Living By The Book (Hardcover)

by Howard G. Hendricks (Author), William D. Hendricks (Author) "Shortly after I became a Christian, someone wrote in the flyleaf of my Bible these words: "This book will keep you from sin, or sin..." (more)
Key Phrases: grid chart, ordinary ice, ten strategies, Word of God, God's Word, New Testament (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Howard Hendricks and his son, William Hendricks, attempt to bring life and enthusiasm to your personal Bible study time by teaching effective Bible study methods. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

The adventure of your life awaits!

 

With this classic book, recently update and expanded, Howard and Bill Hendricks invite you on one of the greatest adventures of your life—the journey through Scripture. In the Bible you can interact with a living God who wants a personal relationship with you. And no special skills are needed. If you can read, you can glean important insight from Scripture.

 

Living by the Book will help you engage God’s Word like never before. In simple step-by-step fashion, you’ll learn how to:

 

Observe. Let Scripture speak to you individually.

 

Interpret. Develop the tools to properly understand biblical text.

 

Apply. Learn how to allow Scripture to transform your life.

 

Start your journey today.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Hardcover: 349 pages Publisher: Moody Press (1991) Language: English ISBN-10: 0802407439 ISBN-13: 978-0802407436 Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.5 inches Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #385,765 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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First Sentence:
Shortly after I became a Christian, someone wrote in the flyleaf of my Bible these words: "This book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book." Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
grid chart, ordinary ice, ten strategies

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Word of God, God's Word, New Testament, Old Testament, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, New York, Spirit of God, John Mark, New American Standard, Song of Solomon, Modern English, Promised Land, Sea of Galilee, Caesar Augustus, Clarence Jordan, Son of God, Miracle Realm People Means Results Faith, Paradise Lost, Pastor Jones, Step Two, Topical Memory System

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 52 books:

• The New Testament In Modern English: Student Edition by J.B. Phillips on 6 pages
• An expository dictionary of New Testament words: With their precise meanings for English readers, by W. E Vine on page 246, page 255, and Back Matter
• How to Read a Book (A Touchstone book) by Mortimer J. Adler on page 66, page 67, and Back Matter
• How to Read Better and Faster by Norman Lewis on page 67, page 68, and Back Matter
• The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah: New Updated Edition by Alfred Edersheim on page 250, and Back Matter

See all 52 books this book cites

 

34 books cite this book:

• Redeemed by God: Our Relationship with God Through His Son, Jesus Christ by Douglas D. Reynolds on page 108, page 109, and Back Matter
• The Rapture: Left Behind - The Bible Studies (Left Behind - Bible Studies) by Neil Wilson on page 5, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
• Ministry: Determining How I Serve (Transforming Life Series) by Center for Christian Leadership at Dallas Theological Seminary in Front Matter, and Back Matter
• Living By The Book Workbook by Howard Hendricks in Front Matter, and page 116
• Basics for Believers: Foundational Truths to Guide Your Life by William Thrasher Jr. on page 59, and Back Matter

See all 34 books citing this book

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	92% buy the item featured on this page: Living By The Book 4.9 out of 5 stars (42)
	2% buy How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth 4.2 out of 5 stars (94) $11.55
	2% buy How to Read a Book (A Touchstone book) 4.5 out of 5 stars (110) $13.25
	2% buy Teaching to Change Lives: Seven Proven Ways to Make Your Teaching Come Alive 4.6 out of 5 stars (19) $10.19

