How Do I Study the Bible?

God’s Word

The Holy Bible

It can sound intimidating– studying the Bible, knowing God’s Word. It can sound like you need to have an extra special education, be a monk or speak in several languages… or maybe even know the secret handshake to figure this out.  As a pastor I have heard many people talk about their lack of understanding of the Bible, their confusion about how to study it or understand it.

Many people are intimidated when it comes to reading the Bible. They hear pastors and teachers teach, and think “how could they know all that stuff”.  There are terms that we don’t use in our everyday language today- propitiation, sanctification, not to mention all the -ology’s (soteriology, ecclesiology, etc).  Then there are places that seem strange and hard to place- Where is Bethel?  Where is Elam on a map?  How about all those strange nations and people who are mentioned- Philistines, Hittites, Edomites… and all the other -ites.   To many, understanding the Bible is like a foreign language, trying to understand something from another world… and in some ways it is.

The Bible is a spiritual book, authored by and understood by the Holy Spirit.  For some that is not helpful because they are unsure about the Holy Spirit, but hang with me.

The Holy Bible (Bible is a french word for book) is a book about God’s character, His actions and His expectations for man. Yes there is a lot that is foreign to us in our modern, particularly American, culture. But the encouraging thing here is that the intent of the Bible, the reason we read it and study it is not to know who the Hittites were or what propitiation means… it is to know the God the Bible talks about.

Jesus looked at the religious leaders of His day and told them that they had missed the entire purpose for God’s Word…

John 5  39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

The Scriptures were really about Him, not the words on the page, not the people, places or things in the Word of God.  Not that those things are not important, just that they are not the primary purpose.  The same is true for us today, we have to approach the Bible, not for the sake of knowing the Bible as a book, but so that we can get to know God.  So don’t allow all the things you don’t know or don’t understand keep you from opening and reading your Bible, come to it with the intent that you are here, with Bible open, so that you can get to know God better, understand the teachings of God better so you can follow Him closer.

So now that we have got the Bible open, what’s next?

Over the years I have answered a lot of questions about Bible study, a lot of questions that people were really kind of afraid to ask, after all, aren’t Christians and church people supposed to know how to study the Bible?  So, while to some of you this may seem simplistic, here are some answers to common questions about Bible study…

1) How much am I supposed to read at a time?

I have heard a lot of answers to this question- a chapter a day, whatever is in the devotional you are using, etc..  Well, let’s go back to the purpose for Bible study- to get to know God.  Read until you come across something that teaches you something interesting, profound, challenging or encouraging about God. That may be a few verses, a chapter or two or three chapters. There is no contest to see how much of the Bible you read, the important (read vital) part of reading the Bible is to draw closer to God, to fall more in love with God.

God is concerned not with volume but quality. He wants you to get to know Him through His Word, and He delights in teaching us who He is. Read these verses below and make this your approach to reading the Bible…

Psalm 119  12 Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees.

Psalm 25  4 Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. 5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.

So each time you pick up the Bible to read, read until God speaks to you, are drawn to a phrase or verse or story, and spend some time reading it over a few times, letting the words sink into your mind and heart. If you feel like you only read a few verses, remind yourself of the purpose- I am here to get to know God, and He spoke to me. If you feel like to had to read a lot to get something, remind yourself of the purpose- I am not here to read a little or a lot of the Bible, I am here to get to know God.   And spend a few moments thanking God for teaching you about Himself.

2) How do I understand what it says, so much of this seems hard to get?

First of all, you’re right, the Bible can be hard to understand and apply to our lives. The Bible is a spiritual book, written by men through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit…

2 Peter 1  20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

So we are dealing with the supernatural acts, thoughts and character of God. God spoke to the prophet Isaiah and told him that man’s ways were not naturally our ways…

Isaiah 55  8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

This seems like an impossible barrier to overcome. It would be like someone like me being told to read a nuclear physics book and understand it. Their ways are not mine, I don’t know how it works, how to define their terms or even how a clue as to how a nuclear reaction really works. What I would need is a teacher… and so God provides the perfect teacher for us to understand His ways.

Our teacher is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God who comes to live in every believer. And yes, the same Holy Spirit that inspired the men who wrote the Bible. Nothing like the author of the book being your teacher of the book.

John 14  26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

So how do we understand what the Bible says?  We listen to our teacher. The Holy Spirit can reveal the meaning of things to us, as we need them, as we need to hear and know them. He does not give us instant understanding of everything in the Bible. Like a good teacher he shows us what is next, what we need, what we can bear, what we can grasp.  Read the passage below and realize that you will never know God’s things by just being able to understand, you have to be taught by the only one who really knows, the Holy Spirit…

1 Corinthians 2   9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”  10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy  Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

So when you read the Bible, first get ready to get to know God, not just the words on the page, and second pray and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you what you are going to read.  Now the Spirit may also use a Sunday School teacher or a pastor or another Christian to help you understand a passage or a word, so here is part of my “best advice” for understanding the Bible- ask questions, lots and lots of questions.

