Encountering the Living Word: Relational Inductive Bible Study

This book has been written to help Bible students develop confidence in their ability to study the Bible and to get out of their study all that God wants them to receive. It is a book on how to study the Bible inductively, but not just a book on Bible study methods. Good study methods are essential for a proper understanding of the Bible, but methods alone will not guarantee that we will hear what God is saying to us through the Scriptures. We must approach Bible study as a time of communion with God. To that end, the authors present a model for Bible study which they describe as “relational inductive Bible study” (RIBS). The book is divided into two parts, or divisions. The first division, “Foundations for Relational Inductive Bible Study,” is comprised of nine chapters addressing some foundational issues for doing relational inductive Bible study. The division offers a defense of the Bible as a spiritual book, i.e., the Spirit-Word of God, The authors propose that the Bible must be approached both as God-inhabited space and as an anthology of human literature. The inductive approach and the elements of literature are described and practical recommendations on how to study are presented. The second division, “Methods of Relational Inductive Bible Study,” is comprised of nine chapters intended to guide the student through the methods of an inductive approach to Bible study, including a chapter on how to lead a group in RIBS. This section is written as a training manual on how to complete an inductive study of a book of the Bible. Chapters 10 through 17 include exercises in the various study methods using Ephesians as a study text. Each exercise builds on the ones that came before it. Students are directed to not go from one exercise to the next until they have gained the basic skills each requires. They are encouraged to spend extended time practicing each of the methods as directed. The division concludes with a chapter on leading a small group in a relational inductive Bible book study.