If you had a best friend, but you never learned about or spoke with each other, how would you ever really know one another? That’s where we find ourselves when we want to have a life-changing, close relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and yet don’t understand why it’s important to study the Bible. Or maybe we know it’s crucial to be in God’s word in order to know who He is, what He’s done, and what He has planned for us, but wish we could find a Bible study method that helps us connect with Him more.
Thankfully we don’t have to look far to find many different ways to grow in God’s Word. There are so many options to choose from, whether we want to do an inductive study, read through the Bible with the help of a study Bible or commentary, or learn in depth about one topic in the Bible. One great plan of study that goes beyond reading to personal application is the SOAP Method.
What Does SOAP Stand for in Bible Study?
Pastor Wayne Cordeiro of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii, created the SOAP Method of Bible study, outlined in his book The Divine Mentor: Growing Your Faith as You Sit at the Feet of the Savior (2007). The SOAP Method is also featured in a series of articles in the NIV LifeConnect Study Bible. SOAP is more than just a reading plan. It’s a form of Bible study and journaling whose acronym stands for:
Scripture
Observation
Application
Prayer
The method takes studying the Bible further with additional steps that help to hide God’s word in our hearts, as suggested in Psalm 119. Beyond reading the Word of God, the method causes you to pause to really understand the truth, renew your mind, and allow your life to be transformed through Scripture. In her article, “Have You Tried the SOAP Bible Study Method?" Emma Danzey writes, “What I love about the SOAP method is that it is simple enough for a new believer in Christ to apply, and deep enough for a seasoned spiritual veteran to grow. It is very practical and replicable. You can use it whether you are in the book of John or Deuteronomy. You could type it on your phone in an airport or write in a journal in your home.”
So, how do you put all of the steps of SOAP together to develop greater faith?
How Do You Use the SOAP Method Step-by-Step?
Let’s take a closer look at how Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer work together in the SOAP Method.
First, choose a passage of Scripture (whether you want to study one verse, a whole chapter, or something in between). Don’t simply read, but write it down. Studies have shown that we remember things more when we read and copy them in writing, rather than just reading. Second, jot something down that you observe about the passage. Does it teach you anything about the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit? Is it about a person or group of people through whose interaction with God we can learn something?
Third, write down how you think this passage applies to your life in particular. Does it change something you believe about God? Do you feel the Holy Spirit is communicating something to you through these words? Is there a promise that you can claim? Finally, the fourth step challenges you to consider if you need to change the way you think or act based on this passage.
What Are Some SOAP Bible Study Examples to Try?
We can take a passage of Scripture and apply the SOAP Method to show how it is intended to draw you closer to the Lord. For instance:
Scripture: Romans 8:35-39
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Observation: What more could anyone ask for but the truths in these few verses? Literally nothing that happens in my life can separate me from God’s love that was poured out for me when Jesus died on the cross FOR ME. It doesn’t say that I won’t experience hardship, it just means that God will never let ANYTHING take me out of His hands for eternity.
Application: Before the next time I get anxious or afraid because of something that has come against me in my life, I need to have these verses written on a card so that I can immediately refer to them. THIS is my truth, not what I am fearing. And if God loves me so much that He promises that I am more than a conqueror through Jesus, then I truly have nothing to keep me anxious. He is always with me and will never give up on me.
Prayer: Most merciful heavenly Father, I can’t thank you enough for the truths of these scriptures. I am human, so you know it’s my tendency to respond with fear when something scary happens. Thank you that you inspired the Apostle Paul to write these words to the believers in Rome (who faced persecution that I likely never will). Thank you that there is so much joy ahead, no matter what is happening today.
Just in that one application of the SOAP Method, you can see that going beyond reading to applying the Scripture to your life can cause you to see that God is gracious, good, generous, and loving. Can you see how much you have to gain from trying the SOAP Method?
Why You Should Try the SOAP Method Today
Even if you’ve tried other Bible studies, why not give the SOAP Method a try? Granted, it will take more time than if you just read through the Bible (which obviously has its merits!), but there is so much you can get out of SOAP. It’s like having a two-way conversation with God about what you are reading–you come to a greater realization that all of Scripture (all of God’s story) applies to you.
Once you try the SOAP Method you will likely see that you are growing in your walk with Christ and want to keep pursuing it. If you run into a difficult passage, don’t let it dissuade you from using the method–perhaps just get some inspiration from a commentary or Bible encyclopedia to help you along.
Considering this routine? Maybe you can pray for God’s direction and that He would be glorified in your efforts:
Lord, we know that every word in the Bible is a gift from You, even those chapters or books we don’t quite understand. Please help us to have patience, and to set aside time for Your word and prayer Lord because without it we are lost. You meant us to be “doers of the word and not hearers only” (James 1:22), and that is for our benefit as well as for those who are impacted by what we learn. Thank you for Bible studies that make it easier for us to dig deeper into Your word, and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Additional Resources:
25 Bible Study Books and Resources for Beginners
How I Mark My Bible
The Basics to the Inductive Method of Bible Study
10 Tips for Studying Your Bible
What Is the Best Way to Study the Bible?
Photo credit: ©Ben White/Unsplash
Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).
