Bible Questions & Answers

What’s the Best Way to Study the Bible?

Many products come with a user guide explaining how the product is to be used. Unfortunately, some of these guides are highly technical and difficult to understand, leading to errors and frustration on the part of the user. The result? A poorly performing product and a dissatisfied customer!

Studying the Bible can be a similarly frustrating experience for some. Here are some principles to keep in mind when examining God’s “user guide” for His creation so this frustration can be avoided:

Understand who God is

The Bible contains knowledge God has inspired for our learning. To understand what God is trying to teach us, we must first recognize who and what He is.

As the benevolent creator of our universe, God is the most powerful being in existence (Genesis 1:1; 1 Chronicles 29:11). God is invisible spirit, and He rules His creation with perfect love and wisdom from His throne in heaven. He has the power and authority to set standards for our behavior and demand accountability when those standards are violated. Thankfully He also has the capacity for incredible compassion and mercy (Psalm 86:15).

Seek God’s help

The Scriptures describe God as a loving Father who both disciplines and rewards His children, always for their ultimate good (Hebrews 12:6-7; 1 John 3:1). Just as a human father wants to help his children become successful adults, our Heavenly Father wants to provide the help we need to prepare for our ultimate destiny—eternal life as spirit beings in His family (1 Corinthians 15:51-53; 1 John 2:25).

When we choose to live by His standards and accept the forgiveness He offers for their violation, He promises to do whatever it takes to see our spiritual development through to the end. But He also expects us to seek Him with all of our heart. This requires a serious commitment to prayer and Bible study. As we talk to God and ask Him for the help we need to understand His will, we will grow in our comprehension of the Bible and how to apply the truths it contains (James 1:5).

Have a teachable attitude

When studying the Bible, it is essential that we assume a teachable attitude. Just as young children believe and accept whatever their parents tell them, God wants us to be attentive to His every command and instruction (Matthew 18:2-4). This means we must accept the divine inspiration of the Scriptures and set aside any preconceived ideas the Bible does not support. We must also be willing to receive correction in areas in which we have failed to live up to God’s standards, so we can begin the process of personal change God expects from us.

Follow accepted rules of interpretation

Studying the Bible can be a daunting task. Originally written in ancient Hebrew and Greek over a 1,500-year period, this amazing book includes such diverse writing forms as history, poetry and prophetic revelation. It presents multiple, overlapping themes and often uses cryptic symbols to communicate its ideas. Although it can be read from cover to cover, not all its books are organized in chronological order—some books refer to the past, others to the present and others to the future. Some even refer to all three.

Making sense of such complexity and getting a clear picture of what God is trying to communicate is a lifelong challenge. However, both beginners and scholars are bound by the same rules of literary interpretation, including:

Use the Bible to interpret itself

  • Make every effort to understand the context. Note the historical setting, the author, the audience, the topic being discussed and the flow of ideas or dialogue. Avoid reading meaning into a word or passage that is not supported by the context.
  • Read all the scriptures on a particular subject, not just the ones that seem to support one point of view (2 Peter 1:20).
  • Use clearly understandable scriptures to interpret unclear ones when applicable, never the other way around.
  • Don’t be content to accept apparent contradictions—search the Scriptures for explanations that resolve potential conflicts between two or more passages (John 10:35).

Study both the Old and New Testaments

  • Both sections of Scripture are inextricably linked, both historically and theologically. In fact, there are hundreds of phrases from the Old Testament that are quoted in the New Testament. To fully understand the latter, we must take into consideration the former (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Use study resources appropriately

  • Use a concordance to identify the original Hebrew or Greek words in the text, but not to translate them into English.
  • Use a Bible dictionary, lexicon or word study guide to further clarify the meaning of the original words and phrases, but don’t lose sight of the context in which they appear.
  • Compare different translations of the Bible to see how scholars have rendered certain words and phrases. Be careful not to assume any one interpretation is correct.
  • Compare different commentaries to learn about the various perspectives on the Bible that exist. Be careful not to assume any one perspective is correct before comparing it to the Scriptures.
  • Take notes to aid in future study and reflection.

By applying these basic principles of Bible study, we will be able to more clearly understand what God wants to teach us about how to live, both now and forever.

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