In this course you will study using an inductive method. Inductive Bible study is an approach to God’s Word focusing on three basic steps that move from a focus on specific details to a more general, universal principle. Through these three steps, you apply inductive reasoning, which is defined as the attempt to use information about a specific situation to draw a conclusion. There are three basic steps in inductive Bible study:

1) What does this say?

2) What does this mean?

3) What does this mean for me?

• You will look at the book as a whole and then focus in on only one chapter each week. You will have one week for setting up your supplies and researching the book background before you begin the one chapter per week schedule.

• You will learn how to observe the facts of what the chapter says grammatically, noticing every word and the purpose of each. Then you will take simple notes on what you read about God and what the most important chapter ideas/topics/truths seem to be.

• You will learn how to interpret what you observed in the chapter by looking at it through the eyes of the ancient author and original readers. There are four basic steps to interpreting what the text means:

  • Clarify Word Meanings (Define words in the original language to attempt to understand their language better)

  • Compare Translations (Compare what wording other Bible translators used to attempt to understand the original language better)

  • Connect Related Passages (Find other places in the Bible that speak of the same topics in similar ways to connect the truths of God's Word together and see it as a whole, cohesive story)

  • Consult the Experts (Research and find fun facts or other interesting information from scholars and Bible experts about certain topics and truths that you are learning about within the chapter)

• You will learn how to apply the truths that you learned to your own life in practical ways. You will learn lessons from the author, and/or characters within the stories that will help change you, convict you, make you want to be a better Christ follower. You will also learn and apply praise to God for all that you learned about Him within the pages of His Word, which is the most important step of all and why we save it for last!