIBLE LEAD US
TEACH”

Try diligently to present yourself to God

approved, as a worker who has nothing to do
be ashamed, who uses the word well
really. II Tim. 2:15
DEDUCTIVE METHOD VS INDUCTIVE
METHOD

DEDUCTIVE METHOD INDUCTIVE METHOD

□ DEDUCTIVE REASONING □ INDUCTIVE REASONING

(Starts from a known and accepted (We guess we don't know anything yet)
idea)
□ INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY
□ DEDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY (Seek to learn what the text says)
(He seeks to confirm what he knows)
□ INDUCTION IS A BETTER METHOD
□ DEDUCTION IS THE MOST COMMON (Leads to spiritual growth)
METHOD
(You learn less)
 STEPS OF INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY
□ 1. THE OBSERVATION What does the biblical text say?
See the events in the biblical context, time, culture, situation... ask yourself a series of questions
such as: Who? That? Because? Where? When? Whom?... See its context of the text, the paragraph,
the chapter, the book...

2. INTERPRETATION What does the biblical text mean?

This process has two parts: seeing the original message for its original audience and taking data
from the observation and forming from it a biblical principle to apply in other times. (Difficult task).

□ 3. THE APP What should I do?

The most important task is to state specifically and clearly what we must do today.
 BUILDING A PYRAMID
SOLID

COMMON RIGHT APPROACH

APPROACH
□ QUESTIONABLE APPLICATION VALID APPLICATION

PRE INTERPRETATION INTERPRETATION

EXISTING CAREFUL

□ BRIEF OBSERVATION CAREFUL OBSERVATION

 HOW DO WE RECEIVE THE BIBLE?

□ THE INSPIRATION . II Tim. 3.16, II Pd. 1:20-21

□ PRESERVATION. So many copies, languages, thousands of years,
geographies, cultures, attempts to destroy the Bible, and yet it remains an
accurate and reliable book, God has care and control.
□ THE CANONIZATION. (sig. canon. rules or norms to identify the books that
belong to the Bible). Apocrypha and Deuterocanonical.
□ TRANSLATION. A big task that has not yet been finished.
□ LIGHTNING. This is what continues to occur today to the extent of their
commitment to the study of the word of God.
 OBSERVING THE WORD OF
GOD
D 1. PREPARE FOR OBSERVATION. xto?
The people, places, events, circumstances, time, relationships, ideas, opinions,
objects that are in the mind of the original author. For all this we are going to require:
- Faith (I Cor. 2:14) the unconverted can understand little.
- Prayer (Ps. 119:18, Eph. 1:18) By understanding, clarity, removing barriers and its
application.
- Disposition of Obedience (Stgo. 1:22-25, Mt. 7:6, 24-26).
- Self-evaluation , what the text is telling me.
- Willingness to learn, an open mind to the scriptures.
□ 2. TAKE ENOUGH TIME
Take notes, read and reread the text several times.
□ 3. LOOK AT THE CONTEXT
Context refers to the verses that surround the text you are studying (what the context
verses are talking about, topic of the paragraph, topic of the chapter, purpose or theme
of the book, there is in the OT and NT and others.
□ 4. EXAMINE THE STRUCTURE
Look for key words, words that are repeated, comparison or contrasts, verbs,
conjunctives (but, but, and, like, more...), illustrations, type of literature and language
(history, prophecy, allegory, logic, parable...)
□ 5. ASK QUESTIONS
The best method of discovering the content and meaning of a text is to ask key
questions about the text and record each response. (Who? That? Where? When? As?
Because? Whom? So that?...)
 TYPES OF LITERATURE IN THE
BIBLE
1. HISTORY. Historical and biographical events (good and bad examples). Ex.
Acts. It is the history of the early Church. Neh. History of the reconstruction of the
walls of Jerusalem.
2. INSTRUCTION. There are the commandments, proverbs, doctrine and other
practical advice. Ex. Lev. Instructions. Ro. Doctrines.
3. PROPHECY . They are sermons originally preached to God's people. Ex. Isaiah,
Jeremiah are collections of sermons during his lifetime (they are books not
designed to be read alone as a single unit).
4. POETRY . Every human emotion is expressed. Ex. The Psalms and the Songs.
5. APOCALYPTIC. It is a highly symbolic literary style, where it reveals events from
the future. Ex. Daniel, Matthew, Luke, Revelation…
 INTERPRETING THE
GOD'S WORD
- . INTERPRETATION THE SECOND STAGE OF THE INDUCTIVE METHOD
Apart from the Holy Spirit and prayer, the Bible is the most important resource we have as
children of God, it equips us for every good work, it serves as the only standard by which
to measure and evaluate each doctrine, tradition or practices.
Do not reach this stage without first doing careful study in Observation. Many problems
arise here due to the little information they have.
Example: the construction of a HOUSE.
- Observation. Provide the materials. What happens if material is missing?
- Interpretation. Build the house with the materials.
- Application. Go live in the house.
 2. THE PROCESS OF INTERPRETATION
1. Carefully examine the observation data to find key insights.
Practice, prayer, and sensitivity to the Spirit are necessary to understand the situation,
the original people, and the main message. Interpreting is like an art more than a
science.
2. Determine the author's central point.
Both the divine author and the human author must be in our mind, we must identify the
message communicated to those people at that time and the point of the writer and God
must be the same. Ask yourself and answer this:
□ What topic is the author writing about?
□ What are you asking to do about that topic?
3. Determine the flow of thought in the biblical text.
This means, as the author describes, what language is he using and why? With what
attitude do you say it? What does this text create in you? Confront, encourage, console...
they can be promises, warnings, challenges and others.
 3. THE BASIC RULES OF INTERPRETATION

