B IO GRAP HICAL

M E T H O D

METHOD #5 - THE
BIOGRAPHICAL
METHOD OF BIBLE
STUDY
B IO GRAP HICAL

M E T H O D

INTRODUCTION
The Bible is full stories of men and women
and their relationships with God.
Studying their lives is meaningful and
encouraging.
We can learn from their positive attributes.
We can also learn by looking at their failures
and negative attributes.
B IO GRAP HICAL

M E T H O D

DEFINITION
This method selects a person and then
asks you to examine their life and character.
You see what made them fail or succeed.
Conducted prayerfully it
helps you to think and feel
like they did and to learn
through a life changing
experience of study.
Ask God to help apply the
lessons learned into your
own life. The result is a
growth in maturity of your
Christian life.
B IO GRAP HICAL

M E T H O D

THE
IMPORTANCE
People are important to God—
that’s why the Bible is full of
them, and why he’s so
interested in your life. Here you
learn what God does in and
through people.
Much of what God wants to teach us
comes in the form of stories (narrative) e.g.
Genesis is about 6 people: Adam, Noah,
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. Rom
15:4 tells us,
Much of what God
For everything that wants to teach
was written us past
in the
comes
was in thetoform
written teachof us,
stories (narrative)
so that throughe.g.
the
endurance taught6inpeople:
Genesis is about the Scriptures and the
Adam, Noah,
encouragement
Abraham, Isaac,they Jacobprovide we might
and Joseph. have
Rom
hope.
15:4 tells us,
For everything that was written in the past
was written to teach us, so that through the
endurance taught in the Scriptures and the
encouragement they provide we might have
hope.
And 1 Cor 10:11,
These things happened to them as
examples and were written down as
warnings for us, on whom the culmination
of the ages has come.
One of the best ways to
study the Bible is simply by
looking into the lives of the
people it tells us about. In
fact over 3,000 people are
mentioned in the Bible and
this method gives you a tool
to investigate and learn from
each one of them!
B IO GRAP HICAL

M E T H O D

TOOLS
Bible
Exhaustive concordance
Topical Bible
Bible dictionary or
encyclopaedia
B IO GRAP HICAL

M E T H O D

TIPS FOR A
GOOD STUDY
1. Start Small
Look for a person with just a few Bible
references. Many major characters will take
weeks or months to study!
Look for people who are minor but
important e.g. Mary of Bethany, Barnabas,
Andrew, Apollos.
2. Live the life of the person
Walk with them, get into their mind, how do
they think feel, or respond to situations
around them? What is their point of view?
This insight only comes through reading,
thinking, praying and deep investigation.
3. Don’t confuse people with
the same name
e.g. John the apostle, John the
Baptist and John Mark.
In the Bible you’ll find;
Nathan - 20 different men
Judas - 8 different men
Mary - 7 different women
Look carefully at the context, it
will usually tell you which
person is being referred to.
4. Some people go by more than one
name
Peter is also known as Cephas, Simeon,
and Simon.
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, are better
known as Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego.
5. Don’t read books
About the character you are looking at…at least
until after you have finished your first major study.
Bible commentaries, dictionaries etc. will help, but
the greater joy will be yours if you find something
for yourself first.
Remember that the person will often be referred to
by means other than his/her proper name in many
passages.
B IO GRAP HICAL

