Bible Study versus Bible Reading

Passages to begin with:

2 Timothy 2:15 “15 Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Hebrews 5:11-14 “11 We have a great deal to say about this, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. 13 Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.”

Psalm 119:11 “11 I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.”

Psalm 119:105 “105 Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.”

Theme Statement:

Bible reading and Bible studying are equally important to one’s growth in the knowledge of God. One cannot study the Bible without reading the Bible; Yet, one cannot understand the Bible without studying the Bible.

Regardless of the purpose when one opens the Bible, one should never open the Bible without the plan to respond to the Word of God. Heb. 4:12 “12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Approach: Answer the question with questions.

Does the Bible make distinction between Bible reading and Bible studying?

This is a difficult question to answer. Directly, the Bible does not make distinction. It refers to reading more frequently, while having the importance of study in the contextual underlaying of the Bible (hence the passages like 2 Timothy 2, 3, and Hebrews 5).

Remember, though, that this is probably because they did not have resources readily available like we do for study purposes. They did not have the full canon of Scripture; they did not have a printer to provide physical resources. Thus, this is likely reflected in the Bible’s use of the idea of studying versus reading.

From a practical stance, what is the basic difference between the two?

The basic difference between Bible reading and Bible studying is the purpose of the two.

Purposes of Bible Reading:

Familiarization

Memorization

Meditation

Reflection

Cover lengthier portions of Scripture in single sitting

Purposes of Bible Studying:

To gain understanding

Cover shorter portions of Scripture in single sitting

What are different methods or forms of reading and studying the Bible?

Methods/Forms of Reading:

Personal reading

Group reading

Public reading

Methods/Forms of Studying:

Personal study

Group study

Expositional Study (study through a Book, verse-by-verse)

Thematic or topical Study (Study a particular theme or topic in the Bible)

Chronological Study (studying the events of the Bible in the order they occurred originally)

Language Study (studying the original languages)

What are different resources that are helpful to both reading and studying the Bible?

Resources for reading:

Bible

Journal

Pen, Highlighter

Resources for studying:

Bible

Journal

Pen, Highlighter

Study Bible and different translations of the Bible

Bible Handbook

Bible Atlas

Bible Dictionary or Concordance

Commentaries

Interlinear Bible

External resources (books related to Bible study but not directly dealing with the Bible- books on theology; church history; etc.)

Open floor for questions.