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Question:

"Can you tell me how you study the Bible? Are there any Bible study tools and references that you recommend?"

Answer:

After I became a Christian, I decided that I should find out what the Bible says. I started from Genesis 1:1 and read all the way through to the end of Revelation. When I finished reading the entire Bible, did I understand everything in Scripture? Not by a long shot!

Sometimes people have a goal of reading through the Bible in a year, and that's an admirable goal to have. However, what often tends to happen is that we speed through our passages each day so that we don't fall behind, but then we don't get much of an understanding of what we are reading. It's good that we are getting some Scripture into us this way (which is important), but we're not necessarily learning what the Bible really says about the various Christian doctrines.

What I eventually realized is that the Bible is kind of like a jigsaw puzzle. For example, if we pick any doctrine to study about, what we'll find is that there are Scripture passages scattered throughout the Bible (like puzzle pieces) which teach us something about that doctrine. Notice that if we base our Christian views on only two or three passages of Scripture, that's like fitting together two or three pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and then thinking that we're seeing the whole picture. In order to see the full picture concerning a particular doctrine, we need to try to find and prayerfully fit together as many "puzzle pieces" about that doctrine as possible. I would recommend that you read my article called Are You Sure You Believe What the Bible Says? before you go any further in this article so that you'll have a better understanding of why I make certain Bible study suggestions here.

So, to help you in your study of the Bible, here are some thoughts, suggestions, and ideas:

  1. Before you open the Bible or begin studying, be sure to pray for guidance. Ask God to lead you and guide you in your studies, and ask Him to give you wisdom, insight, revelation, and understanding. Ask Him to reveal the truth to you in Scripture and to keep you from error.

    Every time I work on an article, and every time I go back and read any of my articles, I always pray, "Lord, guide my thoughts and my words as I work on this article. Show me anything that needs to be added or changed or deleted in order to make this article as thorough, complete, accurate, well-written, and useful as possible. In Jesus' Name, amen."

    This does not guarantee that our views will always be accurate, because we are all human and fallible. However, prayer is very important because only God knows the truth, and we need the help of the Holy Spirit in order to understand Scripture (see 1 Corinthians 2:11-14).

  2. There's no way that you are going to learn everything about Christianity all at once. The Christian life is a journey, so have patience and don't try to speed through the Bible hoping to absorb as much as possible as quickly as possible (I've tried that. It doesn't work!).

    As I described in my article called Are You Sure You Believe What the Bible Says?, I would suggest that you try focusing on one doctrine at a time so that you can be thorough and learn all about it without becoming distracted and confused by studying other doctrines at the same time. Ask the Lord which doctrine you should study next, and then study whichever one the Lord seems to be putting on your heart. If you're not really hearing anything specific from the Lord then study whichever doctrine interests you the most at the moment.

  3. In my article called Are You Sure You Believe What the Bible Says? I explained why it is important to find as many Scripture passages as possible concerning the doctrine you are studying. If you only use two or three passages of Scripture to support your view of a doctrine then you're not seeing the full picture of that doctrine (which means that your view might be wrong!).

    In order to find most or all of the Scripture passages concerning a doctrine, it is helpful to use a computer Bible. You can download some great Bible software at http://www.e-sword.net Offsite Link, and it's free! It allows you to look up Scripture passages in different versions of the Bible, and it contains other reference books and has many great features. For a $15 tax-deductible donation, the author will send you a CD containing all of the current e-Sword files so that you don't have to download them all.

    Another useful online resource is at http://bible.crosswalk.com Offsite Link. This website lets you search various versions of the Bible, and it has many other resources for your studies such as Bible commentaries, Greek and Hebrew dictionaries, etc.

    You can also search various versions of the Bible at http://www.biblegateway.com Offsite Link.

    The "Blue Letter Bible" (http://www.blueletterbible.org Offsite Link) might take some getting used to at first, but it has many useful features and references for Bible study.

    These are not the only Bible reference websites, and you might find others that you like better (if so, let me know what they are!).

    Nave's Topical Bible Offsite Link lists all of the Scripture verses for many different topics, so it can be a useful reference book. I have a copy of it, but I find that I rarely use it because I prefer doing computer searches instead.

