STUDYING THE BIBLE

Simply reading the bible is not the same as studying. The bible is the divine word  of God and therefore deserves respect. The Bible is one of the most misinterpreted books ever written, and most people find it to be very hard to understand. A long time and many cultures were involved between the time of the Bible’s composition and the modern age. The primary goal of studying the bible is to understand GOD’s divine purpose for man. Through the bible we understand God’s design and plan. The bible also reveals who God is to us through his spirit. Every other reason of studying the bible is secondary.  Firstly, we have to understand that the Bible is God's word written by men as they were inspired by the Holy spirit. 2 Peter 1:21

Joshua was instructed by God in his book thus: “this book of the law shall not depart from thy mouth, but shall meditate on it day and night and do according to all that is there in, and then thou shall make thy way prosperous and have good success.” Joshua 1:8

Paul also wrote to Timothy telling him to study to show himself approved unto GOD. 2 timothy 2:15a.

It is very paramount that we study the bible. As little children in the church we sang songs that meant so much more than we understood while we were infants. Songs like :

Read your bible, pray everyday, if you want to grow. The bible is God's manual

There is no regimented way of studying the bible, but we will consider some basic ways. 

1.Study the bible with an attitude of prayer: This should be the first step in understanding the Bible. Bible study should be approached with a prayerful desire to learn. Discipline yourself to be with the Word. The Bible will come alive for you. It is meant to be a spiritual food. Ask God to help you understand his word even before you begin.

      2. Plan your study: Set aside a time and place to study. Develop a plan of what you want to do. You may want to write out a plan in a calendar format assigning what you will want to read each day.  Purposely set aside time. Make an appointment with God at a particular time that works for you, if possible every day.

         3. Get a good study bible: Choose a translation to use during your study. You should select from translations, so that you make sure you are reading the text as it was meant to be read. Translations like the New International Version, New King James Version, English Standard Version are good.

      

         4.  Consider reading some books first:  I believe the book of John the Baptist is the easiest gospel to read. It identifies who Jesus really is and prepares you for the other 3 gospels. It would help to read it 2 or 3 times to get a good understanding of the author, topic, context, and characters. Concentrate on your reading and be patient.  When you are done with John, you can move to Matthew, Mark, Luke e.t.c. This is a personal idea of mine though.

        5. Use cross references and footnotes if you have them in your bible: These are little numbers and symbols which tell you to look somewhere else in the text for more information, or show you when something was previously discussed.