When I first came to know Christ, I had very little Bible knowledge. I didn’t know the difference between Galatians and Genesis, between Joshua and Joseph, between… well, you get the idea.  I did however attend a Sunday School class and our Bible Study on Wednesday night, and before, during and after, I would pepper my teachers with questions. Not because I was obnoxious, which I am sure in some ways I was, but because I wanted to know.  And they were great in helping me to understand.  If you have questions, find someone you can ask them of- a pastor, a Bible Study teacher or if you wish email me (pluslife.ministry@gmail.com) and I will be glad to help you.  But please ask. The Holy Spirit has given many in people in the Body wisdom and understanding and they would be glad to help.

3) But there is so much I don’t understand, it seems frustrating?

Without being sarcastic, welcome to the club!  Because the Bible is a spiritual book, written by God, there is not a person on this planet who can explain everything in it in perfect form and know everything about God. God is too big to be outlined, flow-charted, cliffs noted, and put into your pocket.  Everyone who reads the Bible struggles with understanding what it says, what it means, how to put what they read into practice. Don’t be intimidated by people who seem to know a lot about the Bible, no one just knows this stuff or is just smart at it. Everyone, whether they have a college education or a fifth-grade education, has to learn through the Holy Spirit teaching them. No one has a leg up on knowing the Bible, everyone is dependent on the Holy Spirit to give them understanding.

The point is not what you don’t know, the point is to gain something you need to know.  Too many people look at the Bible like another subject. I want to learn math so I read, do problems and there you go… I know algebra.  Christianity and living the Christian life is not like that.  The depth of what you can know and learn is infinite, because it is not the 66 books of the Bible you are seeking to know, it is God Himself, and He is God without end, infinite in love, power, forgiveness, hope, grace and mercy.  We have a hard time picturing the infinite in our mind.  What is something like that has no end?  That is what it is like to try to know God, there is never an end to His greatness.

So don’t concern yourself with your lack of knowledge or understanding of a certain part of the Bible.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, is constantly in a learning process when it comes to studying the Bible (any of you who would like to give encouragement to others about this leave a comment on the bottom).  Just engage yourself in the process and read your Bible, what you don’t understand, let it be OK. There is more than enough to learn and know, you will get around to the rest. Listen to the Spirit and learn what you can this day.

4) Where do I start?

If you are just starting to read the Bible, I would suggest you start with one of the first 4 books of the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are what is called the Gospels. These are the books about the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus. John can be a little easier or Luke. but these are usually a good place to start reading.

5) What version of the Bible should I read?

A loaded question for sure. There is some controversy in the church today about Bible versions, not as much as there used to be, but still some people like some versions better than others. This answer is not a ringing endorsement of any particular version just a short thought on some of the more popular versions-

King James- traditional version used in the church for many years. Written in Olde English- thee, thou, knowest, etc. If you find this lyrical and have a high reading level, you might find this enjoyable.

New King James- basically the same as the King James with all of the Olde English removed. This is the Bible version that I normally preach from. Very readable and understandable.

New International Version- written in modern English and the most popular version on the market

New Living Translation- this is a version where all of the more difficult words and concepts are broken down into easy to understand English.

If you would like to compare versions, my suggestion would be to go to http://www.biblestudytools.com and read a passage in the several different versions that they have online.

6) Should I have a reading system or a devotional to use?

If you find this helpful to keep you reading on a regular basis, by all means use one.  Here is one caution however, remember the point is for you to get to know God and allow the Holy Spirit to teach you each time you open the Bible. Reading a short scripture and a devotional thought does not mean that God has spoken to you. If you read your passage and devotion and are unmoved, and the Spirit is silent, keep reading or pick another book or chapter to read as well. Don’t stop just because that is what the devotional said to read for today.

7)  Are there some other books that would be helpful to me in studying the Bible?

There are a few things that would be helpful. First, a good study Bible would be helpful. This is a Bible that has cross-references so you can see other passages in the Bible that deal with the same subject you are reading about, it also has study notes at the bottom of the page to help you understand.  There are a few ones that I recommend…

The Life Application Study Bible- good study Bible with notes on how to apply what you read

Quest Study Bible- good for the first time Bible reader

NIV Study Bible- solid study Bible with lots of cross references and notes

Experiencing God Study Bible- great Bible that helps you connect with God (out-of-print but you can find them on Amazon or other used book sites)

Secondly, and these are just suggestions: Manners and customs of the Bible (typical reference book that helps you to understand time period places, people and things), Strong’s Concordance (look up words and where they are used in the Bible), Bible Dictionary.  All of these references can be found in Bible study software that I would strongly encourage you can purchase.  Check here for different versions and prices on the software.

I would like to end our blog with a prayer for you as you look to get more out of your Bible reading or would like to start…

Our Heavenly Father you are a great God, a God worth knowing and knowing better each day. Help us as we open your Word, your Word that you have left us to bring us and you closer together. Lord there is much that we do not know and much that we do not understand, please fill us with your Holy Spirit, our teacher and guide, so that we can be excited, uplifted, challenged, corrected and encouraged by what we learn each day.

Blessings on you as the Bible in your house gets opened more and the pages of it become more of a friend to you.  We will do more on How to Study the Bible in a later post.