Session 9

THE COMPARATIVE METHOD

After you have broken the passage down showing the logical relationships between
the phrases through the analytical method and have searched out the meanings of the
individual words and discovered the significance of the grammatical construction in the context of the passage, you are then ready to continue on to the next logical step in a systematic Bible study approach. This next step is the comparative method of Bible study.

The Process


Using your Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, make a list of all the passages in the Bible where the word or subject is to be found. If you have forgotten how to do this, review the section of the syllabus concerning how to use Strong’s.


A. Select all the important passages in the Scriptures dealing with the subject and
study them, using the analytical and the linguistic methods as far as time or need
allows.


B. Be sure to include in this list of important passages any key passages listing the subject using synonyms of the word being studied. Notice all the different words in the original Greek or Hebrew translated as love, fear, redemption, etc.


C. Make a list of all the specific statements made in each passage of Scripture
concerning the subject. Note any repetitions of statements or any similarity of content of these passages (comparison).


D. List any apparent contradictions in the passages (contrast). This is important
because in some prophetic passages (Ezekiel 36-39 and passages dealing with
Armageddon), although there are great similarities, the contrasts between these
passages indicate that they are talking about two entirely different, distinct events. The apparent contrasts may also be merely two different points of view of the
same event where the whole picture must be gained by synthesizing the different
accounts into one statement (the superscription over the cross read “This is Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews”).


E. Synthesize the lists of statements from all the cognate passages into one unified list.

  1. Eliminate the passages that are not important to the study being made.
  2. Eliminate any passages that appear similar, but where contrasts proved them to be speaking of different events.
  3. List all the statements made in the remaining passages.
  4. Arrange these statements in a logical order.
  5. Summarize your findings in a complete, easily understood statement.

Assignment:  Refer to the earlier study in Luke 10:19. Compare what is meant by the words “authority” and “power” with other passages that include these ideas. Do not limit yourself to just the New Testament.