  4. When we're studying the Bible, it is important to understand that there are many different literary styles in Scripture. There are poems, songs, histories, letters, genealogies, parables, prophecies, symbols, types, foreshadowings, allegories, and so on, and these styles must be taken into account when we try to understand what is written in the Bible. Properly interpreting Scripture is a whole subject of its own, and you can learn some good principles of Bible interpretation at Basics of Bible Interpretation Offsite Link and Basics of the Bible Offsite Link. I have not yet gone through these two websites to any great extent, but my initial impression is that they contain a lot of useful information on how to properly interpret the Bible.

    If you would prefer to purchase a book rather than wading through a website, one that I would recommend is Basic Bible Interpretation Offsite Link by Roy Zuck.

  5. In addition to learning how to interpret Scripture, it is also helpful to learn about various logical fallacies which can cause us to form erroneous conclusions. Sometimes we make arguments which sound logical and reasonable, without realizing that our arguments are faulty because they are based on well-known logical fallacies.

    To learn more about logical fallacies, here are some interesting websites:

  6. Keep in mind that all available versions of the Bible, all Bible commentaries, all Greek or Hebrew dictionaries, all books, all articles, all websites (including mine), etc., were all written by humans. For that reason, not one of them will ever be 100% accurate. The original texts of Scripture were infallible and inerrant, but everything that has been written since then is fallible. So just because a well-known, well-respected author or preacher or teacher has said or written something (whether in a Bible commentary, a Greek dictionary, a website, etc.), don't automatically assume that he or she is always right. Jesus is the only perfect person who ever lived, but the rest of us make mistakes and get things wrong sometimes.

    Since you are human, you will get things wrong as well. One of the biggest ways that you'll get tripped up is by your own biases and preconceived ideas. As I described in my article called Are You Sure You Believe What the Bible Says?, most of us have simply absorbed our doctrinal views from family members, friends, our church, etc., rather than doing our own thorough and prayerful study of Scripture. But those people that we absorbed our doctrines from, how many of them have actually studied those doctrines in a thorough and prayerful and unbiased way for themselves, and how do we know that they came to the right conclusions? Probably most of them simply absorbed their views from other people (who absorbed their views from others, and so on)! The only way to be comfortable that we have proper Scriptural views is to study these things for ourselves under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and to be willing to discard any views we have which are not supported by the greatest weight of Scripture.

    It is important that we try our best to prayerfully, honestly, thoroughly, and objectively study the Bible in order to find out what God really meant. Here's why:

    • The reason for prayerfully studying the Bible is because only God knows the exact meaning of what is written in Scripture. It is important that we ask God to help us see the truth in the Bible, which means that we need to know how to hear what He says to us (for help in this area, I invite you to see my article called How to Hear the Voice of God).

    • The reason for honestly studying Scripture is because human nature sometimes causes people to twist the meanings of certain passages (whether knowingly or unknowingly) to fit their own views and agendas. Instead, try to set your own views aside and then start with a clean slate (as if you don't know anything about the doctrine you are studying), and seek to find out God's view. After all, His view of a doctrine might be different than what you always thought it was!

    • The reason for thoroughly studying a particular topic in the Bible is because it is easy to misinterpret individual passages if we don't properly fit them into the full teaching of the Bible on that topic. For a more detailed explanation of why it is important to be thorough when studying the Bible, I invite you to see my article called Are You Sure You Believe What the Bible Says?.

    • The reason for objectively studying the Bible is because we are all human, and it is very easy for our emotions, our fallible human logic, and our preconceived biases and opinions to affect our understanding of what we read in Scripture. Our emotional reactions, our "logical" thoughts, and our biases often cause us to miss the true meaning of what God said.

  7. As I pointed out, every Christian is human, and we all make mistakes and get things wrong sometimes. Therefore, we shouldn't assume that any pastors, preachers, Bible teachers, etc., will ever be 100% right 100% of the time.

    But what about non-Christians? When they say things about the Bible and use Scripture passages to support their arguments, should we give their views equal weight with the views that Christians have?

