OIA | Knowable Word

Why You Should Consider a “Markup Bible”

January 26, 2015 By Ryan Higginbottom

Every scientist worth his safety goggles has a laboratory. Professional athletes have personal gyms. In the same way, if you’re serious about studying God’s word, you should consider using a markup Bible.

George Bannister (2008), Creative Commons License

Define Your Terms, Sir!

By a markup Bible I mean a Bible set aside for study. This is not a Bible for church or an heirloom to leave to your children. Like the gym or the lab, a markup Bible is an intense work environment. If you plan to be a lifelong student of God’s word, this Bible will contain your Spirit-guided efforts for years to come. But be warned: this book may end up unreadable.

When an expert chef pours himself into a special meal, he isn’t worried about the mayhem he creates along the way. At the end of the evening, there may be flour on the counter and batter on the cabinets. But the messes don’t matter if the dishes are delicious. A markup Bible is your chef’s kitchen, and the fare you prepare (by God’s grace) is a loving heart and obedient life which point to your Father in heaven (Matt 5:16).

What is the Advantage?

If you study the Bible using the Observation-Interpretation-Application (OIA) method, you must get your hands dirty. You need to grapple with the text again and again. What does it say? What does it mean? How should I change?

To answer these questions, you should interact with Scripture carefully and vigorously. You might do this in a notebook, in a word processing document, or even on a smart phone. I prefer to write, draw, underline, and circle directly on the Bible text. This helps me boomerang back to God’s word instead of getting caught in my own speculations.

To make applications personal and memorable, I often end my study times by writing in a notebook. But I move through the OIA stages more easily if I begin by marking up the relevant Bible passage.

Do I Need to Spend Money?

To be honest, you probably don’t need another Bible. Most first-world homes contain more Bibles than Bible students. Instead of a new purchase, consider converting one of your old or current Bibles into a markup Bible.

You may not need a separate Bible at all. I’ve often used print-outs from Bible Gateway for my initial studying and marking. Since printer ink and paper cost money, this approach is not free, but buying another book is not necessary.

However, as I have written before, when people enjoy their tools they are more likely to use them. Having a Bible devoted to markup and study may set this activity apart as special for you. For this same reason, some people designate a chair, notebook, or bench for the purpose of prayer. (If you are considering making a purchase, stay tuned for my next post.)

How Should I Use a Markup Bible?

J.A. Medders (2014), used by permission

Getting started with a markup Bible is easy. Make observation and interpretation notes in your Bible. Highlight and underline. Draw circles, boxes, and arrows. Locate repeated words and connectors. Use a color code, so that all repetitions of the same word share a color. Diagram the structure of the passage and tease out the main point. There is no single correct approach to follow, and each person will develop their own system of symbols and marks. (Note: a markup Bible doesn’t negate the usefulness of these OIA worksheets. I suggest using them to summarize and organize your thoughts after first marking up the passage.)

A markup Bible eliminates the need to preserve the book you are studying. You don’t have to treat it gingerly. Focus on the words of God instead.

How’d You Do That? (9/16/12)

September 18, 2012 By Peter Krol

From time to time we like to “show our work” and explain what principles drive our Bible study.

In Sunday’s post, we examined Proverbs 1:10, ESV (“My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent”) and saw how the Bible commands us to reject easy money. Here’s how we got there.

Observation

By observing the grammar of the verse, we noticed that the main sentence is a command: “Do not consent.” Also, we observed the words: the thing we ought not consent to is enticement from sinners.

Interpretation

In my study, I started with a question: what is the enticement from sinners that we ought not consent to? Is it just anything, or does Solomon have something specific in mind?

Answering that question led me to observe the whole section (Prov 1:10-19) in its context. This examination led me to observe the final verse (Prov 1:19), which makes clear that the chief enticement Solomon has in mind is toward “unjust gain.”

What is “unjust gain”? Acquiring money or possessions through any unlawful means. Since most of the section describes a gang recruiting someone to violence against another person, it would appear that Solomon considers “unjust” any means of gaining money that will hurt other people.

Thus, my conclusion of the main idea: “the pursuit of a quick buck, at the cost of serving others, will always keep us from being wise.”

Application

From here, we merely had to consider what it looks like in our generation to gain more money at the cost of serving others.

The chief heart application is that we allow ourselves to be sucked into money-making schemes (like going into more credit card debt, getting a new car like the neighbor’s, or spending too much time at the office).

By way of head application, we must know which things will tempt us, and we must choose in advance to watch out for them.

For hands application, we should make different choices when the temptation comes. We should reject easy money.

See here for an explanation of these three types of application.

My hope in walking through this process is that you will be able to duplicate it in your own study of the Bible!

