How to Get the Main IDEA of a Bible Passage

Christy’s IDEA Method for Bible Study

hhh. Want to know a secret? The secret to

successful Bible study is not a five-step plan or a

rigid set of rules; the secret to successful and

satisfying Bible study is to simply follow your curiosity.

That’s right! You can toss the rules if you cultivate a

sense of curiosity and overcome our inherent laziness

(yes, we all have it). Oh come on, you know you’ve read

Paul’s letters to the Corinthians and wondered, “Where

was Corinth and what was it like?” But it’s easy to

dismiss such thoughts rather than to look for answers.

So here’s the plan:

The next time you’re reading your Bible, challenge

yourself to look up three things in your Bible dictionary.

It could be a person, a place, or a word you don’t

understand. It only takes a few minutes to follow your

curiosity, so go for it! The reward of a few minutes of

effort is a fresh new understanding and appreciation for

the text.

Get the Main IDEA For those of you who prefer a more structured

approach to things, I have a simple but effective plan for

you to follow. The approach I use is simple. I call it IDEA.

When you want to get the main idea of a passage, this is

what to do.

dentify. Look very carefully at what the passage

says—not what you think it says or what you’ve

been taught it says. Look at what it actually says.

Also, make note of what it doesn’t say (we tend to fill in

other ideas as we read).

efine. In order to understand a text, you need

to be sure you understand what it is saying.

Start with good old Webster’s Dictionary and

look up words—even if you think you know what they

mean. You can often gain surprising new insights from

this habit without even investing in other Bible

reference books. Then expand your query by looking up

people, places, and other nouns in a Bible dictionary.

This is the best way to gain Biblical background and

context for any passage. A Bible dictionary contains a

wealth of information.

xplore. Take those people and places and explore

them more thoroughly. Look up places on a map

or Bible atlas. Look up people and cultural

information in other reference books to gather a

broader understanding. In short, follow your curiosity.

pply. Be a doer of the word and not merely a

hearer of it. Consider whether there is an action

to take, a warning to heed, or an example to

follow. Keep a journal, if you like. Write down a specific

action you can take, even if it is as simple as “I will

reflect on this verse today.”

Studying the Bible doesn’t have to be a complicated

process. You can do this. Just follow your curiosity,

whether you follow specific steps or not. Bible study is

more about attitude than aptitude. You can learn how

to study the Bible if you have a desire to do so.

©2012 Christy Bower. The author grants permission to share print

or digital copies with this copyright notice intact.

www.ChristyBower.com (Photo ©iStockphoto.com / Jason Stitt)

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