How to Study the Bible

1 How to Study the Bible As Christians, we stake our lives on the claims of the Bible. However, it is unfortunate to see how few Christians have a basic understanding of the Bible, its central message, and how to read it. The hope of this document is to inform Christians, and even non-christians, on Bible basics and how to read it, in hopes to spark a love for God s holy Word. This is not an exhaustive document, but hopefully it will be enough information to spur you on a journey of being a creature of the Word, without leaving you overwhelmed. I would encourage you to keep this document in your Bible. Although this document does not have any examples, you will improve if you simply use it and practice. Table of Contents What are the introductory basics of the Bible?... 2 What s its central message?... 4 Creation... 4 Fall... 4 Redemption... 4 Restoration... 5 How do I read it?... 6 Pre-Process... 6 Observation - What does the passage say?... 7 Interpretation - What does the passage mean?... 9 Application - How do I apply the passage?... 10 Recommended Resources... 11 Recommended Reading Plan... 12

2 What are the introductory basics of the Bible? Let s address this by answering a series of common questions: What is the Bible? The Bible is a book, or shall we say a library, made up of 66 books; which includes history, poetry, letters, law, and other genres. It is a book which claims to be written by God, which gives the only message of salvation, and which internally testifies to its own truthfulness. Who wrote the Bible? God wrote the Bible through men by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He claims to be its author within the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16). We can have confidence of this fact because of the peculiar glory it presents, the salvation it preaches, the prophecies it fulfills, and because it is without error (to name a few reasons). God wrote the Bible over the course of some 1500 years, on three continents, in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, & Greek), using over 40 different men. Amazingly it is one unified story. How is the Bible separated? The Bible is separated by one main break, separating the Old Testament from the New Testament. The Old Testament is the story of ancient Israel s encounters with God, and it can be understood as God s promises made to His people. The New Testament describes the salvation offered to all people s, not just Israel, which was brought by God s Son Jesus Christ. We can view this portion of Scripture as God s promises kept for His people. The New Testament is ultimately the fulfillment of what the Old Testament pointed forward to. How did we get the Bible? Many people think that the early church might have somehow messed up what needed to be in the Bible. The early church fathers, however, only affirmed what had been unanimously confirmed as God's Word. Jesus Himself affirms the Old Testament canon. These were the specific books that the Jews accepted, and that list didn't include the apocrypha (the additional books in the Catholic Bible), which is a reason Christians don't accept it. The New Testament canon was affirmed through various church councils in the first couple of centuries (Councils of: Muratorian, Laodicia, Hippo, and Carthage). They used a specific criteria: was the book written by an apostle or a close companion to an apostle, was the book universally accepted by the church, was the book consistent with the other books, and did the book reflect God's character. Plus, many biblical books affirm other books to be from God. How do we get our translations of the Bible? There are two primary ways that the Bible is translated: formal equivalence and functional equivalence. Contrary to modern belief, the Bible isn't translated like a telephone game. Bible translators go back to the original three languages to make new translations of the Bible. Formal equivalence is translating the Bible in a word-for-word format from the original languages (e.g. ESV, NASB, NKJV). Functional equivalence is translating the Bible in a thought-for-thought format (e.g. NIV, CSB, NLT). What s the best translation for me to read? This varies depending on the reader, but my favorite Bible translation is the English Standard Version (ESV) because it is translated word-for-word from the original languages, and because it is readable. The translation is said to be only at an 8th grade reading level, and it is a recent translation (2001), so its

3 language is modern. I d recommend having a word-for-word translation and a thought-for-thought translation. Why should I read the Bible? You should read the Bible because God will speak and it will change you. Before dying on the cross to save His people, Jesus Christ prayed a prayer to God the Father. In the prayer, He prayed that God would sanctify His people by the truth (John 17:17). Jesus then said that God s Word is truth. So, what Jesus was communicating in this prayer is that a Christian will mature (sanctify means to grow in holiness) ultimately by the Word of God. You will never meet a mature Christian who doesn t study the Bible, and you will never meet an immature Christian who does. For those who aren t Christian, this book will tell you about how to be saved from your sin, and believing in this message will impact your life and change your eternal destination. Where do I start in the Bible? The Bible is a big book that can come off as extremely intimidating. I suggest beginning with the New Testament, and in particular with one of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John). Eventually, you should make your way through the New Testament, and after finishing it, make your way through the Old Testament. The Old Testament can be confusing; it's like walking into a dark room and struggling to identify the objects. The New Testament is like turning on the lights; it will help you see what is truly going on in the Old Testament. (See page 12 for suggested Bible reading plans).