    To answer this question, consider what the apostle Paul wrote:
    "For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:11-14)
    Paul said in Romans 8:9 and Ephesians 1:13-14 that all true Christians have the indwelling Holy Spirit within us. But notice in the passage above that those who do not have the Holy Spirit (i.e. all non-Christians) are not able to understand the spiritual truths in the Bible. Therefore, be careful to consider the source of what you read as you study other people's views. Remember that only the Holy Spirit knows the true meaning of what is written in Scripture, and remember that non-Christians do not have the Holy Spirit living in their hearts. Therefore, non-Christians are not likely to be right when they use Scripture to justify their views. Also, since the Bible is the Word of God, it is the final authority on every topic it addresses. Non-Christians often use worldly reasoning and logic and science and so on to support their views, but a Christian's views should be based on a proper understanding of Scripture.

    One more thing to keep in mind is that just because people go to church and say that they are Christians, this doesn't mean that they really are saved (for example, see my article called How to Be Certain That You Will Go to Heaven). This is another reason why it is important to carefully consider the source when you read what other people have written concerning the topic that you are studying. Even if people claim to be Christians (and even if they go to church regularly), they might not actually be Christians, in which case they don't have the Holy Spirit to guide them to the truth. Check out some other things that they have written, if possible, in order to discern whether they seem to handle Scripture in an honest way, and to see if they seem to be operating in the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control - Galatians 5:22-23).

  8. Now, here's what I do when I begin studying a topic. For example, recently I wanted to do a study which compares the different views of when the Rapture might happen. Will it happen before the seven-year Tribulation period? Will it happen during the Tribulation? Will it happen at the end of the Tribulation? (If you're not familiar with the Rapture and the seven-year Tribulation, I invite you to see my article called The Rapture of the Church). First I wanted to find all of the passages in the New Testament which describe future events, so I simply went through my pocket New Testament from Matthew to Revelation and wrote down every Scripture reference which had anything to do with future events. Then I looked up every one of those references in my computer Bible and copied the Scripture passages into a Microsoft Word document. As I did this, I could see that some of these passages talked about "the day of the Lord's wrath," or "the hour of trial," so I wanted to determine if these are meant to be interpreted as literal days and hours or not. I searched my computer Bible for all passages in Revelation which contain the words "day" or "hour," and I copied those passages into my document. I also noticed that some future events are tied in with God's wrath, so I did some computer searches using a couple of different Greek words for "wrath" (more on using Hebrew and Greek in a moment), and copied those verses into my document, and so on.

    So what I like to do is to ask for the Lord's help and then gather as many passages as I can find for the topic that I am studying, and then copy them into a Word document. Then I print the document out and pray for guidance in order to properly understand and interpret these passages. Then I try to group similar passages together and seek to discern how all of the passages fit together. After all, there is one and only one correct view of a doctrine, and no verse of Scripture will ever contradict that view. So if we find as many passages as possible which relate to a doctrine, and if every one of those passages fits well with our view of that doctrine, then we have a higher chance that our view is correct.

    Therefore, as I try to start with a clean slate (in order to be as unbiased as possible) and begin forming my own personal view of this doctrine (trying to be guided by the Holy Spirit), I want to make sure that no passages of Scripture contradict my view. If even one verse contradicts my view then it means that I don't fully understand that doctrine yet. That's why it is important to be thorough and to find as many passages as possible concerning the doctrine that you are studying.

  9. As I start to get a feel for the "bigger picture" by studying the Scripture passages that I have gathered, I begin writing down my thoughts and the reasons for my conclusions. What I have noticed is that occasionally I just can't seem to find the right words (sort of like "writer's block"). From experience I have found that this tends to happen when the Lord is trying to get my attention. When I pray to find out what I am doing wrong, sometimes the Lord prompts me to begin studying an entirely different topic instead. One time I was certain that I was studying the topic that the Lord had put on my heart, but I was still "blocked." When I asked the Lord about it, a new title for the article popped into my head. So I changed the title of the article, and suddenly it was like the dam had burst open, and once again the thoughts and ideas and words and phrases started coming to me faster than I could type. For more on being in the "flow" of the Holy Spirit, I invite you to see my article called How to Hear the Voice of God.

