Basics of Inductive Study Completed 23.05.13

Basics of Inductive Bible Study
CONTENT
Foreword .................................................................................................................................................. 3
General Knowledge about the Bible ......................................................................................................... 4
1.
Preferred Bible Study Method ........................................................................................................ 13
2.
Logical Context A Studying the Whole ...................................................................................... 19
3.
Study in Parts ................................................................................................................................. 26
4.
Studying Other Books of the Bible ................................................................................................ 35
5.
Studying the Details ....................................................................................................................... 51
6.
Interpretation ................................................................................................................................. 55
7.
Application ..................................................................................................................................... 60
8.
From Inductive Study to Sermon Delivery ..................................................................................... 62
9.
From Inductive to Teaching ........................................................................................................... 69
10.
Basics of Lesson Organization & Presentation ............................................................................. 74
Foreword
This material has been put together to help Kingdom Workers in our local churches who did
not have the privilege to attend a Bible College. We have sincerely tried to simplify many of
the topics by summarizing their content in points form. We hope that they will do some
good in your local church leadership and ministry.
To all those who have supported us along the way by prayers and finance. We are greatly
indebted to you. It is our prayer that you will gain much Kingdom Returns through these
materials. May the Good Lord bless you all.
ACTS Ministry Fiji
INTRODUCTION
General Knowledge about the Bible

I had my first Bible when I was at the South Pacific Missionary Training College. I say
this because it was the first Bible I worked for. It took me the whole second semester break
to work for $5.00 a day and I was able to buy a new NIV Study Bible from the Bible Society
for $55. It was a wonderful feeling and I treasured that Bible more than anything during my
college days.
It has been said in the Scriptures that the Bible is the Christians Sword.
Ephesians 6:12-18 (BBE)
12
For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against authorities and
powers, against the world-rulers of this dark night, against the spirits of evil
in the heavens. 13 For this reason take up all the arms of God, so that you
may be able to be strong in the evil day, and, having done all, to keep your
place. 14 Take your place, then, having your body clothed with the true word,
and having put on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 Be ready with the
good news of peace as shoes on your feet; 16 And most of all, using faith as a
cover to keep off all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. 17 And take salvation
for your head-dress and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18
With prayers and deep desires, making requests at all times in the Spirit,
and keeping watch, with strong purpose, in prayer for all the saints,
A sword is a weapon of a sword-man. It is a weapon of war. When you have a weapon, it
means you're ready for battle. In order for the sword-man to use it effectively he must know
it like the palms of his hands. He must become one with the sword when he is wielding it. So
a Christian must know his Bible (Sword) well in order to use it effectively. Now lets get into
some basic understanding about the Bible:
Basic Information about the Bible
1. The Bible is one Book
a) There are two Testaments (Old & New). [The word Testament means
Covenant or in simple term; is an Agreement.]
b) There are 66 books altogether in the Protestant Bible [39 in the OT and 27 in the
NT]
c) There were approximately 40 authors who were inspired by God to write different
Books of the Bible.
d) It took approximately 1500 years to write.
2) Old Testament
a) The Book of Law [Pentateuch 05 books] Genesis / Exodus / Leviticus /
Numbers / Deuteronomy.
b) History [12 Books] Joshua / Judges / Ruth / 1 & 2 Samuel / 1 & 2 Kings / 1 & 2
Chronicles / Ezra / Nehemiah / Esther.
c) Poetry [5 Books] Job / Psalms / Proverbs / Ecclesiastes / Songs of Solomon.
d) Major Prophets [5 Books] Isaiah / Jeremiah / Lamentation / Ezekiel / Daniel.
e) Minor Prophets [12 Books] Hosea / Joel / Amos / Obadiah / Jonah / Micah /
Nahum / Habakkuk / Zephaniah / Haggai / Zechariah / Malachi.
3) New Testament
a) History [05 Books] Matthew / Mark / Luke / John / Acts.
b) Epistles [21 Books] Romans / 1 & 2 Corinthians / Galatians / Ephesians /
Philippians / Colossians / 1 & 2 Thessalonians / 1 & 2 Timothy / Titus / Philemon /
c) Apocalyptic [01 Book] Revelation.
d) Hebrews / James / 1 & 2 Peter / 1, 2 & 3 John / Jude.
It is important to know this basic information before doing Inductive Bible Study because
there are different ways of interpreting different divisions of the Bible.
The word Bible comes from the Greek word Biblos which means BOOK.
The Bible is also known as:
1) The Book of Covenant (aka Old & New Testament Testament meaning
covenant. A covenant is an agreement; so the Bible is an agreement between God and
man).
Luke 22:20 (BBE)

20
And in the same way, after the meal, he took the cup, saying, This cup is the
new testament, made with my blood which is given for you.
1 Corinthians 11:25 (BBE)
25
In the same way, with the cup, after the meal, he said, This cup is the new
testament in my blood: do this, whenever you take it, in memory of me.
2) The Law & The Prophets Hebrew Scriptures are also referred to as The Law, The
Prophets, and The Writings.
Matthew 5:17 (BBE)
17
Let there be no thought that I have come to put an end to the law or the
prophets. I have not come for destruction, but to make complete.
Matthew 7:12 (BBE)
12
All those things, then, which you would have men do to you, even so do you to
them: because this is the law and the prophets.
Luke 24:44 (BBE)
44
And he said to them, These are the words which I said to you when I was still
with you, how it was necessary for all the things which are in the writings of
Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms about me, to be put into effect.
3) The Scriptures or Writings

Mark 12:10 Mark 12:10 (BBE)
10
Have you not seen this which is in the Writings: The stone which the builders
put on one side, the same was made the chief stone of the building:
Matthew 22:29 (BBE)

29
But Jesus said to them in answer, you are in error, not having knowledge of
the Writings, or of the power of God.
Mark 12:24 (BBE)
24
Jesus said to them, Is not this the reason for your error, that you have no
knowledge of the holy Writings or of the power of God?
4) The Word of God

Mark 7:10-13 (BBE)
10
For Moses said, Give honour to your father and mother, and, He who says
evil of father or mother, let him have the punishment of death: 11 But you say, If
a man says to his father or his mother, That by which you might have had profit
from me is Corban, that is to say, Given to God, 12 You no longer let him do
anything for his father or his mother; 13 Making the Word of God of no effect by
your rule, which you have given: and a number of other such things you do.
Romans 10:15-17 (BBE)
15
And how will there be preachers if they are not sent? As it is said, How
beautiful are the feet of those who give the glad news of good things.
16
But they have not all given ear to the good news. For Isaiah says, Lord, who
has had faith in our word? 17 So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the
Word of Christ.
The Symbols of the Book

The following symbols express the value and power of the Word of God.
1) Mirror shows the revealing power (Revelation of unseen, hidden spiritual distortion manifested
in the natural). It shows you your weaknesses and areas where you need to improve on; in
your conduct, your relationships, your dealings, you words, actions, etc.
James 1:23-25 (BBE)

23
Because if any man is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man
looking at his natural face in a glass; 24 For after looking at himself he goes
away, and in a short time he has no memory of what he was like. 2 But he who
goes on looking into the true law which makes him free, being not a hearer
without memory but a doer putting it into effect, this man will have a blessing on
his acts.
2) Seed The Generative Power (Gives you the potential to grow a forest). It is able to grow you to
become whom God wants you to be; and not just grow, but to grow and bear fruit, with
seeds that will bear more fruit.
James 1:18 (BBE)
18
Of his purpose he gave us being, by his true word, so that we might be, in a
sense, the first-fruits of all the things which he had made.
Ref: 1 Peter 1:23; Matthew 13
3) Laver & Water (The Cleansing & Purifying Power). It washes your, thoughts and
perception. You are able to begin a fresh with the desire to think about good things;
things that caused spiritual and physical development of yourself and others.
John 15:3 (BBE)
3
You are clean, even now, through the teaching which I have given you.
Ref: Ephesians 5:25-27; Psalm 119:5, 11; John 17:17
4) Light & Lamp It lights up your mind, your thoughts, your perception; you begin to
show a kind of wisdom that is not of this world. (Shows the guiding and illuminating power)
Psalm 119:105 (BBE)
105
Your word is a light for my feet, ever shining on my way.
5) Fire and Hammer shows the equipping and warfare power: It is able to break down and burn
down that which your personally find it hard to let go or break-through, leave it to God
and he will use his Word to bring freedom with the leading of His Holy Spirit.
Jeremiah 29:23 (BBE)

23
Because they have done shame in Israel, and have taken their neighbours' wives,
and in my name have said false words, which I did not give them orders to say; and
I myself am the witness, says the Lord.
6) Gold & fine Apparel show the enriching and adorning power. To fear the Lord is to reverence
Him and His Word, resulting in obedience. It will be to your (our) advantage, as the
wisdom and knowledge of the Most High will crown our lives. That is the manifestation
of Christ.
Psalm 19:7-10 (BBE)
7
The law of the Lord is good, giving new life to the soul: the witness of the Lord is
certain, giving wisdom to the foolish. 8 The orders of the Lord are right, making
glad the heart: the rule of the Lord is holy, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the
Lord is clean, and has no end; the decisions of the Lord are true and full of
righteousness. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even than much shining
gold; sweeter than the dropping honey.
Ref: 1 Peter 3:2-5;I Corinthians 3:1-2; Job 23:12;
John 6:35.
7) Milk, Meat, Bread, & Honey show the nourishing, sustaining, and satisfying power. Man as a
spiritual being need to feed on the Word of God in order to live, after he has been Born
Again.
1 Peter 2:2-5 (BBE)
2
Be full of desire for the true milk of the word, as babies at their mothers' breasts,
so that you may go on to salvation; 3 If you have had a taste of the grace of the
Lord: 4 To whom you come, as to a living stone, not honoured by men, but of great
and special value to God; 5 You, as living stones, are being made into a house of
the spirit, a holy order of priests, making those offerings of the spirit which are
pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.
(Ref Matt 4:4)
We have now seen the symbols of the Word of God presented in the Bible. If we failed to
observe and interpret the Bible correctly, we will end up with a wrong conclusion, and we
will not have a good application. When that happens we render the Word ineffective and
not living up to the symbols it represents.
Next Divisions of the Bible
Divisions of the Bible Old Testament

HISTORICAL BOOKS
POETRY
PROPHETICAL BOOKS
Law
05 Books
History
12 Books
Poetry
05 Books
Major
Prophets
05 Books
Minor Prophets
12 Books
Genesis
J_____
J___
I_____
H____
Exodus
J_____
P____
J_______
J___
Leviticus
R____
Proverbs
L_________
A___
Numbers
1 Samuel
Ecclesiastes
E______
O______
Deuteronomy
2 Samuel
S_____ of Solomon
D_____
J____
1 Kings
M____
2 kings
N____
1 Chronicles
H_______
2 Chronicles
Z________
E___
H_____
Nehemiah
Z________
E_____
M______
Basic Inductive Bible Study
Old Testament
Historical Books
Books of Poetry
Books of Prophecy
Book
Main Idea/
Person or
Event
Book
Main Idea/
Person or
Event
Book
Main Idea/ Person

or Event
Genesis
Beginning
Job
Gods
Sovereignty
Isaiah
Groan for Glory
Exodus
Exit
Psalm
Worship
Jeremiah
Rotten
Leviticus
Offerings &
Feasts
Proverbs
Wisdom
Lamentation
Tears
Numbers
Wandering
Ecclesiastes
Vanity
Ezekiel
Dry Bones
Song of
Solomon
Marital Love
Daniel
Dreams
Hosea
Adulterous Wife
Joel
Locusts
Amos
PlumbLine
Obadiah
Brothers Keeper
Jonah
Belly of the Fish
Micah
Court Hearing
Nahum
Flood
Habakkuk
Watch Tower
Zephaniah
Day of the Lord
Haggai
Temple
nd
Deuteronomy
2 Law
Joshua
Conquest
Judges
Cycle
Ruth
Kinsman
Redeemer
1stSamuel
Saul
nd
2 Samuel
David
1st Kings
Solomon
2nd Kings
Captivity
1st Chronicles
Account of
David
2nd Chronicles
Account of
Judah
Here is a simple grouping of the

