STUDYING A CHAPTER OR BOOK FROM THE BIBLE

STUDYING A CHAPTER OR BOOK FROM THE BIBLE
"Where are my keys?" the man called out as he frantically looked in several of the usual places he might have left them. "I can't find them and I'm going to be late for work!" he exclaimed in frustration.
"Have you checked your coat pocket?" his wife asked trying to be helpful.
"Oh," was the simple response after he thrust his hand into his pocket and felt the collection of keys.
Sometimes, in our zeal to find things, we end up looking everywhere but the obvious places. That happens with keys, shoes, books, even Bible study. While there are many ways to study the Bible, we need to be careful not to avoid studying our Bible in the most obvious way. According to William Evans,
THE BEST WAY TO STUDY THE BIBLE
The best method of the study of any organism is that which gives due prominence to the structure of that organism. The Bible is a living organism of truth; it has in it the life of the living God and is able (as no other book is) to impart spiritual life to the soul of man. The Bible was made bookwise - one book at a time, according as the need for the truth, historical, prophetical or ethical, as set forth therein, arose. It would seem reasonable, therefore, to assume that the book-method of Bible study should yield the best results from time and labor spent in an endeavor to "search the Scriptures."9
As a young man beginning his pastoral ministry, Dr. W. A. Criswell was invited to pastor an older church and follow one of the most famous pastors of his day. Sensing something of the significance of the challenge he was facing, Criswell talked with other pastors and asked them for their advice as he began this new phase of his ministry. Someone advised him his best course would be to begin in Genesis and preach through the Bible over a period of many years. As Criswell followed this advise, he found people were hungry to study the Scriptures. By the time he resigned from the pulpit of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, that church had become the largest Southern Baptist Church in America. His success in teaching the Bible book by book and chapter by chapter has motivated many other pastors to adopt his example as their primary preaching style. Many of these men are also experiencing steady long-term growth in their ministries. People are still hungry to study the Scriptures.

Why Study the Bible by Chapter and Book?
There are several good reasons to study and teach the Bible by book and chapter by chapter. For many Christians, this is the most obvious way to read and study the Scriptures. They plan their daily devotions around the unspoken principle, "A chapter a day keeps the devil away." While it is good to get into the habit of Bible study, you need other reasons to keep you motivated.
As noted above, one good reason for studying the Bible by books is that the Bible was written in books. Each of the sixty-six books of the Bible has a particular emphasis and/or theme. When the prophet first preached his sermons or an apostle first wrote a letter, they were trying to communicate a specific thought or theme. These themes are best understood in the context of the whole content of the book. When we study the Bible by book, we learn the major lessons of the Scripture in the manner that the human authors of Scripture intended to teach them.
Though added some time after the Scriptures were complete, chapters tend to break larger books down into more manageable sections for Bible study. The student of Isaiah might be overwhelmed trying to study through the entire book, but can be challenged to study chapter six in greater detail. When Isaiah saw the Lord and received a commission to preach and write. In the Old Testament, the average chapter is just under twenty-five verses long. That compares to just over thirty verses in length in the New Testament. While the student of the Scriptures might want to break some longer chapters into smaller units (i.e., Psalm 119), most find the average chapter about the right length for a challenging Bible study.
Taking a chapter approach to Bible study is not just practical, it is also a logical way to learning the principle teachings of the Scriptures. Several key chapters of the Bible actually summarize key thoughts or doctrines of the Bible. One effective approach to the doctrinal study of the Scriptures involves a thorough study of these key passages. The following chart identifies a few of those chapters and the doctrines and/or themes they address.
STUDYING KEY THEMES IN KEY CHAPTERS
The Creation of the World in Genesis 1
The Fall of Humanity in Genesis 3
The Ethical Code of the Law in Exodus 20
The Lord as Our Shepherd in Psalm 23
The Suffering Saviour in Isaiah 53
The New Birth in John 3
The Founding of the Church in Acts 2
The Nature of Love in 1 Corinthians 13
The Doctrine of the Resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15
The Nature of Faith in Hebrews 11
The Kingdom of Christ in Revelation 20
The study of the Bible by book and chapter provide a context in which the various details or verses of Scripture can be better understood. Many Christians have an understanding of various isolated passages in the Scripture, but have never learned how they fit together. When we study the Bible book by book, we begin to understand the broader context of each book. As an illustration most everyone knows John 3:16, but do they know John's purpose was to demonstrate the deifying Christ so people could believe and live, (John 20:31). When a book approach is coupled with the study of the Scriptures chapter by chapter, the finer details of Scripture are understood in their biblical context.