4 What s its central message? The central message of the Bible can be summed up by four words: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. (There is a gospel thread running through the entire Bible). Creation The Bible opens by introducing God as the creator and ruler of all things, and it says that He made all things good. The pinnacle of creation was God s creation of male and female in His image. Man had direct, intimate relationship with God; having been made to represent Him in creation with a unique kind of worth, dignity, and purpose. Unfortunately, the story continues and the fall occurs, which we will consider next, but the original goodness of creation is something that is longed for through the rest of Scripture. In the creation account, we see how the world was supposed to function, and we are made aware instantly that it does not function as it should. This should create in us a wonder and a desire to see things as they were, and to know God as we once could. Fall As the story continues we see the fall occur. That is when Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God, and in doing so, they tainted the entire human race with sin. Because of man s rebellion, the Lord God will act as the just judge that He is and punish sin (ultimately in hell). Interestingly, the Lord chooses also to show mercy and grace to the world and to man. Throughout Scripture we see man continue to walk in rebellion against God, but we see the Lord continues to pursue them and make them into His set-apart people. Even so, the Lord is totally in the right to judge all mankind, because He is the creator and ruler, and we are the guilty rebels. As we read the Bible in the Old Testament, we see the promise of redemption from the fall. Redemption Even though all people walk in rebellion against God, the Lord still chooses to pursue and dwell with people. God chose Israel out of all the nations of the world, not because they were lovely or great, but rather because He is love and great. In choosing them, He made them His people and set them apart from all the other nations by giving them direct counsel, commands, and love. The Lord was redeeming these people for Himself. It brought Him glory and it brought them joy and prosperity (whenever they weren t choosing to rebel against Him). As we continue reading, we see God reveal Himself in a more personal way, and we see Him expand His people past the ethnic group of Israel into all the nations. God, through His Son Jesus Christ, brought redemption to the world. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life and died on a cross, on which He paid in full the punishment for the sin of His people. He then resurrected from the dead, proving His deity and asserting His claims. Redemption is now found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He buys us back to Himself from our rebellious natures, by leading us to repent of our sin (turning away from sin and back to God) and by gifting us with faith in Him alone.

5 Restoration As the story of the Bible continues, we see people being restored from their broken dispositions and brought back into direct, intimate relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. Life is beginning to look more like it was made to be in creation, at least for those who are redeemed by Jesus Christ. Although, restoration doesn t promise material prosperity, it does promise joy in God and new life. Now that we have the greatest being in the universe as our Father, our lives begin to look more and more like Jesus by the power of His Holy Spirit. God is a triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), and salvation is a process that each member of the Godhead contributes to in perfect unity. Through the redemption found in Jesus Christ, God begins to restore our lives through the Holy Spirit by releasing us from the grip that sin once had on us, and He uses us to spread this great message to all people. God also begins to restore the world; until one day, when we will be with God in the New Heaven and New Earth that He will inaugurate. The story that is threaded through all the stories of the Bible is the story of God redeeming a people for Himself through the work of His Son Jesus Christ. It s the story of how God saves us by His grace through faith in Christ alone. Ultimately, the story of the Bible is the gospel. The word gospel means good news. The good news of the Bible is that we get to have God as our God; He is the hero and the prize of the Bible.