1. General principles of interpretation.

D The Bible is the authoritative word of God.
D The Bible itself is its best interpreter.
D A saving faith and the Holy Spirit are necessary to understand them.
D Stories, actions, attitudes,... must be interpreted in light of the scriptures and not the
other way around.
D Purpose of the Bible is not to give more wisdom, but to transform lives.
D Everyone can study and interpret the Bible with the help of the ES
2. Grammatical, historical and theological principles of interpretation.
D You must interpret the words in harmony with their meaning in the context.
D It is important to understand the grammar, the literary type.
D You should not be clearer than the biblical text regarding any topic.
3. Avoiding common errors of interpretation
□ The trampoline. This occurs when the interpreter has already decided what He wants to
say and is not interested in discovering the meaning of the text. He looks little and jumps
from text to text according to his interest.
□ The allegory. Don't try to find hidden messages other than what the Bible says.
□ Ignore progressive revelation. It is impossible to understand a passage if we forget the
progressive nature of the scriptures. Ex. In the AT literal animal sacrifices were required
(they were temporary) because in the NT In Christ all this was fulfilled, there are no more
animal sacrifices.
4. Use the aids but use them carefully.
□ They can be: biblical commentaries, guides, notes, Bible dictionaries, maps and many
other books. Be careful, they are aids, they should not replace your Bible study. And be
careful with biblical references, you are not always talking about the same topic even if you
mention the same word or phrase.
 APPLYING THE WORD OF GOD
What should I do?
□ The most difficult part of the Christian life is applying the truths of the word. We
can fill ourselves with a lot of knowledge and that is also very important, it helps
us grow in our faith, but as long as we do not put it into practice our knowledge
is of little use.
□ Example. Matthew 28:20 Jesus himself is teaching to “Keep all things that I
have commanded you.” I Corinthians 11:1, I John 2:3, James 2:17, John 15:6-
11
1. THE APP SHOULD ALWAYS BE MADE BY YOURSELF.
2. MAKE SURE THE CONTEXT IS THE SAME AS THE ORIGINAL CONTEXT.
What similar situation am I going through?
or a. APPLICATION TOPICS.