OWNING A BOOK
1. Study the facts of the book.
2. Analyze the individual facts to understand the book's general focus and structure.
3. Compare the structure of the book to each section to determine the author's purpose of writing.
4. Write an outline of the book in my own words.
5. Determine and mark the key verse, i.e. the verse that best reflects the author's purpose.
6. Determine the key word and mark each occurrence in the book.
7. Think through the general truth in to apply them to your life.

STEP ONE ON  HOW TO STUDY A BOOK AND CHAPTER OF THE BIBLE
As we consider studying the Scriptures by book and chapter, the logical place to begin is by choosing and surveying a specific biblical book. This is sometimes called the synthetic approach to Bible study described by Merrill C. Tenney.
The interpretation of a book in its totality by such a process of repeated reading and final integration of results is called the synthetic method. The word synthetic is derived from the Greek preposition syn, which means together, and the verbal root the, which means to put, so that the resultant meaning is "a putting together." Synthetic is the opposite of analytic, which means "a taking apart." The synthetic method ignores detail, and treats only of the interpretation of a document as a whole While any of the sixty-six books of the Bible can be studied synthetically, the size of a biblical book is a practical consideration, especially for those who are studying the Bible for the first time. The student is likely to encounter unnecessary difficulty who attempts to learn this method of Bible study by using a book of the Pentateuch, one of the major prophets, a gospel or one of the longer New Testament epistles in his or her first attempt at Bible study. A better approach is to choose one of the smaller books in Scripture for the first few attempts while learning this method, then later apply the method to larger books when you are more familiar with this approach. The following chart identifies some of the shorter books in the Bible which should be considered as you begin studying the Bible book by book.
THE SHORTER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
Ruth Joel Jonah
Haggai Habakkuk Zephaniah
Malachi Philippians Colossians
2 Thessalonians 2 Timothy Titus
2 Peter
The shortest books of the Bible are also called the One Chapter books. The New Testament one-chapter books were actually letters that correspond in length to many of our letter tools.
ONE CHAPTER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
Obadiah Philemon 2 John
3 John Jude
As you begin studying one of these books, attempt to determine the probable historical context. Before you can understand and apply the Bible to your life, it is important to know how those who first heard it would have understood its message. To learn more about the historical context of the book, there are several questions you can ask. Begin with questions about the author of the book. Who wrote this book? What is known about this author? Then ask about the book itself. Why was this book written? How does the original purpose of this book relate to my life today? Next ask about those who first read this book. To whom was this book originally written? What similarities do I share with the original recipients of the book? How are we different? You may want to consider the uniqueness of your book with others written by the same author or about the same time. How does this book relate to other books by this author? How does it relate to other books written about this time? Finally, consider the context of the times in which this book was produced. When was this book written? What significant things were happening in the world at the time when this book was originally written?
FROM ONE WORD TO KNOW ALL THE WORD
Understand each word in a verse.
Relate the verse in its paragraph.
See how the paragraph fits into the chapter.
Connect chapter to understand a book.
Compare books to group the whole Bible.
Set aside time to read the book through without interruption. You may have to put your telephone on the answering machine to minimize the chance of interruption. Some people choose to leave their house and read their Bible in a quiet neighborhood park. Reading through the book this way will help you get a feel for the basic structure of the book.
Actually, you will want to do this several times. In your first reading, look for the central theme of the book and how the author develops it. Next, look for key words and circle them in your Bible. Look for a key verse or pivotal passage in the book. You might want to circle them. In your next reading, look for ways the central theme is emphasized in the book. In another reading, begin developing a summary outline of the book. Give each chapter a brief title that summarizes its main message. In subsequent readings, expand your book outline. You may want to write a three to five word summary of each paragraph, some even write these in their Bible at the heading of a chapter.
