HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE

Hopefully, one of your New Year resolutions was to become a better student of the Bible. The Word of God is certainly deserving of our committed study. This lesson has a very practical goal: to help us learn how to have more productive study time in the Living Word.

Preparation

a. Why it is beneficial/needful

The Bible is a spiritual book - divinely inspired, spiritually discerned (I Cor. 2:13 & 14)

b. What it involves

Gather your materials - at a minimum: your Bible, paper/notebook, pencil/pen. Find a suitable place - somewhere quiet, comfortable, well-lit with ample space. Pray - ask God to help you rightly interpret, understand and apply His Word.

Getting started

a. Read it carefully.

b. Don't rush. Take your time and think about each passage.

c. Re-read it and make notes in a notebook; date your notes.

d. Meditate (ponder, consider, dwell/reflect on, think about) on what it says.

Seek to understand the content

a. Look up unfamiliar words and be aware of multiple definitions.

b. Use reference materials responsibly:

~ Dictionaries - regular and Bible, for word definitions

~ Concordance - tells where in the Bible specific words occur, assigns them a number, and then by Hebrew (OT) and Greek (NT) section, gives the original word that was translated and its meaning.

~ Histories, commentaries - for additional information and insight

- Encylopedic Index - for a topical listing with scripture references

~ Atlas/maps - for geography

Seek to understand the context (surroundings/situation in which something occurs)

Ask yourself...

a. Who is speaking and to whom?

b. Where is this occurring and under what conditions?

c. What happened right before and right after?

Keep in mind the spiritual nature of the book

a. Passages may refer to things that are real/literal or symbolic.

b. Watch for spiritual applications, pictures, parallels, types, parables.

Consider its relevance

a. Ask how does this apply to me?

b. Is there any sin I should confess, command I should follow, promise I should claim?

Ways to Study

a. by topic

b. by character

c. by survey (verse by verse through a book)