Old Testament Books showing
Historical, Poetry, and
Prophecy, with a Key Word
that best summarizes each book.
Historical (1st five are the law; 12
are historical).
Poetry (05 books)
Prophecy
1 05 Major Prophets; 12 minor
prophets
st
Ezra
Rebuilding
the Temple
Nehemiah
Rebuilding
the Walls
Zechariah
Messiah
Esther
Queen of
Persia
Malachi
Hearts of Stone
1.
Preferred Bible Study Method

-
Welcome to the Inductive Bible Study Method
We cannot deny the importance of Bible Study in a persons life whether you are a
Christian or not. Gods Word is alive and active and will open the eyes of the spiritually
blind to the things of God. As a persons spiritual eyes are opened, he begins to be
prepared for the Kingdom, because the Bible is our Manual for Kingdom Living, Kingdom
Thinking, Kingdom Conduct, and Kingdom Service.
There are two important truths that we need to know about the Bible;
1) The Bible is Gods written Word therefore it is powerful enough because the very
same Word of God was active from the beginning of time and powerfully exhibited in
creation.
2 Peter 1:20Above all you must understand that no prophecy of
scripture came about by the prophets own interpretation. For prophecy
never had its origin in the will of men, but men spoke from God as they were
carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Page
But because God has used human languages, specific timings, and specific events to
record what he wanted the recipients to know; and also to be a lesson for us now and for
13
2) The Bible has power to address every issue in our lives because the Bible is Gods
manual for mans purpose on earth and destiny in eternity; God meant it to deal with
all our problems whether they are emotional, physical, intellectual, social, communal,
financial, or spiritual. They are all addressed in the Word of God.
Hebrews 4:12For the word of God is living and active, sharper than
any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints
and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
the future, it is important therefore to understand the context and Gods intention
concerning a certain passage or book.
This is why Bible Study is important. Not just any kind of Bible Study but INDUCTIVE
BIBLE STUDY because this method of Bible study tries to discover FACTS about
CONTEXT and INTENTIONS first before making any concrete conclusion.
3) What is Inductive Bible Study?
a) This is a method of studying the Bible in which a student of the Bible looks at the
FACTS first before making any Conclusion; [It is the logic of PROOF].
b) The Goal of this method of Bible Study is to enjoy fresh discoveries of TRUTHS
from Gods Word;
c) This method is simple and brings out clearly the authors intended meaning of a
text;
d) Inductive Bible Study has three (03) main stages;
1. Observation;
2. Interpretation;
3. Application;
Page
2. Observing the Parts Now youre looking at what should happen next. Every
portion of scripture whether you are dealing with thoughts or events has some
14
4) Defining these stages

a) Observation Moving from observing the WHOLE to observing the SPECIFIC: 1. Observing the Whole - When looking at the whole you are merely gaining
those first valuable impressions and warming up the text. You goal at this point
is to get a background view of the subject.
kind of a structure. This structure is to be broken down into logical divisions

and thoughts.
3. Observing the Detail At this point you are looking at all the little facts that
make up the big picture. This when the 04 open ended questions become very
important because they will help you study your scripture portion in detail.
[WHO?, WHAT?, WHERE?, WHY?, WHEN?].
Inductive Bible Study

(3 stages)
Observation/ Interpretation/ Application
Synthetic
Analytic
Topical
The Goal of
Synthetic Study
is to discover
the Purpose of
the entire book
The Goal of
Analytic Study is
the detail Study
of each part in
order to reach a
conclusion
The Goal of
Topical Study is
to learn what the
Bible has to say
about a given
topic.
kind of Bible Study is to consider the Larger Context within which your preferred text (Lesson) is
Page
8) Now, what are we going to do first? The first and most important thing to do first in this
15
CONTEXT
found. [Remember - Context can be defined as the Body of Scripture you are focusing on]. Context in
general can be understood in two categories:
Historical Context This involves the study of historical material in order to
determine the situation to which the book was addressed. Historical context is
important because understanding it will help you to recreate the era in which the
book was written and help your audience understand the There & Then in
relation to the Here & Now.
i. Authorship Who wrote the Book? Authors life, ministry, & background.
ii. Date of Writing When was it written? Significance of the date in relation
to world or church history.
iii. Recipients To whom was the Book written? Who were they? Define the
recipients.
iv. Purpose and Theme Why was the Book Written?
v. Cultural Background
a. Geography movement of people & topography of the land.
c. Economy each Bible culture can be defined on the basis of its socioeconomic situation.
Abraham semi-nomadic economy
Solomon mercantile economy
Greeco-Roman period Cosmopolitan or broad
multinational & multi-ethnic trade.
16
b. Politics Old Testament Politics and New Testament politics during

the time of Christ. [E.g. Gal. 4:4]
Page
a.
d. Military & war The history of Israel from a military standpoint or of

places mentioned in your text. Israel has won victories on the basis of
superior tactics and Divine Intervention.
e. Cultural Practices may define the intention of the passage [e.g.
Removing of Sandals in Ruth; Relationship between Jews and
Samaritans]
E.g. - 11 I baptize you with water so that you will change the way you think
and act. But the one who comes after me is more powerful than I. I am
notworthy to remove his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit and fire. Matt 3:11 (GW)
f. Religious Customs What kind of religious beliefs did they have? Are
these religious customs important to the understanding of the book?
g. Types of People Group which people group existed during the time
of writing or mentioned in the text? Whats so significant about them?
h. Tools for examining Historical Context;
Logical Context
i. Studying the Whole
ii. Studying the Parts
iii. Studying the Details
17
b.
Commentaries
OT & NT Introductions
Dictionaries
Encyclopaedias
Themes and Background Book
OT & NT Theology
Page
Exercise 01
A.
Choose one of the countries of the South Pacific and study its
background answering the questions below.
1) Describe the Geography of the country

2) Describe the politics of the country
3) Describe its economy
4) Describe its military capabilities
5) What is one cultural practice that is still being practice there?
6) What is the religions distribution?
7) Describe the different races living there.
Page
18
B. With the use of a Bible Dictionary or Bible commentaries, study the land of Palestine of
the Old Testament and describe its background in relation to the questions in Part A.
2. Logical Context A Studying the Whole

(Involves charting the Book)
1) Studying the Whole is the first stage where you are required to look through the whole
Book and try to get a simple overview of what was happening at the time, and the
authors response to that situation. How do you Study the Whole? You will have to
start with reading. Small books are easy to read and can be read in one sitting over and
over again. Large books may require more than one sitting.
i. Types of Reading
a. Read with the intention of Identifying individual Terms and Sentences
Linkages; [Elementary Reading]
b. Read with the intention of Discovering Basic Structure and Major Ideas;
[Inspectional Reading]
c. Read with the intention of making an In-depth study to understand the
message as completely as possible; [Analytical Reading]
d. Read with the intention of comparing the message of the Book with other
Books of the Bible. To be able to construct detail analysis of the authors
subject matter. [Synoptical Reading]
a. During your reading you must try to summarize each paragraphs main
point or points.
b. After reading and your summary is ready then you must try to CHART
the Book.
Page
a. Take note of the progression of thoughts the author is building. Start

making summary.
19
ii. Writing a simple overview of what youve read [simple chart]
b. Look for pattern of thoughts in your summary and match them up (you can
use lines). Some breaks in thought patterns are easy to detect, some are not.
Also note the breaks and shift in thought patterns (You can make assumptions
from them)
c. Look for key features such as:a. Phrases that are repeated;
b. Thoughts that are repeated by different phrasing; [Ps 142]
c. Important Words; [what do they mean?]
d. Words that are constantly repeated; [definition?]
e. Joining words (Transitional Conjunctions Therefore, then, but, nevertheless,
wherefore);
f. Key Words and Repetitions of Key Words.
g. Thought links between chapters.
h. Subdivide & Mark the Major Units in your Summary you can use
lines, asterisk, or any kind of marking.
Page
20
i. Remember This is just the Beginning Stage; Not the Final.
Example Charting the Book of Jonah

Chap 1
Chap 2
Chap 3
Chap 4
1 3: Command to
Preach; Rebellion &
Flight.
1 5: Jonahs prayer
of distress.
1 3a: God repeated

Jonahs Command
1 4: Jonah got
angry.
4 12: Gods Storm;

Sailors fear.
6 9: Jonahs prayer
of faith.
3b 9 Jonahs
preaching and
Ninevehs
repentance
5 8: God taught
Jonah using a vine.
Jonah again got
angry.
13 16: Sailors
Obey; Jonah thrown
overboard
10 Jonah vomited
by the whale.
10 Gods
Forgiveness
9 11: God taught

Jonah again of his
love and
forgiveness.
17 Inside the
Whale
This is the basic form of charting a Book as described above.

Important Notes
1) When observing the Whole and stating your initial impressions always seek to
answer the 04 Observation Questions as you study through each chapter.
2) Who are the major characters?
3) What are the major events and theme?
4) Where are the major locations?
5) When try to determine the major divisions of time.
Page
21
Your findings are then included into your chart.
Judea & Samaria
To the ends of the Earth
Jewish Period
Transition period
Gentile Period
29 A.D
33 A.D
45-60-62 A.D
Note
o We can clearly see in this chart how he has noted the one word that best summarized his observation in each chapter.
o He then divided the Major units of his summary.
o Than developing it further to see the links of events in each chapter and grouped them together.
o With the help of other resources he was able to determine the approximate era of the events or group of events
When the chart is completed he has managed to answer his Observation Questions of Who? What? Where? When? on page 6.
Rome
22
Jerusalem
28
Page
Church Extended
27
Shipwreck
Felix
Church Scattered
26
To Rome
Plot
Church Established
25
Agrippa
24
Festus
23
Caesarea
22
Stairway
Corinth
21
Jerusalem /Arrest
Athens
20
Jerusalem
Philippi
19
Farewell
18
Ephesus
17
3 mission
16
rd
15
2nd mission
Cyprus/Antioch
14
Jerusalem
13
Lystra / Derbe
12
1st mission
Stephen
11
Herod
Widows
10
Peter
Lie
Gospel to
the
Gentiles
Arrest
Cornelius
Saul
Philip
The Great
Persecution
Growth
through
testing
Holy Spirit
Gate of Beautiful
Birth of the
Church
Taken up
Lets now look at a more refined chart by Irvine Jensen when the Observation Questions are answered and the chart gives the total picture
of the Book of Acts in one page. Let us look at how Irvin Jensen pulled the book of Acts apart.
Practical Exercise 02 (In Groups)

Read the Book of Jude
Who wrote the book?