M E T H O D

STEPS TO DO A
BIOGRAPHICAL
STUDY
Step 1 - Choose a person
from the Bible whom you
want to study.
Make sure that you think you
will learn from them.
Stephen being stoned
Step 2 - Use your tools to find
out all you can about their life.
List all references concerning that
person, you may also wish to look
for less obvious references to the
person e.g. the sons of Zebedee.
You will also need to do some
historical investigation to get
insights into the style of life in that
day. e.g. What was life like in the
Persian Empire at the time of
Esther, what did Roman occupied
Palestine look like?
Step 3 - Write down your first
impressions of the person. Did anything
surprise you, are there difficulties or areas
you need to investigate further? make sure
you write down your questions.
Step 4 - reread your material and make a
chronological outline of the person's life.
For people with less information it is good
to do this in one sitting, this helps you to
get a broad view of their life and reasons for
events happening. What progressions
happen, are they geographical, physical,
spiritual, emotional?
Step 5 - Read the material
again. This time use the
questions offered at the end of
this section to help deepen
your insights.
Step 6 - Read the material
again (4th time) and try to
identify some character
qualities, both positive and
negative.
Step 7 - Look to see if
other Bible truths are
shown in this person's life.
e.g. sowing and reaping,
delighting in God, generosity
etc.
Step 8 - Summarise the
main lessons
What are the main lesson(s)
you have learned from this
person, what most
impressed you about them?
Summarise it / them.
Step 9 - Write out a
personal application using
the method taught using the
Devotional Study Method.
Warren offers additional
questions intended to help
your growth:
Did I see anything of myself in this person’s
life?
Did he show some of my weaknesses?
Did he reveal to me some of my strengths?
What impressed me most about this person’s
life?
Where do I fall short in this area?
What do I intend to do about it?
Step 10 - Work to make your study
transferable - to make it so you can share
it in a meaningful way with others. You
might write a Bible study or a sermon
outline. Warren offers this example (using
alliteration) from the life of Barnabas:
He was an investor of money in the lives
of church members (Acts 4:36 – 37).
He was the introducer of Saul (later Paul)
to the apostles (Acts 9:26 – 28).
He was the inspector of the new church
at Antioch (Acts 11:22 – 24).
He was an instructor of new Christians,
including Paul and Mark (Acts 11:22 –
26; 15:39).
He was the initiator on the first missionary
journey, which he began as the team
leader but ended as a team member
(Acts 13 – 14).
He was an interpreter of the doctrine of
salvation and God’s plan for the Gentiles
(Acts 13 – 14).
He was insistent in giving Mark another
chance to be trained in the gospel
ministry (Acts 15:36 – 39).
B IO GRAP HICAL

M E T H O D

CONCLUSION
Although this method requires you to read
all your material four times the simple fact is
that the more times you read the more you
are likely to discover!
 FILLING OUT
LO R E M

