Spiritual Disciplines

Personal Bible Study

If daily Bible reading can be compared to flying over a city, personal Bible study is tour of the neighborhoods that you flew over in the airplane. You get to know the streets and the buildings. You meet the people who live there.

You learn something about their lives. Things that you would not have noticed or learned about from the airplane flight now become clear and take on more importance than before. The experience is deeper, richer, and more impressing. Personal Bible study gives you a clearer and deeper understanding of our Lord, yourself, and others. You are better able to distinguish between true and false teaching (Acts 17:11). Your appreciation for the wisdom of God and His practical care for you are enhanced. Personal study equips you to meet the challenges of life (Psa. 119:41-49).

When and Where to Study

Try to study at the same time. If your study is a weekly event, try to study on the same day each week, and at the same time of day.

Find a place that is free from distractions. If you have young children, this may be difficult but it is important to be able to concentrate on what the Spirit is saying.

Have a comfortable study area set up. It should have good lighting, a comfortable chair and a table or writing desk where you can sit and write comfortably. Good ventilation is also important for keeping alert and focused during study time.

Use a Bible you are not reluctant to mark. Use the translation that you use for your daily reading. Ensure that the pages are thicker so that the high lighters or markers you are using do not leech through.

Have a notebook or writing pad on which you can record your thoughts and observations, and insights that the Spirit gives.

Study Aids

A concordance - is a reference book containing an alphabetical listing of all the words in the Bible. Ensure, of course, it for your particular translation of the Bible.

A Bible handbook or Bible dictionary - these provide a variety of valuable information related to the history, culture, and other issues you are studying.

A Theological dictionary - Similar to a regular dictionary but geared toward explaining words related to theological (relating to issues involving God) concepts.

Bible commentaries - books written by Bible scholars offering their insights and opinions on the Bible. You use these to see if you are staying in the mainstream of Biblical interpretation and not getting off on a tangent.

You do not need to purchase all these tools at once. A concordance and a good Bible handbook or dictionary should be your first investment. If you have a personal computer, there are CDs available that contain many of these reference materials on one CD.

What to Study

Like daily Bible reading, personal Bible study is just that, personal. There are just a few basic principles to keep in mind.

To start - start with the book of John, and then go to a smaller book in the New Testament, such as the book of James.

Finish it all - study an entire book, do not jump around either in the Bible or in the book you are studying.

Be systematic - Start with the first verse of the first chapter of the book, and finish with the last verse of the last chapter.

How to Study

There are many excellent study guides and courses available on the market. Far too many to even begin to discuss in this article. There are however, certain basic principles that on which most agree. If you follow these basic rules, your study should be both interesting and profitable.

  1. Pray before beginning your study
    Pray that the Holy Spirit will direct your study and thoughts (Psa. 119:18)

  2. Read the entire book through at least once.
    Remember that the Scriptures are without chapters and verses in the original. In some cases, They were written without punctuation! So reading the book through at one sitting will help you to see the thought flow and purpose of the author.

  3. Always read Scripture passages in context.
    Context means that the passage or verse that you are interested in is part of a larger picture. People who have not remembered this important point have drawn many unfortunate conclusions. “Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as They do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:15-16)

  4. Understand who the author is.
    All Scripture of course is inspired of God (2 Tim 3:16). But it was written by men (2 Peter 1:21). Who the human writer is, as far as can be determined, will help you understand the purpose God had in using this person to proclaim his word.

  5. Know who the audience is.
    All of Scripture was written to somebody. Whether it is a specifically identifiable group (Paul's letters) or a history (e.g., the books of I Kings or Acts), there is an intended audience. Knowing whom the book is written to helps you to understand what the Lord was trying to say to them, and what He wants us to understand.

  6. Learn what the social or political background existing at the time was.
    Biblical events and issues did not take place in a vacuum. Most of the prophetic books, and Paul's writings were written to deal with specific political or social issues affecting believers of that time.

  7. Look for any environmental factors that occur in the passage.
    Droughts, famines, plagues, and other disasters have significance both as direct judgments from God and as influencing factors on the author and his audience.

The Play Analogy