When was the book written?
To whom was it written?
Why was it written?
Summarize each passage (paragraphs) of the Book of Jude;
What are the key thoughts in each of your paragraphs summary?
Find 05 words in the Book of Jude and what they mean;
What other reason do you think the Book was written according to your
summary;
Find two key words that best summarize the Book.
Page
23
Fill the Chart on page 24-25. After you have filled the chart you will see that now you have
a simple overview of the Book of Jude, which prepares you to Study the Book in Part.
Who wrote the

Book?
When was it
written?
To whom was it
written?
Why was it written?
Summary of each passage

Vss. 5-7
Vss. 8-10
Vss. 11-13
Vss. 14-16
Vss. 17-23
Vss. 24-25
State 05 words & what they mean;
24
Vss. 3-4
Page
Vss. 1-2
25
What could be
the two (02)
words that best
define the Book
of Jude?
Page
From your overview, what other

reason can you give of why the Book
was reason?
3.
Study in Parts
- Diagramming the Parts
We can move on to Studying the Parts after we have done Studying the Whole.
Studying the parts helps you to see the interconnectedness of the books historical
structure [when studying historical books], or the authors thoughts & intentions [when
studying epistles] and how he builds them up to form a complete discussion.
By this time we should have a simple overview of the Book. For better understanding of
the parts you will need to diagram the text.
There are several ways to diagram a text. There is the complicated Grammar Diagram,
and the Sentence Flow Diagram, which are both normally used by advance students of
the Bible. At this stage we will be introduced to the simple Block or Line Diagram.
Before we begin it is important to know what a CLAUSE is. What a Major Clause is,
and what a Minor Clause is: [refer to page 31 & 32].
1) What is a Block Diagram? This is kind of diagram where each part or verse of a
chosen text of the Bible is taken apart, analyse, and build into a structure where the
major sections are identified and how the minor sections are connected to the main
section. The final structure of the diagram will depend on how the verses relate to
each other [ref. pg. 21].
2) The what and advantages of a Block Diagram
a) It looks at the sentence as a whole;
Page
c) It is simple and takes less time to work on;
26
b) You dont have to worry about the grammar;
d) It charts only Major & Minor Clauses.

e) Most relationships in a sentence can be easily identified [adjectives; adverbs;
prepositions]
f) It visualizes as simply as possible the thought flow of a passage and not so much
on grammatical details.
3) So, how do you construct a Block Diagram?
a) Youve got to be able to identify a major clause from a minor clause;
b) When you chart clauses, Major Clauses are set close to the margin;
c) Minor Clauses are indented about inch under the main clause and indicated by
an arrow;
d) You may not want to indent clauses under the term they modify because it will
take up a lot of spaces; therefore you can use lines to identify relations;
e) You can give some little titles to the relations of indented clauses if possible;
f) A preliminary Block Diagram can give you a Sermon or Bible Study Outline.
4) Features to look out for
a) Here is a list of features you will need to look for when diagramming the parts.
Additional features have been added on to the list from lesson 01.
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c) Unique thought provoking phrases;
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b) Points that lead to building other points [developments];
d) Phrases that are repeated; & Thoughts that are repeated by different phrasing;
e) Important Words; [what do they mean?]
f) Comparisons;
g) Words that are constantly repeated; [definition?]
h) Grammars and Joining words (Transitional Conjunctions);
i) Rhetorical Questions; - [they dont need you to answer but to think about the
issue being raised].
j) Note the Time, Location, and Setting (Geographical, Historical, Social, Cultural);
k) Other people who are addressed in the text, chapter, or book;
l) Tenses used;
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m) Key Words and Repetitions of Key Words.
Block Diagram Example Philippians 2: 5 11
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus
Christ
o Who being in very nature God

did not consider equality with God, something to be grasped
But made Himself nothing
o Taking the very nature of a servant
o Being made in human likeness
o And being found in appearance as a man
He humbled Himself
o And became obedient to death,
o even death on a cross
Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place
o And gave him the name that is above every name [link cont.]
o That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow
o In heaven
o On earth
o Under the earth
o And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
o To the glory of the Father
God
Note Even this is not

final and can still be
refined
What can we see?
1. The major section or major clause is your attitude should be the same as that of
ChristJesus;
i. Jesus did not consider himself equal with God [subordination]
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2. The two sub-sections are Jesus Actions and Gods Actions.

a. Jesus
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o All minor clauses are developed from this main clause
ii. He made himself nothing

iii. Humbled Himself
b. God - Exaltation
i. All knees bowing
ii. All tongues confessing
For His Glory
3. Why do you think this passage was written?
Note How do you know minor clauses in Bible Study? You study the connecting words or
conjunctions.
Practical Exercise 03 (In Groups)
Group 1
Read Ephesians Chapter 1
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1. Study the simple Logical Context

a. Chart chapter 1 by summarizing each passage (paragraphs);
b. What are the key thoughts in each of your paragraphs summary?
c. What is the one word that can best summarize chapter 1 of your book;
d. Try to do a Block Diagram; (Studying the Parts how they fit together);
a. Study the major and minor clauses;
i. Follow the example we have already studied;
e. What are the key thoughts that came out strongly in your Block Diagram?
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1. Study the Historical Context

a. Who wrote the book?
b. When was the book written?
c. To whom was it written?
d. What was happening that caused the author to write?
e. Why was it written?
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f. Pick 03 words from your passage and explain what they mean.
English for Basic Inductive Bible Study

1) I know that many of us have left school for some years; and our English may not be that
good. But in doing Inductive Bible Study you will need to understand a bit of English to
help you in your Observation & Interpretation Stages if you are using an English Bible or
speaking to an English speaking congregation. If you are using a Bible in your own
language, I guess you will be fine. So let us look at some important terms that you will
need to know to better your observation and interpretation skills.
2) Clause A clause is a sentence or group of sentences that can stand on its own and is
meaningful when read because it contains a FINITE VERB. A finite verb is when a verb
is being acted out by a subject and the verb usage is restricted to the subject alone.
[A Finite Verb is a verb with a subject; e.g. the dog barks.
Finite Verb
Subject
3) Major Clause A sentence that can stand on its own and can also be broken down to see
the different words put together to form it; i.e. [into specific elements]
e.g. My wife has dropped a glass on the floor.
4) Minor Clause A sentence that cannot stand on its own but must be linked to a major
clause by a coordinating word in order to make sense. They need a major clause.
5) Coordinating Word these are words which connects clauses together to add to its
meaning; [and / but / yet / both / not only / but also / either or / therefore / for / so]. These are
known as conjunctions and are important words to note when doing inductive study.
6) Determiners these are words that determine the number and definiteness of the noun
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phrase (nouns are naming words). E.g. [a / the / some / those / all / we / they / I / them].
7) Directives these are sentences that can either instruct, or command someone to do
something. A Command is a kind of Directive sentence. A directive can be used to:
Command / invite / warn / plead / advise / request / express a good wish.
8) Adverbs these are words or phrases that add more meaning to the verb (verbs are
doing words). E.g. You spoke very anxiously
9) Adjectives these are words that are used to add more meaning to a noun or pronoun [a
big book / a giant of a man / a tall boy]. Adjectives can also be in the form of suffix which can
be added to a verb or noun phrase [less added to the verb rest = restless / less added to the noun child
= childless]
Prepositions these are words that express a relationship of meaning between two
parts of a sentence. They usually show their relationship in terms of space or time.
10)
a) (Simple preposition)/ in / at / to / for / on / by / since / under / about / across / after / before /

behind / down / during / from / inside / into / off / onto / out / over / round / through / toward(s) / up /
with /
b) (Two word preposition) ahead of / apart from / because of / close to / due to / except for /
instead of / near to /
c) (Three words prepositions)/ as far as / by means of / in accordance with / in addition to / in
front of / in spite of / in terms of / on behalf of / with reference to
11) Conditional the word IF must be taken into consideration and studied in context
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12) Therefore this coordinating word must be studied with greater consideration to its
pre-context (the passage that comes before your text).
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because it can come as a condition; e.g. If you do this, this will happen.
13) Comparison this is common in poetry and Psalm and the use of as or like is a
common form of comparison. This figure of speech is known as simile. E.g. As the
deer pants for the water
a. Metaphor is a form of comparison similar to simile but it does not us as or like.

b. Personification is another form of comparison where human qualities are ascribed to
non-human things.
14)Parallelism This is common in Psalm where the second line adds meaning to or
clarifies, develops the first, or builds leading to a climax (Psalm 8:3-4),/antithetic second
line contrasting the first (Pr 3:1)[Look at study 05].
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These are some forms of English we need to learn and understand at the basic stage because
they will help us in decoding the messages of the different types of books in the Bible.
4.
Studying Other Books of the Bible
Books of Bible are interpreted differently. This is important to know because it can cause
some serious misinterpretations if this fact is overlooked. As a result we lose the benefit of
what it was intended for. Historical literatures are interpreted differently from Prophetic
Literature, and so are Poetic and Epistles. Lets look at how these books are interpreted: 1) WISDOM & POETIC LITERATURE
a) There are 03 books that are included in Wisdom Literature. Wisdom comes from God
and a man of Wisdom is a man who is Seeing Life from Gods point of view.
Therefore these books are reminding and teaching us life from Gods viewpoint. The
03 books are: (1) Job
(2)Proverbs
(3) Ecclesiastes
b) Why are these 03 books known as WISDOM?
(1) They are the advice and writings of wise men;
(2) There is a constant use of proverbs [a proverb is a saying that contains generally
recognized truth, and uses figurative languages to suggestively express it]. {E.g.: Let the
sleeping dog lie}
(3) General Truths are stated in short & simple terms using all kinds of figures of
speech.
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d) Psalms & Songs of Solomon - These two categories should be studied together.
WHY?
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c) Poetic Literature There are 2 books in the Poetic Category

(1) Psalms
(2)Songs of Solomon
(1) They are similar in style of writing;

