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The resurrected Jesus said to the His frightened disciples,
"These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the
Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."
And Jesus opened their understanding
that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
(Luke 24:44-45)
It is amazing that the very first thing Jesus did after His resurrection was to lead His disciples in a Bible study! And he revealed to them the foundational principles for Bible study: all Scriptures point to Christ and Christ fulfills all Scriptures! And ultimately, it is Jesus who gives us understanding of truth!
There are two basic approaches to Bible study: deductive and inductive study.
Deductive study starts with assumed general doctrines and seeks to prove or disprove them with Scriptural observations.
Inductive study is the opposite of deductive study. It starts with observations of Scriptures, and seeks to discover the specific interpretation of the Scriptures as communicated by God.
Deductive study is from the outside-in. Inductive study is from the inside-out.
Although both approaches are helpful, the Word of God is the central authority in inductive Bible study, whereas a teacher could become the central authority in deductive Bible study.
Journey in Christ focuses on ministering to others through inductive Bible study. We want to be facilitators for leading others to personally hear Christ as their Wonderful Counselor through the Word of God.
Following is a brief summary of the three consecutive components of inductive study with a focus on the miracle of Bible study.
OBSERVATION
Observation is digging into the Scriptures...mining the Scriptures for treasures. Observation is not just seeing, but taking time to perceive what you are seeing. The challenge is that most people today what to achieve answers quickly and are not conditioned to be disciplined to personally receive truth from God in His timing.
Observation includes: reading a Bible chapter or a book over and over...looking for repeated words...asking perceptive questions...focusing on apparent obvious facts instead of glossing over them presuming you understand them...holding off in reviewing observations by others through commentaries...etc.
The miracle of observation is that we are being nurtured by God to observe and to behold His dear Son!
A.B. Simpson preached in London in 1885, "The way to look at Scriptures and understand the thoughts of God (is) to see in them the face of love, shining through and through; not ideas, nor doctrines, but Jesus Himself as the Life and Source and sustaining Presence of all our life."
| Beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed into the same image (2 Corinthians 3:18). |
INTERPRETATION
Someone has well said that whereas observation digs in (excavates), interpretation builds. And this building is upon the foundation Jesus revealed to His disciples during that first Bible study. Interpretation seeks how Scriptures point to Christ and are fulfilled by Him. This then is the foundation to seek to interpret how you relate to Jesus through these Scriptures.
It is tempting to selfishly interpret how Scriptures primarily can meet my needs before even considering how they first relate to Christ. In contrast, the miracle of interpretation is that the Holy Spirit in us builds us up in Christ as He reveals truth to us! Interpretation is impossible apart from God's revelation.
| Jesus said to His disciples before the cross, "The Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth...He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:13-14). |
The world focuses on doing. This worldly orientation can subtly enter our ministries and we can become over-zealous in striving to apply biblical truths we have studied. This orientation is indicated in remarks like, "We need to get busy for the Lord."
The miracle of application is that the Holy Spirit first applies the truths from observation and interpretation to our hearts and minds! The Lord leads us to meditate with Him on the words He reveals to us. Thus, the Lord leads us to focus on being in Him so that our doings (our applications) will become the fruit of our being and not the fruit of our best efforts to apply the truths apart from Christ.
By the mercies of God, be transformed (my being) by the renewing of your mind (God's doing), that you may prove (my doing through the indwelling Christ) what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God [Romans 12:2].
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CLOSING
Although this Rest Stop is a little longer than I try to keep it, I hope it is easy to read and encouraging.
And I hope you enjoy my adventure with the gracious man from my mother's hometown (story to the right). I think my research of my mother's roots has been inductive. :) It sure did include some exciting and disciplined observation in discovering this man who many had lost sight of. I believe the joy I experienced as a result is a testimony of the joy of the Lord...the same joy you and I can experience through the miracle of Bible study.
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