HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE FOR YOURSELF

(Source: Bible Overview – Rose Publishing)

 

REASONS TO STUDY THE BIBLE

 

TO KNOW GOD: God created the Heavens and the Earth and everyone in it (Genesis 1-3). To know God is to have eternal life (John 17:3)

 

TO ENJOY AND LOVE GOD: Meditate on God’s character, principles, and promises. Rejoice in His love, care, and forgiveness (Psalms 119:12-18, 160-162; 1 Timothy 6:17).

 

TO KNOW GOD’S WORD: The Scriptures were inspired by God. They teach us the truth and show us what is wrong in our lives. They straighten us out (2 Timothy 3:16).

 

TO UNDERSTAND THE WORD: Jesus is called the WORD because He is the ultimate communication from God. He existed from the beginning with God. He is God, and He created everything. He said that those who have seen Him have seen the Father. (John1:1-3; 10:30; 12:44, 45; 14:7-9).

 

TO LEARN DIRECTION IN LIFE: The Bible shows us what to do (Psalms 119:11).

 

TO FIND COMFORT AND HOPE: The Scriptures give us encouragement (Romans 15:4).

 

TO LET GOD EXPOSE OUR INNERMOST THOUGHTS AND DESIRES: God’s Word helps us see ourselves as we really are and convicts us of sin so that we repent and change (Hebrews 4:12-16).

 

TO BECOME PURE AND HOLY: Jesus prayed this for all believers that they would be set apart for God and His holy purposes (John 17:17-23).

 

TO OBEY THE GREAT COMMANDMENT: The more we know God, the more we can love Him. The Great Commandment is to love God and His holy purposes. (John 17:17-23).

 

HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE

 

PLAN A STUDY TIME: Decide on a quiet time and place to study God’s Word and make it a daily habit, like eating. Some people get up early to spend time with God. Others study during the day or evening.

 

PRAY. Ask God to help you understand His Word. Pray using your own words or something like this: “Lord, thank you for the Bible so that we will know who you are and what you want for our lives. Please help me understand it and do what you want me to do.”

 

READ AND RE-READ IT: The Bible is the most important letter you can ever receive – a message from the God of the universe who made you, loves you, and wants to communicate with you. The Bible could be called a “Love Letter” to all of those in His “spiritual family” or a “Guidebook” on to live life in peace and with fulfillment. As a member of God’s “Spiritual Family,” Open this “Living Book each and every day. Re-read each chapter and verse several times and let the Holy Spirit, who you received into your life when you committed your life to Jesus, speak to you through the scriptures.

 

KNOW THE AUTHOR: Read Genesis to learn about God who created the world. All Scripture is inspired by God. God actually visited earth in the form of man – the man Christ Jesus. Jesus said, “I and my Father are one.” Read the Gospel of John to learn about God’s plan for your.

 

TAKE NOTES: Write notes about what you read. Use a specific notebook or “spiritual journal” especially for Bible study. You might want to underline key verses or write notes in the margin of your Bible.

 

MAKE THE BIBLE YOUR AUTHORITY: Accept and believe that what the Bible says is true. You may not understand everything in the Bible, but obey and apply what you do understand.

 

FIND A GROUP: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17) God gave His Word to His people. When you share what you are learning with other fellow believers, God will do amazing things. It will also help you to be accountable to someone. 

 

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF BIBLE STUDY

 

LOOK FOR GOD’S OVER-ALL PLAN: The Old Testament reveals God’s loving plan of salvation, from creation to prophecies of the future Messiah (the Savior, Jesus Christ). The New Testament reveals God’s salvation of sinful humanity by the suffering, death and resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and reveals the everlasting kingdom of God.

 

FIND THE BACKGROUND OF THE BOOKS: Find out who wrote the books, the reason for writing, and the themes of the books. Ask “Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How?” Usually this information is in the first chapter or in the introduction of the book.

 

READ VERSES IN CONTEXT: Read the surrounding chapters and the verses before and after the verse you are studying. Get the whole picture. Don’t study verses out of context. Look at the outline of the book.

 

GET THE WHOLE MESSAGE OF GOD’S WORD. Take the whole Bible as God’s Word. Don’t just concentrate on one verse or one idea. See if the teaching is explained more fully in other parts of the Bible. If you are using a study Bible, look at the small cross references in your Bible to help you find other verses on the same subject.

 

DISCOVER THE INTENDED MEANING. As you read the Bible, look for the author’s intended meaning. What did the author want to say? What did it mean in that culture? What does it mean now? What are the main ideas? If you  have questions, write them down, pray for insight, and discuss your ideas with others.

 

LEARN THE HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY: Use a time line to learn about the history of the Bible. Use maps to learn about the geography of where the events took place.

 

PAY ATTENTION TO FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: Figures of speech are word pictures that help us understand a truth. “Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalms 119:105) is a metaphor that helps us picture the Bible enlightening our minds and actions and giving us direction. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God” (Psalms 42:1) is a simile that compares ideas with the words “like” or “as.” Similes occur over 175 times in the Psalms. Jesus used personification when he said if the people did not declares the mighty works they had seen God do, the stones would cry out in praise (Luke 19:40). Hyperbole (exaggeration) is found in Matthew 5;29-30) when Jesus speaks of eyes and hands causing one to stumble.

 

KNOW THE FORMS OF LITERATURE: The Bible contains various forms of literature: history, narrative, poetry and wisdom, prophecy, parables and letters. Recognizing each form will help you interpret the meaning. For example, parables explain a spiritual truth by means of a story or analogy. The parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 does not refer to a specific historical person, but teaches that God is a loving father who joyfully welcomes back prodigal or rebellious children who later repent and return to him.