Sermon Tone Analysis

The Inductive Bible Study Method, Part 1

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

()

Opening Illustration:

When trying to describe a bible study, some people illustrate it by means of an adventure – in search of hidden treasure.

Others prefer a more workman-like approach, preferring to compare it to a crime scene investigation, where the detective is looking for clues to understand what happened.

But whether you’re Indiana Jones or Sherlock Holmes, you need the right tools and methodology to help you on your way.

In this morning’s core seminar, we’re going to put some of those tools into your hand, as we start getting practical in our How to Study the Bible class.

Introduction:

Explain to class:

· Name and co-leader

· Class 2 of 13

· Handouts for reference

· Follow up questions – email

This class aims to equip you to study the Bible.

Prior to this, we covered how the bible came together, and its’ reliability.

This morning, we’re going to talk about more practical matters.

Think of this class as the Driver’s ed of bible reading.

When you go for driving lessons, there are certain rules that govern the way we’re allowed to use the roads.

You arrive at a yield sign, and give right of way.

If you want to pull out from the curb, you need to check for traffic and use your indicator (apparently in DC, they don’t teach you how to use one of those!).

And depending upon the weather conditions, your driving habits change.

If it’s a beautiful sunny day, you’re likely to drive faster than if its pouring down rain.

The point is, you follow the rules and use common sense in every situation.

Studying the bible is very similar to driving.

There are some simple, undeniable, well-established rules for how to read well.

And common sense always needs to be used, especially when we take into account the context for each book.

The way we like to teach people to study is through a means called the Inductive Bible Study Method.

[Optional mention: Wed night bible study]

The Inductive Bible Study Method

If you’re less familiar with how to read the bible, the word inductive can sound confusing.

It’s a way to describe how we reason, but it’s not a word we use often.

You’re probably more familiar with the term, ‘deductive reasoning’, from which we get the word ‘deduce’.

Deductive reasoning is a type of reasoning which goes from general to specific.

It’s based on premises and if the premises are true, then the reasoning will be valid.

A good example of this would be:

I deduce that if my next appointment is in 15 minutes, and I am more that 30 mins away, then I will be late for that appointment.

See what I did there?

I took two true statements/premises, and combined them to reach an accurate conclusion.

1st premise: Appointment is in 15 mins.

2nd premise: I’m 30 mins away

Conclusion: I’m going to be late!

We do deductive reasoning every single day in many different scenarios.

Inductive reasoning is a little different: it refers to reasoning that takes specific information and makes a broader generalization that is considered probable, allowing for the fact that the conclusion may not always be accurate.

A good example of inductive reasoning would be:

I always leave 15 minutes early to get to my appointments on time;

My appointment is in 30 minutes;

Therefore, I should arrive early for my appointment

Can you tell the difference between the two conclusions?

In the deductive example, I am dealing with certainty.

In the inductive example, I am dealing with probability.

I say probably because, I’m not certain I will arrive early.

I could get stuck in traffic and arrive late.

To restate the difference:

Inductive reasoning deals with probability, and generally goes from the particular to a universal.

Deductive reasoning deals with certainty, and goes from the universal to a particular.

Where deductive study is most helpful is when we do a topical study of the Bible.

That’s when we gather separate passages of the bible and arrange them to make specific conclusions about a particular topic, such as the deity of Christ, or the inerrancy of scripture.

We call this ‘systematic theology’.

So deductive study is a good and worthwhile tool.

[Illustration] Think of it as the rake in your toolshed.

Just as rake is great at gathering together leaves and grass in your lawn, so deductive reasoning is great for gathering together different parts of the bible to inform us on a particular topic.

But do you know what a rake is really lousy for?

Digging a hole!

For that, we need a shovel.

We’re going to need it to dig into God’s Word and expose its treasures.

Most of your bible study is going to look like this.

It’s the faithful exercise of coming to the Bible without an agenda, and reading the passage in order to establish God’s agenda.

Any questions so far?

How to do Inductive Bible Study

First, always begin your bible studies with prayer.

We need the Holy Spirit to help us understand God’s word.

In it says,

“The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Always begin with a prayer for the Holy Spirit’s assistance.

Inductive study can then be divided into three distinct phases:

(1) observation

(2) interpretation

(3) application.

Or, to phrase it another way:

What does it say?

What does it mean?

What does it mean to me?

The phases are progressive in that you always begin with observation, move to interpretation, and only then can you move on to application.

We’re going to look at observation and interpretation today and then talk about application next Sunday.

Observation: The goal of observation is to interrogate the text.

You want to be able to answer the “5 W’s ” - who? what?

when?

where?

why?

Who is speaking to whom?

What are they saying?

When are they saying it?

Why do they say they are saying it?

What is the context, etc.?

Things you can do to answer these questions include marking key persons, words and phrases, making lists, watching for contrasts and comparisons, as well as noting expressions of time, and geographic locations.

All of these help us to interrogate the text so that we have a rich understanding of what the text contains.

From there, we move on to interpretation.

I think you’ll find over time that good observation is what makes for good Bible study.

To illustrate this, let me read to you the first-hand account on an early-20th century biology student.

What he says has nothing to do with studying the Bible per se.