Everyone Says Study Your Bible... Nobody Says How

Welcome And Why Slow Down

Greetings listeners! Maybe you've been reading the Bible for a while and different questions start to form. Like, how do I actually study it? Not just read a chapter, not just finish a reading plan, but slow down. Sit with the passage and really understand it. Here's the good news. There's more than one good way to study God's word, and you can't pick wrong. Today I'll briefly show you three. We'll try each one on the same short passage so you can feel the difference instead of just hearing me describe it. By the end, you'll know which one fits you right now. Well, welcome everyone. I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole, and this is the Bible Basics Podcast, where every two weeks we break down the basics of the Bible into understandable bite-sized chunks.

Tools That Make Study Easier

Last time we looked at the tools that will help you study. A Bible you like reading, study Bible, commentary, an app, maybe a journal to write things down. Today we'll put them to work. One quick thing first. Let's try. But in every situation, I pray for decision. With Thanksgiving, you're quite sure. Three ways to study that. Let's go.

Method One Follow A Bible Person

The first way to stay on that one passage. You pick a person related to that passage. Follow them. In this case, we take off the man who wrote these verses. Instead of studying his two sentences, you get curious about him. Who was his life like? So you read more. Then you might feel it back to a whole happy. Where a lot of his story gets told. And read it watching for what his life shows you about God. Here's what people love about this one. Stop reading the Bible like a rule book and start meeting the actual people in it. People who were afraid, who got things wrong, who kept going anyway. Paul is a great place to start because there's so much of him to follow. The

Method Two SOAP For Daily Reflection

second way is the simplest to remember. It goes by four letters. S-O-A-P. SOAP. So the S stands for scripture. You pick out a verse that stands out and write it down. Observation. You jot down what you notice. Then there's application. You ask how it could impact you, how it could shape your day, even. And prayer. That's the P. You pray it back to God. In our passage, it might go like this. You first write down the scripture. Do not be anxious about anything. Write down both verses. Then you observe by noticing that Paul's answer to worry is to take it to God. For application, you decide that today, instead of worrying alone, you'll hand it over. Then you pray. God, help me to trust you with what I can't control. That's it. Ten minutes. And you've moved from reading to studying to praying. One honest note. Soap is really built for daily reflection, not really the heavy lifting. It won't push you to dig into the background of a passage. So it's a one place to start, but for a more in-depth look, you'll want to go with this third way.

Method Three Inductive Three Questions

And this third way involves three questions asked in order. It's the one we'll spend all of the next episode on. So today is just a taste. The first question is what does the scripture say? The plain content. Paul says, Don't be anxious. Bring everything to God instead. And a piece you can't quite explain will guard you. The second question is the one people often skip. What did it mean to the people who first heard it? Come back to Paul. When he wrote this, he was in prison, not writing from an easy, comfortable life. He's in chains telling people he loves not to be swallowed up by worry. Feel how that lands differently? It's the same words, but now you know who's saying them and where he's sitting when he says it. And then there's the third question. What does it mean for you? Now you bring it home. When worry shows up in your week, you've got somewhere to take it. You name the thing out loud and you hand it over to God. Notice you got to yourself last, not first. The words, then the people, then your own life. That's the order that keeps you from making a verse say whatever you already wanted it to say. And this one has a name, by the way. It's called the inductive method. Now don't worry about that term, just remember the three questions.

Pick One Method And Try It

So there are three basic approaches to study. You can follow a person when you're curious about a life. There's the soap method for a simple daily start. And then there's the three questions approach when you're really ready to understand a passage. Now, none of these is an advanced approach, and none of them is a beginner one. They're just different approaches. And trust me, there are many others. Some days you'll reach for one, some days another. Not sure what to pick. Start with whichever one sounded like you when I was talking. That's usually the right one for now. So you want to try it this week? Keep it small. Take these two verses from Philippians, or pick anything you like. A psalm, maybe a few lines from the gospels, then run it through one of the three. Follow the person who wrote it, or walk it through soap, S-O-A-P, or ask the three questions. Just pick one passage, use one method. That's plenty. You don't have to do it well, you just have to show up and try. Whichever one you pick, the point isn't the method. It's spending time with God in his word and feeling a little more at home each time. Whichever one you pick, the point isn't the method. It's spending time with God in his word and feeling a little more at home there every time.

Next Time We Go Deeper

Next episode, we'll slow down and go in depth on that third approach, the three questions, all the way through one passage. Don't miss it. Until then, keep reading, keep seeking, and keep growing in your faith.