The Topical Method of Bible Study

If you’ve been following along with our series on methods of Bible study, then you’ve gotten your feet wet on five different ways to learn about the Bible.  So far, our methods have been fairly focused, studying one person or chapter in the Scriptures.  This next method is much broader, and will take much longer.  The results are well worth the effort, however, as the topical method of Bible study will help you to learn all there is to know about a particular subject.

1.  Pick a topic and make a list of words that relate to that topic.  For instance, if your topic is “joy” then you’ll want to include the words gladness/glad/be glad, exult/exultation, joy/rejoice, mirth. Sometimes I google: “biblical synonyms for x.” A topical bible might also be useful at this point. 

2.  Collect all references relating to each word. As you can probably guess, this step will probably take the longest.  Using an exhaustive concordance (like Strong’s) OR the search function on your favorite Bible study website, find every verse for every word on your list.  Yes, there will be a lot! I like to make a 2-column table in my word processing program and put the verse in the left hand column.  If you don’t like using the computer, one notecard for each verse would be a good way to record the verses. Just buy a big pack! Below is an example of what the search results will look like on www.biblestudytools.com. Underneath that is what the table will look like (if you choose to use the computer) as you begin.

Numbers 10:10
2 Samuel 6:12
1 Chronicles 29:22
Nehemiah 12:27

4.  In the right hand column (or on the back of your notecard), write down a brief description of what the verse says about your topic.  For instance, next to Psalm 16:11 you might write “There is joy in God’s presence.” Do this for every reference you find. 

Below I have finished the example table from above.

Numbers 10:10	The trumpets were to be blown on days of gladness.
2 Samuel 6:12	David brought the ark from Jerusalem with gladness.
1 Chronicles 29:22	When Solomon was made king; the people ate and drank with gladness.
Nehemiah 12:27	The Levites were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication of the wall with gladness.  Gladness here included hymns and songs.

5.  Once you have a note for every reference, compare and group the references. With joy, you might have a group of references where Biblical characters showed joy, another about joy in creation, and another about joy coming from the Lord.  I use my cut and paste function to organize the table by groups.  If you have written the verses on notecards, you can group them by theme.

6.  Condense the results of your study into a brief outline. Use the groups you came up with as a basis for your outline. 

7.  Draw conclusions and applications from your study.  Once again, this is the most important part of any Bible study. Although this method lends itself to a more scholarly look at the Bible, we know that God’s word is meant to be used and applied. 

As you can see, this method of Bible study is very comprehensive.  Don’t let that scare you away, though!  It doesn’t matter how long it takes you!  I suggest that you pick another method for your daily devotionals (say the devotional method ☺), then spend a few minutes each day finding verses on a topic you want to study more deeply. After a month, you’ll be surprised at how much you’ve learned! 

All methods of Bible study presented in this series come courtesy of Bill and Beverly Watkins, who teach the class at the Nashville School of Preaching and Biblical Studies.  It is shared by their permission with many thanks.

Next month’s study, the word study method, will be similar but much less exhaustive. 

Melissa