How to Study the Bible

Part I

God’s Word, the Bible, is a life-changing and life-guiding book that all Study your Bible should read. For the Christian, its advice, history, prophecies, commandments, and examples are the only source that contains God’s encouragement and guidance for them. It should not only be read by every Christian, but it should also be studied. “Studying” is an in-depth reading that has the reader diligently fixing his mind on God’s Word looking for help that a quick read will not reveal.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” II Timothy 2:15
God commands the believer to diligently and carefully study His Word. Many readers of the Word of God have encountered Timothy’s admonition on studying the Bible. Some faithfully read the Word of God every day. Many do not, but even fewer study the truths God has preserved within the pages of His Word. If you want some “meat” from the Word of God, you have to pick up the knife and fork for yourself, and not be spoon fed by someone else! You need to study His Word.

Not only, does it take extra time to study the Bible, but many do not know how to start. I learned a long time ago that a short reading of just a few verses each day may have more impact on one’s life than a Scriptural diet of several chapters. Actually taking the time to delve into and study the Word of God will be a far more life-directing, life-changing, God-leading influence than even reading several pages.

The question then arises, how do you study the Bible? How does one set their mind or thoughts upon a Bible subject or book and get the most out of it? The answer varies from one person to another, since each of our brains and learning methods are different. Here are a few study methods that may help you get more out of the Word of God; so that you will learn more, that its content will help you with your life’s decisions, and that you will have a better relationship with the Lord:

Be saved (Rom. 10:9)! The Word of God is for the people of God and will not mean much to a person that is not saved! It will point an unbeliever to God’s truths, so he can become a born-again (John 3:3) child of God and give him more understanding about God; but the Book’s wisdom is clearer and more precious to a child of God. Many unsaved people know the Bible much better than most believers; but since they do not have a personal relationship with the Author of the Book, it means little to them. They have the knowledge of it in their brain, but their “heart” is far from believing and following the Word’s truths.
“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” I Cor. 2:14

Part II

Pray and ask God to help you understand His Word before you even begin! It’s His Book; you need His help to understand it!
Consistently read the Bible. Schedule it and make it a priority to expose yourself to God’s Word every day!
Use the King James Bible. ALL the other versions, including the New King James Bible, alter what God’s Word says. One cannot build a spiritual life that is close to God if the foundation, God’s Word, is corrupt and not true to what God originally had preserved! God has one way to obedience, not hundreds of ways as each of the 300+ perversions of His Word teach; as they change truths and doctrines.
Do not just read to fill a quota of verses or chapters. Read at your own speed to get something out of it. There have been times that I have spent most of my devotional time on one verse. There have also been times that I have read several pages.
If you do not understand a word, stop and look it up in a dictionary. You will be surprised to find that you do not know all the meanings of words as well as you thought you did. Most do not need to know the Greek or Hebrew languages to get more out of their English Bible; they just need to understand the English language better!

I have found that a reprint of Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary helps me understand the meanings of words in a biblical context much better. One of Webster’s reasons for writing his dictionary was for the reader to better understand the Bible. Many of his definitions use biblical verses to understand word usages.

If you find you have read several verses and do not remember what you read, read them again. The goal should be to get a blessing from the reading of God’s Word, not just to fill a verse quota.
One method to slow one’s reading down and get more from the reading is to make notes on what you have just read. A notebook or a wide-margin Bible can be used for this. I am constantly writing in my Bible’s margins thoughts and blessings I get from that reading. As I reread those verses at another time, I read the notes I had previously made, and am reminded of what the Holy Spirit has shown me in the past.
Since we are in the New Testament church-age, a believer should first have an understanding of Jesus, the early church, and the teachings for this time. First read and study the New Testament. With its understanding, when the Old Testament is read one will get a fuller, clearer picture of what God did then, and how it pictures what would happen later in the New Testament.
While reading a verse, read other verses that teach the same principle. Some study Bibles have references in the margin. Follow those references, and read those verses. Often you will get a fuller picture of what God is trying to show you through different passages, and how they state a similar principle or teaching.

Part III

When reading a verse, understand the context first. Understand who the verse was addressed to, why, and when, to better understand the verse. So many pluck a verse and apply it to whatever they want to apply it to, forgetting what situation, time, or people it was originally speaking of.
Read other Bible books that cover the same topic. For example, if you are studying The Revelation, it would be good to understand Old Testament prophecies in Ezekiel and Daniel. If trying to learn more about Jesus’ life, it is important to read other aspects of His life in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Although, not to be trusted as one can trust the Word of God, a Bible dictionary, such as Unger’s Bible Dictionary, can give some insight into a subject, place, or person you are reading about. Be especially cautious of books from authors or publishers that condone other Bible translations or come from denominations, or institutions, that teach differently than what the Bible teaches. If their foundation, the Word of God, is not on firm ground, what they are teaching may not be trusted.
Look up, using a concordance (a book that has words listed and where they are used throughout the Bible), a word or name you want to learn more about. Some Bible computer programs are very useful for this purpose.

A concordance will list the Hebrew (sometimes Chaldean) meaning of Old Testament words, and the Greek meaning of New Testament words. The most popular concordance is Strong’s Concordance of the Bible. Be cautioned, however, that many of the definitions are not from the Hebrew and Greek of the King James Bible, and therefore are not completely trustworthy. A glimpse at the “Directions and Explanations” page will alert one that the text quoted is changed for some other version, such as the Revised Version, English Revised Version, or even the American Standard Version of 1891. So many quote the Hebrew or Greek from their concordance and have no idea that it is from another non-King James bible.

The best commentary on the Bible is the Bible itself! Although many books on a subject or book you are studying can be helpful; they can also be wrong! I have far more commentaries on my bookshelves that I cannot trust what the author says than I have books that have been proven reliable to what the Word of God says. All authors are only men, and all do make mistakes! God’s Word, however, is from God and has His influential inspiration preserved and is trustworthy!
Do not compare Scripture with other versions and translations of that Bible! They usually originate from sources that were not accurate in their conception; change doctrines that support the translator’s beliefs, or change facts and doctrines. Comparing them with the real Bible (KJV) will only raise doubts and breed confusion!

These are just a few of the many ways to study God’s Word. No matter what technique is used, the main goal is to get as much as possible out of every precious word God has kept for us to glean. Are you diligently reading and studying God’s Word?

“With God’s help, we can get out of the Bible what we invest in it.”