Studying a Bible Character

I know many people (myself included) have said it is hard to study the bible or even to apply it to our daily lives. I have made it a personal focus to study Bible characters and learn about their encounters with Christ and just their life in general. To help me get the most I can out of my studies, I went online and read some commentary on how to study a Bible character. I made a little outline for any of you who also want to join!

Studying a Bible Character

Biographical Sketch

•  Use a Bible dictionary to discover where this character is found in the bible and write it down
• Then, choose and list which passages you will study
• When you have decided on the passages to use, list them, and add a key thought for quick identification
• Ex: John 3:16-19 (sacrifice)

• Read each passage several times and meditate on them
• Find out all you can about the place your character lived and the customs of the day from a Bible Atlas, Bible Encyclopedia, and commentaries. Begin to question and take note of how his/her life, times, and the choices he/she had to make are similar to yours.

• Next, begin to write a brief biography of the person-the straight facts of their life (no interpretation)
•  Include things like: meaning of name, when and where he/she lived, family background, notable characteristics, etc
• Record any unusual influences or environmental factors that shaped their life and way of thinking, as well as their occupation and associates/friends.
• What major events did he/she encounter in their life?
• Record their growth in their relationship with God, their crowning achievements, and anything else that interests you about that person.

• Once you’ve included everything that belongs in the biographical sketch, rewrite it, condensing and rearranging parts as needed to make a 1-3 paragraph summary about their life

Key Verse

•   Choose from your list of scriptures a key verse for your subject’s life. This could be a pair of verses.
• Ex: a key verse summarizing Noah’s life may be Heb 11:7

Problems

• As you study, some things may cross your mind that are confusing-either about your subject or about God’s dealing with them. List these things under this heading and go back to them later

Application

• Once again, go back over what you have discovered but this time, ask the Lord to show you the principles you should apply to your life. What characteristic from this subject should you take and build, strengthen, or even avoid in your life?
• Write under this heading the characteristic or principle that you have decided on and include the scripture that accompanies it. Add a sentence or two about what needs to be corrected or improved in your life regarding this principle.
•  Now record what you plan to do to help conform you life more to the image of Christ and remember the Holy Spirit will help you do so

I hope this helps!! 

xoxo, Kins