STRUCTURAL LAWS:
We come now to one of the most difficult and most important aspects of inductive Bible study, the matter of structure laws.

Look at the chart I made for my survey of I Peter. Note that my chart has 4 sections or units. Salutation (1:1-2); Our Inheritance as Saints (1:3-12); How Saints Live in a Hostile World (1:13-5:11); Final Salutation (4:12-14). It's necessary to see how a book is structured. That's why we determine literary type, make a list of components and create a chart. But, knowing how a book is structured is only part of the process of understanding the book's message. We need to understand how each of the units of a book relate to each other. For example, how does the first unit of the book (1:1-2) function in the book? The answer is that it prepares the reader for the remainder of the book by providing valuable information.

Look at the second and third units of the book. How does the second unit function in relation to the third unit. Answer: The second unit causes (or motivates) the reader to live according to the principles found in the third unit of the book.
Finally, how do the first three units related to the last unit of the book? Again, those three units prepare the reader for the last unit.
Preparation and Causation are two of twelve structure laws a writer can use to communicate his message. A writer doesn't use all of these laws necessarily, but we are always on the lookout for these laws on all levels of writing: within phrases, within and among sentences, paragraphs, chapters, sub-units, units and and whole books. The reader is cautioned to look for these structural laws on book level first and then proceed to look for them in increasingly smaller units of the book: units, sub-units, chapters, paragraphs, sentences and phrases.
A separate page on this web-site contains a list of all 12 structural laws and the questions we ask and answer when we find them in literature.