As we grow in Christ, it’s important that we learn to dig into the Word of God for ourselves and not depend solely on the instruction of others. Consider the challenge from the writer of Hebrews:
Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5:13,14 NIV).
One of the best ways to get to the “solid food” of the Word is through “inductive” Bible study. The inductive method makes observations on a passage of Scripture and then draws conclusions based on those observations. Commonly, this method is defined by three parts: Observation, interpretation, and application.
Here are 5 simple steps to study a chapter of the Bible:
1. Read the chapter three times in different versions of the Bible. Pray for understanding.
2. Do a verse-by-verse analysis of the chapter:
List all your questions about the verse and use the methods below to answer as many of them as you can:
▶ Look up all the words you want to understand better.
• Use an English dictionary.
• Use a Hebrew/Greek dictionary if you have one, or an online resource.
▶ Look up cross references to understand what the rest of Scripture has to say about the verse.
• Use your Bible’s margin notes.
• Use a concordance to find verses that use the same words.
▶ Use your own words to explain illustrations or descriptions.
3. Pick one key verse that sums up the chapter for you.
4. Write down the verse that was most meaningful to you and why.
5. Ask, “What is God leading me to do in response to this study?”
Click here to download this tool
Kenneth Wuest new testament word studies
Apply what you study, this is the most important step in studying the Bible – determining how its lessons and messages can be applied to your life. In essence, application is the reason why you study the Bible. You read and absorb the words written in the Holy Scripture because you want your life to change. You want to become more obedient and grow closer to God.
Does the NAB press or Navigators put out a downloadable app for Android phones to learn how to do verse analysis or sub passage studies or word studies or character studies thank you
Hi Glen, thank you for your question. We do have an app available for Android for the Topical Memory System, but none that dive into verse analysis, word studies, or character studies. The TMS app for Android can be found here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.battlegearapps.ntm_mem
If we develop something in the future along the lines of your request we will let you know. Thank you for reaching out!
My name is Darianne and I am looking for either an app, books or anything that when I am reading a book in the Bible I need something that will break down each chapter and almost every verse in the Bible so that I can understanding it and a lesson I should be learning from each chapter and section..
Hi Darianne! Thank you for your comment. There are many commentaries and study Bibles that provide interpretations of each chapter and verse of the Bible. The website Bible Gateway has a collection of free commentaries that you may find helpful: https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/
The download link to the tool is broken. Thought you should know.