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

The goal. The application should lead to seeing fruit in your life, your
character, your ministry and others.
emplos:
Faith: what do I learn about faith?
Attitudes: how or what attitudes should I change?
Challenges: What challenges are evident for my life, family and
ministry?
Character: What qualities do I need to develop in my character?
Or B GENERAL INQUIRIES
.

Useful application questions to ask for any biblical passage are:

Is there an example that should be followed?
Is there a sin that should be avoided?
Is there a promise that must be appropriated?
Is there an error that should be pointed out?
Is there a challenge that must be faced?
Is there a command that must be obeyed?
Is there a verse that should be memorized?
□ C. SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
Open his heart and allow him to show you what he wants to be different in
his life.
What does this text say to you personally in your personal relationship
with God?
be God's will in your life now?
What have been your personal excuses?
How will you apply this in your personal life?
How do you rate your loyalty to God despite the circumstances?
What impact does this verse have on your faith?
How do you respond to these types of situations?
 OTHER STUDY METHODS
BIBLICAL
Before choosing one of these methods, clearly
determine what you intend to achieve.
METHODS:
o Biographical (Characters)
o Topic (Words or topics)
o Theological (doctrinal)
o Devotional (Personal spiritual food)
 BIOGRAPHICAL METHOD
□ Description. Look up what the Bible says about the life, ministry, character of a biblical
character.
□ Purpose. What to imitate or avoid from this character, how to apply it to your personal life,
ministry and others.
STEPS TO FOLLOW:
□ Select the character, study all the possible texts where it appears.
□ Search for a matching reference and see which texts it is in.
□ Read in what context each text is mentioned and make a comment .
□ Read again and put yourself in that character's place in each text. Impressions.
□ Organize this character's life according to his studies. (Life, family, occupation, position,
ministry, events, situations, qualities, defects and others)
□ Application What lesson does it teach me? What qualities or defects distinguish it?
□ Sketch . For a preaching, teaching or advice to give...
 TOPICAL METHOD
□ Description . Seek to determine what the Bible says about a word, topic, or idea.
□ Purpose . Help us discover what a word or subject means and how they are used in different
passages.
STEPS TO FOLLOW:
□ Select the word or subject.
□ See the boundaries , and decide where to frame (in a particular chapter, a book, the NT or the AT or
the entire Bible.
□ Make a list of related words (synonyms, antonyms)
□ Make a list of biblical references to help with concordance.
□ Read each passage and write down what you understand in each one.
□ Summarize your study. (make a definition of the word, list in which situations they are used, write
down your conclusions.
□ Determine how you could apply. How to apply .
□ Prepare your teaching or sermon. (be precise, complete, clear and expository)
 THEOLOGICAL METHOD (doctrinal)
□ Description . Its purpose is to discover the theological or doctrinal truths which are the
foundations of our faith. (can include a chapter, book, Bible)
□ Purpose . What the Bible about God, man, creation… doctrinal.
NECESSARY STEPS.
□ Choose the subject. The theological doctrine or word. See its etymology.
□ Determine the limits of your study.
□ Write down how many times the word appears.
□ Determine related words .
□ Make a reference list . Search all references.
□ Comment on the references.
□ Organize your study and everything you found.
□ Determine how to apply your discovery in your life and congregation.
 DEVOTIONAL METHOD
tDescription . Study the Bible to obtain personal spiritual nourishment.
oPurpose . Learn to regularly develop time with God to personally appropriate and apply the
tword
oSet aside a specific time daily.
What does That
NECESSARY STEPS: it say? I learn?

t
o Pray to deepen and understand Identify the passage
t
o and meditate on it. Select a passage of scripture. Look
t
oup the word rhema.
t
oAsk yourself reflection questions. What do I That
t say to me? do I share?
Pray for understanding.
o
t
Write down and apply what you have learned, memorize versi
o
t
o
t
o
“THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY AND
PRODUCTIVE FROM LEARNING TO
STUDYING THE BIBLE IS
“STUDYING THE BIBLE ITSELF”