(2)They were all written at about the same time except Job which was the first
Book of the Bible to be written; [during the glory days of the nation of Israel
and the reign of King David&King Solomon]
e) It is important also to know that better understanding of these books can be achieved
by constructing BOOK CHART. We have already looked at Charting the Book. If you
are serious about studying the Bible using inductive method than you will need to
master the art of Book Charting. How do you master Book Charting? By practicing &
continuing to observe the Book as a WHOLE.
f) Lets start with JOB. The key to understanding this book is to be able to differentiate
the words of Job from the words of his 03 friends. Do not be misled by the convincing
words of his three friends because they offered wrong advice and conclusions. These
words from Jobs three friends show a picture of what World Wisdom is. They
sounded like the truth but when compared with the Word and Wisdom of God; they
are wrong.
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to be strictly historical; others a religious fiction; others a composition based upon facts. By some the
authorship of the work was attributed to Moses, but it is very uncertain. Luther first suggested the
theory which, in some form or other, is now most generally received. He says, "I look upon the book of
Job as a true history, yet I do not believe that all took place just as it is written, but that an ingenious,
pious and learned man brought it into its present form." The date of the book is doubtful, and there have
been many theories upon the subject. It may be regarded as a settled point that the book was written
long before the exile, probably between the birth of Abraham and the exodus of the Israelites from
EgyptB.C. 2000-1800. If by Moses, it was probably written during his sojourn in Midian. "The book of
Job is not only one of the most remarkable in the Bible, but in literature. As was said of Goliath's sword,
'There is none like it;' none in ancient or in modern literature."Kitto. "A book which will one day,
perhaps, be seen towering up alone far above all the poetry of the world."J.A. Froude. "The book of Job
is a drama, and yet subjectively true. The two ideas are perfectly consistent. It may have the dramatic
form, the dramatic interest, the dramatic emotion, and yet be substantially a truthful narrative. The
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2) STUDYING JOB
JOB, BOOK OF This book has given rise to much discussion and criticism, some believing the book
author may have received it in one of three ways: the writer may have been an eyewitness; or have
received it from near contemporary testimony; or it may have reached him through a tradition of whose
substantial truthfulness he has no doubt. There is abundant internal evidence that the scenes and
events recorded were real scenes and real events to the writer. He gives the discussions either as he had
heard them or as they had been repeated over and over in many an ancient consensus. The very modes of
transmission show the deep impression it had made in all the East, as a veritable as well as marvellous
event."Tayler Lewis.
The design of the book.Stanley says that "The whole book is a discussion of that great problem of
human life: what is the intention of Divine Providence in allowing the good to suffer?" "The direct object
is to show that, although goodness has a natural tendency to secure a full measure of temporal
happiness, yet that in its essence it is independent of such a result. Selfishness in some form is declared
to be the basis on which all apparent goodness rests. That question is tried in the case of Job."Cook.
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The argument.
1. One question could be raised by envy: may not the goodness which secures such direct and tangible
rewards be a refined form of selfishness? Satan, the accusing angel, suggests the doubt, "Doth Job fear
God for nought ?" and asserts boldly that if those external blessings were withdrawn, Job would cast
off his allegiance" he will curse thee to thy face." The problem is thus distinctly propounded which
this book is intended to discuss and solve: can goodness exist irrespective of reward ? The accuser
receives permission to make the trial. He destroys Job's property, then his children; and afterward, to
leave no possible opening for a cavil, is allowed to inflict upon him the most terrible disease known in
the East. Job's wife breaks down entirely under the trial. Job remains steadfast. The question raised
by Satan is answered.
2. Then follows a discussion which arises in the most natural manner from a visit of condolence on the
part of three men who represent the wisdom and experience of the age. Job's friends hold the theory
that there is an exact and invariable correlation between sin and suffering. The fact of suffering
proves the commission of some special sin. They apply this to Job, but he disavows all special guilt.
He denies that punishment in this life inevitably follows upon guilt, or proves its commission. He
appeals to facts. Bad men do sometimes prosper. Here, at ch. 14, there is a pause. In the second
colloquy the three friends take more advanced ground. They assume that Job has been actually guilty
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Structure of the book.-The book consists of five parts:

I. Chs. 1-3. The historical facts.
II. Chs. 4-31. The discussions between Job and his three friends.
III. Chs. 32-37. Job's discussion with Elihu.
IV. Chs. 38-41. The theophanyGod speaking out of the storm.
V. Ch. 42. The successful termination of the trial. It is all in poetry except the introduction and the
close.
of sins, and that the sufferings and losses of Job are but an inadequate retribution for former sins. This
series of accusations brings out the in most thoughts of Job. He recognizes God's hand in his
afflictions, but denies they are brought on by wrong-doing; and becomes still clearer in the view that
only the future life can vindicate God's justice. In his last two discourses, chs. 26-31, he states with
incomparable force and eloquence his opinion of the chief point of the controversy: man cannot
comprehend God's ways; destruction sooner or later awaits the wicked; wisdom consists wholly in
the fear of the Lord and departing from evil."Cook.
3. Elihu sums up the argument "The leading principle of Elihu's statement is that calamity, in the shape
of triad, is inflicted on comparatively the best of men; but that God allows a favourable turn to take
place as soon as its object has been realized." The last words are evidently spoken while a violent
storm is coming on.
4. It is obvious that many weighty truths have been developed in the course of the discussion: nearly
every theory of the objects and uses of suffering has been reviewed, while a great advance has been
made toward the apprehension of doctrines hereafter to be revealed, such as were known only to
God. But the mystery is not us yet really cleared up; hence the necessity for the theophany. Job 38:41.
From the midst of the storm Jehovah speaks. In language of incomparable grandeur he reproves and
silences the murmurs of Job. God does not condescend, strictly speaking to argue with his creatures.
The speculative questions discussed in the colloquy are unnoticed, but the declaration of God's
absolute power is illustrated by a marvellously beautiful and comprehensive survey of the glory of
creation and his all-embracing providence. A second address completes the work. It proves that a
charge of injustice against God involves the consequence that the accuser is more competent than he
to rule the universe.1
a) How to study the Book of Job

i) Study the whole Look at the Book as a whole unit;
(1) Start with reading and make use of the types of reading on page 15
(2)Record your initial observation
(a) Use the Observation Questions [WHO? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN?]
Smith's Bible Dictionary: Comprising Antiquities, Biography, Geography, Natural History, Archaeology and Literature.
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ii) Study the Parts

(1) Employ the Book Charting method
3) STUDYING PROVERBS
PROVERBS, BOOK OF Prov'erbs, Book of. The title of this book in Hebrew is taken from its
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a) A Better understanding of the Book of Proverbs requires you to have an

understanding of the Jewish society;
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first word, mashal, which originally meant "a comparison." It is sometimes translated parable, sometimes
proverb as here. The superscriptions which are affixed to several portions of the book, in Prov 1:1; 10:1;
25:1 attribute the authorship of those portions to Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. With the
exception of the last two chapters, which are distinctly assigned to other author it is probable that the
statement of the superscriptions is in the main correct, and that the majority of the proverbs contained
in the book were uttered or collected by Solomon. Speaking roughly, the book consists of three main
divisions, with two appendices:
1. Chs. 1-9 form a connected didactic Wisdom is praised and the youth exhorted to devote himself to
her. This portion is preceded by an introduction and title describing the character and general aim of
the book.
2. Chs. 10-24 with the title "The Proverbs of Solomon," consist of three parts: Prov 10:1-22; Prov 10:16 a
collection of single proverbs and detached sentences out of the region of moral teaching and worldly
prudence; Prov 22:17-24; Prov 22:21 a more connected didactic poem, with an introduction, Prov
22:17-22 which contains precepts of righteousness and prudence; Prov 24:23-34 with the inscription
"These also belong to the wise," a collection of unconnected maxims, which serve as an appendix to
the preceding.
3. Then follows the third division chs. 25-29, which, according to the superscription, professes to be
collection of Solomon's proverbs, consisting of single sentences, which the men of the court of
Hezekiah copied out.
a. The first appendix, ch. 30, "The words of Agur the son of Jakeh," is a collection of partly proverbial
and partly enigmatical sayings;
b. The second, ch. 31, is divided into two parts, "The words of King Lemuel," verses 1-6, and an
alphabetical acrostic in praise of a virtuous woman, which occupies the rest of the chapter. Who
was Agur and who was Jakeh, are questions which have been often asked and never satisfactorily
answered. All that can be said of the first is that he was an unknown Hebrew sage, the son of an
equally unknown Jakeh, and that he lived after the time of Hezekiah. Lemuel, like Agur, is
unknown. It is even uncertain whether he is to be regarded as a real personage, or whether the
name is merely symbolical. The Proverbs are frequently quoted or alluded to in the New Testament
and the canonicity of the book thereby confirmed.2
i) Teacher student relationship

ii) Father son relationship
iii) Royal Court [because majority were written by King Solomon]
(1) Developed within the broader framework of education
b) How to Study the Book of Proverbs
i) Study the Whole
(1) Careful reading of the book;
(a) Look for major themes or topics as your read;
(2)Record your initial observation;
(a) The two main observation questions for proverbs are WHO? & WHAT?
(b) WHERE? & WHEN are not major considerations.
ii) Study the Parts
(1) Start with trying to chart the Book
(2)The Themes in the Book will be known after you have chart the Book
(a) Remember that chapter s in Proverbs are often unrelated so do not be
carried away with trying to see how a chapter is related to another.
4) STUDYING ECCLESIASTES
ECCLESIASTES Ecclesias'tes (the preacher). The title of this book is in Hebrew Koheleth, signifying
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a) Ecclesiastes is included in Wisdom because;
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one who speaks publicly in an assembly.Koheleth is the name by which Solomon, probably the author, speaks
of himself throughout the book. The book is that which it professes to be,the confession of a man of
wide experience looking back upon his past life and looking out upon the disorders and calamities
which surround him. The writer is a man who has sinned in giving way to selfishness and sensuality,
who has paid the penalty of that sin in satiety and weariness of life, but who has through all this been
under the discipline of a divine education, and has learned from it the lesson which God meant to teach
him.3
i) They are the writings of a wise man Solomon

ii) It contains declaration of wisdom concerning human experience
iii) It contains Proverbs, narratives, & simple portraits.
b) The key phrase in the Book is under the sun
(1) Equivalent to under the heaven
(2)Occurs 30 time in the book [meaning earthly things are not eternal and are earth
bound as opposed to that which is eternal]
c) The author demonstrates the inadequacy of any world view when compared to
Gods view;
d) When the author limits his view to earthly things he ends up with somewhat
contradicting conclusions, BUT those are the lessons for us to learn from.
e) How to Study the Book of Ecclesiastes
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ii) STUDY THE PARTS

(1) Chart the 12 chapters of the book to see the major division;
(2)Unlock the structure of the book by:
(a) Contrasting the EVIL & GOOD;
(b) Contrasting the vanity of life with the meaning and purpose which God
give to one who trusts in him;
(3) Continue to revise and refine your chart.
(4)
Put into practice what you have learnt.
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i) STUDY THE WHOLE

