How to study the Bible?

[Joshua JZB]

Hello everyone!

I am curious to know how you guys approach your personal studying of the Bible.
A couple of months ago I finished reading through the Bible, just going through it at a fast pace, just to have read it through once. Since then, I have been going through Genesis again but a lot more slowly and taking notes. But I would like some more ideas on how I should go about it.
 
More precisely some of the things I am wondering: do you focus on studying one book at a time? How do you decide what book to study? And if you want to study by topic, how do you approach that?
Are there any major differences in how you approach studying the Old Testament compared to the New Testament? Such as an epistle versus a large book like the books of Moses or Isaiah?
What kind of things do you take note of?
What do you use to take notes and why; pen and paper or do you type on a computer?
Any guidelines on memorising scripture and what scripture to memorise?

Any wisdom you have I'd love to hear it

[TheChickenWhisperer]

I have been thinking about your question, so I didn't answer immediately.

Has the Holy Spirit convicted you to go through it book by book slowly?  That is how you should study then.  

The Bible says Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
As long as you are doing that, I am not sure there is a certain way to study.

[anvilhauler]

Hello everyone!

I am curious to know how you guys approach your personal studying of the Bible.
A couple of months ago I finished reading through the Bible, just going through it at a fast pace, just to have read it through once. Since then, I have been going through Genesis again but a lot more slowly and taking notes. But I would like some more ideas on how I should go about it.
 
More precisely some of the things I am wondering: do you focus on studying one book at a time? How do you decide what book to study? And if you want to study by topic, how do you approach that?
Are there any major differences in how you approach studying the Old Testament compared to the New Testament? Such as an epistle versus a large book like the books of Moses or Isaiah?
What kind of things do you take note of?
What do you use to take notes and why; pen and paper or do you type on a computer?
Any guidelines on memorising scripture and what scripture to memorise?

Any wisdom you have I'd love to hear it

Hi Joshua

I had wanted to reply earlier but things have been busy.

You might find that over time you just develop your own style of reading and studying that suits you best.  For me, I tend to think of things in concepts and so I tend to read and study as much as I can about how concepts fit together and hopefully create the correct picture.  I don't think I have gone too wrong with that as I have enjoyed the teachings here at CLE and as we know God's teachings are scattered right through the Bible and scripture needs to be taken in context with all other scripture.  As Chris has often pointed out

Isaiah 28 Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)
9 Whom shall he teach knowledge?
and whom shall he make to understand doctrine?
them that are weaned from the milk,
and drawn from the breasts.

10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept;
line upon line, line upon line;
here a little, and there a little:

11 for with stammering lips and another tongue
will he speak to this people.

12 To whom he said,
This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest;
and this is the refreshing:
yet they would not hear.

13 But the word of the Lord was unto them
precept upon precept, precept upon precept;
line upon line, line upon line;
here a little, and there a little;
that they might go, and fall backward,
and be broken, and snared, and taken.

I can't comment too much about the memorizing of scripture by giving the reference because that isn't what I used to do, but now I see the importance of doing that a whole lot more because I'm in a different situation than I used to be in when I was around the people in "the church buildings" who really had next to no interest in what scripture had to say.

On note taking I have fairly much always used the computer.  Here in the forum we had a bit of a discussion in the past and Jeanne and I were commenting about the variations in the accounts of events between Kings and Chronicles.  When I got my first computer one of the studies I set out to do was to compare the two accounts.  After a certain time I gave up on that as I couldn't fully reconcile the two accounts, but it was a valuable study all the same, but I have found over all of the years that the computer in an invaluable tool for writing up.  Others may be different though.

re: What kind of things do you take note of?

For me I tend to take notice of recurring themes.  All of us are the result of our background and what we have been taught and as an engineer who has worked in a design office and also being qualified in biochemistry recurring themes is something that stands out so much and is something I tend to always be looking for.  The Bible is full of recurring themes   .....  seven days in a week   .....  cut off times in the middle of a week i.e. three and a half years   .....  the feasts of the Old Testament and their fulfillment in the New Testament but how different they are etc etc.

Tonya probably summed everything up better than I have but I hope any of this has been helpful.

[Joshua JZB]

(Apologies for my slow reply! I had my last exam the other day and then limited access to a computer.)

Has the Holy Spirit convicted you to go through it book by book slowly?  That is how you should study then.  

The Bible says Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
As long as you are doing that, I am not sure there is a certain way to study.

I've been thinking about that verse quite a lot recently. So I'm thinking I better do it right haha! Reading more slowly, so that I can also meditate on scripture more is what I think I need to do to study better. But also I need to set up a routine and have a method and plan or I just procrastinate and don't end up doing any Bible study.
But you've made me consider that I'm probably overthinking it a little bit so I won't stress too much over the details.

Thank you for those points Kevin. Gives me good principles to keep in mind for how I should approach my study.
Those verses in Isaiah are wonderful, I'm seeing more and more how important correlating verses are and that context is critical.