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Customer Reviews

42 Reviews 5 star:  (37) 4 star:  (5) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.9 out of 5 stars (42 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 50 of 51 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A Workbook for "The Book", January 15, 2001 By  Rob Taylor "robtaylormade" (Raleigh, NC United States) - See all my reviews This review is from: Living By The Book (Paperback) If you've ever had an excuse for not getting into the Word, this book is for you. Howard Hendricks who chairs the Center for Christian Leadership (affectionately know as "Prof." to his students at Dallas Theological Seminary) with the aid of his son Bill, has written this phenomenal book on the "why" and "how" of Bible study. In the first few chapters, Hendricks challenges all the excuses we have for not studying our Bibles and posits clearly superior reasons in favor of doing so. He then uses Scripture itself to show us what we will gain from regular study of God's Word. In typical Hendricks fashion he begins by humoring "I wish we had a better term than `Bible study,' because for most of us, `study' is a bad news item. It has all the appeal of flossing our teeth" (13). He tells the story of a man he met at a Bible conference who drove twelve hundred miles to "get under the Word" and Hendricks muses "was he just as willing to walk across his living room floor, pick up a Bible, and get into it for himself?" (9). There are three steps, which will transform that sometimes-dry text into the spiritual growth that we desire in our lives. They are Observation, Interpretation and Application. These three steps are the heart of the book. The ability of Howard Hendricks to communicate clearly and effectively is unmatched in this introductory work on Bible study. The pages of this book come alive as he swiftly and painlessly removes the obstacles to personal study while at the same time equipping the reader with the proper tools to understand God's Word. Virtually every chapter contains exercises for the student of Scripture to get hands-on experience instead of just theoretical book knowledge. Much of this book is essentially the application of Mortimer Adler's book, How to Read a Book, (which Hendricks highly acclaims) to the Bible. The anecdotes, illustrations and "quotables" are alone worth the price of the book, not to mention the enlightening elaboration of the three-step approach to Bible study. This book should be the absolute first book a new Christian reads apart from the Bible itself. 28 of 29 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Helps beginners have quality Bible study, November 30, 2004 By  Roy Massie (Birmingham, AL United States) - See all my reviews    This review is from: Living By The Book (Paperback) This is an easy reading book, in 45 fun little chapters, to help people gain the basic Biblical interpretation skills they need to transform their lives. The Hendricks' show us how proper interpretation of scripture is used to fuel our minds for improved prayer/meditation based on God's principles. These principles are to be applied in our daily lives to change us and consequently change our corner of the world. The overall approach is the same used by most Bible study methods; that is, "inductive" Bible study - observe, interpret, apply. The authors stress honest observation of the Biblical text without the influence of a pretense or agenda to affect the interpretation. An extremely detailed and systematic observation of the text being studied is stressed as the most crucial aspect of interpretation. Proper interpretation is unlikely without the foundation of an extremely thorough observation of the text itself. About half the book is used to fully explore the questions and forms of textual observation. The book is loaded with practical ways to assist in interpretation during your Bible study. For example, transporting your senses into the story to help relate to David in a cave or Paul in prison. Clever tools like the fingers of your hand can be used to remember 5 things to look for when interpreting a passage. Another easy-to-remember idea is to ask the 6 w's - who, what, where, when, why and wherefore (wherefore is the "so what?" part of life application). The authors encourage the application of Biblical principles in our lives. The final section of the book presents a set of questions and motivations for applying the Bible in everyday life. There are many lists to derive life application points: is there a command to obey, an example to follow, a doctrine to be believed, etc.? A recurring theme is the Biblical understanding of Godly knowledge that is summarized as `knowing without doing isn't knowing at all.' I like this book overall but there are a few things I don't care for. I think it is too long and redundant on some points. 150 pages on every conceivable aspect/permutation of observing a text is excessive. Chapter 7, for example, talks about general reading skills. This is good information to mention but I don't think it deserved a chapter. You can get value from the book by selectively reading most of the chapters and omitting some like 7,13,14,20 (about 7% of the book). This is definitely not the author's intent, but it is how I recommend the book to people who don't have much reading time. Another way to improve this book would be more coverage about literary genre (parable, poetry, history, letter, etc.). Chapter 29 covers this somewhat, but with a book this size, I would expect more on this important area for interpreting a text. How To Read the Bible for All its Worth, (Fee) and Effective Bible Teaching (Wilhoit) cover genre very well and are better choices if you don't need something as basic as "Living by the Book". Living by the Book is a good choice for adult beginners, including high school students, to get started into productive Bible study. 16 of 16 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A must read, February 22, 2000 By A Customer This review is from: Living By The Book (Paperback) Not only is the method subscribed by this book useful in getting out of the Bible that which was intended, but if the first couple chapters don't get you downright excited about a study of the Word of God, then nothing will. This book will light a fire of desire to search, and find, ALL of God's Word.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars In depth journey on how to study the Bible. This is pretty "deep" but really an in depth description on how to better study the Bible. I'm still reading this book but it is the recommended book for the Intro to Hermeneutics... Read more Published 12 days ago by C. Moser 5.0 out of 5 stars "Living by the Book" "Living by the Book" by Howard & William Hendricks is for a select audience: (1)those people who know they should read the Bible but have struggled to "get into it," (2)those who... Read more Published 1 month ago by Kenneth Rhoades 5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent tool, guide, book in general... I love this book and would recommend it to anyone. It was one of my college textbooks at Calvary Chapel Bible College Indianapolis (www.ccbci. Read more Published 3 months ago by D. Snead 4.0 out of 5 stars good buy I am using this for a specific college class. The book is easy to follow and well laid out. It is an easy read with very good tips for learning more about what you're reading. Published 5 months ago by M Levija 5.0 out of 5 stars You Will Rethink How You Study The Bible This book is a great tool for anyone, pastor or lay person, who wants to enhance their methods for studying the Bible. Read more Published 10 months ago by M. Wayne Brown 5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Text to Begin Personal Bible Study The many reviews on this book are already excellent, but I would like to add my own experience both with the book and with Prof Hendricks. Read more Published 10 months ago by William Turner 4.0 out of 5 stars Not just for bible study I'm not a member of any church and I don't consider myself religious but I've always been interested in what the bible says. Read more Published 11 months ago by RickyB 5.0 out of 5 stars The Art and Science of Reading the Bible Living By the Book: The Art and Science of Reading the Bible -- At Last! Someone who knows how to read the bible and is willing to reveal his secrets to us. Read more Published 15 months ago by Thomas W. Merriam 5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! If Sherlock Holmes read the Bible what would he uncover Howard Hendricks is outstanding at revealing how exciting reading the Bible can be, but even more important was how he explains how to accurately determine what the writers were... Read more Published 16 months ago by J. A. Wrape 5.0 out of 5 stars Living by the Book As a required reading for my Bible Study Methods course in seminary, this book opened up a new world to me in the area of Bible observation, interpretation, and application. Read more Published 17 months ago by J. R. Havins Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 349 pages
• Publisher: Moody Press (1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802407439
• ISBN-13: 978-0802407436
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #385,765 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Workbook for "The Book", January 15, 2001