(1) Read the book carefully;
(2)Record your initial observations [using the 04 observation questions]
POETIC LITERATURE
5) STUDYING PSALMS
a) PSALMS, BOOK OF The present Hebrew name of the book is Tehillim, "Praises;" but in the
actual superscriptions of the psalms the word Tehillah is applied only to one, Psal 145. which is
indeed emphatically a praise-hymn. The LXX. entitled them psalmoi or "psalms," i.e., lyrical pieces to
be sung to a musical instrument. The Christian Church obviously received the Psalter from the Jews
not only as a constituent portion of the sacred volume of Holy Scripture, but also as the liturgical
hymn-book which the Jewish Church had regularly used in the temple.
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h) Connection of the Psalms with Israelitish history.The psalm of Moses Psal 90, which is in point of actual
date the earliest, faithfully reflects the long, weary wanderings, the multiplied provocations and the
consequent punishments of the wilderness. It is, however, with David that Israelitish psalmody may
be said virtually to commence. Previous mastery over his harp had probably already prepared the
way for his future strains, when the anointing oil of Samuel descended upon him, and he began to
drink in special measure, from that day forward, of the Spirit of the Lord. It was then that,
victorious at home over the mysterious melancholy of Saul and in the held over the vaunting
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b) Division of the Psalms.The book contains 150 psalms, and may be divided into five great divisions or
books, which must have been originally formed at different periods.
c) Book I. is, by the superscriptions, entirely Davidic nor do we find in it a trace of any but David's
authorship. We may well believe that the compilation of the book was also David's work.
d) Book II. appears by the date of its latest psalm, Psal 46. to have been compiled in the reign of King
Hezekiah. It would naturally comprise, 1st, several or most of the Levitical psalms anterior to that
date; and 2d, the remainder of the psalms of David previously uncompiled. To these latter the
collector after properly appending the single psalm of Solomon has affixed the notice that "the
prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended." Psal 72:20
e) Book III., the interest of which centers in the times of Hezekiah stretches out, by its last two psalms,
to the reign of Manasseh: it was probably compiled in the reign of Josiah. It contains seventeen
psalms, from Psal 73-89 eleven by Asaph, four by the sons of Horah, one (86) by David, and one by
Ethan.
f) Book IV. contains the remainder of the psalms up to the date of the captivity, There are seventeen,
from Psal 90-106one by Moses, two by David, and the rest anonymous.
g) Book V., the psalms of the return, contains forty-four, from Psal 107-150fifteen by David, one by
Solomon and the rest anonymous. There is nothing to distinguish these two books from each other
in respect of outward decoration or arrangement and they may have been compiled together in the
days of Nehemiah.
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champion of the Philistine hosts, he sang how from even babes and sucklings God had ordained
strength because of his enemies. Psal 8. His next psalms are of a different character; his persecutions
at the hands of Saul had commenced. When David's reign has begun, it is still with the most
exciting incidents of his history, private or public, that his psalms are mainly associated. There are
none to which the period of his reign at Hebron can lay exclusive claim. But after the conquest of
Jerusalem his psalmody opened afresh with the solemn removal of the ark to Mount Zion; and in
Psal 24-29 which belong together, we have the earliest definite instance of David's systematic
composition or arrangement of psalms for public use. Even of those psalms which cannot be referred
to any definite occasion, several reflect the general historical circumstances of the times. Thus Psal 9
is a thanksgiving for the deliverance of the land of Israel from its former heathen oppressors. Psal 10
is a prayer for the deliverance of the Church from the highhanded oppression exercised from within.
The succeeding psalms dwell on the same theme, the virtual internal heathenism by which the
Church of God was weighed clown. So that there remain very few e.g. Psal 15-17, 19, 32 (with its
choral appendage, 23), 37 of which some historical account may not be given. A season of repose
near the close of his reign induced David to compose his grand personal thanksgiving for the
deliverances of his whole life, Psal 18 the date of which is approximately determined by the place at
which it ia inserted in the history. 2 Sam 22. It was probably at this period that he finally arranged
for the sanctuary service that collection of his psalms which now constitutes the first book of the
Psalter. The course of David's reign was not, however, as yet complete. The solemn assembly
convened by him for the dedication of the materials of the future temple, 1 Chr 28, 29, would
naturally call forth a renewal of his best efforts to glorify the God of Israel in psalms; and to this
occasion we doubtless owe the great festal hymns, Psal 65-68, containing a large review of the past
history, present position and prospective glories of God's chosen people. The supplications of Psal
69, suit best with the renewed distress occasioned by the sedition of Adonijah. Psal 71 to which Psal
70 a fragment of a former psalm, is introductory, forms David's parting strain. Yet that the psalmody
of Israel may not seem finally to terminate with hint, the glories of the future are forthwith
anticipated by his son in Psal 72. The great prophetical ode, Psal 45, connects itself most readily
with the splendors of Jehoshaphat's reign. Psal 42-44, 74 are best assigned to the reign of Ahaz. The
reign of Hezekiah is naturally rich in psalmody, Psal 46, 73, 75, 76 connect themselves with the
resistance to the supremacy of the Assyrians and the divine destruction of their host.
i) We are now brought to a series of psalms of peculiar interest, springing out of the political and
religious history of the, separated ten tribes. In date of actual composition they commence before
the times of Hezekiah. The earliest is probably Psal 80 a supplication for the Israelitish people at the
time of the Syrian oppression. All these psalms80-83are referred by their superscriptions to the
Levite singers, and thus beer witness to the efforts of the Levites to reconcile the two branches of
the chosen nation. The captivity of Manasseh himself proved to be but temporary; but the sentence
43
which his sins had provoked upon Judah and Jerusalem still remained to be executed, and precluded
the hope that God's salvation could be revealed till after such an outpouring of his judgments as the
nation had never yet known. Labor and sorrow must be the lot of the present generation; through
these mercy might occasionally gleam, but the glory which was eventually to be manifested must be
for posterity alone. The psalms of Book IV.bear generally the impress of this feeling.
j) We pass to Book V. Psal 107 is the opening psalm of the return, sung probably at the first feast of
tabernacles. Ezra 3 A directly historical character belongs to Psal 120-134, styled in our Authorized
Version "Songs of Degrees." Internal evidence refers these to the period when the Jews under
Nehemiah were, in the very face of the enemy, repairing the walls of Jerusalem and the title may well
signify "songs of goings up upon the walls," the psalms being from their brevity, well adapted to be
sung by the workmen and guards while engaged in their respective duties. Psal 139 is a psalm of the
new birth of Israel from the womb of the Babylonish captivity, to a life of righteousness; Psal 140-143
may be a picture of the trials to which the unrestored exiles were still exposed in the realms of the
Gentiles. Henceforward, as we approach the close of the Psalter, its strains rise in cheerfulness; and
it fittingly terminates with Psal 147-150 which were probably sung on the occasion of the
thanksgiving procession of Nehe 12, after the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem had been
completed.
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l) Prophetical character of the Psalms.The moral struggle between godliness and ungodliness, so vividly
depicted in the Psalms, culminates in Holy Scripture, in the life of the Incarnate Son of God upon
earth. It only remains to show that the Psalms themselves definitely anticipated this culmination.
Now there are in the Psalter at least three psalms of which the interest evidently centers in a person
44
k) Moral characteristics of the Psalms.Foremost among these meets us, undoubtedly, the universal
recourse to communion with God. Connected with this is the faith by which the psalmist
everywhere lives in God rather than in himself. It is of the essence of such faith that his view of the
perfections of God should be true and vivid. The Psalter describes God as he is: it glows with
testimonies to his power and providence, his love and faithfulness, his holiness and righteousness.
The Psalms not only set forth the perfections of God; they proclaim also the duty of worshipping
him by the acknowledgment and adoration of his perfections. They encourage all outward rites and
means of worship. Among these they recognize the ordinance of sacrifice as in expression of the
worshipper's consecration of himself to God's service. But not the less do they repudiate the
outward rite when separated from that which it was designed to express. Similar depth is
observable in the view taken by the psalmists of human sin. In regard to the law, the psalmist, while
warmly acknowledging its excellence, feels yet that it cannot so effectually guide his own unassisted
exertions as to preserve him from error Psal 19. The Psalms bear repeated testimony to the duty of
instructing other in the ways of holiness. Psal 32, 34, 51 This brings us to notice, lastly, the faith of
the psalmists in righteous recompense to all men according to their deeds. Psal 37, etc.
distinct from the speaker, and which, since they cannot without violence to the language be
interpreted of any but the Messiah, may be termed directly and exclusively Messianic. We refer to
Psal 2, 45, 110, to which may perhaps be added, Psal 72. It would be strange if these few psalms
stood, in their prophetical significance absolutely alone among the rest. And hence the impossibility
of viewing the psalms generally, notwithstanding the drapery in which they are outwardly clothed,
as simply the past devotions of the historical David or the historical Israel. The national hymns of
Israel are indeed also prospective; but in general they anticipate rather the struggles and the
triumphs of the Christian Church than those of Christ himself.4
i) There are two books can be strictly classified in this category:

(1) Psalms;
(2)Song of Solomon
ii) These books are a constant source of encouragement and hope because of the rich
and sensitive insights they provide;
iii) They are filled with feelings and emotions; and they need to be understood in such
emotions;
iv) These emotions are the overflow of experience; it is how the psalmist experienced
God that builds his knowledge, then into writing, then poetry. Psalms are not
academic answers to Systematic Theology but response to how they have come to
know, experience, and love God.
v) Psalms are addressed to God or express truth about him in songs;
vi) The Song of Solomon is set in a context of courtship and marriage;
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poetic parallelism. Parallelismmeans that a verse normally has two or more

similar parts or lines / 2 or more verses saying the same thing. These units must
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(1) PARALLELISM IN PSALMS - Hebrew poetry is filled with many kinds of
be studied together to know what the emphasis of the verse is. Knowing these
parallelisms will help you study the Psalms in detail. There are 6 major
categories;
(a) Synonymous Parallelism = the closest similarity expressed between each of
the two consecutive lines; e.g;
Psalms 3:1 <<A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.
>>LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise up against
me.
(b) Synthetic Parallelism = the second line takes up and develops a bit
further the thought started in the first line; e.g:
Psalms 95:3, For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
(c) Emblematic Parallelism = the first line expresses an idea and the second
line is a metaphorical illumination of the first; a comparison to enlighten a
thought; e.g:
Psalms 42:1 <<To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah.>>As
the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
(d) Antithetical Parallelism = the parallel elements are set in balance through
the use of opposing or contrasting thoughts; e.g:
Psalms 1:6 for the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the
ungodly shall perish.
(e) Climatic Parallelism = the second line repeats exactly an expression from
the first line with the addition or subtraction of an idea; e.g.:
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the LORD glory and strength.
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Psalms 29:1 <<A Psalm of David.>>Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto
(f) Formal Parallelism = the second parallel expression simply continues the
thought of the first; e.g.:
Psalms 2:6 yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree:
b) STUDY THE PSALM AS A WHOLE

i) Read the Book carefully;
ii) Record your initial observation;
(1) Ask only 03 major observation questions [WHO? WHAT?, WHEN?]
(a) REMEMBER that a number of people contributed to the writings in Psalms.
So dont be tempted to say that it was written by a single person.David
wrote 73 of the Psalms.
c) STUDY THE PARTS

i) CHART THE BOOK OF PSALMS. You should know the classification of books;
(1) Book 01
Psalms 1 41
(2) Book 02
Psalms 42 72
(3) Book 03
Psalms 73 89
(4) Book 04
Psalms 90 106
(5) Book 05
Psalms 107 150
ii) You should also know the types of Psalms

(1) Royal Psalms = They anticipate Christ as King: [2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 89, 101, 110,
144]
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iv) Penitential Psalms = Psalms of repentance for sins committed: [6, 25, 32, 38, 39,
40, 51, 102, 130]
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iii) Alphabetic Psalms = They are arranged based on Hebrew alphabets: [9, 10, 25,
34, 37, 111, 112, 119, 145]
v) Messianic Psalms = Psalms that show a glimpse of the coming and work of the
Lord Jesus Christ: [2, 8, 16, 22, 45, 69, 72, 89, 110, 118, 132]
vi) Imprecatory Psalms = These Psalms beseech God to justify those who are His
against those who do evil: [52, 58, 59, 69, 109, 140]
vii) Hallelujah Psalms = These are Psalms of praise for our God: [111 113, 115 117,
146 150]
viii)
Elohistic Psalms = these are Psalms that employ the name ELOHIM for
God. Some use the name YHWH [42 83].
ix) Psalms of Ascent = These Psalms were sung or recited as Gods people went up
to Jerusalem for Holy Feasts and celebrations: [120 134]
6) STUDYING SONGS OF SOLOMON