6 How do I read it? The Bible studying process to be presented is commonly known as an inductive Bible study. This section will simply be a brief introduction to the process; there have been numerous books written on the topic, but you should find these steps and tools helpful. We will summarize the inductive method with the three terms: Observation, Interpretation, and Application (OIA). I promise you will improve if you practice. Don t feel as if you need to complete everything that is suggested; however, if you do, you will surely see more of God s greatness in His holy Word. I d suggest for you to fully read through this document, then choose a few points in the Observation section to help your study, then proceed to the Interpretation and Application sections. As you practice, you will likely use this document more broadly. The ultimate goals of the Bible reader should be to cherish the glory of God by figuring out what the original author was trying to communicate to his original hearers (just as you would do with any letter/text message that was written to a specific person), and to apply the truth that you have discovered in the Word. Pre-Process Read through a book of the Bible The Bible isn t a dictionary or fortune cookie. It s a book made up of multiple books. You wouldn t start a novel at a random place and expect to understand what it s saying, likewise, read the Bible book by book, starting in chapter 1 verse 1 of whichever book you are studying and you will gain understanding. Read a chapter a day Don t worry about speed reading. Speed doesn t always equal depth. Taking it slow in the Bible will allow more things to come to light. Designate a time of day and a place where you will get alone with God for at least 30 minutes. If you still want to read through the entire Bible in a year, then perhaps consider having two reading plans: 1) study slowly chapter by chapter in one book (morning), 2) read through the whole Bible in a year (night). Pray Ask God to reveal to you what He wants you to know. Ask God to reveal to you His glory. Ask God to change you from the inside-out by changing your heart, your thoughts, your words, and your actions.

7 Observation - What does the passage say? Read and reread This is basic, but it s still a good reminder. The more you read something the more you will understand it and see new insights. Read a passage at least twice. Praying as you read is also greatly encouraged. Write out the passage It's been said that writing something out is like reading it seven times. If you really want to focus on a passage and gain insights, then write it out word for word. Determine the Literary Genre Knowing whether a book is a poem/song or whether it is a historical account is immensely important. The genre of the book totally changes how we read it. We don t read a song (many Psalms) the same way we would read a history book (1 Samuel). Discovering the genre can be as simple as looking it up in a Study Bible. Write down facts that you notice This discipline will really help you dig for gold in a passage. If you aim to see things and learn something new, then begin by writing what the text plainly says. As you write, I bet new insights will jump out at you. Set a goal of writing something like 25-50 facts (refer to the next seven Observation suggestion for help on what to look for). *Suggestion: ask God to reveal things that you ve never noticed*. Answer the questions - Who? What? Where? When? How? These are basic investigative questions. Who is speaking/main characters? What is happening? Where is it taking place? When did the events take place (historically and in the book)? How did people respond? Look for things that are: emphasized, repeated, related, alike, unlike, & unusual Looking for these things is like searching for a lighthouse when you re lost at sea. If you find it, it will help guide you in a good direction. These seemingly random facts are not there by chance. Look for conjunctions & prepositions Conjunctions are words like therefore. They are important for gaining explanations. Always ask, what is the therefore there for? A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between nearby words (e.g. for, from). As much as we don t want to reminisce on high school English, knowing the conjunctions and prepositions will better help you follow the argument of the author, which is very useful and important. Lookup Keywords Many passages center around a significant word. If you look up that word in the original language (Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek), then you will gain depth that is nearly impossible to clearly communicate in a translation. Websites like the Biblehub.com are useful for looking up specific words in their original languages, in order to see their original meaning. A Bible Dictionary is also highly recommended. Use three highlighters and highlight things about: 1) God, 2) Salvation, 3) Evil & Sin It s useful to highlight verses in this manner because it causes you to look for something. Once you write out the passage, take time with three highlighters and highlight where you see something said about God, salvation, and evil/sin.