I P S U M

THE FORM
Examples of a blank form, and of a
completed form.
B IO GRAP HICAL

M E T H O D

GENERAL
QUESTIONS FOR
A BIOGRAPHICAL
STUDY
Here is a list of seventy questions you can
use in constructing a biographical study.
You shouldn’t try to use every question
listed here in a single study.
Depending on the depth of your study and
the
Heretime
is ayou have,
list of select
seventy the questions
questions you
you can
would like to have answered.
use in constructing The questions
a biographical study.
are
Youcategorised
shouldn’t tryinto seven
to use major
every divisions
question
for easier
listed hereuse.
in a As youstudy.
single think of other
questions, add them to this list.
Depending on the depth of your study and
the time you have, select the questions you
would like to have answered. The questions
are categorised into seven major divisions
for easier use. As you think of other
questions, add them to this list.
Reputation
Who wrote what we know about this
person?
What did people say about him/her?
What did his enemies say about him/her?
What did his/her family (wife/husband,
children, brothers, sisters, parents) say
about him/her?
What did God say about him/her?
Why do you think God allowed this
person to be mentioned in the Bible?
Tests of Character
What were his/her aims and motives?
What was he/she like in his home?
How did he/she respond to failure? Did
he/she get discouraged easily?
How did he/she respond to adversity?
Did he/she handle criticism well?
How did he/she respond to success? Did
he/she get proud when praised?
How did he/she respond to the trivial and
mundane things in life? Was he/she faithful
in the little things?
How quickly did he/she praise God for the
good/bad things that happened to him/her?
How quickly did he/she obey God when
told to do something?
Background
What can you discover about his/her
family and ancestry
What does his/her name mean? Why was
he/she given that name? Was it ever
changed?
What was his/her home life like? How
was he/she raised?
Where was he/she raised?
What were the characteristics of his/her
parents? Did they influence him/her?
Was there anything special about his/her
birth?
Where did he/she live? What was his/her
everyday life like?
Was he/she exposed to other cultures?
Did they affect him/her in any way?
What was the condition of his/her country
-- politically and spiritually -- during his/
her lifetime?
What kind of training did he/she have?
Did he/she have any schooling?
What was his/her occupation?
How long did he/she live? Where did he/
she die? How did he/she die?
 Did any recurring
Significant Events problem keep coming up in
his/her life?
Was there any great crisis in his/her life?
Where did he/she succeed? Where did he/she
How did he/she handle it?
fail? Why?
What are the great accomplishments for
How did the environment and circumstances
which he/she is remembered?
affect him/her?
Did he/she experience a divine ‘call?’ How
What part did he/she play in the history of
did he/she
God’s plan? respond to it?
What crucial decisions did he/she have
Did he/she believe in the sovereignty of Godto
make? How did they affect
(God’s control over all events)? him/her? Others?
Did any recurring problem keep coming up in
his/her life?
Where did he/she succeed? Where did he/she
fail? Why?
How did the environment and circumstances
affect him/her?
What part did he/she play in the history of
God’s plan?
Did he/she believe in the sovereignty of God
(God’s control over all events)?
Relationships
How did he/she get along with other
people? Was he/she a loner? Was he/she
a team person?
How did he/she treat other people? Did
he/she use them of serve them?
What was his/her wife/husband like?
How did she/he influence him/her/her?
What were his/her children like? How did
they influence him/her?
Who were his/her close companions?
What were they like? How did they
influence him/her?
Who were his/her enemies? What were
they like? How did they influence him/
her?
What influence did he/she have on
others? On his nation? On other nations?
Did he/she take care of his family? How
did his/her children turn out? Did his/her
friends and family help or hinder him/her
in serving the Lord?
Did he/she train anyone to take his
place? Did he/she leave a
"Timothy" (disciple) behind?
Personality
What type of person was he/she? What
made him/her the way he/she was?
Was his/her temperament choleric,
melancholic, sanguine, or phlegmatic?
What were the outstanding strengths in his/
her character? What traits did he/she have?
What were his/her particular faults and
weaknesses?
What were his/her particular sins? What
steps led to those sins?
In what area was his/her greatest battle:
lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, or pride
of life, ...etc.?
What were the results of his/her sins and
weaknesses?
Did he/she ever get the victory over his
particular sins and weaknesses?
Did he/she ever get the victory over his
particular sins and weaknesses?
What qualities made him/her a success
or failure?
B IO GRAP HICAL

M E T H O D

MAJOR MEN
OF THE BIBLE
1. Abraham 10. Jacob
17. Nehemiah
2. Daniel 11. Jeremiah
18. Paul
3. David 12. Jesus
19. Peter
4. Elijah 13. John –
20. Pharaoh
5. Elisha apostle
21. Samson
6. Ezekiel 14. Joseph –
22. Samuel
7. Ezra OT
23. Saul – OT
8. Isaiah 15. Joshua
24. Solomon
9. Isaac 16. Moses
B IO GRAP HICAL

M E T H O D

PROMINENT
WOMEN OF
THE BIBLE
1. Abigail 8. Dorcas 16.
2. Abishag 9. Elizabeth Jochebed
3. Anna 10. Esther 17. Leah
4. 11. Eunice 18. Lydia
Bathsheba 12. Eve 19. Martha
5. Deborah 13. Hagar 20. Mary –
6. Delilah 14. Hannah Jesus’
7. Dinah 15. Jezebel mother
21. Mary 26. Naomi
Magdalene
27. Priscilla 33. Sapphira
22. Mary of
28. Queen of 34. Sarah
Bethany
Sheba 35. The
23. Michal
29. Rachel Shunammite
24. Miriam
30. Rahab 36. Vashti
25.
31. Rebecca 37. Zipporah
Naaman’s
maid 32. Ruth