CANTICLES (Song of Songs), entitled in the Authorized Version THE SONG OF SOLOMON. It
was probably written by Solomon about B.C. 1012. It may be called a drama, as it contains the
dramatic evolution of a simple love-story. Meaning.The schools of interpretation may be divided
into three: the mystical or typical, the allegorical, and the literal.
1. The mystical interpretation owes its origin to the desire to find a literal basis of fact for the
allegorical. This basis is either the marriage of Solomon with Pharoah's daughter or his marriage
with an Israelitish woman, the Shulamite.
2. The allegorical. According to the Talmud the beloved is taken to be God; the loved one, or bride, is the
congregation of Israel. In the Christian Church the Talmudical interpretation, imported by Origen, was
all but universally received.
3. The literal interpretation. According to the most generally-received interpretation of the modern
literalists, the Song is intended to display the victory of humble and constant love over the temptations of
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case has its rejection been defended on external grounds. It is found in the LXX. and in the
translations of Aquila, Symmachus and Theodotion. It is contained in the catalog given in the
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wealth and royalty.Canonicity.The book has been rejected from the Canon by some critics; but in no
Talmud,a nd in the catalogue of Melito; and in short we have the same evidence for its canonicity as
that which is commonly adduced for the canonicity of any book of the Old Testament.5
a) The Songs of Solomon allegorizes the love of

i) YHWH for Israel;
ii) Christ fro His Bride [The Church]
(1) These are analogous parallel but then it should also be taken at face value as a
Song of Lovers:
(a) The inviolability of marriage
(b) The beauty of sex in marriage.
b) How do you study the Songs of Solomon
i) STUDY THE WHOLE
(1) Read carefully
(2) Record your initial observations
(a) Ask the observation questions [WHO? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN?]
ii) STUDY THE PARTS
(1) Try to chart the book;
(a) Record the main content & events;
(b) Record the major division;
(c) Record the turning point;
(d) Look for principles of structure occurring in the book
(e) Do you draft first and continue to refine your chart as you go along
(f) Take not of the cause and effects pattern;
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49
(2) Construct a draft chart first before doing a final one; yet even the final chart is
open to change if and when you find it necessary.
Practical Exercise 05
1) Study the content of the Song of Solomon
2) What are some of the lessons the reader can learn from this Book?
3) What is the author trying to convey to his readers?
4) What do other Books of the Bible have to say to support the message of this Book?
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50
5) Start working on your chart on this Book.
5.
Studying the Details
We are not going to look at how to study the DETAILS of each individual Book of the
Bible. But I will try to give a general technique, the general guideline to studying a Book in
DETAIL. You cannot do a clear detail study of the word unless you have Observe the Whole,
and Observe the Parts. In Observing the Details there are five things that you will need to
look for
1) Key Words
a) Ask What are the most important words in this passage;
b) Make a list of these important words / repetitions/ figures of speech; etc;
i) Find the meaning of these words in the original language; [apart from books, word
study resources are now available in CD Bible Programme];
c) Note the words you are not familiar with [use other translations in English and in
your own language];
i) Find the meaning in the English language & the original language?
d) Words that are found only in this passage and words common throughout scripture.
2) Key Ideas
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3) Key people
a) Take time to study key people, or people mentioned in the passage;
i) Who are they?
ii) Where do they come from?
iii) Whats so significant about them?
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a) Key ideas refer to Principles of ChristianLife that are discussed in the passage;
i) They could be Doctrine or Theology;
b) What are the important ideas in the passage you are studying?
c) How do these ideas relate to the social & spiritual context of people at the time?
4) Key events
a) Are there important events in the passage you are studying?
b) If so what are the key events?
c) Are there other places in scripture where those events are mentioned?
d) Researching key events in the passage will add substance to the Body of
understanding you have about the passage you are studying.
5) Key places
a) What are the key places in the passage?
b) What is significant about these places?
c) What is the History about these places?
d) Where else in the Bible is this place mentioned and why?
So in general when studying the details of a passage, these are the five things you will need
to look for. They may not be all applied depending on the Book you study.
The analytical Questions are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What are the key Words or Ideas?

What are the Key Ideas?
Who are the Key People?
What are the Key Events?
What are the key places?
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52
Look at the EXAMPLE on the next page
COLOSSIANS 3: 18 4: 6
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53
This is a draft of BLOCK DIAGRAM and doing a Detail Study based on this Block Diagram. It can be
refined as I review it again and again. It may take a while to have the final draft.
You can try this out using this same passage on the practical exercise below. As you work
on it, also look up the words, phrases and their meanings, and their importance in the
historical context.
Practical Exercise - COLOSSIANS 3: 18 4: 6
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54
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love
your wives, and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things: for this
is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be
discouraged. Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it
heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the
reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive
for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. Masters, give unto
your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.
Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us,
that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I
am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward
them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned
with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
6.
Interpretation
-
The Second Stage of Inductive Study
15) We have dealt with Studying the Whole, Studying the Parts, Study the Details, and now its the
Interpretation Stage. You cannot make a clear and definitive interpretation unless you
have done the first two stages well. There is no short-cut. Every ministry within a church
has leaders and these leaders are caretakers of Gods people [Kingdom Citizens] under their
care. One of the primary roles of a leader is the feeding of the flock with healthy spiritual
food. For this to happen, you will need to know how to cook spiritual dishes. Therefore
you will need to know and be able to use these three key steps to cook a healthy spiritual
meal from the Word of God.
Observation (We have looked at)
Interpretation (We will look at now)
Application (We will look at later)
What is Interpretation?
After you have done your Observation, it is now time to interpret your findings.
1) Interpretation is when we try to discover the meaning; i.e. what is the author trying
to say? And in relation to Gods Word, what is God trying to tell me?
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3) Interpretation is when we try to find out the concerns the author had that caused him
to write the book;
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2) Interpretation is when we try to discover what was happening to those whom the
book was addressed to.
4) At this stage we want our hearers to have an opportunity to live the There & Then
moment as you recreate the authors historical and logical context.
What are the foundations of Interpretation?
In interpretation you must:
1) Be sure that God is real and that He is the one who gave the authors what to
write (2 Timothy 3:16). Therefore before you interpret any passage you must spend
time with God and allow Him to show you what you need to know;
2) Let Scripture interpret Scripture because the Bible cannot contradict itself. Any
truth in a book or passage must be consistent with other books and passages of the
Bible;
3) Interpret the Bible Plainly dont try to be very sophisticated but try to go back in
time to when the book was written and put yourself in the shoes of the author and
also of the recipients to understand the situation; also look for the intended meaning
of words the author used;
4) Consider the Grammar of the text remember; a word has only one intended
meaning when spoken in a sentence; the meaning of a word is tied to the sentence it is
used in by rules of grammar [e.g. spoke this is past tense and means that it has
already happened.].
5) Consider the Historical Context which we have looked at in the Observation
above. History is very important because it shows us the background of life people
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What are the questions I need to ask in interpretation?
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were living at the time of the writing. [Ref to Context]
If you have done a good observation your interpretation will be easy. In Observation you
start by observing the Whole ----- Parts ---- Details. In Interpretation I usually
move from Detail ---- Parts ---- Whole This is because in interpretation we will
need to break down the small parts and than building it up again to give a whole a
picture of what happened back then. Interpreting the detail will give you a good idea of
interpreting the parts, and than the Whole.
But the five important Interpretation Questions are:1) WHO? (The People)
a) Finding out more about the author,
b) Recipients, Characters (Main & Minors),
c) People who are addressed in the Book.
2) WHAT?
a) Key truth or idea,
b) Theological terms,
c) key events,
d) important words,
e) figures of speech,
f) Atmosphere of the passage.
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4) WHEN?(Time)
a) Date of writing, the duration of an event,
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3) WHERE?(Location / Geography)
a) Places mentioned,
b) buildings,
c) cities and towns,
d) nations, and
e) Landmarks.
b) when in the church age,

c) when in the life of Israel,
d) Is it past present or future?
5) WHY?(Purpose)
a) What the reader needed to know;
b) What the author needed to say.
These five Interpretation questions are also used in Observation but in interpretation the
details are taken to account and studied again in detail especially in relation to their
background. This is different with Studying the Details in the Observation Stage
because that is concerned a lot more with the logical context, looking at the sentence
structure, word meaning, and words used. Interpretation tries to link the two together;
The Historical Context and the Logical Context, which will help us in determining
why the author wrote a certain book at a certain time to a certain people for a certain
purpose. That will help us get the big picture.
The Final Answers for Interpretation
So in the process of refining your final answers to the interpretation questions above, do not
forget the Five Cs. Follow their order.
The 5 Cs in their order
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Look at the Context

o Compare with other passages
Consult other Biblical / secondary resources
State your Conclusion based on your research
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o Look at the Content
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59
Look at your chart again in your Practical Exercise 02 and try to interpret the passage
using the 05 interpretation questions.
You will need some resources here.
Do not forget the 4Cs when writing your final answers.
7. Application
-
The Final Stage
Now your work is done. You have done your observation by observing the whole,
observing the part, and observing the detail. In your observation you have looked at the
Historical Context and the Logical Context. Furthermore you have charted the Whole
and the Parts. Lastly you have tried with the information you now have to interpret your
text taking you back in time to when the Book was written. It is now time to write your
application.
1) Application is the target of Bible Study
a) Every truth must have an application.
b) If there is no application then your truth is just an information
2) What is the purpose of application?
a) Application answers the following questions
(i) What does this truth teach me about God, people, and situations in life?
(ii)
How should I respond?
(iii)
What am I going to do about the things Ive learnt?
3) Four points worth noting when stating your Application
a) Know yourself you need to know your strength and weaknesses and be
sensitive to what God wants you to know and deal with in your life;
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b) Apply the lessons first to yourself We always have the tendency to think of
others whom we can apply the lesson to than ourselves. The Application must first
speak to you before you share it to others;
c) Think deeply about the lessons youve learnt reflecting on Gods Word brings
victory and joy in the midst of lifes storms. The important part here is to ask for
the revelatory guidance and teaching of the Holy Spirit.
d) Acts of what youve learnt practice makes perfect; Reflection Action
Reflection. Your knowledge needs to come alive in you resulting in a changed life.
So dont just hear the Word but be sure to DO it.
4) Remember!!
a) In interpretation you study the WordIn application the Word studies you
b) Your application must be applied to your daily life in order to be effective.
5) Practical Exercise 06
a) Look at your chart in Exercise 02 and your Interpretation in Exercise 03 and try to
Apply the truth you have found;
b) How should you respond to these Truths?
c) What are you going to do about what you have learnt?
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d) Write you application down.
8. From Inductive Study to Sermon Delivery