It's a pretty sad state of affairs in most church buildings. Memorizing scripture so you can prove and back up what your saying will be very helpful for those who value what scripture says. Though it might be a good idea to for me to just remember what verses talk about what to begin with. Also I'm glad that Chris quotes scripture a lot cause it helps me to remember it too.

Yeah taking notes on a computer is just so much more efficient and faster. Though I do like writing by hand, I just don't write fast enough. Though I might figure out a way to incorporate both methods.
 Interesting to hear about you studying the two accounts, I remember being quite confused going through those books.

Reoccurring themes sound great to keep track of!


Thanks Tonya and Kevin!

[Rowan M.]

My current method is to study five chapters in the Old Testament, and then five chapters in the New Testament. I do one chapter a day usually, although I may do two or even three chapters if they happen to be short enough. But usually it's just the one. Then when I have completed five chapters, I switch over. I go through entire books at a time. For example, right now in the Old Testament, I am working through 1 Chronicles, while in the New Testament I am going through the Gospel of Matthew. I tend to read through the New Testament books in order, but in the Old Testament I jump around more between different kinds of books (so sometimes Law, sometimes history, sometimes wisdom, sometimes major prophets, sometimes minor prophets). For instance, prior to 1 Chronicles I worked through Genesis. I opted for 1 Chronicles next because some of its genealogies are similar to the ones in Genesis. It is fair to say that the early chapters of 1 Chronicles are a bit dry, but there are still some interesting things to be found in the midst of all the lists. For example, in Genesis I read that Abraham married Keturah after Sarah died, but then 1 Chronicles clarifies that Keturah was only his concubine. However, a concubine was still a wife, just one with secondary rights. But I realised that Sarah remained Abraham's only true wife, which was just kind of a cool thing to learn. I also came across the prayer of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:10, which was the subject of a rather peculiar book by Bruce Wilkinson, who falsely taught that it could be used like some kind of "magic formula" for daily life. I certainly won't use it in that way, but I did like the last part of the prayer: that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! Evil should grieve any child of God, and it is good to desire to be kept from it as much as possible.

While I have a small hardback KJV, I use the Tecarta Bible app and do all my highlights and notes in that. Tecarta also has a desktop version of their app that makes it easy to search for notes. Sometimes I study on my phone, and at other times on my tablet. Anyway, that is just the method that works for me at this time. There may come a time when another method will be more effective, but for now, this is what I like to do. I think there are a lot of good ways to study God's Word. The most important thing is to actually do it! And of course, don't rush it (which is definitely the wrong approach).

[heathertaylor]

I start wherever I am drawn and start at the beginning of whatever book I am drawn to and read each chapter and make sure I understand what is said. I find a lot of times, that one verse can keep me studying for hours because it takes me to so many other places in the Bible. Sometimes I will randomly pick a psalm or proverbs or a chapter in Ecclesiastes to read through a few chapters. I have currently been learning about Solomons home and The Lords temple that Solomon built in 1 Kings. Also have been reading in Hosea along with Ladies Group of CLE and also following along in 1 Corinthians along with the church and I have been reading CLE articles and listening to the teachings. I learn a lot this way and my study time never looks the same. It is different everyday. And I don't do study as often as I should. I desire to study more and more. I also use Blue Letter Bible strictly for finding references to certain verses but don't use the commentary or definitions in that app. And even when i use the cross reference I still try to make sure it applies to the verse I'm cross referencing to. My KJV has cross references at the bottom of the pages and I use those at times but I make sure that the references stay in context with the verses I'm researching.

[dmac]

One thing i can say when it comes to studying the bible is dont let things youve heard from a teacher get in the way of what is being said in scripture or in other words forget what you think you know and let scripture teach you. Commentaries and biblical teachings are a great tool but at the end of the day the holy spirit truly is what guides us to understand the bible and its best not to let any mans teachings get in the way of that. 1st john 2 27 says But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

[Rowan M.]

One thing i can say when it comes to studying the bible is dont let things youve heard from a teacher get in the way of what is being said in scripture or in other words forget what you think you know and let scripture teach you. Commentaries and biblical teachings are a great tool but at the end of the day the holy spirit truly is what guides us to understand the bible and its best not to let any mans teachings get in the way of that. 1st john 2 27 says But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

That is an excellent point. I remember some years ago I used to read Bible commentaries quite a lot, but now I am trying to mainly focus on just the Word, although I still occasionally glance at Matthew Henry's commentary and have read through Christopher's ones on here. However, studying the Scriptures alone is really much more beneficial. As good as some commentators can be, they can still make errors that might mess up your understanding.

[Joshua JZB]

Great insight you guys! Will be taking these things into consideration as I rethink how I do my personal study, so great timing too

Rowan I think that I've seen that Prayer of Jabez book in my house growing up haha. Always eyed it with suspicion. Might have a look into that Tecarta App.

