1. Simple reading and listening. I do this daily, and highly recommend it for getting a great overview of the Holy Bible, especially with a systematic reading (or listening) plan that covers the whole Bible in a year, every year.
2. Meditation: speaking out loud and thinking about a passage of Scripture. This helps bridge the gap between mental assent to heartfelt faith.
3. Topical Bible study: searching through the Scriptures to see what the Bible says about one particular topic, such as marriage, money, angels, etc. It helps to have a Bible study app with a good search function to do this kind of study. How good this is depends largely on the topics you choose to study. This is good for specific questions, but should be balanced with other Bible study methods.
4. Inductive Bible study: go deeper by answering three important questions about every passage of the Bible you study. The goal is to understand what the Holy Spirit inspired and wants you to know, rather than trying to fit the Bible into some theological framework or preconceived notion you might have.

Inductive Bible Study

You can do inductive Bible study by yourself, but it is also well suited to group study. There are several variations, but they all revolve around these phases:

1. Observation: What does it say? Pray that the Author (the Holy Spirit) would guide you and reveal to you what you need to know. Read the Bible passage carefully. Make sure you understand every word.
2. Analysis: What does it mean? Look for patterns. Mark up your Bible, or a printed out or copied page with the passage on it, or take notes in a separate notebook, if you can. Discuss it. Compare with relevant other Scripture passages to make sure you are not taking anything out of context. Sometimes it helps to consult another translation if the wording is unclear to you. Commentaries can sometimes be helpful, but remember this is about you discovering what the Bible says, not necessarily what some other person thinks it says, so don’t give commentaries the same weight as the Bible text itself. Avoid getting input from random web searches or hallucinating AIs, as these can easily be influenced by heretical sources. Stick to the Holy Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.
3. Application: How do I adjust my life to conform to the Bible? Just knowing what the Bible says is not enough. Indeed, now that you know more, you are responsible for more. You are also empowered more to live in victory in Jesus Christ!

WHY I LIKE INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY

1. It is Biblical. It is really a form of what is called “meditation” in the Bible, which has nothing to do with mystical emptying of the mind and such dangerous nonsense, but with contemplating, thinking about, analyzing, speaking out, repeating, and studying God’s Word. See Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:2, and Psalm 119.
2. It is balanced. The technique encourages study of each passage in context, making it far less likely that someone will go astray based on a misunderstanding based on one isolated fragment of the Bible. The approach to the text keeps asking “What does this mean?” rather than just trying to find proof texts for someone’s pet doctrine.
3. It is relational. Discussion among followers of Jesus Christ is encouraged, as is prayer.
4. It is easy. This isn’t something that requires a seminary degree or special skills. Almost anyone who has participated in an inductive Bible study can lead an inductive Bible study, because it is all about God and what He says in the Holy Bible, and not about the leader. The leader mostly just facilitates the discussion, and hopefully also participates.
5. It can be done for both personal and group study of the Holy Bible. Obviously, there is a richness in a group Bible study in discussing passages together that you don’t get by yourself, but it is still of great benefit to do this on your own, as well.
6. The Holy Bible is well worth studying. The Holy Bible, inspired by the Holy Spirit Himself, reveals an enduring message of God’s love for mankind and redemption offered to all of us.
7. It helps me remember God’s Word.

Sound Bible Interpretation

Bible Interpretation just means figuring out what the Bible is really saying. Sound Bible Interpretation is figuring out what the Bible is saying in a right way. It is possible to misinterpret the Bible, just like it is possible to misunderstand or misinterpret just about anything someone says or writes. If you keep the following principles and guidelines in mind as you read the Bible, then it is much easier to understand what God is telling us.

Scripture Interprets Scripture

We understand Bible passages in the context of other Bible passages. If one passage looks like it might mean one thing, but that would contradict another Bible passage, then obviously that interpretation is wrong. When you understand the correct interpretation, then it will agree with the rest of the Holy Bible, because God doesn’t contradict Himself and it is impossible for Him to lie.

Literal Where Possible

What the Bible says, it means. The natural meaning of a passage should be interpreted according to the normal rules of grammar, speech syntax, and context. In other words, when the Bible says that by Jesus’ stripes we are healed, then you can be assured that by Jesus’ stripes we are healed.

Consider the Form

There are different forms or kinds of writing in the Holy Bible. Each of these forms is normally read and understood a little differently, so it helps to understand what kind of writing you are reading. Kinds of writing include:

• History – stories about what happened in the past
• Narrative – reports and commentary about events
• Parables – stories that use a familiar situation to teach an abstract truth
• Prophetic – messages from God that may include revelation of things to come
• Poetic – usually Hebrew style poetry, based not on rhyme, but on sets of phrases that compare, contrast, or complete a thought.
• Teaching – telling people about God’s nature and how we should live
• Proverbial – relating wisdom and truth about the way people and things are

Consider Grammar

Know basic rules of language and how language is used. Sometimes it helps to understand some things about the original languages (Hebrew and Greek) of the Holy Scriptures. In those cases, pastors and teachers often explain them to us.

Consider Culture and History

Understand the culture and history of the people involved. For example, it helps to understand that in the time of Jesus’ ministry on Earth, Israel was under Roman occupation.

Ask the Author

The same Holy Spirit who inspired the holy men of old to write the collection of books and letters we call the Bible lives in and among us, today. If something is unclear to you, ask God to make it clear. He is happy to help you.

Useful Guidelines

The following ten guidelines help us to read what God intended for us to read in the Bible, and not just what we or anyone else wants us to see in the Scriptures.

• The Bible is to be read and understood like any other book. The Bible is different, in that it is inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, but it was written by men who used normal language, just as we use normal language to communicate.
• Read yourself into the life situation of the story or character. Use your imagination. Imagine yourself marching around Jericho, watching Jesus feed a multitude with a little boy’s lunch, or whatever applies to what you are reading.
• Historical narratives are to be interpreted in the light of teaching portions of Scripture. History records what happened. Teaching tells us what should happen.
• What is implied is interpreted by what is explicitly stated.
• Determine carefully the meaning of words. Use a dictionary.
• Understand parallels and figures of speech.
• Note the difference between a proverbial saying and a moral law. Moral law carries much more authority with respect to what we should and shouldn’t do, but proverbs give us good guidance as well.
• Observe the difference between the spirit and the letter of the law. In keeping the spirit of the law, we seek to please God by honoring His intentions. Keeping the letter of the law may involve looking for loopholes and alternate interpretations that may be more or less restrictive than God intended.
• Parables usually have one main point. Look for that one main point, but don’t try to stretch the analogy too far.
• Old Testament moral law is still in force unless the New Testament states otherwise.