Skip to main content

Practical Bible Study Suggestions


®       Set A Special Time

Set a special time each day to study.  The time selected will depend on your personal schedule or preference. Some prefer to study early in the morning when they are fresh and some find their best time to be late at night.   Whatever time you select, set it apart as a regular appointment time with God to study His Word.


®       Select A Special Place

Select a place that is as free from noise and interruption as possible. Be sure to have good lighting to enable you to read without eye strain. If it is possible, select a place where you can leave your study materials, i.e., Bible, pencil, paper, and any Bible study books you may have. This way you do not have to spend time each day collecting these items before you start your study.


®       Start A Special Way

Start each study session with prayer. Ask God to open your understanding so you will be able to receive His Word. The Psalmist David prayed:


Let my cry come near before thee, O Lord; give me understanding according to thy Word.  (Psalm 119:169)


PREREQUISITES TO BIBLE STUDY


A prerequisite is something you must do before you can do something else.


The Bible is the Word of God. It is not like any other book and you cannot study it as you do other books. There are prerequisites; things you must do before you can begin if you are to understand the deep spiritual things of God.  If you want to understand the Bible you must first know the Author of the Bible. Jesus said:


He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. (John 8:47)


You cannot understand God's Words without knowing God. How do you come to know God?  Jesus told Nicodemus, who was a religious leader in the nation of Israel:


Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)


Even though a0 man may be educated, learned, cultured, and even religious, but the understanding of Scripture will be hidden from him until his spiritual eyes have been opened by the new birth.  Nicodemus asked Jesus, "How can these things be?" He did not understand what Jesus meant. Jesus answered and said:


Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?  (John 3:10)


Nicodemus was a religious leader of Israel, yet he did not know about being born again. 


How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? (John 3:4)


Jesus explained to Nicodemus that the new birth of which He was speaking was a spiritual birth. This new birth experience comes through faith in Jesus Christ. You must confess you are a sinner. You must believe Jesus died for your sins, ask forgiveness for your sins, and accept Him as your personal Savior.


The person who has not been born again cannot receive the truth of God's Words:


But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14)


The unsaved man may admire the Bible for its literary beauty and value. He may study it historically or geographically. But the spiritual truths of God's Word will remain hidden until he receives forgiveness of sin:


For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Suggestions for Successful Bible Study

v   READ GOD’S WORD DAILY: But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. (Psalm 1:2) God made your physical body so you must have food daily in order to remain healthy. In a similar manner, your spirit must be fed daily with the food of the Word of God if you are to be spiritually healthy: . . . It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God. (Luke 4:4) v   READ SELECTIVELY: Start by reading the "milk" of the word. These are the simple truths of the Word of God: As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby. (1 Peter 2:2) Eventually as you stay with it, you will mature spiritually to where you can eat "meat" of the Word of God. This means you will be able to understand more difficult teachings of the Bible: For everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.   But strong meat belonget...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bible Study - Introduction

In Bible study it is important to rightly divide the Word of God. This means you must understand what is being said to whom. You must also interpret and apply the meaning correctly.    For example: Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.     (2Timothy 2:15) "Rightly dividing" as used here is taken from the rules for Old Testament sacrifices and means to "cut straight." In the Old Testament, when a person brought a sacrifice for sin, the animal was divided into three parts. One part was offered to God. Another part was given to the one who brought the offering. The third part went to the priest. From this practice the expression "rightly dividing" developed. It means to "give to each that which belongs to him." There are three major groups to which the Word addresses itself. These are listed in I Corinthians 10:32: Give none offense, neither to the Jews, n...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bible Study - Introduction - 2

THE RULE OF FIRST MENTION The rule of first mention is as follows: The first time a word, phrase, object, or incident is mentioned in the Bible, it gives the key to its meaning anywhere else it occurs.    For example, in Genesis 3 there is the first mention of fig leaves. Here, Adam used fig leaves to try to cover his own sin and nakedness by his own efforts. Fig leaves speak of self-righteousness, rejection of God's remedy, and an attempt to justify ones self before God.    This is the meaning of fig leaves wherever they are mentioned afterwards in the Bible.    For example, the last time fig leaves are mentioned is by Jesus in Matthew 21 and Mark 11 and 13. Here we find a fig tree with leaves but no fruit. Jesus cursed it and it withered away. To understand this act we need to remember the law of first mention and go back to Genesis 3. Fig leaves represent man's rejection of God's remedy and a self-righteous attempt to justify himself. The fig tr...
Post a Comment
Read more