HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE

Things to Remember
When Studying
God's Word

1. SCRIPTURE IS GOD'S WORD.

Scripture is unique. It is not like any other book.
It contains no errors and is infallible and effective.

2. THE UNITY OF SCRIPTURE

The Holy Spirit inspired both the Old and New Testaments.

3. ONLY A TRUE CHRISTIAN CAN INTERPRET THE BIBLE CORRECTLY.

Only those who have been given faith and who have been enlightened by the Holy Spirit will understand what the message of Scripture is.

4. CHRISTIANS HOLD THEIR REASON CAPTIVE WHEN STUDYING GOD'S WORD.

2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

5. GOD'S WORD CAME TO MAN IN HISTORY.

The Bible was given to us IN TIME. We strive to learn things like
when?, where?, through whom? to whom?
and under what circumstances?

6. EVERY PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE WAS WRITTEN WITH ONLY ONE MEANING.

God does not intend to mislead or confuse.
We may discern two meanings but there is only one intended meaning.

7. SCRIPTURE INTERPRETS SCRIPTURE!

The Old Testament interprets the New Testament and vice versa.
When studying a section of Scripture, one must refer to
and keep in mind what is written elsewhere in Scripture.

8. THE GOSPEL IS THE CENTRAL MESSAGE OF SCRIPTURE

The Good News of Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection for us,
is the central message of all of God's Word.

WHEN BEGINNING A BOOK
Try to determine the "3 R's"
Writer of the book	Recipient(s) of the document	Reason for writing
Many study Bibles have helps at the beginning of each book to assist you.

WHEN READING A VERSE OR TWO
Determine the context	Read a few verses before and after your selected verse(s)
Read the section more than once	Perhaps read it aloud.
Try to relate the passage to what you have learned elsewhere in the Bible.

WHEN DIGGING IN
When you run across passages that seem unclear or don't make sense to you. The following tools are available in most Bibles to help you.
Look at the Text Notes	Text notes appear after the word or phrase they are related to. Text notes usually appear as raised letters in bold type. For Example: "A man with leprosy ^e" Text notes are usually found at the bottom of the page, and will help to explain words or phrases found in the text itself.
Look at the Cross References	Cross references will help you understand the word or verse you are studying by showing you, 1) How a word or phrase is used in another verse 2) A passage related to the current verse. Cross References usually appear as light-italic letters at the end of a word or phrase. For Example: "Jesus wept. ^c" Cross References help you relate the current word or verse to other sections of Scripture.

WHEN DIGGING EVEN DEEPER
You can deepen your understanding of Biblical people and events with the following Bible study tools
Use a Concordance	A concordance is a listing of many of the words found in the Bible. It will help you locate specific passages by topic, name, or place.
Use a Bible Dictionary	A Bible dictionary will often give you a concise summary of the Biblical facts on people, places, things, and events. It can greatly enhance Bible study.
Use a Bible Atlas	A Bible Atlas puts biblical places and events on a map for you. Geography was a significant factor in many biblical events: Mount Sinai, the Desert, the Red Sea, the Sea of Galilee. A Bible atlas can further broaden your understanding of biblical events