Most of my friends know that our family reads through the Bible yearly. We began doing this nine years ago. We have found that reading through the Bible from cover to cover, or chronologically helps us really understand who Yehovah God is and who we are in relationship to Him. This year we are doing a Bible reading plan by Christine Miller over at ALittlePerspective.com. Here is a link.
There is a difference from reading through the Bible and studying the Bible. Here is a post I wrote with some tips on how to read the Bible.
Today however, I want to share some tips on Bible study.
- The Bible should be read in context always. Don’t just read a verse or passage randomly! When we start a new Bible study, we usually do a whole book of the Bible at a time. We ask the following questions before we even start studying.
- When was this written? We study out the time in history to better prepare to undestand the passage.
- Who wrote this book? We see if we can understand the person who actually wrote the original passage of scripture.
- Who was it written to? This is important, all scripture is written for the benefit of all Yehovah’s children, but not all scripture is written to all His children. Some passages are for specific people groups at specific times. It is very important to realize that.
- Why was it written? Again, all scripture is beneficial, but we must understand the reason it was written and included in the Bible.
- After we ask these introductory questions, we are ready to study. Oh, wait not yet. The second thing we do before we really dive into a passage, is read it through quickly the whole book in which the passage we are going to study is in. For example, if we are going to study out the armor of God in Ephesians chapter 6, before we start, we read the whole book of Ephesians. For me personally, I like to reread the book, each time I sit down to study again. By rereading it each time, I really lock the content into my mind, and it helps me from misunderstanding a concept. This is especially true when I study out Paul’s letters.
- Now, that we have a good foundational understanding of the passage, we are ready to dive into it. As we dive in, we need to always have the purpose of studying in the forefront of our mind. Why am I studying this passage, what does it matter?
- We study to know and understand our Creator and Redeemer.
- We study to know and understand who we are in Messiah.
- We study to know and understand Yehovah’s Will and our purpose in it.
- We study to know and understand how to apply Scripture to our lives.
- Allow the Holy Spirit to teach you. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you study the Word. Avoid using commentary or other materials with personal interpretation.
- Scripture was originally written in Greek or Hebrew. The foundation of all scripture is found in the first five books of the Old Testament. We must understand these books to understand the rest of the Bible. The best way to understand the Old Testament is to study it through a Hebrew mindset. The first five books of the New Testament are the life and teachings of Messiah on scripture. He expounds on the Torah, that is the first five books of the Bible. We must understand that He is always referring back to these five books of the Bible whenever He is teaching. This is also true of the rest of the New Testament books, the writers of these books are the Old Testament referencing. With this concept in mind, we use study materials to study our Bible in Hebrew and Greek.
- I recommend taking an introductory course in both Hebrew and Greek to really get a good understanding of both these languages. This has helped our family greatly.
- Look up words and phrases in the original languages.
- Remember scripture can not contradict itself, so if you think it does, it is a misinterpertation on your part.
The Bible is not meant to be a tricky book to read or understand. Our Father gave us these words to teach and guide us so that we can have a personal relationship with Him. He is a Holy and Just God, and He can not tolerate sin, so to be with us He made a way through His Son. Salvation should always lead to sanctification. Sactification comes through the Word of God. We become Holy and Set apart for His Good Works when we learn and apply His Word to our lives.
I hope these five tips help you better study God’s Word. I know there are lots of books written on this topic, but the truth is studying the Bible is NOT hard. So, don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be. Let the Spirit of Yehovah guide you and you will be amazed at how simple His Truths really are.
Shalom
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