Washed in the Word Part 5 – Method Overview

The Washed in the Word method of Bible Study is made up of three phases or degrees of study called R.INS.E, followed by Reflection and Response.  During each phase you will use methods of observation and interrogation of the Bible passages you are studying to progress to ever deeper levels of understanding. The R.INS.E acronym stands for Read, Inspect and Examine.

First you Read a book of the Bible chapter by chapter with the goal of grasping the big picture. This big picture should be captured in survey journal worksheets with lists of keywords and summaries for each chapter that then become the context for the next phase of study, Inspection. While you are reading and during inspection you will use colored pens to mark keywords, circumstances and God’s responses through which He reveals Himself to His people. The colors you use for marking should use consistent categories and symbols. The category color guide below is a suggestion of colors and their categories for your consideration. You can use these or come up with your own, or just start with these and then when you get a new journaling Bible you can always consider coming up with your own categories.

During inspection you ask deeper questions and look for other concepts and connecting words that show the relationships between statements. The questions you have and answers you find should be recorded in a journal called a Miscellanies (invented by Johnathan Edwards). A Miscellanies journal is designated with a letter code and then each entry with that code and a four digit sequence number and the bible reference being studied. The code and sequence number are then written in the bible margin of the passage being studied. This method allows you to write much more about a passage than you would be able to in the margins of any Bible.  A dotted journal even allows you to draw diagrams and pictures to help visualize what a passage is saying. 

The third phase or degree is Examination where you use concordances to look for what else the bible has to say on the topics and keywords realted to the passage you have inspected. After Inspection you should have used methods of interpretation and reached a level of understanding of the passage. During Examination you write down what you understand and compare it to the other similar passages found in cross reference resources using the cross reference worksheets to evaluate your understanding. 

After both Inspection and Examination you should spend time reflecting upon what you have observed and understood from the passage. Based on what your have understood and reflection on your own life you may find verses you should memorise or things you should do. You will capture the Bible verses to memorize and the things you need to do in verse and task kanbans. These give you a set of things to work on that will become your response to what God’s spirit has revealed in scripture that you should do.

²³ Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. ²⁵ But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works—this person will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:23-25