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Key verse: II Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
Biblical truth: The key verse is the command by the Lord to study so that we can be workmen that rightly divide (or rightly interpret) the Word of God. Christians accept the Bible as their final authority on all matters of faith and practice. It is good practice therefore, to both read and study the Bible. It is critically important as disciple makers that we learn to study and become teachers of the Bible. Above reading and studying, a workman in the Bible should expect to prepare their hearts for the Word of God and also prepare themselves to be examples of what the Bible teaches. (Ezra 7:10)
Reading the Bible is different from studying the Bible, but they work together. I Timothy 4:13 advises that we should be diligent readers of the Bible, taking notice of exhortation and doctrine. Reading is exhortation in the faith, seeing the goodness and severity of God and collecting doctrines and pictures of doctrines as you go. It is not a full comprehension of all the things you read.
How to Read the Bible
Systematically reading the Bible is the building of a personal relationship you have with God as well as an exercise in personal discipline. The sooner that daily Bible reading becomes a habit, the more fulfilling will be your daily walk with Jesus.
Find a convenient time that you can commit on a daily basis to reading the Bible. Early morning is preferable and from 15 to 30 minutes should be allowed per day. Waiting until later in the day or the evening is fine; however you should expect more obstacles to your reading time to appear as the day progresses.
Start with prayer. (Psalm 119:18, 9-11) Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand what you are reading. It is His job to help us understand as well as bring other things to our remembrance so we can learn about Jesus.
a. Things in the Bible are Spiritually discerned (I Corinthians 2:12-14)
b. The Holy Spirit will teach us all things (I John 2:27)
c. The Holy Spirit will bring all things to our remembrance. (John 14:26)
Prioritize the time you spend reading the Bible. (Job 23:12, Psalm 132:4-5) Make it as necessary as your daily meals, and don't go to bed unless you have read.
Read the Bible in a systematic fashion. The Holy Spirit can only bring all things to your remembrance if you have read them. Start in Genesis and read through to Revelation.
Don't get discouraged because you don't understand all or (some days) even some of what you are reading. Acknowledge that this is God's book and was written by an all knowing God. It will take time.
a. Certain things in the Bible were mysteries on purpose. (Colossians 1:26, I Corinthians 2:7-8)
b. The first day of the New Year seems to be the favorite time to start reading the Bible. Many have read Genesis through Numbers many times then stopped. Don't wait until the New Year. Start again now, and pick up where you left off.
Mark things in your Bible or make notes in a notebook. You will learn the Bible gradually as you read, and as the Holy Spirit uses the verses to put together little pieces into bigger blocks of understanding. (Isaiah 28:9-10) Things to mark include;
a. Promises (Jeremiah 33:3)
b. Examples to follow (I Peter 2:21-23)
c. Commands to obey (Ephesians 4:31-32)
d. Sins to avoid (Colossians 3)
e. Keeping lists of the similar things and important things that the Holy Spirit points out to you are beneficial.
f. Praying using the Scriptures (especially the Psalms) is good practice.
g. Write down questions that come from your reading.
Discuss and create a plan to read the Bible systematically, and how to create accountability measures in your life to make it a habit. (Worksheet is at the end of this lesson)
How to Study the Bible
Along with the systematic reading of the Bible comes Bible study. The Bible teaches us in II Timothy 2:15 that study is to prepare a workman. The Scriptures that we study are the Word of God and are very powerful. (Hebrews 4:12) They are also very profitable. (II Timothy 3:15-17) They took a young child named Timothy and make him a man of God.
Study time is different than reading time. Study is the pursuit of the understanding of a certain topic or passage. A passage (set of verses, chapter or an entire book) that you read as part of your daily reading could become the subject of a study. Additionally, a topic that came up in a passage such as, grace, could become the focus of a study you conduct on the word "grace" in the Bible. The goal in study should be first the understanding and practice of the Bible truth learned, then the teaching of it to others.
Commentaries, Bible helps, concordances and other study guides are helpful however they all contain the biases of their authors and are not infallible like the Bible. In starting out, a good English dictionary, and concordance or a searchable electronic Bible are really all that is necessary.
Things you study can come out of your daily reading, your Sunday school classes or sermons delivered in church.
Before beginning the study, you should understand two important things about the Bible.
a. Firstly it is a legal document and as such is written oftentimes in legal terms. (John 12:47-48)
b. The Bible is understood in part by knowledge and in part by faith. Some things will be easy to grasp and others will require faith to understand because they are the works of an infinite eternal God. Like the creation. (Hebrews 11:1-3)
Three basic tenants of Bible Study: (There are specific methods covered later in Foundations level 2)
a. Read what it says. (observation) It is important to read the passage many times and even meditate (think about the words used) on the verses for a time.
i. The context of the passage is key. It is important to note who is being spoken to and what events are happening and in what Bible age the passage occurs.
ii. Believe what you read regardless of your level of understanding. (Hebrews 4:2, I Thessalonians 2:13)
b. Find out what it means (Interpretation) Usually the interpretation is apparent in the context and interpretation issues revolve around smaller thoughts or words. Allow the context to guide the interpretation. Many times, figurative language is followed up with a literal explanation. (Matthew 13)
i. Successful interpretation will be a growing process involving your daily reading and consistent study. It cannot be rushed. (Isaiah 28:9-10)
ii. The simplest explanation of a passage should be accepted over the very complex explanation. In Ezra's day, they read the Bible and gave the "sense" of it. That is a simple explanation of what it means. (Nehemiah 8:8)
iii. Bible doctrines are best understood and explained using Bible words. (I Corinthians 2:13)
c. Consider how it applies. (Application) Probably the most important part is the application. Through application of the Bible come godliness and more knowledge.
i. We should adorn ourselves with the doctrines of truth. That means we should apply them and live what we study. (Titus 2:10)
ii. Being doers of the Word and not hearers only. (James 1:22)
iii. It will make you happy. (John 13:17)
d. If you have read it, tried to understand it and still cannot, then keep reading on through your Bible. God will show you the answer when you have read enough to understand it.
Discuss the differences between reading and studying and create a list of topics or passages that you would like to study.
More specific study methods are found in Foundations Level 2
Personal study time:
Set up a plan to systematically read through the Bible. The plan should include the day you start and the projected finish. Also an accountability measure should be written down to help develop the discipline necessary to read every day.
Bible Reading Plan
Start date:
Time of day:
Starting Book:
Complete on:
Accountability measure:
What are a Few Bible Study Topics or Passages