Chapter 31

How to Develop the Main Idea of a Bible Passage

Introduction

A question you may have at this point is, so what do I do with all this now? There is no great value in knowledge for knowledge sake. Learning how to study the Bible more effectively is, however, intrinsically valuable in that knowing God’s Word is part of knowing God. Our burden, though, with this book is not merely to help you have a more effective personal quiet time. While learning to study the Bible effectively can help you grow in the Lord, it also offers a ministry outlet: learning how to communicate God’s word more effectively to others.

This section of the book (chapters 31–33) is designed to help you learn how to communicate God’s word to others. In this chapter, we will focus on taking the material you have amassed in your study of a passage and developing a main idea and outline that can serve as the basis for a teaching outline, sermon, or written article.

There are many approaches to developing outlines. This chapter will focus on developing an expositional outline—that is, one that will be developed from the text itself. The main idea will be a summary of the content of the text, and the main points that develop the main idea will also come from the text. I firmly believe that this is the best place to start. Bible study that is done well is the foundation for teaching and preaching done well. We will not abandon that process now!

The Main Idea

Before developing an expositional outline, it is best to develop the main idea. In my undergraduate program, my professor taught us how to develop a “surefire proposition.” Twenty-five years later, I have not forgotten the process. It is that process that we will follow here.

In order to develop this “surefire proposition,” we will need to revisit the block diagram that we developed (chapter 22) on Galatians 5:16–18. Here is what the block diagram looked like:

Once you have laid out the block diagram for your passage, determine how many main sections there are in the passage. This will require you to examine the structural layout of the diagram and think through how these sections relate to each other. It will look something like this:

Once you have laid out the block diagram and determined the number of main sections in the passage, there are a few more steps before you can write out the surefire proposition. First, try to summarize the basic theme of the verse in a few words. For example, John 3:16 is obviously about God’s love for the world. We are not looking for something profound but, rather, a basic summary. You can always polish it later if you like. The theme of this passage could be described in a variety of ways, but here’s one option: “the desires of the flesh.” Again, at this point, an accurate summary of the theme is more important than something perfectly polished.

After you have nailed down the theme, combine the number of the main sections and the theme and you have two of the three ingredients for a surefire proposition. All that is needed now is the appropriate plural noun. What do I mean by a plural noun? Perhaps it is best to see the surefire proposition without the plural noun:

In the blank, we want to place a plural noun that is based on the three sections of the passage. We might call them truths, questions, facts, observations, steps, or something similar. What is important is that the word be an accurate reflection of what is seen in the text. Whatever you decide to call them, they become the basis for the main sections of your outline. For this example, let us put it this way:

Building the Outline

Now that the surefire proposition is established, you can develop the rest of the expositional outline. Remember, the surefire proposition describes the main idea of the text, and the main points of the outline also come from the text and develop this surefire proposition. We are doing nothing more than describing what is going on in the text.

Our surefire proposition stated that the outline will consist of three observations regarding the desires of the flesh. To develop this, we need to return to the three main sections from our block diagram. The first main section of this passage reads, “I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). What observation could we make that would briefly describe what Pail is saying in relation to the desire of the flesh? One observation that would sufficiently describe this portion of the passage could be “Submitting to the desire of the flesh is not inescapable.”

The second section of the passage is 5:17: “For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.” This section explains that walking in the Spirit and giving in to the desire of the flesh are incompatible acts. They are both indeed acts of submission; one either submits to the rule of the flesh or submits to the rule of the Holy Spirit. What observation adequately describes this verse? Let’s try this: “Submitting to both the flesh and the Spirit is not possible.”

The final section of this passage is, “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (5:18). So the one who submits to the Spirit is the one who is no longer under the law. In other words, only those who possess the Spirit can submit to him. And those who are in him are no longer under the rule of the law. Those who are governed by the flesh, on the other hand, remain under the law. Thus a third observation that describes this section is, “Submitting to the Spirit, for the Christian, is natural.”

These three observations serve as the basic structure of the outline. At the top, you should state your surefire proposition followed by the main points of your outline. It would look like this:

In Galatians 5:16–18, we can make three observations regarding the desire of the flesh.

1. I. Submitting to the desire of the flesh is not inescapable.v. 16: “I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”
2. II. Submitting to both the flesh and the Spirit is not possible.v. 17: “For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.”
3. III. Submitting to the Spirit, for the Christian, is natural.v. 18: “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

You should pause here and look at your work so far. Does the surefire proposition capture the verse or passage in a single sentence? Are the main points a faithful reflection of the three sections of the text? Do the main points develop the surefire proposition? If you called the main points “observations” (or “truth” or “questions,” etc.), are your main points actually observations (or truths or questions, etc.)?

Once the surefire proposition and the main points of the outline are developed, you should see if any of the main points can be developed further. As you might guess, it is the block diagram that will help you here. Look at each section and determine where the subsections can be found. It could look something like this:

Each of these subsections can further develop the main points of your outline. Just remember, the process is really just a matter of describing what you see. These subsections, if done correctly, will relate to the main idea that you have already established. Once you have developed the outline fully, you have the framework upon which the material gleaned from your observations steps can hang.

In Galatians 5:16–18, we can make three observations regarding the desire of the flesh.

1. I. Submitting to the desire of the flesh is not inescapable.v. 16: “I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”
   1. A. The obedience required in order to avoid the flesh. “walk by the Spirit”
   2. B. The result of submitting to the Spirit. “You will not carry out …”
2. II. Submitting to both the flesh and the Spirit is not possible.v. 17: “For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.”
   1. A. The battle between the flesh and the Spirit described. “For the flesh …”
   2. B. The incompatibility explained. “These are opposed …”
3. III. Submitting to the Spirit, for the Christian, is natural.v. 18: “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
   1. A. The condition: being led by the Spirit. “But if …”
   2. B. The result: being free from the law (a Christian). “You are not …”

Outlining is part art and part science. The first step to developing sound expositional outlines is the science of observing what is going on in the passage. As students of God’s Word, we are first and foremost aiming to correctly describe the Bible. A well-organized outline is an excellent foundation for the other steps in the process.

Conclusion

 

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