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How To Read The Bible

One of my spiritual heroes is Howard Hendricks, a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary.  Although he is a brilliant teacher, he constantly sticks to the basics of inductive Bible study and never tires of teaching it and training others to study the Bible for themselves.  His book, Living by the Book, covers these basics of inductive Bible Study.  

The Basic Principle of Biblical Interpretation:  Seek the plain, natural, intended meaning of the text.  What did the original author intend for his original audience to understand, and therefore what is implied for Christians today. As we seek to interpret the Bible, we go through a three step process:

 1.  Observation

2.  Interpretation

3. Application


1. Observation

What does this passage say? 

A.. What is the context of the passage?

B.  Who is writing/speaking and to whom?  What is their relationship?

C.  What is happening?  What is being discussed?

D.  Where are the events/communication taking place?

E.   Why is the speaker saying what he/she says?

 Answer these Questions:

What commands are there to obey?

What promises can I trust God to keep?

What does this passage teach me about God?

What does this verse say about my relationship with God?

2.  Interpretation

What does this passage mean?

 A.  Why does the writer say this?

B.  Why is this important to understand?

C.  What does this passage communicate about God and his ways?

D.  What does this passage communicate about man and his sinfulness?

E.   What does this passage tell me about Christ and what he has done for me?

3. Application



 How can I apply this to my life?

A.  How can I obey God in light of what I have read?

B.  What can I praise God for?

C.  What can I confess?

D.  Is there an example for me to follow?

E.  Is there a promise I can claim for a circumstance I am going through?

F.   Is God reminding me what He has done for me through Christ?

 Applrication should be SMART

Specific...you can describe it

Measurable...you can measure whether you have accomplished it

Attainable...not too hard or too easy

Relevant...to your life

Time Bound...you will attain this by a certain date

If you learn the discipline of inductive Bible study on your own, praying it into your life with an open heart, there is no telling what God can do through you.  Perhaps the hardest part is OBSERVATIONS.  Here are some observations tips you can use...

Observation- Looking closely
What does the passage say?


  1. Repetition of words- What words are repeated?  Repetition invokes emphasis. 

1 John 2
15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.


  1. Contrasts- Look for ideas or objects that are set against each other.  What ideas or concepts are contrasted?

Proverbs 14
31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.


  1. Comparisons-Contrast focuses on differences. Comparisons focus on similarities.  Look for items, ideas or individuals that are compared with each other.  (James 3:3-6)

Proverbs 25
26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted well
is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.

  1. Lists-Pay attention to the order, groupings, progressions.

Galatians 5
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.


  1. Cause and effect- What is the cause and then the stated effect?  What advice should we heed?

Romans 12
2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.


  1. Figures of speech- What concept is the author helping you visualize?  FOS are powerful literary forms because they paint images to which we can relate emotionally.

Psalm 119
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.


  1. Conjunctions

Romans 6
23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 12
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

  1. Verbs-Where the action is!  Verbs are important because they communicate the action of the sentence.  Try to identify what kind of verb is being used.  Is the verb a past, present, or future tense verb?  Does it present a progressive idea; that is, does it have continued action?

Ephesians 4:2-3
2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.


  1. Pronouns

Note all pronouns and be sure to identify the antencedent (to whom or to what the pronouns refers).  Who, for example, are the “our” and “us” in Ephesians 1:3?

Ephesians 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
                                                                            

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