Let me start by stating that the call to be a Preacher is a Higher Calling. It is an
appointment made by God and is one of the highest appointments a person can
think of. WHY? Because he has been called to be the voice of God to the people.
Christianity cannot do away with Preachers. They are indispensable. It is one of the
works of the Five Fold Ministerial Office of the Church; which if you do not know
are Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, Evangelist, and Pastors with the main purpose of
preparing Gods people for works of service and building up of the Body of Christ;
The Church [Ephesians 4:7-13].
When we read Romans 10:14ff; 1 Corinthians 1:17; 2 Corinthians 10:14; we see that the
Gospel is PREACHED. Therefore a person who presents the Gospel is a Preacher,
and one who hold the office of an Evangelist. He can also be a preacher who holds
the office of an Apostle [Church Leader]; or preacher Prophet; or preacher Teacher;
preacher Pastor, or preacher Evangelist. Therefore, whichever text or passage you
use, when the intention is to help present the Gospel and challenge people for
salvation in the Lord Jesus, than he that is presenting Gods Word is the Preacher of
the office he holds. Whenever a Preacher delivers a message he must end up in the
Gospel of Christ challenging people to turn to the Lord in repentance for their
salvation (Acts 2:14 41; Acts 3:11 4: 4).
1) What has this got to do with Inductive Study?
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62
I believe that the three main and important points the preacher must always
emphasize are 1). The Kingdom of God; 2). The state of man; 3).The Solution God has
provided. Paul said, We preach Christ crucified. (1 Corinthians 1:23). Preachers
call in and outside the house. Preachers are Gods voice in the wilderness, calling
people to change or they will not be allowed into the Kingdom.
a) Whatever angle you are looking from, no sermon must end without showing
the problems and solution.
b) Even a positive sermon must also end with presenting the negatives and
solution, and as I have said and will continue to say, that the solution is in The
Lord Jesus.
c) No inductive study must end without the application of the Gospel message
and giving a challenge to a new life in Christ and citizenship into the Kingdom
of God.
d) No sermon must end without giving an invitation to salvation.
2) Where do we start?
a) We have already done our inductive study. We have looked at the text /
passage from historical and logical context. We have made summaries and
charts on the Whole and in Parts. We have answered the interpretation
question and ended with applying the truths we have found to our lives.
b) If we are going to use our findings to draw up a sermon outline, than we will
need to do the following:
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2. Contextualizing the Sermon points. Study the life situation of your

audience. How relevant are your points to present day situation and in
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1. Refine and expand on our discovered truth with the inclusion of

dynamic or self-motivated words that will challenge the hearers to respond
to the message.
another culture that differs from the culture of the Book; how can we relate
what happened in Corinth to the situation in Fiji?
3. Structure your Sermon - There are five parts to packaging a Sermon. Well
look at three.
4. Text This is your main Authority and reference point. Your text gives
you the points that God wants you to preach. We dont preach from any
other book, we preach from the Bible.
5. Find a Theme The Theme is the subject you want to preach on. The
theme is developed after you have done you inductive study. Your Theme
must have a good link with your text. [Pauls Theme Acts 17:23c]
6. Develop your discussion This is the Body of your Sermon. The Body of
your sermon is divided into main points and sub points [study Acts 2:22ff]
a. The Introduction
i. This is the part of the Sermon that prepares the audience
for the main discussion. The introduction is meant to:
ii. Attract the interest of your audience;
iii. Answer any initial audience reservation to your Theme and
Text;
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v. Present a general overview of what you will preach on;

vi. Your introduction should open the gateway to your
discussion; [Peters introduction Acts 2:14-21]
vii. It should not be long;
viii. It should be simple, interesting, and catchy;
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iv. Prepare your audience for the main discussion points;
ix. It can be a story, a situation, or it can be a background of

the Book or text you are speaking on.
b. The Body of your discussion / Sermon
i. The body of the Sermon will require you to develop each of
your discussion point further.
ii. Each sub-point should have clear link with the main point
it is illuminating;
iii. Each sub-point must have Bible References to substantiate
its truth;
iv. In developing the Body, it would be good to ask what I
called the Sermon Building Questions [Who / What / Where /
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c. Conclusion this is also known as the FINAL

APPLICATION. Since the ultimate focus of preaching is the
presentation of the Gospel, it is therefore important to present
the problem in the THERE & THEN in relation to the text; its
resemblance to the HERE & NOW; and finally the
SOLUTION which now draws us to presenting The Lord
JESUS CHRIST.
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Why / When / How].

v. I always try to have an application for every main point or
sub-point I make and have seen that it is a good way of
providing a detail challenge to the audience at every level.
Waiting to make a final application at the end of the
Sermon may run the risk of losing out on some good points.
vi. Stories and illustration are good inclusions to clarify your
points;
vii. Statistics, local News Articles, and local situations help
contextualize your points.
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i. It should be short;
ii. It should be real and appeal to life situation of seekers and
spiritually weak;
iii. It should be personal;
iv. It should be clearly and points the audience to the CROSS;
v. It mustconclude --- AT THE CROSS ---
Study TitusChapter 1
1. Study the Historical Context
Who wrote the book?
When was the book written?
To whom was it written?
What was happening that caused the author to write?
Why was it written?
2. Study the simple Logical Context
Chart chapter 1 by summarizing each passage (paragraphs);
What are the key thoughts in each of your paragraph summary?
What is the one word that can best summarize chapter 1 of your book;
Try to do a Block Diagram; (Studying the Parts how they fit together);
o Study the major and minor clauses;
Follow the example we have already studied;
What are the key thoughts that came out strongly in your Block Diagram?
Pick 03 words from your passage and explain what they mean.
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3. Sermon Outline
What would be your main Points?
Can your main points be broken down into sub-points?
If so what would be your sub-points?
What would be a simple introduction to your Sermon?
Build you Sermon on Joel Chapter 01
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Refer back to Practical exercise 05;

You have stated your Theme;
You have also stated your Main Points;
You have stated your sub-points;
And you have stated your Introduction?
Now try and develop your sub-points following the methods given;
Add to it Bible References; Stories, Statistics, News, & Situations;
Make application for every point;
Work on a conclusion that points people to the CROSS.
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9. From Inductive to Teaching

The mandate for our calling to teach has been given by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20.
Well, this lesson may link this study to the next, which deals with
Discipleship and Mentoring, because the mandate of making
disciples centres in teaching all that Christ has taught us. When
we talk about evangelism we are talking about leading people to
Christ through the Gospel. When we talk about teaching we are
talking about making disciples know, understand, obey, and
practicing all things according to Gods Word. Of course all these
are incorporated in the Disciple making mandate.
We have looked at the art of Inductive Bible Study and understanding it will definitely help
you as a preacher, or teacher, in disseminating the truth of Gods Word. Our Model is of
course the Lord Jesus who did more than just imparting knowledge. He taught with the
clear goal of changing lives. We must do as the Lord Jesus did. We must teach with the goal
of changing lives. The lives of your students must continue to change to become like the
Lord Jesus himself. Remember this is a higher calling and your life as a teacher must be
consistent, faithful, and holy.
Things you must understand about YOU as THE TEACHER
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Matthew 28:19-20 (BBE)

19
Go then, and make disciples of all the nations, giving them baptism in the
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1) Understand your commission Commissioning is a military word, which speaks about

delegation of authority, power, responsibility, rank, appointment to a person. A Bible
Teacher must know the Great Commission, and be sure of his authority, power,
responsibility, rank in the Kingdom, appointment for Kingdom purpose, and
responsibilities. As I have said; our mandate has already been given.
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: 20 Teaching them to
keep all the rules which I have given you: and see, I am ever with you, even to
the end of the world.
2) Your Life The life of a teacher is very important. It must be God-honouring. A Godhonouring life authenticates the message of truth you are saying. Your God-honouring
life validates your Christ-centred messages. A God-honouring life spiritually empowers
your Christ-centred messages. There are four important factors that are essential to the
life of a good teacher:(a) Faith Your faith must be active, life changing, and mountain moving that
is seen in every area of your life.
(b) Personality Your personality must be surrendered to the Lord Jesus
and is growing toward maturity and allowing Christ to life out His life in
you.
(c) Your Examples Your action must speak louder than words. The things
you teach must be seen first in your life to give it authority to life.
understanding, and wisdom [applying your knowledge to your life] about what you teach must
be broader and at a higher level than your students. If not you will not be able to take
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3) What you know You need to understand the importance of

your position as a teacher. If your position requires you to be
qualified than your need to do so. Bible Teaching is a professional work. You need to be
professional with what you do because our God is a professional God. He is not an
amateur. Everything he did, and is doing now, is done professionally. Your knowledge,
70
(d) Your relationship students will learn better

where there is an atmosphere of love, acceptance, and
the desire to move him/her to a higher level.
them from where they are now to where they need to be. On top of that; the TRUTH you
teach is ETERNAL.
a) The Bible is your main source You need to know the Bible and able to dissect it
thoroughly and apply it to situations around you. Teachers are called to teach THE
MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE.
1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 (BBE)
4
Being conscious, my brothers, dear to God, that you have been marked out by
God's purpose; 5 Because our good news came to you, not in word only, but in
power, and in the Holy Spirit, so that you were completely certain of it; even as
you saw what our behaviour to you was like from our love to you.
Ref 1 Corinthians 2: 1 5
b) Related Subjects Geography, history, and ancient Biblical culture are also
important for a Bible Teacher to know. A lack of understand in these areas will result
in misinterpretation and misapplication.
c) Contemporary Conditions A good Bible Teacher will strive to be informed in
matters related to social, political, economic, religious, [past, current, and projected future
situation] and personal condition because this is the real world we are living in and
where the Word of God is applied.
Page
4) Your Responsibilities As a Bible Teacher you will need to be
71
d) Student Character As a Teacher you should know the

characters of your students, understand them, and be sensitive
to their needs. Be prepared to deal and help with their
discipline problems especially if you are dealing with young
people.
systematic in your preparation if you want your students as well as yourself to enjoy your
class:
a) Keep a positive attitude Your Teaching must not become a DUTY but a CALLING.
You need to have a love for your students with the desire to be a channel of
transformation for them. Walk into your teaching day with a positive anticipation of
what God is going to do through you. Look at possibilities and envision progress in
the life of those you teach.
b) Excellent Preparation You need to strive for excellence in your lesson preparation
which will include
i. Excellent spiritual preparation
ii. Excellent mental preparation
iii. Excellent personal preparation
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72
Luke 2:49-52 (BBE)

49
And he said to them, Why were you looking for me? Was it not clear to you that
my right place was in my Father's house? 50 And his words seemed strange to
them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth; and did as he was
ordered: and his mother kept all these words in her heart. 52 And Jesus was
increasing in wisdom and in years, and in grace before God and men.
1) How can you as a Bible Teacher instruct your students by your life?
2) What you teach must also be seen in your lifes example. WHY?
3) What will happen if Bible teachers in your church do not have a genuine relationship
with the Lord Jesus Christ?
4) Prepare a list of ways you WILL do to increase your Bible knowledge now and in the
coming year?
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73
5) Evaluate your life as a Bible Teacher, chose two (2) areas you are weak in, and explain
how you plan to improve.
10.
Basics of Lesson Organization & Presentation
A. LESSON ORGANIZATION
Lesson Organization is very important in Bible Teaching because it takes the student to a
Step by Step walk into the unknown. A Bible teacher can be good at explaining things
but if he/she is not organized than he/she will not present the lesson well as it should. It
can lead you to focus on other things or points that do not serve the purpose and
objectives of your lesson.
We have done a lot during the Inductive Bible Study. We have asked a lot of questions
pertaining to the purpose of the Book and Text. It is therefore reasonable at this point to
look at lesson organization.
In lesson organization it is wise to stick to the lesson plan you have prepared in advance.
You will only depart from your lesson plan if you believed there is a direct intervention by the
Holy Spirit to so because it will help your students; otherwise dont.
There are three (03) ways to organizing a lesson
1) Logical Organization which consist of sorting and selecting relevant materials;
arranging different parts logically; and proceeding from the known to the unknown.
Page
3) Psychological Organization this requires the teacher to organize his/her subject

matters and lesson material to fit the comprehension and experience of the students.
74
2) Chronological Organization Considering the History of the Book to other Books of

the Bible and how they are arranged in relation to time. This type is relevant when
dealing with narratives to give your students a flow of Biblical accounts.
The Five Steps to Lesson Organization