By	Rob Taylor "robtaylormade" (Raleigh, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living By The Book (Paperback)

If you've ever had an excuse for not getting into the Word, this book is for you. Howard Hendricks who chairs the Center for Christian Leadership (affectionately know as "Prof." to his students at Dallas Theological Seminary) with the aid of his son Bill, has written this phenomenal book on the "why" and "how" of Bible study.

In the first few chapters, Hendricks challenges all the excuses we have for not studying our Bibles and posits clearly superior reasons in favor of doing so. He then uses Scripture itself to show us what we will gain from regular study of God's Word. In typical Hendricks fashion he begins by humoring "I wish we had a better term than `Bible study,' because for most of us, `study' is a bad news item. It has all the appeal of flossing our teeth" (13). He tells the story of a man he met at a Bible conference who drove twelve hundred miles to "get under the Word" and Hendricks muses "was he just as willing to walk across his living room floor, pick up a Bible, and get into it for himself?" (9).

There are three steps, which will transform that sometimes-dry text into the spiritual growth that we desire in our lives. They are Observation, Interpretation and Application. These three steps are the heart of the book.

The ability of Howard Hendricks to communicate clearly and effectively is unmatched in this introductory work on Bible study. The pages of this book come alive as he swiftly and painlessly removes the obstacles to personal study while at the same time equipping the reader with the proper tools to understand God's Word. Virtually every chapter contains exercises for the student of Scripture to get hands-on experience instead of just theoretical book knowledge. Much of this book is essentially the application of Mortimer Adler's book, How to Read a Book, (which Hendricks highly acclaims) to the Bible. The anecdotes, illustrations and "quotables" are alone worth the price of the book, not to mention the enlightening elaboration of the three-step approach to Bible study. This book should be the absolute first book a new Christian reads apart from the Bible itself.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helps beginners have quality Bible study, November 30, 2004

By	Roy Massie (Birmingham, AL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living By The Book (Paperback)

This is an easy reading book, in 45 fun little chapters, to help people gain the basic Biblical interpretation skills they need to transform their lives. The Hendricks' show us how proper interpretation of scripture is used to fuel our minds for improved prayer/meditation based on God's principles. These principles are to be applied in our daily lives to change us and consequently change our corner of the world. The overall approach is the same used by most Bible study methods; that is, "inductive" Bible study - observe, interpret, apply.

The authors stress honest observation of the Biblical text without the influence of a pretense or agenda to affect the interpretation. An extremely detailed and systematic observation of the text being studied is stressed as the most crucial aspect of interpretation. Proper interpretation is unlikely without the foundation of an extremely thorough observation of the text itself. About half the book is used to fully explore the questions and forms of textual observation.

The book is loaded with practical ways to assist in interpretation during your Bible study. For example, transporting your senses into the story to help relate to David in a cave or Paul in prison. Clever tools like the fingers of your hand can be used to remember 5 things to look for when interpreting a passage. Another easy-to-remember idea is to ask the 6 w's - who, what, where, when, why and wherefore (wherefore is the "so what?" part of life application).

The authors encourage the application of Biblical principles in our lives. The final section of the book presents a set of questions and motivations for applying the Bible in everyday life. There are many lists to derive life application points: is there a command to obey, an example to follow, a doctrine to be believed, etc.? A recurring theme is the Biblical understanding of Godly knowledge that is summarized as `knowing without doing isn't knowing at all.'

I like this book overall but there are a few things I don't care for. I think it is too long and redundant on some points. 150 pages on every conceivable aspect/permutation of observing a text is excessive. Chapter 7, for example, talks about general reading skills. This is good information to mention but I don't think it deserved a chapter. You can get value from the book by selectively reading most of the chapters and omitting some like 7,13,14,20 (about 7% of the book). This is definitely not the author's intent, but it is how I recommend the book to people who don't have much reading time.

Another way to improve this book would be more coverage about literary genre (parable, poetry, history, letter, etc.). Chapter 29 covers this somewhat, but with a book this size, I would expect more on this important area for interpreting a text. How To Read the Bible for All its Worth, (Fee) and Effective Bible Teaching (Wilhoit) cover genre very well and are better choices if you don't need something as basic as "Living by the Book".

Living by the Book is a good choice for adult beginners, including high school students, to get started into productive Bible study.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read, February 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Living By The Book (Paperback)

Not only is the method subscribed by this book useful in getting out of the Bible that which was intended, but if the first couple chapters don't get you downright excited about a study of the Word of God, then nothing will. This book will light a fire of desire to search, and find, ALL of God's Word.