How To Study The Bible
The Bible is a large and deep book. No one can gain a proper understanding of God’s Word without spending time studying it. The Bible says, “Do your best to present yourself approved to God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” 1 Timothy 2:15
The
Bible should be read daily and consistently. It is best to read both the Old and New Testaments together. If you read three chapters from the Old Testament and one chapter from the New Testament each day, you can read the entire Bible in a year.
Parents can teach their children to know and love God’s Word by reading to them from a good Bible story book every day. This is a good way for parents to gain knowledge of the Bible.
The Bible contains many spiritual truths that must be searched for in order to understand God’s Word. God’s Word is written very carefully. In fact, God warned that not a single word of the original language would be changed.
Because the Bible was written so carefully, it must also be studied carefully to know its truth. A key principle of Bible study is to search for facts. When the apostle Paul read the book of Genesis, he discovered a truth related to a great promise made to Abraham. God told Abraham, “In your seed all the families of the earth will be blessed.” When Paul read this promise, he realized that the word seed was not singular but plural. Paul understood that this great promise referred to Christ. Paul wrote,
“The promises To Abraham and to his seed was given, the Scripture does not say, “seeds,” indicating many people; but to your seed,” indicating one person, who is Christ. Galatians 3:16
There are thousands of such truths in the Bible. If we want to be rich in God’s Word, we must search for truths in the Bible and discover their meanings.
Finding truths in the Bible is not based on how many chapters you read, but on how attentively we read them. We must learn to pay careful attention to the exact way God has explained a truth in His Word. In this way, our knowledge of the Bible increases.
3. Memorization One of the most valuable and fruitful ways to study God’s Word is to memorize it. Memorize a verse every day for six days, then read it again the seventh day.
It’s a good idea to plan to repeat them all throughout the day. If you use small cards like this for a year, it is also an effective way to memorize. Write the Bible verse on one side of the card and the verse number on the other. As often as possible during the day, look at the verse number on the card and try to say the verse correctly. If you cannot say it, turn the card over and read it. By adopting this method, you can memorize many Bible verses in a short time.
To learn a Bible principle properly, we must study all the passages in the Bible that relate to that truth. For example, there are many passages in the Bible that deal with the dangers of prayer. We cannot get God’s complete and correct teaching on this subject from one verse or passage. Instead, we must study all the passages we find on the subject of prayer.
There are many things in the Bible that are difficult for us to understand. Wouldn’t it be great if we had a teacher who knew everything about God and His Word? And yes, there is someone like that. He is the Holy Spirit. God has given us the Holy Spirit to teach us the Bible. The moment we accept Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. He lives in every believer. The Holy Spirit teaches us the things of God. The Lord Jesus said, “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things.” John 14:26
Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot understand God’s Word. How thankful we should be that God has given us the Holy Spirit to teach us. Every time we read the Bible, we should rely on the Holy Spirit to teach us the teachings of God’s Word.
This was David’s purpose when he prayed: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”
Psalm 116:18
Principles of Bible Interpretation Getting the Facts
When trying to figure out the meaning of a verse or passage, ask yourself the following questions: 10 What is the main topic of this chapter? 20 Who is speaking? God? Man?
Satan? Someone else? 30 Who is speaking? God? People? Believers? Unbelievers?
Find the current meaning of these words. The King James Bible was translated from Greek and Hebrew manuscripts in 1611. Since then, the meanings of many English words have changed.
For example, Hebrews 13:5 says, “Let your conversation be free from covetousness.” To us, this means that we should not talk about the love of money. But in 1611, the word conversation meant behavior or lifestyle, so what this verse really means is,
“Let your conversation be free from covetousness.” In other words, we should not let the love of money control our lives. A good way to get the current meaning of the words is to
Use a current translation along with the Bible you read regularly. Use common sense to interpret Bible passages.
There are 10 main ways to say what the text says.
That is what it means. 20 Allegory means that a symbol or figure of speech is used to teach a truth. It cannot be interpreted based on the words.
The Bible uses many symbols or images to help us understand God’s truths. The Lord Jesus was also using a familiar symbol when he said, “I am the door; if anyone enters through me, he will be saved.” We know that Jesus is not literally the door. Jesus is actually saying here that He is the door to heaven. Those who believe in Him as Savior enter heaven through Him.
Generally, if it is clear that the Bible is not speaking figuratively, we should interpret it literally. A good rule of thumb for this is that if the words make sense,
don’t get discouraged
. There are passages in the Bible that are difficult to understand. Don’t get discouraged when you come across a passage that you don’t understand. Put it aside for a while and read on.
Someone once said that reading the Bible is like eating fish. When you come across a thorn, you don’t throw the whole fish away. You pull the thorn out and eat it. Reading the Bible is like that. When you come across something you don’t understand, say, “Here is a thorn, I’ll pull it out for now and eat something else.” Perhaps later God will reveal to you the meaning of the passage that you don’t understand. It is
very difficult to interpret difficult passages in the Bible. The important principle is to use a negative and ambiguous passage to contrast a clear and positive passage.
A Bible dictionary helps you to identify people and places in the Bible. There are ten people named Simon in the Bible, four Johns, three James, and six women named Mary. And some
people have two names in the Bible. How can you know which person the Bible is talking about? Buy a good Bible dictionary that has all the names of people and places, and that book will help you to know everything.
A glossary will tell you where the words are used in the Bible and where they are used. Sometimes a glossary will help you to find out where a verse is when you only know a single word or part of a verse.
Get more help
Two special books can be a great help in your Bible study.
A Bible dictionary will help you to identify people and places in the Bible. There are ten people named Simon in the Bible, four Johns, three James, and six women named Mary. And some people have two names in the Bible.
How can you know who the Bible is talking about? Buy a good Bible dictionary that has all the names of people and places, that book will help you know everything exactly.
A concordance tells you what words are used in the Bible and where they are used. Sometimes a concordance can help you find the verse when you only know a single word or part of a verse.
