Every so often I share Bible study methods with you, things I have tried that work for me. The next couple of posts will be about my recent study of 1 John.
When I begin a new study I usually read the book through at least twice before I do anything else. The third time, I pick up a notepad. By then I have realized that certain words are repeated again and again. So, during that third read-through, I list those words. Obviously, we are not talking about words like "the" or "of" or "that," even though they are repeated a multitude of times. What we want are spiritual concepts like faith, fellowship, and truth, with corresponding verbs like "walk" or "overcome." You might also notice two or three word phrases. In that case, write down the entire phrase, such as "my little children." Once have you your list, hone it further by including various forms of the same word like "righteous/ness" which would include both of those words in your count.
My list for 1 John contained 16 words and phrases. Understand: you cannot read through and keep track of more than three words at a time. That's a good way to miss some of them. So I read through the book five more times slowly—speed is another sure-fire way to miss some—making the typical four lines and a crosshatch as I counted. By then I had read 1 John 8 times. Do you think that might have been a good thing to do, counting or not? Of course it was.
So why in the world would you want to count how many times a word is used in a book? For one, it is a pretty good way to establish the themes and sub-themes of the book. For another, it will help you discover the organization of a book, which will lead you to its purpose, the things that will help you apply the book to your life, and be what John and the Lord want you to be.
Just to show you a few results of my counting in 1 John: "abide" is used 23 times, "commandment" is used 13 times, "lie/liar" is used 8 times, "life" is used 15 times, and "love" is used 47 times! (Your count may differ according to the version you use.) This is only a small portion of my list, but in a book that covers not quite four pages in my Bible, those numbers seem significant. And those numbers also led to some more lists that were even more helpful. That is where we will pick up tomorrow.
My little children, these things write I unto you that you may not sin. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1John 2:1).
Dene Ward
When I begin a new study I usually read the book through at least twice before I do anything else. The third time, I pick up a notepad. By then I have realized that certain words are repeated again and again. So, during that third read-through, I list those words. Obviously, we are not talking about words like "the" or "of" or "that," even though they are repeated a multitude of times. What we want are spiritual concepts like faith, fellowship, and truth, with corresponding verbs like "walk" or "overcome." You might also notice two or three word phrases. In that case, write down the entire phrase, such as "my little children." Once have you your list, hone it further by including various forms of the same word like "righteous/ness" which would include both of those words in your count.
My list for 1 John contained 16 words and phrases. Understand: you cannot read through and keep track of more than three words at a time. That's a good way to miss some of them. So I read through the book five more times slowly—speed is another sure-fire way to miss some—making the typical four lines and a crosshatch as I counted. By then I had read 1 John 8 times. Do you think that might have been a good thing to do, counting or not? Of course it was.
So why in the world would you want to count how many times a word is used in a book? For one, it is a pretty good way to establish the themes and sub-themes of the book. For another, it will help you discover the organization of a book, which will lead you to its purpose, the things that will help you apply the book to your life, and be what John and the Lord want you to be.
Just to show you a few results of my counting in 1 John: "abide" is used 23 times, "commandment" is used 13 times, "lie/liar" is used 8 times, "life" is used 15 times, and "love" is used 47 times! (Your count may differ according to the version you use.) This is only a small portion of my list, but in a book that covers not quite four pages in my Bible, those numbers seem significant. And those numbers also led to some more lists that were even more helpful. That is where we will pick up tomorrow.
My little children, these things write I unto you that you may not sin. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1John 2:1).
Dene Ward
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