3 Tips On How to Study the Bible

Before considering different ways of studying the Bible it's a fantastic idea to get the big picture . How can we do that? By reading it all the way through while inquiring,"What does this tell me about God?"

One of the greatest benefits you will receive by reading the Bible entirely through is you will see how God relates to people over an extended time period. I tell folks to reserve judgement about what they read, and not to be impatient when they come across components that are hard to understand. Things become a good deal clearer if the Bible is accepted as a whole.

This is the exact way Jesus did it when He appeared to the men on the road to Emmaus after He'd been crucified, and had risen from the dead. The Scriptures state,"And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." Luke 24:27

This means that Jesus, instead of turning to a few"proof texts" to explain the events which had happened in Jerusalem to Cleopas and his friend - took them on a broad tour during the entire Bible.



Insert in"all the prophets" and you've got most of the Old Testament (that the NT had not been written yet). This really is stating Jesus gave a Bible study on a certain subject (His birth, life, death and resurrection) which took Him through the majority of the Bible which was in existence at that time.

TAKEAWAY TIP # 1: A great way to go through the Bible - whether you've read it or not - is to receive a chronological, one-piece Bible. This sort of Bible makes it much simpler to browse through because it is broken down into daily readings. That's the 1-year part.

Additionally, by acquiring one which is chronological it takes the events from start to finish in the sequence in which they happened. A lot of people aren't aware that the Bible isn't compiled in the specific sequence in which the events happened. The chronological comes as near as possible to exact sequence, together with some speculation about the exact time of certain books, e.g., Job.

The second thing which makes it simpler is that the translations. There are two versions of a Chronological, 1 Year Bible. They're the New Living Translation (NLT) and the New International Version (NIV). I much prefer the New Living Translation because it reads like a narrative and makes it very easy to stick with this. I've gone through the NLT twice this manner and thoroughly enjoyed it every time.



bible ) Get the Right Mindset

Another element of"Getting the Big Picture" is having the right mindset before beginning your study. Doing this requires a comprehension of what makes the Bible different from any other book - so let's look at this.

Listed below are a Couple of interesting facts about the Bible which make it unlike any other publication in history:

First, the Bible claims to have been motivated by that our Creator - think about that!!! (more on this below)

It had been written over a period of 1500 years
It'd 40 different authors
The writers were from 19 distinct occupations
It includes history, poetry, play, & prophecy - all telling the exact same story from start to finish
The Bible tells us who we are, i.e., where we came out; why we're hereand where we are going
Unlike other publications of antiquity the Bible documents the true record of it's heroes and it is state. It is honest about their beats when they happen and it publicly discloses the flaws of it's heroes. Again, this is different from other books of antiquity, which"doctored" their stories, covered up their beats, and'deified' their personalities



Before going on I'd like to elaborate on the first point I made above - the promise of inspiration.

The Bible claims that it had been inspired by God, i.e., the person who made us. Rather than take it for granted wrap your mind around that for another then ask your self -

Q. Imagine if that's accurate? Imagine if the Bible really is a communicating to us from our Creator? Wouldn't that have deep implications?

A. I believe it would.

Below are a few fascinating quotes I have taken from Isaiah chapters 45 & 46. What's amazing about them is that they claim to be God Himself speaking to people in the first person. Did you catch this? God Himself speaking! The Bible, many instances in Isaiah chapters 40-46, is filled with incredible claims. It claims our Creator is talking. I've gleaned just a few to give you a sample of what is said in these chapters:

"So says the Lord who made you, and shield you from the womb, who'll help you" Isa 44:2

"I'm the Lord, and there's no other; There's no God besides Me." Isa 45:5

"I've made the earth, And made man on it. I - My hands - stretched out the heavens, and all their host I have commanded." Isa 45:12

"Look to Me and be saved, All you ends of the ground! For that I am God, and there's no other. Isa 45:22,23

TAKEAWAY TIP #2We lead busy lives and it's really simple to deal with the Bible as a normal book, or to view its reading or study as a regular task we have obligated ourselves to perform. So here's a hint... Before you start get the right mindset.

Stop and think about the book you are going to start. Before you open it, say a short prayer to God and ask Him to guide you in your understanding. Use God's Word as the focal point of your prayer.

By way of example, in Isaiah 55:11 God's Word says,"My word shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and prosper in the thing for which it was sent". Ask Him to achieve in your life exactly what He wants His word to achieve, and to flourish His word in your life for the precise purpose for which he delivered it. That's the way you make the Word the focal point of your prayers. You're praying for that which He said from the text to happen in your lifetime.

So 1 method you can do a topical research through Scripture would be to compile a listing of texts referring to a subject.

You will find tons of these you can use but here's a few for starters: Mt 4:4; Prov 2:1-6; Ps 119:49-50, 67, 81, & 130.

Apart from all the great Scripture you'll be learning and implementing on your life this will help save you from feeling daily Bible study is overly routine.

# 3) Get Objections Out of the Way

Sometimes when I mention studying the Bible people will raise objections. Here's a few of them, which I will follow after with hints on to cope with them:

The Bible's too intimidating
It does not make sense to me
nobody knows what's right, that's why there's so many different denominations
The Bible is not relevant to our culture now
and many more

Write down any ideas you're having that can affect you in a negative manner, then think them through. For instance, here is a few answers to the objections listed above.

"The Bible's too intimidating". That's OK! We feel humiliated about a lot of things we do if we're first getting started. Can you feel intimidated the first time you drove a vehicle? Had to give a speech in school? Asked a girl out on a date (or agreed to a if you're a gal)?

"It does not make sense to me". Hmmm. Or algebra? Certainly not! The Bible is similar to everything else. The more you spend time with it the more sense it will start making to you.

"No one knows what's correct, that's why there's a lot of different denominations." You're right, there are a lot of denominations. But you don't have to combine them all. Nor do you require perfect comprehension. What is more significant than that's having a right heart and a ideal spirit. Simply concentrate on what exactly does seem right, and stack the odds in your favor by going on the weight of evidence.

For example. Let's say I wish to know what happens when someone dies. I am able to choose a Bible concordance (essentially an index) and trace my subject through all Scripture. If I locate 30 texts on my subject, and 24 of these are saying something, but 6 of these appear to be saying something different, I could go by the weight of evidence and feel secure with the 24, and rely on them to attempt to understand what another 6 are stating in their circumstance.

One reason for so many denominations is individuals not using the weight of evidence to formulate a philosophy, but going on maybe 1-6 texts on a subject while being ignorant of ignoring everything else.

"The Bible isn't related to our culture now." Really? When was it relevant? Just joking (kind of) but consider it like that - there always was, and always will be, a tension between the ways of God and the culture around us. 2 Cor. 6:17. 2:11 And,"do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your head" Rom 12:2 While cultures are different principles will always stay the same. As will the tension between the church and the world (just as it is for the person - see Gal 5:17"For the flesh lusts contrary to the Spirit, and that the Spirit against the flesh")