Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Simply put, it is more worthwhile to teach someone to do something for themselves than to continually do it for them. We know this and we practice this regularly as parents. When our kids are very young we do almost everything for them. But as they get older we begin to teach them how to do things for themselves. They need to learn how to feed themselves, bathe and clothe themselves, make their bed, and clean their room.
When we look at raising spiritually mature adults who possess a firmly-rooted authentic faith, this adage applies as well. Early on in the life of a child we need to do the heavy lifting of teaching them the Bible. We need to guide and direct them, explain what is happening, show them the meaning of what is being taught, and point them toward application. But one of the the best things we can do for our kids and the development of their faith is to teach them to study the Bible on their own.
Think about it: if we never teach our children how to open up God's Word, read it, study it, learn from it, and apply its truth to their life on their own, they will always be reliant upon someone else to do it for them. Not only does this limit their availability and intake of truth, but it also opens them up to being swayed by false teaching.
In Acts 17 the Bereans were brought the message of Jesus and the gospel. What does it say that they did?
"...they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so" (Acts 17:11 ESV).
The Bereans didn't just take the word of the men who came to deliver the message to them. They wanted to search the Scriptures for themselves to be sure that what they were hearing was truth. They wouldn't have been able to do this if they didn't know how to study the Scriptures on their own. As Christians, it is good for us to sit under solid teaching and preaching of the Word of God, but it is also our responsibility to make sure that what we are hearing is sound.
So what are some good methods for studying the Bible on your own? First let me say this: there are a lot of great Bible studies and resources that are available to use. Many of these are very good. But the same rule applies: we shouldn't always rely on someone else to walk us through Scripture. We need to know how to do this on our own and have confidence in doing it.
Here are a handful of inductive Bible study methods* that will help you study the Bible on your own. The inductive method is an investigative way of studying the Bible. It helps to provide an overall understanding of a passage of Scripture: what it says, the intended meaning to the original audience, and how it can be applied to today. Each of these inductive methods does the same thing but have small differences. So pick up your Bible, a notebook and pen, and try one of these out.
The Standard Inductive Bible Study
This is my name for this method.
- Observation - Read the passage and observe what you see. Gather the facts of what is happening or being said. Ask yourself the five W's and an H: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
- Interpretation - What does the text mean? Try to discover what the author is trying to communicate. What was the author's intended meaning to the original audience? Use the context to make sure you fully understand what is going on and what is being said.
- Application - How do you apply what you just learned to everyday life? What does this mean for your life, your priorities, and your decisions?
H.E.A.R. Inductive Bible Study
- Highlight - Highlight each verse that speaks to you. Note the name of the book, the passage of Scripture, the chapter and verse numbers that especially speak to you, and create a title to describe the passage.
- Explain - Ask simple questions to determine what the text means. Why was it written? To whom was it originally written? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Why did the Holy Spirit include this passage in the book? What is he intending to communicate through this text?
- Apply - Everything you have learned and noted so far culminates under this heading. Answer these questions to uncover the significance of the passage for you: How can this help me? What does this mean today? What would the application of this passage look like in my life? What is God saying to me?
- Respond - Here you can write out a call to action, describe how you will be different because of what you read, or indicate what you are going to do because of what you learned.
C.O.M.A. Inductive Bible Study
- Context - This refers to the background of the passage and the circumstances in which it was written. Answer questions like who wrote the passage? Why was it written? Who was it written to? What is the literary genre? What happens immediately before and after this passage? Are there specific themes or ideas that are expressed.
- Observation - This means to carefully examine the passage you are reading. Look to answer questions like is there any structure or arrangement to the passage? Is there any repetition or comparison or contrast? Are there any keywords or phrases? Does anything surprise you or stick out? If there are characters, what do they say and do? What theological terms are used and what do they mean?
- Meaning - This refers to the main point or idea that the author wanted his original audience to understand. Ask questions of the passage such as how does the passage describe, point to, or refer back to Jesus? What is the reader supposed to learn about God from the passage? If you could sum up the main point of the writer in a sentence, what would it be?
- Application - This refers to how you as the reader are supposed to respond to the text. Think through questions like does this passage challenge or confirm my beliefs? Is there an attitude or assumption I must change? Are there any changes to my actions or the way I live being advised by the passage? Is there a promise I should be believing or an attribute of God's nature that I should be trusting?
As you can see, each of these inductive methods is similar. Let me encourage you as a parent, if you don't already engage in the practice of studying the Bible on your own, to try out one of these approaches. Remember, reading is different than studying. Digging into God's Word, dissecting it to learn its meaning, and then bringing an application to your life is both life-giving and faith-deepening.
Now back to our original challenge: how do we teach our children how to study the Bible? Do you want your children to develop a firmly-rooted authentic faith? Teaching them to study the Bible on their own and helping them learn and practice how to do this is one of the most important things you can do for them. So, make sure they have a Bible, a nice notebook, and maybe even a special pen, and walk them through how to do this. Practice it with them. Start with the training wheels on and slowly work toward them being able to study on their own. I would recommend starting this around middle school for some and high school for most.
This involves some hard work, but the benefits are priceless. You have the opportunity to help them feed themselves spiritually for a lifetime!
* Each of these Inductive Bible Study Methods can easily be found online through a simple Google search.
Don't miss Pastor Roger's blog about teaching sons, Boys to Men. Most of his tips are applicable to teaching daughters as well.