Food for Thought –

Concerning Bible Study

     Bible study - everyone who wants to serve God knows it is important, but where does one begin? The Bible is book of books, a collection of 66 different books. Should one begin with Genesis as the first book of the Bible? Should one begin in the New Testament? How does one study the Bible to get the most good from the study? 

     These are all good questions and worthy of earnest consideration. Because Bible study is such an important endeavor, it ought not be entered into haphazardly. The Bible itself is an orderly book. It has a flow to its information and instruction. Some people approach it as if God will somehow provide what they need when they need it simply by plopping open the book at random and picking out a verse. I wouldn't want a surgeon to have learned his skills that way. How much more matter of eternal weight without having learned how to study God's Word! In this "Food for Thought" study, we will suggest some guides for effective Bible study.

     There are some principles that apply when studying any subject matter. These apply when studying the Bible as well. One of the first principles of effective Bible study is to recognize that it is a collection of books. When reading a novel, one chapter flows into the next - the story line continues. When one reads the gospel accounts, one quickly finds that Mark does not begin at the end of Matthew. They each relate brief accounts of the life and work of Jesus. Likewise, the letters stand alone as books rather than following a flow of information and instruction. There are some sections which do follow like a novel, such as Genesis and Exodus. These can be seen simply by reading the text. 

     Another principle that must be considered is context. Even as the words you and I speak can be taken out of context, twisted to say something we did not mean, so too passages in the Bible can be taken out of context and made to apparently teach something that the original text did not mean. When studying the Bible, one must be careful not to ignore the context of the writing. There are many questions that should be answered in order to keep a passage in its context. "To whom was it written? What is the subject of the letter? What is the subject of the paragraph? Who is speaking?" When one ignores the context, it is possible to make the Bible say something it does not say. Consider this rather absurd example: Judas went away and hanged himself. Jesus said, Go, and do the same. Jesus also said, What you do, do quickly. (Matthew 27:5; Luke 10:37; John 13:27) One could park their brains, as it were, and say the Bible tells us all to go out and follow Judas' example quickly and hang ourselves! True, that is an absurd example, but it can happen when one takes a verse here and a verse there that may mention a common subject and weave them together to make a doctrine. We should find out what the Bible says on a subject by looking at all the Bible says on that subject, but we must ensure that we are not twisting the Scriptures to our own design. 

     These are just two thoughts on ensuring that our Bible study is accurate and effective. The apostle Paul wrote to the young preacher Timothy, saying, Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15) The apostle Peter also warned about those who distort the Scriptures to their own destruction. (2 Pet 3:16)

     When you sit to read and study God's word, approach it with the attitude of "What is God saying in this book? What can I learn about how God wants me to live in this book?"