The Inductive Bible Study Method
The Inductive Bible Study Method has been used for many years and has
proven to be very effective.
The inductive method attempts to discover
the facts of a text through careful
observation and then draw some
interpretation of these facts to understand what the writer meant. The third step is to make
applications
first in a general way and move to more personal application. This
inductive method is known, in short, sometimes as the OIA Method.
To have effective Bible study, one must have a method. It is the intent
of this course to develop an inductive method of study, as it is
applied to Biblical analysis. Although the inductive method of study
will accomplish many things in our study of the Scripture, the student
will still have to become disciplined in the method and also realize
that at times other methods must be employed.
The inductive method is a
scientific approach to the study of the Scripture:
- It begins with that you see
- It follows with an interpretation of what you see
- It then demands an application
The inductive method is
analytical. The student must
examine the smallest details down to the punctuation. The structure of
the literature becomes of paramount importance. We must learn where
paragraphs, sentences, and topics begin and end.
The inductive method is
re-creative.
This implies a rediscovery of what the authors intended to say.
Realizing what the authors meant for the people to understand when
hearing it for the first time.