Why OIA is the Best Bible Study Method

August 12, 2012 By Peter Krol

A few days ago, I outlined the OIA method of Bible study that we follow. In short, it stands for Observation, Interpreation, and Application.

I’ve already made one audacious claim: that everyone has a Bible study method. Today I’d like to make another: that OIA is the best method one can use to study the Bible. Let me support this claim with three reasons.

1. It works for any person anywhere of any age

It can be taught to PhDs and other “professionals” and get quite complex and profound. It can be taught to 3 year olds just learning to talk. Anyone in between can use this method to great profit, understanding the main ideas of what God has communicated and becoming more like Christ as a result.

2. It’s the way God designed all communication to work

OIA is nothing new or innovative. It is simply an attempt to outline the steps by which any human being communicates with another human being (observing what was communicated, interpreting the meaning, and responding appropriately). God made communication to work this way, so of course the Bible works the same way.

Let me illustrate. If I met you on the street, you might observe me walk up to you, smile, and stick out my hand. You would interpret that I mean you no harm and simply want to greet you. You would apply the gesture by reaching out your own hand, taking my hand with yours, and saying “hello” or some similar sentiment. Communication has now taken place.

Let’s say I ask you a question. You might observe the raised inflection at the end of my sentence (the question mark), a resultant silence, and raised eyebrows on my face. You would interpret these signs to mean that I want you to answer the question. You would apply the interaction by answering the question, frowning in thought, holding up a finger to request more time, or running away in terror.

We simply cannot escape OIA. We do it all the time. We should employ it when we study God’s Knowable Word.

3. It’s how Jesus interpreted the Bible

Jesus is the Lord (Phil 2:11) and the author of Scripture (1 Peter 1:11). We should learn from him how to read Scripture.

Look at Matthew 21:42-44 as an example. Notice how Jesus observes the Old Testament text in verse 42, interprets it in verse 44, and applies it in verse 43 (implying that his listeners should believe the truth and make some changes in their lives).

Jesus often references Scripture, giving us a window into his understanding of it, but he rarely is as clear as in Matt 21:42-44. Usually, he assumes or implies the Interpretation, and states the Observation and Application explicitly (for example, see Matt 13:10-17 or Mark 12:35-37). One place where he Observes and Interprets but doesn’t explicitly Apply is Luke 4:17-21.

In suggesting that OIA is the best method to use, I’m not saying that there’s an easy one-size-fits-all way of plugging every text through an equation. I’m merely saying that we have a valuable and clear way by which we can understand what God is communicating in his Word. Our study of the Bible is not arbitrary.

Summary of the OIA Method

August 10, 2012 By Peter Krol

"Open Bible" by Ryk Neethling (2011), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

Ryk Neethling (2011), Creative Commons

I’ve argued that everyone has a Bible study method, whether conscious or unconscious. So here’s mine.

The acronym OIA summarizes the method:

Observation – what does it say?
Interpretation – what does it mean?
Application – how do I need to change?

You can restate these three steps as what? why? and so what? Or again, as what did the original author say? What did that mean to the original audience? And what does it mean in our context?

Knowable Word did not invent this method. It’s an old, old method. Seminaries call it the “historical-grammatical method of Bible interpretation,” but that title can be big and scary to most people. Some more popular treatments call it the “inductive Bible study method,” but I think that’s an unfortunate misuse of the wonderful term “inductive” from the realm of logic. So I prefer to call it simply “OIA.”

The wonder of the OIA method is that it allows the text to speak to us, rather than reading our own meaning into the text. The beauty of the OIA method is that it can be taught at seminary and get very, very deep, or it can be taught to the youngest children, enabling them as well to know the Lord in his Word.

I’ve explained the method in more detail in other posts, but for this summary, note what happens if we miss any part of it.

If we neglect good observation of what the text says, we have no true foundation upon which to know Christ. We have great intentions, but in all the wrong directions. We’re the people who failed to observe which weekend was the daylight savings time switch, and we show up to church an hour off from everyone else. An example of poor observation of Scripture is found in Luke 24:25-27.

If we neglect good interpretation of what the text means, we might not know whether what we believe or do is biblical or not. We might be honoring the Lord, or we might not be. We won’t be certain until we meet him face to face. A good example of poor interpretation of Scripture is found in Mark 12:24.

If we neglect good application of how we ought to change, we are like foolish builders founding a home upon sand. We are to be pitied. We give lip service to Christ, but our hearts are far from him (Matthew 15:8-9). God wants to make us more like Jesus (Rom 8:29), and he won’t rest until his Word accomplishes that purpose (Isaiah 55:10-11).

For much more detail on the OIA method see my How to Study the Bible series of posts.

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