Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Christian Crier

Home
About

Home
Evangelical
How to Study the Bible: 5 Unique Techniques

How to Study the Bible: 5 Unique Techniques

Last updated on: February 28, 2014 at 7:23 pm by Jack Wellman

How to Study the Bible: 5 Unique Techniques 2014-02-28T19:23:12-06:00 Jack Wellman

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Here are 5 ways to study the Bible that you may never have considered. Maybe you could add your own suggestion. In what ways could you increase your understanding of the Word of God?

The Command to Study; Just Do It

The Bible tells us to “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15) in order to “be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Tim 4:2). This is not a helpful hint or a suggestion but an imperative command. We are told to search the Scriptures, like those in Berea did, to see if what things are true or not since “they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Discipline yourself to study the Word of God every day or you will never grow in the grace or knowledge of God.

Pray for Enlightenment

Most people overlook one of the most important aspects of studying the Bible and it is to their detriment. We need to begin every day with prayer but also every Bible study. When we fail to pray, we are bypassing the important work of the Holy Spirit in imparting to us the meaning of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher and Aid in helping us to understand the Bible but He also gives us ways to apply it to our daily lives. When we pray for the Holy Spirit to open our minds to understand the Word then we are inviting God Himself into our study, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, to be our Teacher. Every student of the Bible needs help and Who better to help than God? Even those who teach the Word need to depend upon the Holy Spirit to show them the meaning of the Scriptures and how to interpret them in their proper context. Second Corinthians 2:10 says “these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God” and that “the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26) and “ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come” (John 16:13).

Read a Specific Book

One way to understand the Word of God is to pick one book. Sounds simple enough but we can begin with 1 John and read the entire book in one sitting. Don’t stop and take notes and don’t wait to get a full understanding of all that is being said at first. Just read the book at one sitting. Then, after you have read the book, go back over it and write an outline of the book. Make certain headings in your notes about particular sections of the book. There is usually a general theme to the book. What is it? Writing out an outline can show you what the author’s specific purpose was.

The Who, What, Why, and How

When you read a passage or section of Scriptures, ask yourself these questions: Who was this written too? Was it only for the audience at the time? Does it apply to us today? What are timeless principles about the passage or passages?

Next, what is the author saying? Does it have meaning to us today in the cultural context? Is what is written prescriptive or descriptive? That is, is it describing something unique at the time and simply describing events that have no connection to us specifically? Or is it prescriptive and that is does it apply directly to us and to all believers for all time?

Why was this book written? Was it due to apostasy in the church like 1 John was? Did the writer address a particular problem within the church? Does it apply to Christians today or was this something that was written only to those living at the time. The “why” gives us the author’s intent and the reasons that it was written to the recipients almost always has some practical application to us today.

How is this important to us? How was this important to the readers at the time? How do I use this in my life? For example, there are many believers who are burdened with unnecessary guilt over sin, even confessed sin, so the passage in 1 John 1:9 gives this person reassurance that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” but for the person who says that they are not sinners, 1 John 1:8, 10 is useful because it states that “ If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us [and] If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Choose Study Aides

One thing that I love are my two Study Bibles. These are helpful because they contain commentaries for difficult passages. I have learned from experience to interpret difficult passages of Scripture with other similar or cross-referenced Scriptures. That is, I let Scripture interpret Scripture. The margins of my Bible have notations of the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic words that help me determine meaning, interpret them correctly, and give a better application to them. It helps to have Bible commentaries, Bible atlases, Bible concordances, Bible dictionaries, Greek and Hebrew lexicons, and online resources such as Blue Letter Bible which have extremely helpful guides to discern what is being said in specific Bible passages or verses. These all help the Bible come alive. To know more about the historical setting of the book, these tools can tell us more about the setting of the time and place and what the recipients were going through. These will all help immensely in our getting a better grasp of what the book is about.

Conclusion

Maybe you have a better list of 5 than I do. What would you consider an important study aid when reading the Bible? Is there something you could add to this list? What is it? Whatever it is, before you study the Word of God I strongly urge you to; pray, then just read it, next ask questions about the specific book, pick one book at a time, and then use any Bible study tools you can find. This will enrich your understand of the Word of God and make you hunger and thirst for more. May God richly bless your study and that your study will show you more about God and ways that you can most glorify Him, for that is our purpose; to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want to Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon.

Previous Post

February 22, 2014

What is God’s Grace?

Next Post

March 15, 2014 What is the Purpose Behind the Gospel of Matthew? A Bible Study

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bible Answers Bible Definitions Bible Story Bible Study Bible Verses Christian Books Christian Entertainment Christian Fathers Christian Mothers Christian Quotes Devotional Famous Christians Music News Parables Prayers Quotes Sunday School Lesson Uncategorized Youth Sermons

Select a Month October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who were the first man and woman according to Genesis?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Abram and Sarai Noah and his wife Adam and Eve Cain and Abel