8 Answer questions like - what does this passage say about: God (Father, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit)? Salvation? Man? Sin? Satan? Heaven/Hell? Christian Life? Answering these questions will switch your mind into theologian mode. We are all theologians. Theology is the study of God. Whether we want to admit it or not, every person has an opinion about God, therefore, we are all theologians. Let s try to be good theologians by answering these doctrinal questions in each passage. Answer these questions to help us consider the gospel - Where does this text stand in relation to Christ? How does this passage show us mankind s need for Christ? How does this passage reveal the nature of the God who provides redemption? Answering these questions will help us keep the gospel fresh in our minds. The whole Bible centers around the good news of the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament points forward to Him and awaits His coming, much of the New Testament describes His life, and the rest of the New Testament points back at what He did and points forward to what He s doing. Check Cross-References In the margins of most Bibles are verse cross-references. These cross-references will often lead us to previous stories or future mentions of what we are reading, and these referenced verses will help us to understand what our verse is communicating. Compare two or three different Bible translations This is an extremely useful discipline. Comparing Bible translators will help you consider how different scholars translate the Bible, and how they use different words and phrases. Comparing the differences can be insightful. Some popular/useful translations to compare are the ESV, NIV, and NKJV. Check your Study Bible for insight Sometimes things won t jump out at us when we re reading our Bibles, or we ll get stuck with a confusing verse. Having a good Study Bible is useful because it can help us get out of our study ditches, and give us insight that we need to better understand a passage. After wrestling with the verse, check your study Bible. Additional Tips: Check Related Passages Often times Bible stories are repeated in multiple books. If that is the case, reading the story in each book can bring helpful insight. Check out cross references of keywords A good concordance (the most popular is the Strong s Concordance) can show us where specific words are used elsewhere in the Bible. When we see how words are used in other passages we can better understand their meaning in our passage. Consult a Commentary If you have access to a commentary on a specific biblical book, then utilizing it for deeper insight can be greatly helpful. It can also introduce to you the debates that are going around among Bible experts on how to understand a given verse. When something is tricky or confusing, a solid commentary can be useful (see suggested sets on page 11).

9 Interpretation - What does the passage mean? Remember the Historical Context When trying to consider what a verse or a passage means, remember to put yourself in the shoes of the original hearers. They were typically first century (and B.C.) rural farmers/blue collar workers, and they were all middle-eastern people who often found themselves amid war, regime changes, and whatever else was happening historically. If we read the Bible as if it was written in the 21st century or directly to 21st century readers, then we will likely misunderstand what it means. The introductions for each biblical book in a Study Bible are extremely helpful here, as well as the YouTube videos by The Bible Project. Remember the Literary Context When interpreting a verse, always consider the verse just prior to it and the verse immediately after it. Likewise, when interpreting a chapter, consider what the previous and the post chapters have to say. The Bible is not a fortune cookie, where we can pick random statements and make them mean what we want. Keep things in context. Also, consider the context of the whole Bible. Remember that the Bible is a story about God saving rebellious people. Scripture will always be the best interpreter of Scripture. Paraphrase the Passage As you are bringing your observations to an end and you re feeling comfortable with your understanding of the passage, begin to write out a paragraph of the passage in your own words. This will force you to do interpretation. As you write out a paraphrase, attempt to simplify it with less words. Summary statement of the author s point to the audience Now that you ve done the dirty work of observation, a.k.a. digging for gold, the final step is to conclude what you think is the point of the passage. What was the author trying to communicate to his readers? This is exactly what God wants to communicate to you. Try to write a one sentence summary of the main point. (To note, as you practice inductive Bible studies, you will get better. Sometimes you will conclude something that might be contrary to the true main point, but don t let that discourage you. God wants to grow you and help you). Remember the more you dig for gold in observation, the clearer the gold of interpretation will be. Compare your interpretation to a Commentary Avoid coming up with new interpretations, because new ones are likely wrong. The Holy Spirit has not kept truth from the people of God for two-thousand years, and chosen to give one individual in our dayand-age special insight into it. The Spirit of God has been illuminating the Bible since He wrote it; therefore, there should be no new interpretations of Scripture. Whenever you conclude what you think an interpretation is, check out a good commentary (suggested below), or your Study Bible, and make sure that your interpretation is within Christian orthodoxy. Sometimes we may make a conclusion that is wrong, but it may not be unchristian, yet it isn t the point of the text. Hold on to your new insights, but seek to understand how the commentators reached their conclusion and whether they are right.

