To
Study The Bible
by
Paul R. Mobley
Through the Bible God offers comfort, guidance, advice, and daily inspiration. It is as
useful today as it was when it was written.
The Holy Spirit, from God, guided each writer into what to say, what message to convey, and in language that all readers can understand. The Bible is thus inspired. And it is the complete message from God to us, 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
Its greater purpose is to reveal to each of us the Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ,
and how we relate to God with His approval, through Jesus Christ.
Study of the Bible is then important, and for each person. So let us look at a few ways
to study the Bible for our learning, comfort, and benefit.
never been found wrong. Being complete, it is self-explanatory. Each of us can study it
and come to the interpretation God intended for us to learn. No other tools are needed, however, many find that there area few that can help.
Bible Version - select a sound and solid referenced version such as the King James
Version, or the New American Standard Version.
Concordance - Cruden's Complete Concordance or Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
are good examples. Concordances give references for words and phrases.
Dictionaries - Bible dictionaries such as Smith's or Unger's Bible Dictionary define
Bible words in accord with their original meaning and usage.
understanding.
Background - for each Bible book is helpful in reaching an understanding of what was meant when the words were written, of who they were written to, why, and what was the purpose. It is also helpful when studying a phrase, or verse, to read the paragraph and
chapter that contains the verse or phrase.
Memorization - is not necesssarily the best way to learn the Bible for it may deflect
one from learning the messages. However, if one selects one book at a time of the New
Testament and reads that book each day for thirty days two things are likely to happen
are; one, a good understanding of that book, and two, many passages will be retained in
the mind becoming easily quotable.
Study by Verse - In this method and the following methods, one needs to also read
each reference for that verse, the whole paragraph it is found in, as well as the chapter,
to obtain an accurate and complete meaning or the message of that verse. One can also
study the topics in the verse using a concordance.
Paragraph Study - Paragraphs tend to give a complete thought. They can often be
studied alone, however it is wise to read each reference, and to study the main words and thoughts through use of a concordance and Bible dictionary.
Study by Chapter - It is needful to study chapters by first looking at the background
of the book. This can tell you who it was written to, and for what purpose, allowing a
better understanding of the chapter and how it fits the whole book message. Doing this
type study helps gain the whole message, or messages, in that chapter. More complete thoughts are common to chapters, yet reading all the references, and using a concordance
to study main words and phrases are of great help.
Study by Book - All four of the above methods are useful in studying a book at a time. Bibles often give a history, or background, of each book at the start of the book. These
are worth reading before and during a study of the book. The Book of James, for example, was written to Christians Jews thoughout Asia, as a practical guide to living Christianity.
Yet it applies to all Christians yesterday and today. And one expects to see practical applications of Christianity, and they are not disappointed.
Study by Word - Word study can more easily lead to false understandings of the
message. A Concordance and Bible Dictionary are required to gain an understanding
of the word wherever it is used.