How Should I Study the Bible?

Hey Andy, I study books and scripts, etc., but I don’t actually study the Bible. I have to admit, though, I’m a little intimidated. Where do I start? Thank you!

Hi, I can understand your intimidation, for when I first began reading the Bible, I started like any book – in the beginning. But once I got to the family trees in Genesis, it just overwhelmed me, and I’d set it down for another time. This happened every time I tried reading it, until I learned from somebody else a better way.

Now, there are many great ways of studying the Bible, and many formats. This is the way that I learned from my mentor when I first began to study the Bible, plus some additions that I’ve added over the years, and you’re free to use this method, also:

What You Need to Begin Studying the Bible

Before you begin, you will need 3 things:

1. A Bible
2. Something to write with
3. A notebook

How to Study the Bible

1. Before you begin, pray for guidance and understanding in your study. I also like to do this because I see it as a means of inviting God into my study time, and asking Him to speak to me as I read.
2. Read only 1 chapter per day. When I began reading the Bible, my mentor insisted on this. I didn’t understand at first, and one time, because I was getting so much into it all, I read 3 chapters. Then, when I saw him next, he asked me about the first chapter in that series, and I couldn’t tell him what I’d learned because I had all three on my mind. Studying only one chapter per day allows us to meditate on a little bit at a time each day, allowing it to dig deeper into our minds, which also helps us understand more of what’s going on.
3. Take Notes. This isn’t absolutely necessary, but many of us learn better when we write stuff down. If that’s not the case with you, then instead, maybe highlight or underline the verses that stand out to you and write down in the notebook why they do.
4. Pray for help in applying what you’ve learned. In the book of James, he mentions that those who just read (or listen to) the Word of God, but don’t do as it says, are like people who look at themselves in the mirror before going out, then immediately forget what they looked like. The whole point of the Bible is not just to know God and His history with His creation, but to obey it. James also mentioned that faith without works is dead. In other words, if you don’t back up what you believe by doing it, then what good is knowing what the Bible says, ya know? So you have to apply what you read in the Bible, and pray for understanding about just how to do that.
5. Dig deeper. You said that you like to study books and scripts. I would suggest, then, to also research the Bible by looking into commentaries, asking your Pastor, and looking it up on here, for I also offer an excellent amount of Bible studies, notes, links, etc. to help you to dig deeper in getting to know God through Jesus Christ and His Word.
6. Invite the Holy Spirit into your heart. Here’s the most interesting thing: Reading the Bible without the Holy Spirit can be like trying to decipher code or another language, and you literally can’t fully get it, nor can the Word of God indwell in you, unless you have the Holy Spirit — He’s like the code translator (in this analogy). Otherwise, you’re basically just reading a book of a foreign God and trying to understand it from the outside-in — like the difference between a teacher of a culture and a native of the culture. If you already have the Holy Spirit, then that’s awesome. But if you don’t, then you need to recognize and accept Jesus as Savior and Lord, repent of your sins up to this point, and surrender everything to Him (your life, your thoughts, your relationships, your job, your finances, your emotions, your behaviors,…). You’ll also need to get baptized. There are other things you’ll need to do after that, all of which will also help you in your studying of the Bible (join a church, tithe, get plugged in to a growth group/small group for discipleship and Christian fellowship, etc.), but accept Christ and get baptized are the beginning stages. I’d love to hear more as your journey begins/continues!

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