How to Studythe Bible.
Fourteen practical steps to a deeper, more faithful understanding of God’s Word.
Open the Word. Seek the Truth.
Start with prayer, read in context, compare Scripture with Scripture, and let the Bible explain itself. All fourteen original tips appear below.
Start reading the study ↓Begin with God
Prayer, purpose and context
Get up early
In Psalm 63:1 David says that he will seek God early. Starting the day with God is a must, and finding a dedicated time must be priority.
Pray before beginning your study
James 1:5 says God promises to give wisdom to all who ask in faith. Praying before Bible study connects us with the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus said will teach us (John 16:13).
Pick a topic that interests you
In Psalm 63:1 David says that he will seek God early. Starting the day with God is a must, and finding a dedicated time must be priority. See also Psalm 119:18.
Study the context
2 Timothy 3:15-17 states that all Scripture is from God. We cannot take one verse or part of one verse and twist it to say what it doesn’t.
Study Scripture Carefully
Compare passages, languages and context
Gather all the Scriptures on your topic
In Luke 24:27, Jesus gave a Bible study where He used all the Scriptures on a certain topic. We need to follow His example.
Compare Scripture with Scripture
Isaiah 28:9-13 commands us to compare Scripture with Scripture. Doing so will help prevent us from being led into deception.
Dig into the Greek and the Hebrew
There are free resources that make it easier than ever. The best one I’ve found is blueletterbible.org.
Cross reference
Find other Scriptures that use similar words or concepts. This will help broaden your understanding of the verse or topic you are studying.
Approach the text from different angles
Look at different things such as the context, the history and culture of the time, if there is anything that stands out to you in the text. Ask godly people how they see it also.
Go Deeper in Faith
Prophecy, history, notes and trust
Approach the text from different angles
Bible prophecy uses a lot of symbols. Compare verse to verse to see how the Bible defines the symbols. For example, Revelation 17:15 says seas represent people.
Make use of Bible commentaries
A favorite website of mine is bibletools.info as it brings different commentaries and books that share solid views on what certain Scriptures mean.
Compare the Bible with history
Using the historicist method, it is easy to see how the Bible predicts world history with pinpoint accuracy. For example, Daniel 2, 7, 8, & 11 show world history from that time to the return of Jesus.
Take notes and make marks
Whether on paper or computer, take notes of what you are studying in a way that helps you understand and remember. You can also highlight and make notes in your Bible.
Have faith
Hebrews 11:6. We must have faith that God will be with the honest seeker. We cannot please Him without faith.
The Advent Store offers a printed, shareable rack card for this subject.
