Shalem IPC

Lesson # 1

Introduction:

We need a method to have effective Bible study.

Our intention is to develop an inductive method of study.

Though this method is effective in accomplishing many things in our study of the Bible, you are free to employ other methods like expository, topical, and exegetical, etc.

This method is simple to follow, but you will have to become disciplined in the method.

What is Inductive Bible Study Method?

• It is the verse by verse study of the Scripture.
• This method will help us to discover the facts of a text through careful observation.
• Then we will draw some interpretation of these facts to understand what the writer meant.
• We will also be able to make applications for practical Christian living.

 What are the advantages of this method?

• You can study Bible without learning the original languages like Hebrew and Greek.
• You are able to interpret Bible without the help of commentaries and dictionaries.
• You will go through every minute detail of the Scripture by going through verse by verse.
• You will understand the whole truth of the Scripture systematically.

 What type of study is this?

• It is a scientific approach to the study of the Scripture: because it begins with what you see; follows with an interpretation of what you see; and then it demands an application.
• It is analytical: because we examine the smallest details down to the punctuation. We analyze the structure of the literature. We also learn where paragraphs, sentences, and topics begin and end.
• It is re-creative: because this implies a rediscovery of what the authors intended to say.

  4 Principles: 

• Observation

·         Interpretation                                                                                                                                                                           

·         Illustration

·         Application

It is known, in short, as the OIIA

Before we study these 4 basic principles of the Inductive Bible Study Method in detail, we will look into the literary forms of the Bible.

Literary Forms of the Bible

The Bible is written in two literary forms:

1. Literal language – Plain language (language with subject, verb, and object. (80%)

1. Story Forms (Narratives)
   • The Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)
   • The records of the Old Testament Kings (Joshua-Esther).
   • Historical account of Jesus (Matthew –Luke)
   • History of the early church (Acts)

 Instructional and exhortive Forms (Epistles).

2. • Pauline Epistles
   • Petrine Epistles
   • Johannine Epistles
   • James, Jude and Some accounts of Jesus’ teachings

 2. Figurative Language – Languages used with imagination and poetry (20%)

2.  
   • Poetic & wisdom literature ((Job-Song of Songs)
   • Prophetic and Revelation Forms (Isaiah-Malachi &Revelation)
   • Parables

We have to deal differently with these forms

We will study in the coming lessons as to how to deal with each literary form.

Study Questions:

1.      Why Inductive Bible Study Method is simple and effective?

2.      Learn the names of the books of the Old Testament and New Testament and identify their literary forms.

3.      Memorize 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Lesson # 2

4 Basic principles of the InductivBible Study Method-1

Observation – What do I see?

• Observation is the art of examining things around and studies their relationship.
• Good observations are the key to good inductive Bible study.
• You must be a good observer of the facts in a passage.
• While observing, we must be interested only in what the text says, and not what we think.

Few things to follow in observation:

1. Observe the entire passage and get an overview

2. Read the text carefully – You should read the text until it becomes so familiar that parts of it are committed to memory.

3. Record your first impressions

4. Record the major facts – Who/What/Where/When/Why

5. Observe the structure of the passage – Make a basic outline of the text

6. Observe the details of the passage – Look at the major facts and ask questions about the text.

The questions we must ask:

Who? Who are the people mentioned in the text? What is their relationship to each other?

What? What are the key truths or happenings?

Where? Where did it happen? Where is it said? – The geography and location of the events in the passage are important.

When? When did it happen? - The time sequence of the events

How? How it happened? – The way by which things happened.

Assignment # 1

 Lesson # 5

4 Basic principles of the Inductive Bible Study Method-4

Application- How should I respond?

Application involves two steps:

• How the truths discovered should affect our behavior
• Putting those same truths into practice

Few things to follow in Application

Examine Yourself

• Look for application in the light of our own personal life.

Relate the passage to your life

• Summarize truths that seem to apply to you.
• Decide if they have some timely and lasting value.
• Look for ways that the text applies to your daily life and to the lives of others.

Meditate on the passage

• Pick out the passage or verse that speaks to your heart and that would have a lasting benefit to you and to others.

Practice what you have learned      

• Write down several points of interest that can be put into practice in your daily life.