The Blue Letter Bible looks like it could be a useful too as well Heather. But will stick just to the references. Do you often find cross-referenced verses that aren't actually related?
I like to pick a random chapter in those books too, usually the Psalms if I'm with someone and we're not sure what to read.

Indeed an excellent point, Dylan!
 

[heathertaylor]

Yes I have found cross references that are not related. The blue letter bible will connect verses by just a word or phrase and they usually relate but sometimes they don't. They just share the word or phrase. Just read the verses around it and maybe even the whole chapter and sometimes the chapters before and after to really get the context of the verse you're referencing.. It can take a little bit but it's worth it because I learn something new everytime

[Brian]

Since I try to imitate Christ in every way, one thing I tend to do is study or meditate on the Word by topic. Christ was topical. He brought up tenach passages that related to each situation, and he brought up new teachings that became part of the new testament in specific situations. It also reminds me how Christ describes the Spirit as wind. We don't always know where it's going, and that's part of the fun. And I love also how when I reread passages, the Spirit seems to show me something new each time.

[Rowan M.]

Since I try to imitate Christ in every way, one thing I tend to do is study or meditate on the Word by topic. Christ was topical. He brought up tenach passages that related to each situation, and he brought up new teachings that became part of the new testament in specific situations. It also reminds me how Christ describes the Spirit as wind. We don't always know where it's going, and that's part of the fun. And I love also how when I reread passages, the Spirit seems to show me something new each time.

I must admit that I've never heard the word "tenach" before. Had to Google it to find out what it means. Apparently it's the Hebrew Bible, or the Hebrew word for the Bible (or maybe both).

Always fun to learn something new. I'm a little curious though as to why you used that particular word rather than just "Bible" or "Scripture". That said, I do like the idea of doing studies by topic, so thank you for raising that.

[Brian]

Thank you Rowan. The short answer is that since God opens different doors for all of us, and we have different journeys, I experienced a messianic synagogue a long time ago.  Of course that wasn't necessary for me to learn that. While Christ referred to the scriptures, I imagine since he grew up in a synagogue that it was normal for him to also mention the tenach, as well as the torah for Moses' books. And while many today may think everyone back then used the term bible, it's my understanding they did not, since the bible (as we know it at least having 2 testaments) wasn't in print.

I see in a couple of your posts on this topic that you mention Tecarta. I just found the site, so thank you for mentioning. Also, I agree on your position about commentaries.  I see that you sometimes use Matthew Henry.  What do like about his commentaries?

[Rowan M.]

Thank you Rowan. The short answer is that since God opens different doors for all of us, and we have different journeys, I experienced a messianic synagogue a long time ago.  Of course that wasn't necessary for me to learn that. While Christ referred to the scriptures, I imagine since he grew up in a synagogue that it was normal for him to also mention the tenach, as well as the torah for Moses' books. And while many today may think everyone back then used the term bible, it's my understanding they did not, since the bible (as we know it at least having 2 testaments) wasn't in print.

I can see how a past involvement in something like a Messianic synagogue would influence your vocabulary. It's a bit like how people who used to be involved in say, Charismatic churches, or even mainstream churches generally, might still sometimes tend to use phrases or terms associated with those places, even if they've been separated from them for a number of years.

I'm sure that people in Bible times didn't use the word "bible" (at any rate, the word doesn't actually appear in the Bible!). However, they did use the word "scriptures" quite often. But Christians today do normally use the word "Bible" (or "Word" or "Scriptures") when talking about it. So I was wanting to know why you specifically were using "tenach" rather than one of those more standard words. But anyway, you have answered that, so thank you.

I see in a couple of your posts on this topic that you mention Tecarta. I just found the site, so thank you for mentioning. Also, I agree on your position about commentaries.  I see that you sometimes use Matthew Henry.  What do like about his commentaries?

I hope that the Tecarta app will be helpful to you if you decide to use it. As for Matthew Henry, I find that he has a lot of good insights. However, I think he might take a "preterist" position on the end times (the erroneous belief that most of the end-time prophecies have already come to pass after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70), and since he was a Presbyterian, his theology leans a bit Calvinist (although he's not hard-core Calvinist by any means). So those are a couple of things to beware of, but as far as I can work out from his writings, he was a saved person and his commentary is usually edifying.

[Brian]

Thank you Rowan. I didn't know that about Henry, so it's always nice to get more knowledge and wisdom. I agree that those 2 beliefs you mention are ones to be beware of. My mind immediately flashed to Egypt a couple years ago, when about 12 Egyptians made to wear orange shirts like prisoners were apparently beheaded at the same time by terrorists.  There are a lot of church-goers in the USA living in a bubble that somehow think Christ is going to magically pull his 'bride' out before any persecution, and they don't even realize or care that true believers are suffering all over the world. My experience from interaction is a lot of these people are so deceived that they are also the ones taking 4 poison shots and then thanking their Pfizer CEO master.  Amazing how powerful Satan's deception can be.