Questions to Ask During a Biographical Character Study

Check out my Biblical Character Study Challenge to do 133 Biographical Studies

Reputation

1. Who wrote what we know about this person?

2. What did people say about him? What did his friends say about him?

3. What did his enemies say about him?

4. What did his family (wife, children, brothers, sisters, parents) say about him?

5. What did God say about him?

6. Why do you think God allowed this person to be mentioned in the Bible?

Tests of Character

7. What were his aims and motives?

8. What was he like in his home?

9. How did he respond to failure? Did he get discouraged easily?

10. How did he respond to adversity? Did he handle criticism well?

11. How did he respond to success? Did he get proud when praised?

12. How did he respond to the trivial and mundane things in life? Was he faithful in the little things?

13. How quickly did he praise God for the good or bad things that happened to him?

14. How quickly did he obey God when told to do something?

15. How quickly did he submit to God-ordained authority?

16. What was he like when he was alone with God?

Background

17. What can you discover about his family and ancestry?

18. What does his name mean? Why was he given that name? Was it ever changed?

19. What was his home-life like? How was he raised? Where was he raised?

20. What were the characteristics of his parents? How did they influence him?

21. Was there anything special about his birth?

22. Where did he live? What was his everyday life like?

23. Was he exposed to other cultures? Did they affect him in any way?

24. What was the condition of his country politically and spiritually during his lifetime?

25. What kind of training did he have? Did he have any schooling?

26. What was his occupation?

27. How long did he live? Where did he die? How did he die?

Significant Events

28. Was there any great crisis in his life? How did he handle it?

29. What are the great accomplishments for which he is remembered?

30. Did he experience a divine “call”? How did he respond to it?

31. What crucial decisions did he have to make? How did they affect him? Others?

32. Did any particular problem keep recurring in his life?

33. Where did he succeed? Where did he fail? Why?

34. How did the environment and circumstances affect him?

35. What part did he play in the history of God’s plan?

36. Did he believe in the sovereignty of God? (God’s control over all events)

Relationships

37. How did he get along with other people? Was he a loner? Was he a team person?

38. How did he treat other people? Did he use them, or serve them?

39. What was his wife like? How did she influence him?

40. What were his children like? How did they influence him?

41. Who were his close companions? What were they like? How did they influence him?

42. Who were his enemies? What were they like? How did they influence him?

43. What influence did he have on others? On his nation? On other nations?

44. Did he take care of his family? How did his children turn out?

45. Did his friends and family help or hinder him in serving the Lord?

46. Did he train anyone to take his place? Did he leave a disciple (a “Timothy”) behind?

Personality

47. What type of person was he? What made him the way he was?

48. Was his temperament choleric, melancholic, sanguine, or phlegmatic?

49. What were the outstanding strengths in his character? What traits did he have?

50. Did his life show any development of character as time passed? Was there growth and progression there?

51. What were his particular faults and weaknesses?

52. What were his particular sins? What steps led to those sins?

53. In what area was his greatest battle: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, or pride of life?

54. What were the results of his sins and weaknesses?

55. Did he ever get the victory over his particular sins and weaknesses?

56. What qualities made him a success or failure?

57. Was he in any way a type of Christ?

Spiritual Life

58. What personal encounters did he have with God that are recorded in Scripture?

59. What was his purpose in life? Did he try to bring glory to God?

60. What message did he preach and live? Was his life a message for or against Christ/God?

61. Did he live a separated life, distinct from worldly ways?

62. What did he believe? What great lessons did God teach him?

63. Why do you think God dealt with him the way he did?

64. What was his attitude toward the Word of God? Did he know the Scriptures existing at that time?

65. What kind of prayer life did he have? Did he have close fellowship with God?

66. Was he bold in sharing his testimony? Was he a courageous witness in times of persecution?

67. How big was his faith in God? How did he show it? Did God give him any specific promises?

68. Was he a good steward of what God had given him—time, wealth, talents?

69. Was he filled with the Spirit? What were his spiritual gifts? Did he use them?

70. Was he eager to do God’s will, willingly and without question?

Comments

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