In my two previous blogs on personal Bible study I wrote about different types of study as well as where to begin your study. This blog will focus on how to study. This is a fairly broad topic because there are many different approaches that you might take to studying the Bible.
Ways to Study the Bible
Simply read the text. This is the most straightforward method of study, but in the same sense it is not necessarily a deep study. In this type of study I would recommend that you read through a book in a sequential manner rather than picking and choosing different parts of scripture to read. I gain a better understanding of scripture when I choose to read a chapter of Matthew each day rather than a chapter of Matthew one day, a chapter of Leviticus another day, and a chapter of Proverbs the next day.
Read the text and meditate on the scriptures. This is very similar to the first method of Bible study, but it allows you to think more deeply on what you have read. In Psalm 1:1-2 the Bible states: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
Read the text and study the text with others. This is a great opportunity to share and discuss the scriptures with your family. Read my blog on spousal devotions for ideas on Bible discussion with your spouse.
Read the text and explore the context of the scriptures. The study of the context is a key aspect of Bible study and provides great insight into what you are reading. As a side note, it is important to realize that the Bible was not originally divided into chapters and verses by God, but that this was later done by man. Unfortunately these divisions by man sometimes break up a continuous thought within scripture.
Read the text with a certain objective in mind. A good example of this is the Berean Christians mentioned in Acts 17:11 who were “examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” It is always important to see if the things we are taught are in accordance with what the Bible teaches.
Throughout any study of the Bible we should always keep in mind Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”