Learning how to study the Bible is for everybody. Doing this will help us understand what it says and be able to use it in our lives. It’s real! It’s practical! And the truth is, we can easily learn how to study it.
What is the Bible?
When it comes to learning how to study the Bible, remember this: the Bible is really a collection of books or letters. The Old Testament is the first part of the Bible, and it contains 39 books (Genesis through Malachi). The New Testament is the second part of the Bible, and it contains 27 books (Matthew through Revelation). That means there are 66 books in the Bible. Each of the books in the Bible are divided into chapters and verses for easy reading. Along with this, some of the chapters have been divided into smaller sections or groups of verses, which you should easily be able to notice when you’re reading it.
How to Study the Bible to Get the Most Out of It
When you study the Bible, keep it simple and follow these three steps…
Step 1
Pick a starting point and begin reading. I recommend reading all the way through books of the Bible. For example, reading the first chapter of the book of John in the New Testament on day 1. Then reading the second chapter on day 2. And so on…
Also, you can read a section or even one verse in the Bible if that makes sense. For example, if it is a really good verse like John 3:16, it may need more attention. But keep moving forward through the whole chapter, even if it takes a few days. Here is that verse from the New American Standard 2020 version of the Bible:
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” — John 3:16
Step 2
When you finish reading a chapter, section, or verse, write a brief summary of what it said. The idea here is this: when you study the Bible, you will have some written notes about what it says. For example, John 3:16 says:
- There is a God, and He loves Us.
- God gave His Son.
- Everyone who believes in God’s Son will live forever.
Also, if you want to go deeper, you can check out a good commentary if you have one. You can even scan the internet for any information that may be out there. This could shed some light on the subject. If you want some help doing this, then go to our contact page and send me a message. I will email you back some material and resources.
Step 3
Do some thinking to determine how it applies to your life or someone you know. The idea here is to have some idea how to use what the Bible says in the chapter, section, or verse that you studied. For example, after studying John 3:16, two obvious applications of what is being said is that Jesus is the Son of God, and we need to believe in Jesus to get our sins forgiven and go to heaven when we die. It actually goes a bit deeper than this, and checking out some commentaries and other resources will help. But the basic message is still the same. I talk more about this here.
Keep This in Mind When Learning How to Study the Bible
The Bible is true in all that it says. The prophecies (things the Bible says are going to happen in the future) written in the Old Testament about the coming Messiah came true in Jesus Christ. This is amazing when you consider that the Old Testament was completed hundreds of years before Jesus came fulfilling those prophecies. In fact, the central message of the Bible focuses on the person and work of Jesus Christ. I talk more about that here.
A Final Thought
The Bible is your guide, and you can learn how to study the Bible by practicing this simple process.
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