Reading through a book of the Bible four or five times as part of your Bible study may seem like an ambitious undertaking, but the benefits are far greater than the work involved. Before preaching from any chapter in the New Testament, G. Campbell Morgan read the entire book from which that chapter was taken forty times, in Greek. As a result, he earned the reputation of being one of the outstanding Bible teachers of his day. As you read your book several times, you may want to read from various translations. This will help you approach each reading fresh as each translation expresses the message in a slightly different manner. Also, reading your book through once each day for seven days will produce better results than reading it though seven consecutive times on one day.
By the time you have read through the book several times, you should have a fairly clear understanding of the book. Because you want to be both hearers and doers of the word, the next step involves comparing the theme of the book to our life. Does the book suggest specific actions to take? Does the book suggest a specific value or attitude to adopt? How does this book expand my understanding of God and the Christian life?
Once you have completed your study of a book, you may want to follow it up with a series of chapter studies to gain a better understanding of each chapter in the context of the broader message of the book. There are three additional steps involved in completing a chapter study.
The first step involves observing the details of the chapter being studied. Once again, asking the right questions is the key to gaining the right answers in your pursuit of a better understanding of the Scriptures. Use the following dozen questions to guide you to a better understanding of each chapter. (1) Who are the prominent characters in this chapter? (2) How are these characters related to each other? (3) What is the major event in this chapter? (4) How is this event related to other minor events mentioned? (5) When do the events of this chapter take place? (6) What was happening in the world when these things happened? (7) What events were taking place just before and/or after the events described in this chapter? (8) Where do these events take place? List each place mentioned and find them in a good Bible atlas. (9) Why does the writer express himself as he does in this chapter? (10) What motives lie behind the actions taken in this chapter? (11) How does the author describe the people, places and events in this chapter? (12) What significance is there in the way these things are described?
The next step involves determining the meaning of the chapter. To do this, analyze the basic unit of writing in most languages, you will analyze each paragraph in the chapter. To gain a good understanding of the chapter, write a three to five word summary of each paragraph unit within the chapter. Then make a list of words you do not understand. Look up each of these words in a Bible dictionary. To insure you have a good understanding of the chapter's contents, write a paraphrase of the chapter in your own words that clearly communicates the meaning of the chapter.
The ultimate goal of Bible study is a changed life. So, determine how the principles of this chapter can be best applied to your life. The following five questions may help guide you as you look for an appropriate application of this chapter to your life. (1) Is there an example to follow? (2) Is there a command to obey? (3) Is there a promise to claim? (4) Is there a prayer to pray? (5) Is there an error to avoid?
PRINCIPLES FOR STUDYING A CHAPTER
1. The Bible must be interpreted with a view that God is speaking to us through every chapter. Determine if a chapter is historical, poetic, didactic, a sermon, biography, etc.
2. Study the chapter to determine the historical background to which it is addressed.
3. Determine the meaning of proper names, events, things, geographical places, and customs.
4. What unusual words are used in the chapter and how does their meaning help to interpret the chapter?
5. Determine why the author has included this chapter in Scripture by asking what is its focus or point.
6. After a chapter has been studied, determine what principles are evident in the passage and how can they be applied to your life.
7. Your interpretation will basically support the solid accepted views of Bible students in the Body of Christ, because no Scripture is of "private interpretation," that will teach variant meanings.
How to Teach the Bible By Chapter and Book
When the focus of a Bible study session is a chapter or book of the Bible, remember your students must group the message of the book or chapter before they can apply it to their lives. When surveyed, about half of those involved in Bible study groups said they preferred doing a book study in their Bible study group. Most were not simply interested in expanding their biblical knowledge, rather, they wanted to study the Bible itself to apply it to their lives. Therefore, when we teach a chapter or book of the Bible, it is important to demonstrate how these ancient writings guide us today.
Begin your Bible study session by introducing your chapter or book study by drawing attention to the theme of the chapter or book. You may want to ask an opinion question which leads group members to express their own views about the theme. On another occasion, introduce a quote by a prominent person or from a popular song that deals with the theme. Then ask group members to respond to that quote. Some Bible teachers prefer to write the word that describes the theme on the chalkboard and ask group members what they think about when they see or hear that word used.
