How to Study the Bible Effectively is a post motivated by the fact that God inspired the writing of the books of the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:10-13) so that He could be heard, understood (Psalm 19:7 and Isaiah 45:19), and obeyed (James 1:22-25). That is the Bible was written to reveal the truth, not hide it.
Consequently, the Bible speaks for itself. All you have to do is to carefully study it and mine the truths that are therein. This is because these truths are hidden in the texts of the Bible, yet revealed in the same.
”Any text of the Bible speaks for itself
How to Study the Bible
Therefore, a careful study of Scripture is based on the fact that any biblical text speaks for itself. This implies that when you carefully study your Bible, you will be able to mine the truths that are hidden in Scripture.
This is neither an easy nor difficult task. No wonder believers who give themselves to the analysis of texts of the Bible need the Spirit of God to illuminate their minds (1 John 2:26-27, 2 Corinthians 4:4, 1 Corinthians 2:14, and John 16:13).
But Matthew 7:7-8 states that when you seek from God, you will end up finding what you are seeking from Him. And Bible Study is the means by which we mine truths from Scripture.
Consequently, a careful examination (analysis) of a particular text of Scripture will enable you to find out the information it contains regarding its subject matter. Moreover, the aim of carefully studying the Bible is for you to discern the truths (universal principles) contained in the text under examination. And over the centuries past, believers have developed and practiced several methods of studying Scripture.
I, therefore, want to share with you two (approaches) to effectively studying your Bible. These two methods both involve a five (5) steps process that aims at finding the meaning of a particular text. The second has been a great asset in my studies of the Bible, even for the purpose of sharing (preaching) its principles.
Step 1: Prayer
All careful examination of Scripture begins with prayer. Prayer is what will enable you to seek divine assistance. Remember, God is the author of the Bible. Therefore, only He can lead to the truth in a particular text.
Step 2: Text
The second step requires that you select the text that you want to carefully examine. This could be a book of the Bible or a passage in a book of the Bible.
Step 3: Observation
The observations you make are very important. This is because your conclusions will and should originate from your observations, not your preconceptions. They should be able to tell you what the text says – they should answer: “What does the text say?”
Therefore, you have to read the text over and over to achieve this. Familiarisation will enable you to take note of the details in your study text. These details include but are not limited to: characters, significant words, verbs, repetition, figures of speech, and historical and cultural references.
You could therefore start with your preferred translation – try to do your first reading aloud in one sitting. Look out for the main idea, plot, or imagery. Also, look out for the purpose and atmosphere of the text. The idea is to get the overview or big picture of your text.
Your subsequent readings should be focused on taking note of details. This may include outlining or structuring your text – the progression of the author’s thought.
Thereafter, you could compare your study text with other translations. This will broaden your understanding (comprehension) of the study text.
Step 4: Interpretation
The harsh reality is that any biblical text has one meaning which is the original author’s meaning. This is also his purpose for writing a particular text for a particular audience.
Therefore, a serious study of the biblical text should result in revealing the intent or idea of the author in writing the same. Your study is aimed at revealing the writer’s or author’s original idea or intent. It should answer the question: “What did the text mean to the original reader?”
Asking questions about your observations helps. For example, asking the question “What is the context of my text?” helps a great deal.
Thereafter, researching your questions will help you better understand the author’s original intention. Consult commentaries in order to broaden your understanding of your study text – Commentaries should not be the first resources you consult.
Therefore, the careful analytical study of the Bible aims at ending up with useful interpretations of its texts (2 Timothy 2:15). Interpretation is all about ending up with what the author of the biblical text meant or intended. That is what he intended for his original audience – what he intended to communicate to them.
Step 5: Application
Finally, the truths mined from the Bible have to be put into practice in your life. So the big question to be answered is: “How does this truth apply today?”
SUMMARY
In lieu of the 5 steps above, I propose either of the following two (2) methods for your studies. That is the Discovery Bible Study Method and the Exegetical Bible Study Method – Click on the links to find out more about each approach.
They only differ in the way they approach observation and interpretation. The Exegetical Method goes deeper in its quest to find the meaning of a text.