    The point is that it can be helpful to write down what you're learning as you study a topic, for several different reasons. For one thing, after several months or years it is easy to forget why you came to certain conclusions. If you have written down your reasons and arguments and Scripture passages and so on, you can easily refresh your memory. Also, when you come across other arguments that people make, you can easily compare their arguments and passages with your own arguments and passages in order to see which view has the most Scriptural support.

    If you decide to publish your information somewhere (such as on the Internet), here are a few thoughts:

    • Try to be as clear as possible. After you finish writing your article, read it back as if you had never seen it before and as if you don't know anything about it. In fact, I find that it is helpful to read my articles again after several months because then they are no longer fresh on my mind. This helps me to spot any places where the wording is unclear or confusing, or where my point wasn't as strong as it could have been.

    • Try not to use fancy theological terms where simpler terms are available. If you use high-sounding words and complex sentence structures and so on, your work might sound "scholarly" but it will be unnecessarily confusing to people who have never graduated from a theological seminary.

    • Try to give references or proofs for every claim you make. There will always be people who disagree with you and who will want to "shoot down" your arguments, but your case will be more solid if you provide strong proofs or references for each claim that you make.

    • As I mentioned earlier, sometimes people will misquote certain things, or they will quote things out of context, or they will twist facts and figures to fit their own agendas, and so on. Sometimes people do these things on purpose, but sometimes they will unknowingly get their facts or their interpretations wrong. For this reason, be cautious when you quote secondhand sources to make your point. For example, in my prophecy article called Signs of the Times in End-Times Bible Prophecy I originally quoted some things that prophecy teachers have written about Israel's population and agriculture and so on. However, it occurred to me that those prophecy teachers did not always document the sources of their facts and figures, so I really couldn't verify that I was quoting accurate information. When prophecy teachers (for example) quote each other, it would be easy for wrong information to be quoted over and over by different people as if that information is an established fact, simply because people assume that they are quoting from someone else's reliable source. So in my Signs of the Times in End-Times Bible Prophecy article, instead of just quoting what certain prophecy teachers have written about Israel (using undocumented facts and figures), I went directly to the website of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make sure that I was getting accurate information. Therefore, I can feel confident that my facts and figures are much more reliable than if I had quoted from secondhand sources who didn't document where they got their facts.

      Another example is if you are studying the views that other denominations or other religions believe. If you only study certain books or articles that were written by people who share your views, you might end up quoting some wrong information (because people who share your views might not fully understand what those other denominations or religions actually believe). It would be better to get your facts and figures and information from some books and articles that people in those actual denominations or religions have written concerning their views, because then you would be getting more accurate information directly from the source.

    • I would suggest being careful about ridiculing or attacking people who have different views than you have. For example, take a look at Acts 2:7 in the NIV, which takes place on the day of Pentecost when the original disciples first began speaking in tongues:
      "...Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?" (Acts 2:7, New International Version)
      Based on this verse, I might come to the conclusion that only the apostles spoke in tongues because the apostles were "men" from Galilee. Now, consider how it sounds if I were to write:
      "Some people believe that EVERY disciple spoke in tongues on the day of Pentecost!! Can you believe how STUPID some people are??? Go read Acts 2:7 for yourself!! GO DO IT.....see for yourself what it says. IT CLEARLY SAYS THAT ONLY MEN FROM GALILEE SPOKE IN TONGUES!!!!! What IDIOTS can dispute such a CLEAR verse of Scripture??? Do they even BELIEVE the Word of God AT ALL??????"
      In this example I have made the dogmatic statement that only the apostles spoke in tongues on the day of Pentecost, but my "proof" is easily refuted (as we'll see in a few moments). I would suggest being careful about making dogmatic statements because you might have overlooked something, and then it becomes easy for other people to "shoot down" your arguments.

