Dig Deep: Encouraging Biblical Literacy
Why Even Dig?
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” -2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV
In a world where our students are confronted with many versions of truth, God’s Word is the Truth that stands high above the rest. Let’s equip our students with the tools they need to correctly handle the Word of Truth. Let’s give them the tools they need to dig deep. As they are more equipped to study the story of redemption in light of Biblical context, God’s Word can begin to develop within their hearts a passion and desire to get involved in the work He is doing today.
Before You Dig…
Many of our students have no idea where God’s Word originated. It wasn’t until my junior year of high school that I learned about the history of Scripture. At age 16, my youth pastor sat me down and started equipping me with the basic tools I needed to dig deep. I learned that God’s Word was written by the hand of man, but inspired by the Holy Spirit. He also taught me that Scripture wasn’t written to me, it was written to many different historical people.
Fast forward to college, I began learning that Scripture was originally written in a completely different language. These languages had different verb tenses that could completely change what I read in a passage. After college, I learned that the Bible was not a bunch of tiny random stories. It was one big story – the metanarrative – of God redeeming all things through His Son.
It may seem like a lot for a student to handle, but they want to understand. Many don’t open their Bible, because they don’t have the tools to do so. We are going to give you the tools to teach your students to confidently dig deep into God’s Word.
Digging In.
It’s not uncommon for us to take God’s Word and fit it into whatever is going on in our lives or whatever topic we are teaching on – cue concordance look-up. There is a better way. A way that takes into consideration the context of Scripture, so that we can better understand what God is saying in His Word.
This method is called Inductive Bible Study. In this method of Bible study, we dig Truth from Scripture instead of inputting our thoughts into the Scripture.
Your Inductive Tools: The Basics
Genre – The Bible is written in many different genres – narrative, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, Gospels, letters, and apocalyptic. Genre helps students (and us) know how to interpret a book.
Who? – One of the first things to consider after genre is authorship and audience. Figure out who wrote the book and do a little background study into their lives. Then, look for the audience of that book.
Why? – After discovering the author and audience, look for the reason the book was written. Often, this is in the first chapter or so. Other times, you might have to figure out the why from the events going on in history. Grab a good study Bible to help provide some historical context.
Literary Context – Encourage your students not to take Scripture out of context. If you are teaching on a verse, always go back to the entire passage and even the context of the book you are teaching from. We want to make sure our students are seeking out what Scripture says and then finding life application from that.
Additional Tips
Study a Book at a time
Use cross-references and let Scripture interpret Scripture
Outline the text
Find trusted help – commentaries, sermons, bible study books
Look for main themes
Don’t be afraid to mark up your Scripture – Check out the ESV Inductive Study Bible or ESV Journaling Bible
How to Encourage Biblical Literacy
When students are equipped with the skills to properly study Scripture, they will begin to gain confidence in digging into the Word themselves.
Encourage them to pick a time and place to meet with Christ daily.
Stress the importance of prayer. Change the idea of prayer from a 30 second monologue into a continual dialogue – God speaking through His Word and us seeking out His Truth.
Set up accountability buddies and mentorships.
Get students a journal or print out the Thrive Ministry “Digging Deep” page.
Model and encourage Biblical literacy. Show them that God’s Word is exciting and life changing.
It is through God’s Word that students will develop a greater view of the greatness and glory of our Sovereign God. As student learn to dwell deeply with Jesus, they will quickly learn that He is the main character of both history and the present. And as God works in their hearts, they will be propelled into their schools and communities to transform the world with the Gospel.
Additional Resources
Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin
The Inductive Study Bible
How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth by Gordon Fee