Independent Studies Level
Giving our children the gift of The Bible is foundational to all the other gifts of intentional parents. And, as we have discussed in other posts, Bible teaching can and should be done at all ages. Now, those of you with little ones toddling around the house, don’t panic when you read the rest of this post. Children progress to deeper levels of Bible teaching and study as they mature. We’ve found it helpful to think of these stages as the Great Stories Level, the Guided Studies Level, and the Independent Studies Level. Just concentrate on the level at which your children are right now and keep the others in mind for future reference.
Great Stories Level
The Great Stories Level can start when the child is still a baby. Reading to a child helps develop language skills and strengthen the bond between child and parent. Reading Bible stories can do all that and more. Lay the foundation now. Take every opportunity to surround young children with the great stories in God’s Word. We talked about the Great Stories Level in this post.
Guided Studies Level
When the children can write words easily and read with comprehension, they are ready to transition into the Guided Studies Level. These short Bible studies should introduce the child to the basics of how to study the Bible and affirm that he can understand the Bible on his own. As this level’s title (Guided Studies) asserts, the parent should walk the child through these studies a step at a time — helping, guiding, and encouraging him. We talked more about the Guided Studies Level in this post.
Independent Inductive Studies Level
Once the child is quite comfortable with and has experienced long-term success in the Guided Studies Level, start the transition into Independent Studies. “Independent,” you know, means (eventually) without your step-by-step guidance. You’ll still be discussing her findings, but you won’t be holding her hand throughout the entire process. “Independent” also means learning to study the Bible without the step-by-step guidance of a writer or published materials.
You may have noticed that the official title of this level includes the word “inductive.” Don’t be intimidated by that term. “Inductive” simply means to study the Bible by observing what it says, interpreting what it means, and applying its truths to daily living. Several types of inductive studies are great for people just getting their feet wet at this level: word studies, topical studies, book studies, and character studies. Go ahead and help your child do these types of studies until she feels confident approaching them on her own.
- Word Studies
- Topical Studies
- Book Studies
- Character Studies
In a word study you select a key word and learn all you can about that word as it is used in the Bible, for example “grace” or “sacrifice.” The steps for an inductive word study are:
Observe —
(1) Select a key word that is used in Scripture.
(2) Find the verses in which that word occurs. Use a concordance book or software program to locate the verses. Use a Strong’s Concordance or a similar resource to find out the meaning of the word in its original language; e.g., Hebrew or Greek.
(3) Read the verses and write a short summary of how the word is used in each. In some instances you may need to read several surrounding verses to understand the context of the verse in which the word is mentioned.
Interpret —
(4) From your summaries, create a definition of the selected word.
(5) Read the word’s definition in a dictionary and a Bible Dictionary, comparing those definitions to your own definition. Expand or revise your definition as you see fit.
Apply —
(6) Determine what your response should be to your findings. Do you need to make an adjustment in your thinking or daily living habits?
A topical study is similar to a word study, but instead of selecting a word, you select a topic, for example “how to handle money” or “what kind of friends to look for.” The steps for an inductive topical study are:
Observe —
(1) Select a topic.
(2) Find the verses or passages that address that topic. Use a concordance book or program to locate the verses. Look for key words or related words. For example, if you wanted to study “how to handle money,” you could look for words like “money,” “steward,” “wealth,” “poverty,” or “rich.” Use a Strong’s Concordance or a similar resource to find out the meaning of each word in its original language; e.g., Hebrew or Greek.
(3) Read the verses and write a short summary of what each verse or passage says about your selected topic. Don’t forget to read surrounding verses in order to understand the context.
Interpret —
(4) Put together your summaries and explain what the Bible says about your selected topic.
(5) If desired, read a Biblically sound book on the same topic. Expand or revise your summary as needed.
Apply —
(6) Determine what your response should be to your findings. Do you need to make an adjustment in your thinking or daily living habits?
It is always profitable to study a book of the Bible in its entirety. Beginners will find it easiest to start with a shorter book, like Jonah or Philippians. The steps for an inductive book study are:
Observe —
(1) Select a Bible book.
(2) Read through the entire book in one sitting.
(3) Record the book’s writer, recipients, and time setting. See if you can find out what was happening in world events during that time period.
Interpret —
(4) Summarize the book’s main idea in one sentence; see if you can find one verse that presents that main idea too. You want to succinctly answer the question Why did the writer write this book?
(5) Read the book again in sections, summarizing each paragraph or chapter.
(6) Try to outline the book in the form of an acrostic to help you remember the book’s contents. For example, Jonah has four chapters, so you could use the word “fish” (F-I-S-H) to summarize the book. You would think of a summary phrase for chapter one that starts with the letter F; chapter two’s phrase would start with the letter I; and so on.
Apply —
(7) Determine what your response should be to your findings. Do you need to make an adjustment in your thinking or daily living habits?
A character study takes a familiar “face” from the Great Stories Level and brings it closer so you can get to know him better. The steps for an inductive character study are:
Observe —
(1) Select a Bible character.
(2) Find the verses or passages that mention your selected character. Use a concordance book or program to locate the verses. (If you select a common name, like John, make sure the passage mentions the person you are studying and not a different person by the same name.)
(3) Read the verses and write a short summary of what each verse or passage says about your selected character. Don’t forget to read surrounding verses in order to understand the context.
Interpret —
(4) Put together your summaries and explain what the Bible says about your selected character. Look beyond mere actions to motives, attitudes, and character traits.
Apply —
(5) Determine what your response should be to your findings. Do you need to make an adjustment in your thinking or daily living habits?
These types of independent Bible studies can require a significant amount of time. Help your student learn that a few minutes of study consistently and faithfully invested every day can reap great rewards. Once your child has mastered the techniques of the Independent Inductive Studies Level, he will be prepared to study the Bible on his own for the rest of his life.
Q & A
Q: I don’t know Hebrew and Greek; how can I teach it to my children?
A: Ah, you noticed that the Independent Inductive Studies Level begins to incorporate the use of Bible reference books and encourage the student to go back to the original languages of the Bible in order to understand subtle shades of word meanings. Here’s a secret: you don’t have to know Hebrew and Greek if you have the right tools. This would be a great time to invest in some good Bible reference books or software such as Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, Vine’s Bible Dictionary, a Greek-English lexicon, an Interlinear Hebrew-Greek-English Bible, or any of the Zodhiates Word Study Helps, as well as a good commentary, such as The Bible Knowledge Commentary by Walvoord and Zuck. These resources should be available at your local Christian bookstore.
