According to personalitylingo.com, “Planners have an innate drive to organize their world”. I definitely have a planner personality. I want an outline. I want a direct course of action to follow. I need to make lists! No wonder I love Bible study methods. Hello – it’s the way God made me!
I know, God rarely reveals His entire plan all at once. But He has revealed His complete Word. And He entrusts us with the responsibility to study His Word, to be prepared, to be ready to move when He says go, if only one step at a time.
This week I’ve researched and rounded up My Favorite Five Bible study techniques. Details for each method is available online, so I am not going to reiterate that information here. I will simply provide links to the original sources so you have access to all the info. Now, on to this week’s list…
My Fave Five
1. How to Read the Bible Like a Seminary Professor
The late Dr. Howard Hendricks of Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) taught a very thorough study method. You can find his teaching How to Read the Bible Like a Seminary Professor in video format through DTS free online course offerings. This four week video course provides a wealth of information and resources for in depth Bible study. I highly recommend taking the time to review this course, as well as other courses offered online through DTS.
2. BSF Homiletics
This second method has highly influenced my approach to Bible study. It is the Homiletics method as taught through Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). BSF is a wonderful Bible study resource with groups gathering worldwide. BSF offers a Homiletics seminar during the year alongside their group Bible studies. Some online resources that explain and demonstrate this method well are:
BSF Seminar Homiletics video by Arlington BSF
How to Study the Bible Using the Homiletics Method by Amanda Krauter on Snapguide
Homiletics Crash Course by Christina Kline
Homiletics – The Basics by Homiletics 101
3. Inductive Bible Study
Next up is the Inductive Bible Study method made popular by Bible teacher and author Kay Arthur. Precept Ministries, founded by Jack and Kay Arthur, provides great instruction and examples. Another concise explanation of the inductive method is done by The Navigators ministry.
4. S.O.A.P.
Another popular study method uses the acronym SOAP (Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer). A quick Pinterest search will bring up lots of cute printables with nice descriptions for this method, but one of the best I found is by Carrie Rogers at Carried Away Ministries.
5. Verse Mapping
And last but certainly not least is my new favorite Verse Mapping. I absolutely love this method by Kristy Cambron. Maybe it’s the word mapping…maybe it’s the simplicity … but it just follows the way I naturally think. Check out at Kristy’s Verse Mapping 101: Steps to Study the Bible Like Never Before for all the info.
Your Turn
What are your favorite techniques for Bible Study?
What would you add to this list?
Which one on my list is your favorite?
In researching this article I found so many great resources for Bible study methods and techniques. It was hard to narrow down my fave five! I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Until next week!
