Topical Bible Study
A topical Bible study can be an incredibly enjoyable and educational way to study the Bible. There are seven steps to a methodical Bible study that makes this a great way to develop deeper Biblical understanding. The seven steps are see, inquire, answer, summarize, evaluate, apply, and correlate. Many times students are asked to complete this process for a class that they are taking, but many who are not in courses have found this tool to be a wonderful asset in their Christian walks since it leads to deeper understanding of Biblical passages. The methodical approach provides structure and discipline and enables a person to complete the process on an individual basis.
Before beginning the steps, one must pick a passage for study. Usually the best length for passage study is going to be around 11 verses. A good passage can be one that focuses on a story (such as Matthew 4:1-11 the temptation of Christ) or something that focuses on a topic (the fruit of the spirit.) Either way it is important to find a passage that a person is interested in and that is going to be easy to dissect, using the methodical Bible study approach.
Once the learner finds a passage for examination, the steps in the process can be applied in order. To begin, one will want to read through the passage several times. The most important part about a topical Bible study is that the individual understands the passage because he or she has read the verses so much. With each reading, the words read will become more absorbed, reflected upon, and studied. The reader will need to see and inquire at the beginning. This means one will need to ask the questions who, what, where, when, why, and how. Then the reader needs to write down the answers to each question. For a truly meaningful methodical Bible study, the participant should strive to ask as many questions as possible. For instance if the topic is the fruit of the spirit, one will want to ask, how many fruits of the spirit are there? What do they mean? Participants simply need to continue to ask questions until there are no more to ask.
Once this component has been completed, it is time to summarize the passage. It will make a topical Bible study more interesting if participants are able to look a passage and describe in their own words what the text is about. Summarizing involves identifying the most important message or messages in a text. To do so effectively, one must clearly understand the point and theme of the passage. That is why it is so important to work with the methodical Bible study correctly, and is also a reason that there is an order to the steps. Individuals need to ask the questions before they can summarize. Also, learners need to see exactly what is being said before being able to summarize content. An easier way to summarize may be to do so on a verse by verse basis. Carefully summarizing will require a great deal of study and reflection. Some choose to use this time to evaluate the passage as well; this includes the grammar evident in the passage. This will be the taking apart of verbs and nouns and seeing what is there.
To take ones knowledge to the next level, the subsequent step is to apply God's teachings in the passage to ones own life. The most positive thing about the topical Bible study is what participants take away from the process. When people are able to apply their methodical Bible study to their own lives, they are able to make a difference in other people. Although every other part of the topical Bible study is also important, the most important part is going to be the application. The reason why is so that people will know what the heart of the passage is. Since the heart of the passage is what the Lord wants us to know anyway, this is extremely important in sharing it with him. Correlation also goes hand in hand with this part. You will need to correlate it to life and help others understand the importance.
When Christians follow this process, they need to prayerfully ask the Lord to show them what he wants them to see in His word. The biggest mistake that people make when using this method to study the Word is not being open to the unique messages the Lord is placing upon their hearts. Learners must ask the Lord what the heart of the passage is so He can show them exactly what He wants them to see. Only then will they be able to reap the rewards of this. "We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers." (1 Thessalonians 1:2)
Before beginning the steps, one must pick a passage for study. Usually the best length for passage study is going to be around 11 verses. A good passage can be one that focuses on a story (such as Matthew 4:1-11 the temptation of Christ) or something that focuses on a topic (the fruit of the spirit.) Either way it is important to find a passage that a person is interested in and that is going to be easy to dissect, using the methodical Bible study approach.
Once the learner finds a passage for examination, the steps in the process can be applied in order. To begin, one will want to read through the passage several times. The most important part about a topical Bible study is that the individual understands the passage because he or she has read the verses so much. With each reading, the words read will become more absorbed, reflected upon, and studied. The reader will need to see and inquire at the beginning. This means one will need to ask the questions who, what, where, when, why, and how. Then the reader needs to write down the answers to each question. For a truly meaningful methodical Bible study, the participant should strive to ask as many questions as possible. For instance if the topic is the fruit of the spirit, one will want to ask, how many fruits of the spirit are there? What do they mean? Participants simply need to continue to ask questions until there are no more to ask.
Once this component has been completed, it is time to summarize the passage. It will make a topical Bible study more interesting if participants are able to look a passage and describe in their own words what the text is about. Summarizing involves identifying the most important message or messages in a text. To do so effectively, one must clearly understand the point and theme of the passage. That is why it is so important to work with the methodical Bible study correctly, and is also a reason that there is an order to the steps. Individuals need to ask the questions before they can summarize. Also, learners need to see exactly what is being said before being able to summarize content. An easier way to summarize may be to do so on a verse by verse basis. Carefully summarizing will require a great deal of study and reflection. Some choose to use this time to evaluate the passage as well; this includes the grammar evident in the passage. This will be the taking apart of verbs and nouns and seeing what is there.
To take ones knowledge to the next level, the subsequent step is to apply God's teachings in the passage to ones own life. The most positive thing about the topical Bible study is what participants take away from the process. When people are able to apply their methodical Bible study to their own lives, they are able to make a difference in other people. Although every other part of the topical Bible study is also important, the most important part is going to be the application. The reason why is so that people will know what the heart of the passage is. Since the heart of the passage is what the Lord wants us to know anyway, this is extremely important in sharing it with him. Correlation also goes hand in hand with this part. You will need to correlate it to life and help others understand the importance.
When Christians follow this process, they need to prayerfully ask the Lord to show them what he wants them to see in His word. The biggest mistake that people make when using this method to study the Word is not being open to the unique messages the Lord is placing upon their hearts. Learners must ask the Lord what the heart of the passage is so He can show them exactly what He wants them to see. Only then will they be able to reap the rewards of this. "We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers." (1 Thessalonians 1:2)
Topical Bible Study
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