      Also, notice that my statement was completely lacking in spiritual maturity and the fruit of the Spirit. Sadly, you will sometimes see similar statements at various Christian websites, message boards, chat rooms, and so on. When you encounter these types of websites, my advice is to simply move on and find another Christian website which is more mature in its tone. After all, if a website is lacking in spiritual maturity and the fruit of the Spirit, then it's reasonable to question how much of the Spirit is actually there. It is unfortunate that so many Christians are violating passages such as the following:
      "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)

      "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32)

      "And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 2:24-25)

      "Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king." (1 Peter 2:17)

      "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." (1 Peter 3:8-9)

      "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." (1 Peter 3:15-16)


    Be careful to treat people with respect, humility, love, kindness, gentleness, and so on. Other people might not agree with our views, but that is no excuse for attacking and ridiculing them, especially if they are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

  10. As you study various Scripture passages, it is very helpful to find out what Bible scholars say about those passages. The four websites that I mentioned above (http://www.e-sword.net Offsite Link, http://bible.crosswalk.com Offsite Link, http://www.biblegateway.com Offsite Link, and http://www.blueletterbible.org Offsite Link) all allow you to check a number of different Bible commentaries. Of the commentaries available at those websites, I have personally found the Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary Offsite Link and Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament Offsite Link to be the most consistently helpful. I also own the Bible Knowledge Commentary Offsite Link (Old Testament and New Testament editions) by Walvoord and Zuck (Dallas Theological Seminary). These commentaries are not perfect, as I mentioned earlier, and you might find other commentaries that you prefer (if so, let me know what you find!).

  11. Just as there are no perfect Bible commentaries, there are also no perfect Bible translations. Even so, many of the modern translations are well respected by Bible scholars, including the New International Version (NIV), the New King James Version (NKJV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), and others. The King James Version (KJV) is also a well-respected version of the Bible, but many people feel that it is difficult to read because it was written in an older style of English. Some people argue that the Authorized 1611 King James Version is the only true version of the Bible in English, but I don't agree with that view. To see why, and to see why there are legitimate differences in the modern translations, I invite you to read my article called Is the NIV Bloodless and Corrupt?. Another useful version of the Bible is the Amplified Version (AMP), which provides various shades of meaning that might otherwise be lost in the translation from Hebrew or Greek to English. Young's Literal Translation (Young's or YLT) is often useful because it tries to translate the Hebrew and Greek texts literally, without interpreting Scripture into modern English. It's not as easy to read as the modern translations, but it can give you a better idea of what the ancient Hebrew and Greek texts actually say (more on this in a moment). Then there are versions such as The Living Bible (TLB), the New Living Translation (NLT), the Message Bible (Message), and several others, which are "paraphrases" rather than being actual translations from the Hebrew and Greek texts. These paraphrased versions of the Bible are in modern English and are good for devotional reading, but they're not usually recommended for Bible study. That's not what they were designed for.

    All of these versions of the Bible are useful in their own way, but no version of the Bible is "perfect." Therefore, it's a good idea to look up a passage in several versions of the Bible in order to get a better feel for what the original author actually wrote. For example, in Acts 2:7 (which we looked at a moment ago) the NIV has inserted the word "men" where it doesn't really belong (because the ancient Greek texts do not have the word "men" in that verse). The NIV does this in order to make the passage more readable in modern English, but this can cause confusion if we are basing our views on what the NIV says. If you look up that same verse in other translations, you'll see that the word "men" does not appear at all. Here is that verse in several different versions of the Bible:
    "...Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?" (Acts 2:7, New International Version)

    "...Lo, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?" (Acts 2:7, Young's Literal Translation)

    "...Are not all these who are talking Galileans?" (Acts 2:7, Amplified Bible)

    "...Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?" (Acts 2:7, New American Standard Bible)

    "...Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?" (Acts 2:7, King James Version)

    "...Look, are not all these who speak Galileans?" (Acts 2:7, New King James Version)
    By comparing this verse in several different translations, we can see that the NIV has inserted the word "men" (to make the verse more readable in modern English), even though that word does not appear in this verse in the ancient Greek texts. Some people have tried to argue that only the apostles spoke in tongues on the day of Pentecost, because the apostles were "men from Galilee," and the NIV says that men (not women) from Galilee spoke in tongues at Pentecost (Acts 2:7, above). This demonstrates why we shouldn't base our views on just a single version of the Bible, because in this case the NIV has provided a slightly misleading translation.

