Whenever you attempt to study the Bible the first thing you need to remember as you read a portion is to observe what is being said in the text. Note the actual facts or details. Then you need to work at understanding what it actually means. That is, you need to interpret what you have observed. Once you’ve done that you need to apply what you learned to your life. In other words, you need to answer the question, “What difference should this make to me personally?” Or, “What kind of changes do I need to make in the way I live for this truth to be implemented in my life?”
These three steps, observation, interpretation and application are the essence of the inductive approach to Bible Study. Let’s do a study of the 9th chapter of the Gospel of John together, using the inductive Bible Study method. Start by reading it over a few times and then put down what you observe to be taking place.
Jesus noticed a man who was blind since birth. In answer to his disciple’s question about whether this was caused by sin, Jesus replied, “No.” Then He explained: “this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” Jesus first reminds them of the urgency of His and their mission. Then He sets the stage for His healing the blind man. As the blind man follows Jesus’ instructions he is miraculously healed.
Continue writing down what you observe taking place in the rest of the chapter as a result of this miracle healing. I will continue with my observations in our next visit.