Assignment # 4

·          

Answer the following questions (Application Questions):

1. If Jesus gives His word, can we trust it? _____________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

2. How does Jesus want us to come to Him in storms? ____________________________
________________________________________________________________________

3. Do you quickly forget Jesus’ words? ________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

4. What does Jesus’ word do for us? __________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

5. What is the main point Jesus wants His disciples to learn? _______________________

________________________________________________________________________

Assignment # 5

·          

Identify the following questions whether Observation/Interpretation/Illustration/ Application question with a tick mark and answer them.

1. Who are the people mentioned in the story? (O/I/IL/A) ________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

2. In the story, where was Jesus at the time? (O/I/IL/A) _________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

3. What Happened? Relate the whole story in your words. (O/I/IL/A)_______________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

4. What are some of the physical problems of a paralytic? (O/I/IL/A) ______________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

5. How difficult would it be for him to get to Jesus? (O/I/IL/A) ___________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

6. What kind of men were these four? O/I/IL/A) _______________________________________
    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

7. Why were they so persistent? (O/I/IL/A) ___________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

8. Whose faith was Jesus talking about at this moment? (O/I/IL/A) ________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

9. Why did Jesus say: “My son, your sins are forgiven?”(O/I/IL/A) ________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________

10. Do you find any other similar story in the Bible? (O/I/IL/A) ___________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

11. What are the Scribes questioning about the statement of Jesus? (O/I/IL/A) _______________

      ___________________________________________________________________________        

      ___________________________________________________________________­­­­________

12. When did Jesus begin to answer their questions? (O/I/IL/A) ___________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

14. What are the parallels between sin and paralysis? (O/I/IL/A) __________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________
      ___________________________________________________________________________
      ___________________________________________________________________________

15. Someone who is paralyzed is really like what? (O/I/IL/A) ____________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

16. Do you see anything symbolic of what Christ done for sinners? (O/I/IL/A)

      (At this point go back to the four men)____________________________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

17. Do you have the faith to carry someone spiritually paralyzed to Christ? List specific

      ways you would do it. (O/I/IL/A) ________________________________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

18. List the obstacles that you experienced in bringing people to Christ. How would you

      overcome them? (O/I/IL/A) ____________________________________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

19. List some practical ways you can show that you care for sinners. (O/I/IL/A) ______________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

20. How can you work with others in bringing people to Christ? (O/I/IL/A) _________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

      ___________________________________________________________________________

21. List down the lessons you learn from this story (O/I/IL/A) ____________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lesson # 6

Understanding Inductive Bible Study Secrets

• We have already learned the literary forms of the Bible – Historical-Instructional-Poetical (Lesson # 1).
• We will study the main features of each form in this lesson

1. BASIC TOOLS FOR OBSERVATION

A. The Main Features of the Story Forms

# People          # Places           # Events          # Emotions

Basic tools for observing Story Forms

• Ask: Who, What, When, Where, How
• Retell the story in your own language
• Find the relationship between the people
• Try to feel the emotions
• Place yourself in the shoes of each person
• Ask yourself what do you….see? Feel? Think?

B. The Main Features of the Instructional Forms

# Ideas                        # Words          # Verbs            #Objects         

# Arrangements of the passage

Basic tools for observing Instructional Forms

Outline the development of the ideas in the passage

Note things like repeated words

Look for:

• Comparisons
• Contrasts
• Transition words such as: therefore, because, for, but, etc.

C. The Main Features of the figurative Forms

Look for          # Symbolism               #Parallelism                 #Analogies

Basic tools for observing figurative Forms

• Determine the type of parallelism used by the poet.
• Make a basic outline of the passage
• Look for all the different figurative language
• Note the things that are repetition

2. BASIC TOOLS FOR INTERPRETATION

We must try our best to determine what the passage meant to the people who originally heard it.

• What does the author mean to make him write this way?
• What does he see?
• What does he feel?
• What does he think?
• Why does he write this?
• What would it mean to the people that have heard it in Biblical time and culture?

3.  BASIC TOOLS FOR APPLICATION

We must see how a particular truth speaks to us.

• Appeal the Holy Spirit for teaching.
• Apply the main points to your life.
• Is there an example I should follow?
• Is there a sin I should forsake?
• Is there an error I should get rid of?
• Is there a promise I should cling on?
• Is there a command I should obey?