10 Application - How do I apply the passage? Indicative vs. Imperative The indicative is simply a statement of fact. The imperative is a command. The indicatives of the Bible tell us what has been done. The imperatives of the Bible tell us what we must do. We must be careful not to take a message of what has been done, and turn it into something that we must do. But, we can find principles and examples to follow from indicative statements; however, they shouldn t be taken as imperative commands. Descriptive vs. Prescriptive When reading the Bible, you will notice differences in how passages are presented. Some are prescriptive, meaning that it prescribes to us what we must do, sort of like a doctor s prescription. While other passages are more descriptive, meaning that they describe history and scenes. Again, we must be careful not to conclude a descriptive passage to be prescriptive. Although, we can find principles and examples to follow from descriptive passages, they shouldn t be taken as prescriptive commands. Ask some of these questions about your passage as they relate: How can I apply the main point of the passage? Is there an example for me to follow? Is there a sin to avoid/confess? Is there a promise to claim? Is there a prayer to repeat? Is there a command to obey? Is there a condition to meet? Is there a verse to memorize? Is there an error to avoid? Is there a challenge to face? Is there a principle to apply? Is there a habit to change - i.e. start or stop? Is there an attitude to correct? Is there a truth to believe? Pray Whenever you complete your study of a passage end with prayer. Ask the Lord to pierce your mind and heart with the truth that you just learned. Ask the Lord to help you to apply the truth you learned. Finally, ask the Lord to allow that truth to overflow into love for Him and love for people.

11 Recommended Resources Study Bible ESV Study Bible, Crossway (General Editor - Wayne Grudem) NIV Zondervan Study Bible, Zondervan (General Editor - D.A. Carson) MacArthur Study Bible (NKJV, NASB, ESV, or NIV) (General Editor - John MacArthur) Interpreting and Reading the Bible Living by the Book: The Art and Science of Reading the Bible, Howard Hendricks & William Hendricks (400). 40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible, Robert Plummer (352). Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds, Jen Wilkin (160). The Doctrine of the Bible Taking God at His Word: Why the Bible is Knowable, Necessary, and Enough, and what that means for you and me, Kevin DeYoung (144). Bible Doctrine: Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith, Wayne Grudem (528). Teaching the Bible Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism, Timothy Keller (320). Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon, Bryan Chapell (400). Extra Tools Commentaries (sets) Tyndale Commentaries, IVP (49 Volumes) Christ Centered Exposition Commentary (CCE) (22 volumes) New Bible Commentary (1 volume), IVP Bible Dictionary New Bible Dictionary, IVP Vine s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, W. E. Vine Concordance & Cross References Strong s Concordance, James Strong The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, R. A. Torrey Bible Study Workbooks Knowing the Bible, Crossway The Wiersbe Bible Study Series, Warren Wiersbe Bible Software ESV.org (subscription this is a resource that I highly recommend! It includes 7 Study Bibles, Knowing the Bible workbooks, and the Preaching the Word commentary series [36 vol.]) Logos Olive Tree Websites Sermons, Articles, & Tools DesiringGod.org GotQuestions.org YouTube - The Bible Project Biblehub.com BestCommentaries.com

12 Recommended Reading Plan New Testament (NT) Study One Year Plan: NT (one chapter per weekday) Psalms (two Psalms on Saturday & one Psalm on Sunday) An Overview of the NT by Author: Luke, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Mark, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Matthew, Hebrews, James, Jude, John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Revelation One Year Plan: OT (two chapters per day) Psalms (one Psalm per day) Old Testament (OT) Study An Overview of the OT: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, 2 Kings, Obadiah, Joel, Amos, Jonah, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Haggai, Zechariah, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah, Malachi, Job, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles The Whole Bible in a Year (OT & NT) Study A Reading Plan with The Bible Project Read Scripture app One Year Slow & Deep Study January Jonah, February Mark, March Galatians, April Ephesians, May Philippians, June Colossians, July James, August 1 Peter, September 2 Peter, October 1 John, November & December Romans For the Fame of Christ s Name, Danny Fernandez Dfaf716@gmail.com