    Sometimes when Bible translators insert words which are not in the ancient Hebrew or Greek texts (to make a passage more readable in English), these words will often be placed in brackets, braces, or italics to show that they have been added. Here are some examples:
    "And Peter and John were going up at the same time to the temple, at the hour of the prayer, the ninth [hour]" (Acts 3:1, Young's)

    "Now Peter and John went up together, into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour." (Acts 3:1, KJV)

    "Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth {hour,} the hour of prayer" (Acts 3:1, NASB)

    "And Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, [which is] the ninth [hour];" (Acts 3:1, Darby)
    So when you see words in square brackets, curly braces, or italics in Scripture, keep in mind that those words are not in the ancient Hebrew or Greek texts. They have been added for readability, so don't base any doctrines on those added words! In fact, English words and phrases do not always exactly match what's in the ancient Hebrew or Greek texts, even when they're not in brackets, braces, or italics. For some reasons why, I invite you to see my article called Is the NIV Bloodless and Corrupt?.

  12. Since the English words and phrases in modern Bibles do not always exactly match the ancient texts, it is useful to be able to look up the meanings for Greek and Hebrew words. Years ago I purchased the QuickVerse Bible software, and it lets me look at the Greek or the Hebrew side-by-side with an English translation such as the NIV. What I like about it is that I can search for all occurrences of a particular Hebrew or Greek word in order to get a better feel for how that word is used in Scripture. I use an older version of QuickVerse rather than the newer versions, so don't take this as an endorsement of that software (because I'm not familiar with the current version). I also have an "interlinear" New Testament Offsite Link which shows the Greek and the English words side-by-side (and it provides the Strong's numbers for each Greek word. More on that in a moment.). With this "interlinear" Bible I can see the actual Greek words with the English translations underneath each word, which helps to spot misleading translations such as the example above in which the NIV has inserted the word "men" in Acts 2:7.

    To give you an example of why it can be useful to search for words in Hebrew or Greek, recall that in my study of Bible prophecy I wanted to find all of the passages on "wrath" in order to study how future events are tied in with God's wrath. If I were to simply do a computer search for the word "wrath" in an English version of the Bible, I would miss all of the places where God's wrath is described as "fury" or "anger" or "indignation" or "vengeance," and so on. So first I searched for "wrath," and I found that there are two Greek words which are often translated into English as "wrath" (orge and thumos). By searching for passages which contain those Greek words I was able to be more thorough than if I had simply searched for the English word "wrath."

    When it comes to Greek and Hebrew dictionaries, probably the most well-known is Strong's Dictionary Offsite Link. Back in the late 1800's, James Strong went through the Bible and numbered virtually every Hebrew and Greek word in the Old and New Testaments. His dictionary is keyed to his "Strong's numbers," and many other Greek/English or Hebrew/English dictionaries use the Strong's numbers as well. So I can look up any New Testament passage in my "interlinear" Bible (which has the Greek and English side-by-side), find the English word I'm looking for in that passage, glance over to the corresponding Greek word, get the Strong's number for that Greek word, then go to any Greek dictionary (such as the ones that are available at those three Bible study websites that I mentioned earlier) and look up the various shades of meaning for that Greek word. However, even though Strong's Dictionary is widely respected, it only gives a very brief explanation for each Hebrew or Greek word. I like to use The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the New Testament Offsite Link by Spiros Zodhiates because it provides an extensive description of the shades of meaning for each Greek word, taking into account the various contexts in which that Greek word is used throughout the New Testament (context is very important when studying Scripture). There are numerous other Hebrew and Greek dictionaries and lexicons out there (Vine's Dictionary Offsite Link is another popular one), and it is good to check several of them in order to get a deeper understanding of a particular Hebrew or Greek word.

    This doesn't mean that we need to be Hebrew or Greek scholars in order to understand God's Word, but sometimes it is helpful to check the Greek or Hebrew in order to get a better understanding of a doctrine or a passage.

  13. In order to be thorough, try to find all of the arguments that people make about the topic you are studying (whether they agree with you or not), then prayerfully and objectively compare those arguments with the Scripture passages that you have gathered together. I like to use http://www.google.com Offsite Link to search the Internet because it keeps a "cached" version of every web page that it scans, and it will highlight your search words to make it easy to find them in the "cached" version of each article.

