Bible Study Methods: Outlining

On a Wednesday night in high school, my youth pastor taught me and five other kids how to study the Bible for ourselves. No study book. No youth leader. Just the Bible and an outline.

In our youth room, an old house converted into two meeting rooms, I sat criss-cross apple sauce on carpet ten years past its prime and opened my Bible to Romans. Slowly, I worked my way through the outline until, at the end, I had a summary of the passage and application questions I’d written myself. I don’t remember what I applied from the passage but I do remember the feeling of awe. I had just studied a chunk of scripture by myself and it made sense! It was empowering. Also, it felt personal, like God had sat on the carpet and explained himself to me. It was a new experience and might I say, addicting? I was hooked for life.

You can do this too.

Study the Bible Using Outines

You don’t need the latest Bible study workbook, video, or sermon to study the Bible. There are many outlines that can help you break down a section of scripture for yourself. I’ll share four of them in this article and when they might be a good choice for you. I’ll also show you how I used one to study Mark 4:35-42.

If you are new to studying the Bible for yourself or just want to try something different to freshen up your Quiet Time, I encourage you to give outlining a try. It’s about the most straightforward way to study the Bible that I know.

The S.O.A.P Outline

for when you want to get back to basics in your scripture study

SOAP is an acronym for:

S - Scripture

O - Observation

A - Application

P - Prayer

Scripture
Read and write out the scripture. This method works well for shorter passages but can still work for large chunks of scripture. If your passage is very long, you might try writing a summary of each verse or two verses instead of copying the entire passage word for word.

Observation
Write down your observations of the content of the passage. Look for things like Who it is it about; What is happening or being said; Where it is happening; When it is taking place. Focus on the facts of the passage.

Application
Consider what you can learn about God, about man, or about sin from the passage. Write it down. Then ask yourself: What is one way I can live out that truth in my life this week? Be specific.

Prayer
Write out a prayer to God thanking Him for illuminating truth in the passage you just studied and ask him to help you apply this truth in your life.

The A.P.P.L.E. Outline

for when you feel like making a list

APPLE is an acronym for:

A - Attributes of God

P - Promises of God

P - Principles for Life

L - Lessons Learned

E - Example to Follow

If you like to use color in your Bible, you might want to grab your markers for this outline method.

Attributes of God
List or highlight all attributes of God in your passage. Here’s a summary of the attributes of God.

Promises of God
List or highlight all promises God made in your passage.

Principles for Life
List or highlight the principles for life found in your passage. Another way to think of this is to ask: What is true about life in this passage that has always been true and always will be true about life?

Lessons Learned
Review the passage again looking for lessons about God, about man, or about sin. Write them down.

Example to Follow
Prayerfully ask how you can follow the examples you listed above in your life this week. Be specific.

The T.E.X.T. Outline

for when you feel like getting straight to the nuggets of truth

TEXT is an acronym for:

T - Talk to God

E - Encounter God and humanity

X - eXamine your heart

T - Talk to others

The TEXT method comes from the makers of the TEXT Bible. In the TEXT Bible, passages are segmented for you so you know exactly where to start and stop your study. It also includes a detailed explanation of how to study using the TEXT Outline, hashtags, definitions, and more.

Talk to God
It starts by talking to God before you read. Begin with a prayer for help to receive and understand what God has to say through the passage.

Encounter God and humanity
Look for what the passage says about God, about his relationship with man, and about his relationship with you.

eXamine your heart
Through the passage, reflect on your identity and your current circumstances through the lens of this scripture. Consider who you are now and who God has planned for you to be.

Talk to others
Pray and thank God for revealing truth to you through the passage. Ask him to give you opportunities to share that truth with others.

The P.R.O.S.P.E.R. Outline

for when you have time and interest to dig deep, then deeper

Prosper in an acronym for:

P - Pray

R - Read

O - Observe

S - Study

P - Ponder

E - Engage

R - Repetitive Action

The PROSPER Method was created and taught by Arabah Joy. She has made some handy printables to help you walk through this outline.

This method focuses on one passage for a full week.

Pray
Begin with prayer for illumination of scripture and a receptive heart to hear God’s voice in it.

Read
Read the same passage every day for one week. Try different translations to keep it fresh.

Observe
On the First Day of the week, note the facts of the passage. Who is speaking and who is listening. WWWWWH. Look for keywords, themes, and action words. Look for commands and applications.

Study
On the Second Day, choose a study method to dig deeper. Options include: a word study, a biographical study, a theme or topical study, an attribute of God study. (Note: We’ll cover these types of studies later in the Bible Study Methods series.)

Ponder
On the Third Day, take time to meditate on the passage. Read it again and give yourself time and space to let the words dwell in you. If the text asks a question, take time to prayerfully consider your own answer to it.

Engage
On the Fourth Day, take time to discover how the passage applies to your life right now. Get specific. If the application is action-oriented, write down the specifics of the action you will take.

Repetitive Action
On the Fifth Day, consider how the passage impacts your spiritual growth. What small thing can you insert into your daily life so that as you repeat it, the seed of scripture will grow in you. Is it an action? Is it an attribute? Is it an insight or accountability needed from someone else? Write these things down as a record to come back to. You are planting a seed. Watch it grow.

See it in Action

I studied Mark 4:35-41 using the SOAP Method.

You’ll notice that I underlined “just as he was” while I was copying the scripture. Those words aren’t underlined in the Bible. I underlined them because they stood out to me as I was writing. I’ve studied this passage countless times and not noticed this phrase. I wanted to come back and ponder it a bit so I underlined it as a reminder to myself.

In the SOAP Method, there isn’t an obvious place to ponder or dig deeper. I chose to do that before I started listing my observations. If I had the time, I would have opened my Blue Letter Bible App or the commentaries in BibleGateway.com and dug deeper. This time, however, I just pondered and let the Holy Spirit guide me.

Perhaps “just as he was” referred to Jesus being tired at the end of a day of ministry. Or perhaps it meant “just as he was” without any baggage or food or pillow. Or perhaps it meant “just as he was” with no plans for what would come next. In any case, it brought more humanity to my view of Jesus. Like Jesus, I can be tired, empty-handed and not know what I’m going to do next. When my friends take me “just as I am” it is an act of grace, accepting imperfect little ol’ me… and I love them dearly for it.

QUESTions?

No matter which outline you choose, the goal is the same. Every outline has you read the Bible for yourself, focus on the facts, find the eternal truths, and determine at least one specific way to apply that truth to your life.

Try one this week.

Still have questions about using outlines to study the Bible? Leave them in the comments and I’ll do my best to give a clarifying answer.