I love Inductive Study

If you’ve hung around this blog for a while, you’ll have noticed that I talk a lot about the Inductive Bible Study method of studying Scripture.

I posted a whole 6-part series on how to do the Inductive Bible Study method on your own.

I’ve created two Inductive Bible Study Workbooks to walk you through the process step-by-step.

I’ve narrowed the definition of Bible study to closely resemble what takes place in an Inductive Bible Study and I’ve talked about 4 mistakes we often make when we attempt to study the Bible using other methods.

You can go ahead and say I’m obsessed. I won’t argue!

I really do love the Inductive Method of studying the Bible. No other method of study has better revealed the truth of the Scriptures to me. No other method of study has better engaged me with the Word of God. No other method of study has increased my desire to truly comprehend, interpret, and apply God’s Word.

I started this website to pass this love of Bible study on to you. One of the biggest tragedies of our time is that many Christians don’t really know the Bible they claim to believe in. Many Christians rely solely on learning the Scriptures through others’ teachings rather than reading and learning it for themselves. Many Christians are led astray because of this.

My prayer is that you won’t be led astray. I pray that you would come to know and love the Scriptures through your own diligent studying of them. And I pray that because of your love and knowledge of the Scriptures that you would want nothing more than to worship the God revealed in them with your whole life.

If this is something you desire too, read on to learn how the Inductive method of studying the Bible can help you in this lifelong pursuit,

What is an Inductive Bible Study?

Let’s begin by defining what an Inductive Bible study is.

An Inductive Bible Study uses Inductive Reasoning. Inductive Reasoning attempts to draw a conclusion based on information regarding a specific situation. Therefore, in an Inductive Bible Study we attempt to draw a conclusion about what the text means and how to apply it to our lives based on what the text is actually saying and the specific information that we are given.

We do this in three steps: Observation, Interpretation, and Application.

In Observation we answer the question: What does it say? In this first step we look carefully at the words that are being used in the text we are studying. We think about word choice and how that affects the rest of the text. We define words and look up words we don’t know to help us understand. We set aside what we think that text should say and carefully observe what it is actually saying. We take notes, ask questions, and carefully consider why the author chose the words he chose to communicate the message that God had inspired him to communicate.

In Interpretation we answer the question: What does it mean? We go beyond just what it says to think about what is meant by what is said. We think about how the text fits into the bigger picture of the Bible and the whole redemptive story of Scripture. We look up cross references to see where certain themes and ideas are mentioned in other places in the Bible. We carefully consider what trustworthy Bible experts say about what the text means. We attempt to come to a better understanding of the character of God as revealed in the text.

In Application we answer the question: What does it mean for me? Lastly, we consider our response to this God that has been revealed to us in his word. We think about how what we learned in the Scriptures should shape our beliefs, desires, thoughts, and actions. We think through the practical implications of responding to this God as we move through our daily lives. We leave our Bible Study time changed because of what we’ve learned.

These are the basics of what is involved in an Inductive Bible Study. We apply these steps to the text we are studying while also being prayerful and considering the context of the text.

Now that we know what an Inductive Bible Study entails, let me share with you 5 reasons why I love this method of Studying scripture.

5 Reasons to Do an Inductive Bible Study

Here are my top 5 reasons, although there could be many more. Let’s see if I can convince you to engage in this method of studying the Scriptures.

1. The Inductive Method of Bible Study can be applied to any Biblical text.

Whether it be poetry, narrative, wisdom literature, or prophesy, the Inductive method can easily work with all genres. It can also work with all lengths of text. You can use the Inductive Method to study a single verse, an entire chapter, several chapters, or an entire book. It’s simple enough to quickly apply during a 30 minute quiet time, yet thorough enough to engage you in several hours of study. It’s easy to remember and versatile enough to be used by anyone in whatever capacity they choose to study.

2. The Inductive Method of Bible Study follows our natural progression of learning.

Suppose you are nearing a busy intersection in your car and the light turns yellow. First, you observe that the light is no longer green but has turned yellow. Then, you interpret the yellow light to mean that you need to slow down because the light will soon turn red. Lastly, you apply what you’ve observed and interpreted by putting your foot on the brake and slowing down your car. We use the Inductive Method of learning and responding to things all the time! It is the natural progression we follow as we interact with things in our environment. When we study the Bible using the Inductive method, we are following the natural, God-given way we learn things. This makes the method flow smoothly as we study and helps us to remember better the things we have learned.

3. The Inductive Method of Bible Study engages our minds and not just our hearts.

There are too many devotionals and Bible study methods out there that attempt to draw an emotional response from you without asking you to think through what is being said. We all long to have an emotional response to Scripture and to love it with our hearts. But as Jen Wilkin says, “the heart cannot love what the mind doesn’t know.” In Romans 12:2, Paul says:

4. The Inductive Method of Bible Study considers the application of the text last.

Because the Inductive method causes us to use our intellect first, application is the very last step of the process. I love this. Why? Because it causes me to take myself out of the picture as I’m studying. It’s very tempting for us to try and see ourselves in every line of scripture. We want to ask, “Where do I fit into this?” “What does this have to do with me?” But the proper way to study the Word of God is to, initially, take ourselves out of the picture and consider what the text is saying about the character and conduct of God. When we try to apply the text first, we skew our perception and leave with a misinterpretation of the text. The Inductive method doesn’t allow you to think about what the text has to do with you until the very last step. It puts ourselves in our proper place.

5. The Inductive Method of Bible Study requires me to do hard work.

This might seem like a turn-off for the Inductive method rather than an endorsement. But the truth is we tend to value more those things that we’ve worked hard for. When the meaning and application of a text are handed to us we’re more likely to forget it. But when we’ve worked hard to come to an understanding and wrestled with the text, what we’ve learned becomes more memorable and valuable to us. We’re also better able to discern which teachers are teaching Scripture accurately and which are not when we’ve done the hard work of trying to understand the text for ourselves with the help of the ever-present Holy Spirit. If your current Bible Study method doesn’t require you to work hard, then it’s time to consider using a different method.

Go Study!

There are lots of study methods out there that claim to help you understand Scripture the best. This is the method that has helped me the most. Other methods I’ve tried either play to my emotions, don’t require hard work, or skip critical parts of the study process. If you haven’t tried the Inductive Method of Bible Study yet, now is your time!

Let me help you with that process.

You can get the password to download one of my free Inductive Bible Study Workbooks by entering your email here. There is one on the book of James and one on the book of Ruth available. Genesis chapters 1-3 is coming soon!

Or you can click the image below to download a free workbook page to help you walk through the Inductive method with any piece of Scripture. Download and print as many as you want to go into your Bible Study notebook as you go through a book of the Bible.

For further reading on how to use the Inductive Method of Bible Study to engage both your mind and your heart, check out Jen Wilkin’s book Women of Word available on Amazon (not an affiliate link).

Whatever you choose to do, never stop studying God’s Word. It is one of the most worthwhile pursuits you will ever undertake!