    As you read other people's views, many times you will find that someone has come up with an argument that you never would have thought of. For example, as I was studying about prophecy, I came across someone's argument which was based on the English word "coming" (as in "the Second Coming"). The basic idea was that the Rapture and the Second Coming will happen at the same time because there will only be one more "coming" of Christ. So I searched for all of the passages which refer to Jesus' "coming," and I copied those passages into my "Prophecy Passages" document. There is more than one Greek word that can be translated into English as "coming," so I searched for those Greek words and copied those passages into my document as well. Now I am better prepared to study that argument and determine whether I think it is flawed or whether it seems to fit with the greatest weight of Scriptural evidence.

    As you are studying other people's views, be careful not to assume that your view is always right. We all have opinions and biases and preconceived ideas which seem right to us, but we might easily be wrong, especially if our views are not based on our own thorough, prayerful study of Scripture. Look for the flaws in other people's arguments, but also look for the flaws in your own arguments. If you publish your views somewhere (such as on the Internet), there will always be people who want to shoot holes in your arguments because not everyone is going to agree with you. If you do your best to shoot holes in your own arguments first and then plug up those holes with Scripture, then your views will be more solid. And you might even find that you can't plug up the holes in your arguments! Perhaps the Lord is trying to show you that your views are wrong. Always remember that the Holy Spirit can't or won't teach you very much unless you maintain a humble and teachable spirit (see my article called Must Christians Tithe Ten Percent?, for example, which describes how I recently changed my views on tithing).


Conclusion

In this article I have tried to offer some thoughts, ideas, and suggestions to help you in your study of the Bible by describing some things that I have found helpful in my own Bible studies. Other people will have other suggestions on how to study the Word of God, and if you are new to Bible study then one book that I would recommend is How to Study the Bible for Yourself Offsite Link by Tim LaHaye. Dr. LaHaye covers various aspects of Bible study, such as how to read the Bible, how to study the Bible in different ways, tools for Bible study, Scripture memorization, and more.

I recognize that the kind of Bible study which I have described in this article is very time-consuming, and you might not be in a season of life which allows you to spend the kind of time that this requires. Don't worry, God knows and understands your situation! What you can do is to ask Him to make it possible for you to spend more time in His Word, and to show you how to make the best use of your time. For example, one thing I like to do is to read a few verses of Scripture every hour so that I am feeding my spirit throughout the day (my watch is set so that it beeps on the hour to remind me). You can also ask God to lead you to someone else's Bible studies (such as in a Christian bookstore or on the Internet) in order to help you gain a deeper understanding of various Christian truths and doctrines.

It is also good to use a daily devotional to help you draw closer to the Lord day by day, and I personally like the ones that were written by Christian recording artist Rebecca St. James Offsite Link, called 40 Days with God: A Devotional Journey Offsite Link and You're The Voice: 40 More Days With God - The Devotional Journey Continues Offsite Link.

If you are confused about a Scripture passage or a doctrine, or if you want to get a second opinion on some conclusions you have made, etc., please feel free to send me your thoughts and questions and arguments and so on (see my email address below). I'll give you my thoughts on the matter, and then I'll leave it between you and God whether you agree or disagree with me. I always like it when people send me the reasons why they disagree with my views because then one of two things happens. As I study their views, I might find that their arguments have more Scriptural support than my own arguments, and therefore I get the pleasure and the excitement of learning something new about the Lord and the Word of God. Or I might find that there are flaws in the other person's arguments (in my opinion), in which case my own views are more solidified. Either way, it's a win/win situation for me!

I pray that these Bible study ideas will be useful in your own study of Scripture, but remember that Bible study is just one aspect of the mature Christian life. As Rebecca St. James Offsite Link puts it: "dig into the Bible, dig into prayer, stick close to Christian friends, get rid of the junk in your life, and get involved in church." Excellent advice!


I hope this has been helpful, and may the Lord abundantly bless you as you study His Word! 		 
 
 
  Modification History  
 
 

  • 12/16/2005 - Modified some of the wording, added a link to another useful Bible study website, and modified the section on logical fallacies (added a link to another website which describes common fallacies that can cause us to make erroneous interpretations of Scripture).

  • 01/22/2003: - Added a couple of links to some websites which describe common fallacies that can cause us to make erroneous interpretations of Scripture.

  • 08/27/2002: - Added a couple of paragraphs under point #8 to encourage being cautious about quoting from secondhand sources.