After you have done your Inductive Bible Study and now have everything laid out on the
table; it is now time to organize your lesson. There are five steps to Lesson Organization:
1) Determine the Emphasis Out of all the TRUTH you have found during your inductive
Bible Study, which of them is the one you will be speaking on (which one of them will
you take as your central TRUTH), to focus on in your lesson. Your central truth is the
one you will concentrate on during your preparation. Well, and of course, your will need
to consider the needs of your class members.
2) Selecting your materials You will need to choose the kind of materials you want to
use; after considering your students you will have to decide whether they need to have
notes or hand-outs. Visual aid is always a helpful tool in teaching whether you are
teaching children or adults; so I would highly recommend its use anytime anywhere. But
the use of hand-outs may depend on the context of your students. I have noticed in Fiji
that our people are not used to reading and many hand-outs do find themselves floating
around the corridor after sessions. You will also need to consider the language of
communication that will best communicate your lesson.
Page
4) Involve students in your teaching allow questions and ask questions also. Allow for
contribution to a point or arguments to points of contention. Prepare for discussion
groups and buzz groups in advance so that you stick to your time schedule. Give them
75
3) Relate your lesson to life situation Use thought provoking questions that will
challenge your students and prompt them to think for solutions. Use illustration that
will give a good picture of the concept you want them to understand. You application
must be real to life in the context of your students and not foreign to them. This may also
apply to choice of illustration.
group work, projects, home-works, and group presentations, relating to your lesson.
Allow time for groups to share their findings on projects and home-works.
5) Plan your lesson Your lesson must be Brief, Simple, and Practical. Learn to prepare
good lesson plan to fit into your allotted time.
Look at the following example:One of my lessons preparation outline;
MODULE 2: POWERLESSNESS.
PRINCIPLE.
Realize that I am not God. I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong things and that my life is
unmanageable.
STEP 1 ADMITTANCE
We (I) admit that we are (I am) powerless to overcome our (my) addictions and compulsive behaviours and that our lives (my
life) had become unmanageable.
TIMINGS:
Basic Module = 60 minutes.
OBJECTIVES:
Participants will realize that they are not God; therefore, they are powerless to control their tendency to do the wrong
things; and that their life is unmanageable.
EXPECTED OUTCOME:
At the end of this lesson participants are expected to:

o Develop a clear understanding of what powerlessness is,
o Understand the importance of admitting their powerlessness,
White Board Use,
Page
MATERIALS: (what materials the class will use)
76
o Establish strategies for dealing with unmanageable and addictive behaviours.
White Board Marker,
News Prints (4 sheets),
Pental pens,
A4 papers,
METHODOLOGY: (What is expected to be done in class)
Brain Storm / Small Group Discussions / Small Group Activities / General Discussions / Activity Sheets (1, 2, / Prayer.)
SESSION PLAN: (Stages of running the class)
Define Addiction (Addictive Behaviour / Unmanageable),
Define Powerless,
Explain how Powerlessness is related to Denial,
Discuss the Acrostic for POWERLESSNESS,
Share the 2 important Donts &Dos to recovery on the issue of powerlessness,

o Stop denying the pain,
o Stop playing God,
Start admitting your powerlessness,
Start admitting that your life has become unmanageable,
What Stops a person from admitting his powerlessness (PRIDE).
KEY MESSAGE & SUMMARY:
Understanding your inability to control your lust, addiction, and unmanageable behaviour must help your realize that it
will definitely result in ultimate destruction and chaos of your life.
The first key to your revival lies in the admittance of your weakness and powerlessness to control it. When this is done then
Share the disadvantage of a life without Christ (Tiresome / Unfulfilled / Uncontrollable).
With HIM your life will be Focused / Simplified / Motivated / Prepared for Eternity.
B. LESSON PRESENTATION
Lesson presentation involves the communication of the truth you have learned using
teaching techniques in the form of a lesson. Some of the things that I strongly recommend
that you need to consider using are:
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77
you need to turn and trust in Christ.
1. Instructional Helpers These are tools that help maximize teachers effective
communication of knowledge, attitude, skills, or understand to their students.
Teachers need to use Instructional Aids because: a. They help overcome language barriers in teaching;
b. The Pacific cultures have always placed emphasis on visual learning;
c. Aids capture and holds students attention;
d. They help students retain what they have learned;
e. They can make the Bible come alive where words cannot; The Lord Jesus
constantly use instructional aids in his teachings.
f. Some of these aids or tools are:
i. Audio Aids CDs, DVDs, Audio Tapes;
ii. Visual Aids DVDs, Multi-media Projector, Power-point presentation,
objects and models, maps & globes, pictures, flannel graph, Chalk &
Board, Flip Chart, Puppets. Transparencies, slides.
2. Expressional Aids These are tools which are designed for students to use in various
class activities that will: a. Allow them to state (articulate) in art, language, or writing, some of the things
they are learning;
Page
Two of the most common expressional aids are:
78
b. Allow teachers to evaluate what the students have leaned.
i. The Students Activity Books;

ii. The Students Handwork or handcraft, homework, or projects.
C. TEACHING THE LESSON
In this line of work (Bible Teaching), your effectiveness comes through the empowerment of
the Holy Spirit. Otherwise what you teach are just information. This of course must be
accompanied by excellent preparation and showering your preparation with prayers. Take
each lesson as an opportunity to be Gods channel of transformation. Here are some
important points to note when teaching your lesson:
1. How you approach your lesson Your introduction is very important. If the
introduction is boring it creates a lack of interest what you are going to say next and
your students will lose concentration.
a. Your Contact - Attract their attention with a thought provoking or enticing
statement, question, story, current events. Help your students to visualize the
reality of the truth you are presenting.
b. Relating the Lesson You lesson needs to meet the needs of your students in
order to be effective (Felt Needs). Students will also need to see how this lesson
is linked with the previous ones in order to have broader and good
understanding.
i. If it is a continuing lesson than you will need to relate it to your last
lesson. In relating you will need to review the previous lesson.
Page
iii. Simply state your objectives so it can easily be remembered;
79
ii. Announce your subject naturally; be confident;
iv. Present your lesson outline but be SURE to for it.

2. Continue to develop your lesson
a. Stimulating Thoughts getting your student to think; do not make them
comfortable with spoon-feeding. Continue to test them along the way as you
teach.
i. Encourage expression give them the opportunity to express what they
have understood about the lesson in their own words.
ii. Allow them to ask questions.
iii. Allow them to respond to or answer questions from their colleagues;
throw questions back at them.
3. Application Be sure to apply your lesson to life.
4. Concluding the lesson
a. Have a lesson summary;
b. You may close with an appropriate illustration;
c. Present simple introduction to next lesson to create interest;
d. Give them an assignment to do.
Page
2. Choose one of the Instructional Aids and in a page discuss why you think it is
important.
80
1. Choose three benefits of using Instructional Aids and in 01 page discuss why they are
important.
3. Write a page on how you would introduce a lesson on adultery if you were to teach
this topic to married couples in your church.
4. Do an inductive study on 1 Corinthians 7:1 9. Find the main points in the text and
build a teaching topic on the truth you have found. Prepare a lesson plan following
the example on page 47.
As we conclude this study. I am anticipating renewed eagerness, desire, and action on

Studying the Bible using Inductive Study Method. I encourage you to put into practice straight
away what you have learnt and continue to perfect this skill in order to master it.
I hope that you have enjoyed this study as I have enjoyed putting it together. It pays off
when you know that the investments and sacrifices you made have paid valuable dividends
through the spiritual growth of the people who use them.
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81
My prayers are with you.
Serving you in Christ

Acts Fiji
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82
Equipping you today to equip other tomorrow
Bibliography
Grant, O.R; (1991); The Hermeneutical Spiral; Downers Grove, Illinois, USA; Inter Varsity Publishers.
Gibbs, A.P; (2002); The Preacher and His Preaching; Kansas City, USA; Walterick Publishers.
Page
83
Berkhof, L; (1973); Principles of Biblical Interpretation; Grand Rapid, Michigan, USA; Evangelical Press.

Basics of Inductive Study Completed 23.05.13

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Basics of Inductive Bible Study

Preferred Bible Study Method ........................................................................................................ 13

Logical Context A Studying the Whole ...................................................................................... 19

Study in Parts ................................................................................................................................. 26

Studying Other Books of the Bible ................................................................................................ 35

Studying the Details ....................................................................................................................... 51

From Inductive Study to Sermon Delivery ..................................................................................... 62

From Inductive to Teaching ........................................................................................................... 69

Basics of Lesson Organization & Presentation ............................................................................. 74

ACTS Ministry Fiji

General Knowledge about the Bible

Luke 22:20 (BBE)

3) The Scriptures or Writings

Matthew 22:29 (BBE)

4) The Word of God

The Symbols of the Book

James 1:23-25 (BBE)

Jeremiah 29:23 (BBE)

Next Divisions of the Bible

Divisions of the Bible Old Testament

Basic Inductive Bible Study

Main Idea/ Person

Groan for Glory

Belly of the Fish

Day of the Lord

Here is a simple grouping of the

Basic Inductive Bible Study

Preferred Bible Study Method

Welcome to the Inductive Bible Study Method

Basic Inductive Bible Study

4) Defining these stages

Basic Inductive Bible Study

kind of a structure. This structure is to be broken down into logical divisions

Inductive Bible Study

Basic Inductive Bible Study

b. Politics Old Testament Politics and New Testament politics during

Basic Inductive Bible Study

d. Military & war The history of Israel from a military standpoint or of

h. Tools for examining Historical Context;

Basic Inductive Bible Study

1) Describe the Geography of the country

Basic Inductive Bible Study

2. Logical Context A Studying the Whole

a. Take note of the progression of thoughts the author is building. Start

ii. Writing a simple overview of what youve read [simple chart]

Basic Inductive Bible Study

i. Remember This is just the Beginning Stage; Not the Final.

Basic Inductive Bible Study

Example Charting the Book of Jonah

1 3a: God repeated

4 12: Gods Storm;

9 11: God taught

This is the basic form of charting a Book as described above.

Your findings are then included into your chart.

Basic Inductive Bible Study

Judea & Samaria

To the ends of the Earth

Basic Inductive Bible Study

Practical Exercise 02 (In Groups)

Who wrote the book?

Basic Inductive Bible Study

Who wrote the

Why was it written?

Summary of each passage