There are many good ways to study the Bible. I’m a big fan of the inductive Bible study method. Kay Arthur has been teaching this approach for decades. I’ve read her book How to Study Your Bible several times. We would all do well to master the principles presented here.
A more recent advocate for the inductive method is Heather Erdmann. In 2022 she released A Week in the Word, and I immediately wanted to utilize the steps presented in this book. So I did a study of the seven “I AM” statements of Jesus (from John’s gospel) using her format, and benefitted greatly as my knowledge of and love for Jesus increased significantly.
NOTE: I’ve been working on a book version of this “I AM” study, co-authored with Heather, hopefully to be released soon. Stay tuned!
Another method that I use is Erik Raymond’s CRAM approach, in which four specific questions are asked of the text.
Regardless of which method we use the study the Word, what should be the result? 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us:
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
God wants to do at least five things for us whenever we study his Word: teach us, rebuke us, correct us, train us in righteousness, and equip us for good works. What good Father would not do that for his children?
God is in the business of sanctifying us through his Word, changing us to become more like Jesus every day. If that is not happening, then we are missing the point of Bible study.
Now I’d like to show you how I use the CRAM method.
I’ve been reading through the New Testament each year, usually a chapter a day, five days a week. But I rarely just read it. I typically have a notebook and pen in hand, and while reading I interact with the text by asking questions of the passage, such as the questions from the CRAM method. Here are the four questions, along with some of my responses from my journal on November 14, 2022, when I meditated on 1 Thessalonians 1.
See how my Father, through this opening section of Paul’s letter to a young yet thriving church, teaches me, rebukes me, corrects me, trains me, and equips me to do his will.
1.“C” is for the Character of God:
What does this passage teach about who God is?
v.1. God is “the Father.” He is “our God and Father” (v.3), which means he is my Father.
v.1. Jesus is “the Lord Jesus Christ.” He is Lord, the sovereign ruler of the universe. And he is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, anointed by God to come to earth and accomplish our salvation and bring us to God.
v.10. One day the Son of God will come from heaven to rescue God’s people from “the coming wrath” – the wrath of Jesus and his Father. Only Jesus can do that.
2. “R” is for Responsibility:
What does God require of his people in this text?
This is the focus of the passage. Paul tells the Thessalonian church that he prays for them and continually thanks God for them because of their work of faith, their labor of love, and their steadfastness of hope in Christ. Then he continues to commend them for their many demonstrations of genuine faith.
We have here two great examples of what it means to live a life pleasing to God.
Example #1: Paul’s prayers for the Thessalonians. Note these characteristics of godly prayer:
— thanksgiving to God for the people of God (v.2)
— praise to God for the faith, love, and hope of God’s people (v.3)
— this thanksgiving and praise was an ongoing practice; he did this “continually” (v.2)
The example of Paul’s prayer life is also the responsibility of all believers. This is how all Christians should pray for one another.
Example #2: characteristics of the Thessalonians. Here is a description of what it means for a church to be filled with genuine believers. They were characterized by:
— faith, love, and hope (v.3)
— Christ-likeness; they were imitators of Paul and Jesus (v.6)
— joyful reception of the Word (v. 6)
— perseverance: they were persecuted for their new faith, yet did not jump ship in the midst of severe suffering (v. 6)
— true conversion experience: they turned to God from idols; they had a radical change of life, doing a 180, leaving their lives of paganism and embracing Jesus as Savior and Lord (v.9)
— patience: they were waiting for Jesus to come back from heaven to rescue them from God’s wrath (v.10)
The example of the Thessalonians is also the responsibility of all believers. This is how all Christians should live.
3. “A” is for Attitudes and Actions:
What does this passage reveal about my attitude and actions?
Example #1. How is my prayer life for other believers? Lately, I have been praying less for other Christians than I used to. Not good! There are many believers that I pray for regularly – my wife; people in our Bible studies; leaders at our local church (staff, elders, worship leaders, etc); missionaries. Recently, my wife is the only one that I have been praying for consistently. This is a sin of omission for which I need to repent.
Example #2. How am I doing in each of the areas listed above, the characteristics of which the Thessalonians were model believers? Taking a spiritual inventory is hard. There is always room for improvement in every area. My biggest weakness tends to be my love for people. Lately, that seems to be improving. My hope in Christ is also strong. Having faith in God’s sovereignty is a challenge right now. I am distraught over the lost condition of many family members. I keep praying for them, yet there is no change. Rather, they all appear to be moving even further away from God.
4. “M” is for Meditation:
How does this passage teach me to trust and treasure Christ more?
The Thessalonians were imitators of Christ (v. 6). That is my prayer today: “Jesus, make me more like you. Give me love for the believers in my life; renew my desire to pray for them. And please give me your love for the people in my family who don’t know you. You are not on their radar screen at all, which is how I lived for many years. Give me patience and kindness toward them, no matter how they treat you. Please grant me your compassion for them, for you are the perfect example of how I should love them.”
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