TEACHING THE BIBLE BY BOOKS
The Romance of Redemption . . . Ruth
The Providence of God in the Affairs of people . . . Esther
The Struggles of a Racist Prophet . . . Jonah
The Acts of the Holy Spirit . . . Acts
Christ is Better . . . Hebrews
Next, introduce the book being studied in the context of the theme, as illustrated in the chart above. Then lead your students through your book outline focusing on how the author develops that theme. Your goal in approaching the book this way is to help your students begin to recognize the message of the book for itself. When you are teaching a chapter, you will want to follow a similar procedure. As you lead the class discussion, encourage group members to suggest ways the author develops that theme in the chapter (see Studying Key Themes in Key Chapters chart earlier in this chapter).
As you teach this lesson, list the basic principles emphasized in the book or chapter being studied. Is there an example to follow? Is there a command to obey? Is there a promise to claim? Is there a prayer to pray? Is there an error to avoid?
Your goal in teaching the Bible is to lead your students to apply the Bible. Ask group members to identify specific steps they can take this week to apply one principle to their life. Everyone who has made a New Year's resolution or decided to lose weight knows intentions are not good enough on their own. People don't do what is expected; they do what is inspected. Therefore, have your Bible study group members share these steps with other group members who will hold them accountable for their actions this week.
Often, a book study is followed by a series of chapter studies from the same book in Bible based curricula. Also, many teachers who teach a chapter study do so as part of an extended series taking students through a biblical book. If your study is part of a similar series, be sure to assign a chapter or book to be read by group members in preparation for the next group Bible study session. This will make it that much easier for you as you continue teaching the Bible book by book and chapter by chapter.

STEP TWO  ON STUDYING A CHAPTER/BOOK
PHILEMON V. 1-25
Onesimus (name means profitable) was a slave, who robbed his master Philemon and fled to Rome. There he was converted under Paul’s ministry, who now sends Onesimus back to Philemon with this letter.
1. How are the people in this book related to each other?
Onesimus to Philemon. “Who (Onesimus) once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable
to you and to me” (v. 11). _____________________________________________________
Philemon to Paul. “I appeal to you for my son, Onesimus whom I have begotten while in my
chains” (v. 10) ______________________________________________________________
Paul to Philemon. “I (Paul) am sending him back. You therefore receive him” (v. 12). ___________________________________________________________________________
2. What past connection had Paul to Philemon?
“I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand . . . not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self beside” (v. 19).
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. What was Philemon’s position in the church?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. What was Paul’s condition when writing?
(v. 13).
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______________________________________________________________________________
5. What was Paul’s motive in asking forgiveness for Onesimus?
“I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, yet for love’s sake, I rather appeal to you” (v. 8,9). “That your good deed might not be by compulsion . . .
but voluntary” (v. 14).
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6. What did Paul think Onesimus would do for Philemon?
“He departed for awhile (escaped), that you might receive him forever, no longer as a slave,
but more than as a slave, as a beloved brother” (v. 15,16).
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______________________________________________________________________________
7. On what basis did Paul want Onesimus received back?
“If you count me as a partner, receive him as you would me, but if he has wronged you or
owes you anything, put that on my account” (v. 17,18).
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
8. We are like Onesimus who has sinned against God. Philemon is a picture of God who has the
authority to punish us. Paul is a picture of Christ who says, “Put his sin on my account.”
What has Christ done for you? ___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What could the Father do? _______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What is your response? _________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
9. What results does Paul expect from this letter?
“Having confidence in your obedience, I (Paul) write to you, knowing that you will do even
more than I say” (v. 21).


STEP THREE CHECKLIST STUDYING A CHAPTER/BOOK
Name of book__________________________ Key word_____________________
Key verse
Why is this word/verse key to the passage?
Who wrote it?
Why did he write it? _
To whom was it written?
Where was it written?
When was it written?
What was the problem?

What answers were suggested?
What principles were included?
What practical suggestions were given?
List the characters and one statement about each.