So what?

• What do I plan to do about it?
• What difference will this make in my life?
• What plans can I make? – make a plan
• What will I do? – take a decision
• How will I do it? – find out a method

Study Questions

1.      Review the lesson.

2.      Understand the basic tools for Observation, Interpretation and Application.

Lesson # 7

Understanding the Principles of Outlining

• The Bible was not separated into chapters and verses when these works were first introduced.
• The Bible was first separated into chapters in 1228 AD.
• Then the Old Testament was separated further into verses in 1448 AD.
• Finally, the New Testament was separated into verses in 1551 AD.
• These separations are only for the purpose of identifying different parts of the Bible with distinct addresses.
• In the English language, the basic unit of thought is the paragraph.
• When we are examining the Bible, we look to see where the paragraphs begin and end.
• In some translations, the texts are given in paragraphs.
• In other translations, the publishers use a bold number on the verse when the new paragraph begins.

 Outlining Scripture

• The purpose of an outline is to begin examining the text very carefully.
• There are several different ways to outline a text.
• The purpose of outlining is to break the text into distinct ideas.
• We must isolate each idea the text presents in order to understand it more clearly.
• We will mainly study two simple outline forms.
• We must remember that outlines are an observation tool
• The purpose of an outline is to observe:

# Distinct ideas        # The focus of the text           

# Keeping to the author’s original reason for writing.

1. Thought for Thought Outline

• These outlines simply follow the basic flow of the text separating the text by the changes in thought.
• Thought for thought outlines are used primarily for story forms as well as the poetic, parable, prophetic, revelation forms.

Assignment # 6

Outline Acts 1

I.                   Acts 1:1-3        Introduction

II.                Acts 1:4-8        Jesus commands them to not depart but wait

III.             Acts 1:9-11      The Ascension of Jesus

IV.             Acts 1:12-14    Waiting on the promise

V.                Acts 1:15- 17   Peter’s address

VI.             Acts 1:18-20    Judas’ death

VII.          Acts 1:21-26    The selection of Matthias

Assignment # 7

2. Epistle Outline

Almost all the epistles follow a common format for outline.

·         Most epistles contain an introduction that is easily identified although they may vary quite a bit in length.

·         These introductions may contain a greeting as well as some sort of thanksgiving which can be identified as separate items in the outline.

·         A statement of purpose will usually follow the introduction.

·         This is the author’s original reason for writing the letter.

·         The statement of purpose is in many cases brief, but right to the point.

·         The body or teachings will then follow.

·         The body will contain several teachings or subject.

·         These separate teachings may require sub topics to be identified in order not to make the individual elements of the outline extremely long.

·         Finally, the epistle will have a closing statement by the author.

·         This closing statement is usually identified as the place where the author stops teaching and makes his final salutation.

·         Certain epistles, such as 1 John and Hebrews, will not contain these specific elements as the style of writing is different from the more common epistle form.

Assignment # 8

Read Titus and make an outline

I.             Titus 1:1-4    Introduction

II.          Titus 1:5                   Statement of Purpose

III.       Titus 1:6-3:14           Main Teachings

A.    Titus 1:6-16           Elders qualifications and work

B.     Titus 2: 1-3:11       Christian duties in the church and sound doctrine

C.     Titus 3;12-14         Personal concerns

IV.       Titus 3:15                 Closing

Assignment # 9

Outline Jude – Power Point

Lesson # 8

Understanding the Principles of Charting

·         After you have outlined the text, you must break the text apart further by charting.

·         Charting is used to look at the text carefully through our Observation-Interpretation-Illustration-Application system.

·         When you start developing the chart, you must follow the format given.

·         This will help prevent you from overlooking important elements of the text.

·         For effective charting, you must make four columns as follows:

·         We arrange the illustration column at the end because you don’t need to illustrate every point. You can illustrate a point wherever it is needed and appropriate.

·         In charting, we only work with one section or one thought at a time.

·         We must finish with all the observation, interpretation, application and illustration.

·         Then, we can move on to the next section.

·         Remember:

·   NOT ALL OBSERVATIONS NEED INTERPRETATION

·   NOT ALL INTERPRETATIONS NEED APPLICATION.

Charting of Jude