HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Introduction: Proper and effective Bible study requires
diligence, the right motivation and correct methodology.
A.
Diligence – Requires exertion or effort. Miguel de
Cervantes once said, “The road is always better than the inn.” He was speaking
of the journey. It would be better for us to take the effort to find the
answers than to have someone just tell us the answers
B.
The right motivation – Some people study the word
of God for finding mistakes. Others study simply to find proofs to their
positions. We need to study the Bible to find out what God requires of us
C.
Correct methodology – We must approach Bible study
using correct methods and procedures (Hermeneutics)
I.
Preparations for study
A.
Begin with prayer
1.
Ask God for understanding (James 1:5)
2.
He will grant our petitions if we are truly
seeking His will (1 John
3.
He promises to help us find what we are looking
for (Matt. 7:7-11)
B.
Begin with God’s word
1.
Forget preconceptions (religious, experiences,
notes in your Bible, commentaries, etc.)
2.
Use tools that will help you to find your way
through God’s word
a.
Dictionaries
b.
Concordances
c.
Cross reference tools
C.
Begin with an open mind (Acts
1.
“Speak Lord, I hear thee” (1 Sam. 3:9-10)
2.
Be ready to do what you have learned to be the
truth
II.
Mechanics of Bible study
A.
Begin with a survey of the whole Bible
(Outline—explain)
1.
Its them is the redemption of man from sin
2.
Notice how each book of the Bible relates to this
theme
3.
Notice the overall story of the Bible
B.
Narrow your focus on particular book, passage,
verse, topic, person or event)
1.
Outline the book
a.
Author
b.
Background
c.
Purpose
d.
To whom is He writing
2.
Outline passage or verse
a.
Setting
b.
Who is speaking and to whom
c.
Particular problem or concern
d.
How is such resolved, what is the lesson
3.
Chose a topic
a.
Notice all that the Bible has to say about it – do
not take a position until you have reviewed all of the evidence
b.
How does the topic relate to the overall theme of
the Bible
4.
Study about a person or event
a.
Why is the person or event relevant?
b.
What have you learned about this person in
relation to the overall them of the Bible (Good example or Bad example)
C.
Accept only what is given on each subject
1.
Speak as the oracles of God (1 Pet.
2.
Do not add to the word (Deu. 4:2;
a.
Repeated themes throughout the Bible are important
(Be holy, keep my word, be one, love one another)
b.
Apparent contradictions have obvious solution
1)
Sermon on the mount or
plain? (Matt. 5:1; Luke 5:12, 17, 20)
2)
Did Jesus begin his ministry by going into the
synagogues (Luke
Conclusion: Certainly we could get into
other elements of effective Bible study, types-shadows, prophecy-fulfillment,
numerology, etc. Yet, this general lesson on study, I believe, will be enough
to get us where we need to be in our daily desire to suty
God’s word.