I hope that you are finding these posts on personal Bible study helpful. Today, we are going to look more practically at the first step of personal Bible study.  I call this observation.  In this step we look at WHAT a passage is actually saying to the people addressed in their context.  Remember, context is king.  Many people mistakenly apply what they think the Bible is saying rather than determining its original meaning.  The Bible can never mean what it never meant.

Observation Begins with a Good Background

In last week’s post (click here), I left you with three questions about the book of Colossians.  IF you did your homework, here is a summary of what you discovered.

Paul wrote Colossians around AD62 while he was in prison in Rome.  Colossae was town in Asia Minor that shared a lot in common with two neighboring towns Hierapolis and Laodicea. The church in Colossae was established during Paul’s 3-year ministry in Ephesus.  It was established by a man from there named Epaphras.  Epaphras heard Paul preach in Ephesus and became a follower of Jesus.  He then went home and started a church in Colossae.

The book of Colossians is an epistle, or letter.  So, we can expect the usual opening greeting followed by theological teaching and practical application.  And we can expect the letter to end with some personal remarks to and about mutual friends.

Marking the Text

I am visually oriented.  Marking up a Bible text can help me see the relationships the words and phrases have with each other.  You may or may not like to write on your main Bible.  Here are four suggestions for providing you with a great canvas for your Bible study mark-up.

1. Get a ring-bound notebook and hand copy the passage you are planning to study.  There is great benefit to writing out the text by your own hand.  You can write the text on the left-hand page and make your later observations, applications, and responses on the right-hand page.

2.  Set up a page in Word or Pages where you can copy and paste your passage.  Set the page landscape, with two columns. Paste the text in the left column and make notes in the right column.  You can then keep these pages in a binder so you can look back at them later.

3.  Buy a journaling Bible.  Most journaling Bible have the Scripture in a single column with a wide margin for notes.  Many of them have lined margins for your notes.  Click here to see a good example.

4.  Crossway also publishes journals that contain a single book of the Bible, or in some cases two smaller related books.  The principle is the same as with the journaling Bible.  Click here to see a full set I bought for my wife at Christmas. You don’t have to get a full set; you can buy them as you use them.  They are usually $5 – $10. Here is a link for a more generic Colossians-Philemon journal.

How to Mark Your Passage for Observation

Find a system that helps you visually connect the words, phrases, and concepts in the passage.  Remember, at this stage you aren’t trying to find an application for your life.  You are more importantly comprehend what the meant to its original audience.  

I like to circle and highlight key words and phrases.  Usually, I circle verbs in green and box nouns and pronouns in blue.  I use other colors and highlighters to help me see prepositions, conjunctions and other key words.  By the way, I have learned that often the little words are really big words. Prepositions, conjunctions, adjectives, and adverbs can reveal nuances that we miss with casual reading.

The picture below is how I marked up Colossians 1:1-2.  You don’t have to do it like I do.  But find a way that helps you visually see the different parts of speech and connects them into a cohesive thought.

Writing Your Observation

Once you have marked up your passage, prayerfully look over it several times. Look for words and thoughts that are repeated. Or contrasted.  Notice how adjectives describe the nouns and adverbs the verbs.  Begin to make as many observation notes as you see.

At this point you really don’t need in depth Bible Study tools.  You can find the introductory information about the book in most study Bibles.  In this step, you are depending on the Holy Spirit working through your ability to observe.  You are gaining an understand of what the author wanted the readers to know.  

In the photo below, you can also see that I made several observations based on my observations. 

 

Summing Up

• Take the time to slowly read a passage, considering all of its various contexts.
• Notice the relationships of the words and phrases to each other.
• Look for what the author wanted the audience to know.
• Write down the observations the Holy Spirit helps you see.

If you have questions, feel free to reach out.  I love to talk about and teach this.