How to Study the Scriptures- Getting Started

Introduction

We spoke in last week’s lesson of the importance of setting aside some time in your schedule for studying the scriptures.

Once you have set this time aside, how do you get started studying the scriptures?

Today we will focus primarily on some of the practical steps that you should take in getting started studying the scriptures.

The first step is:

Choosing a Passage for Study

There are a number of possibilities when it comes to selecting a portion of scripture to begin to study.

Let’s begin with some things not to do:

Don’t begin with the most difficult passages of scripture to understand. Start simple.

It is probably a good idea to avoid the book of Revelation, at least in the early stages of Bible study.

Don’t attempt to study too large a portion of scripture. Start small.

Choose a cohesive unit of scripture that you can study in a reasonable amount of time.

Name a book in the New Testament, turn there and identify a cohesive unit of scripture based on the thought being conveyed.

Don’t choose a passage merely because it is controversial. Start with something that has personal significance.

Choose a passage that is interesting to you personally and that is personally applicable to your life right now.

So how should you choose a passage for study?

Find a passage that you are already somewhat familiar with, but one that you would like a deeper understanding of.

You may want to begin with a passage from your daily Bible reading.

John 5:39 KJV 1900

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Acts 8:30-35

the Ethiopian eunuch was reading the scriptures but he was not able to understand what he read. Time for some Bible study!

As you read your Bible daily, keep a notebook at hand and jot down passages that you have questions about or that you would like to understand better.

You may want to begin with a passage that catches your attention as you listen to preaching.

Acts 17:10–11 KJV 1900

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

The believers in Berea heard the Word of God preached and then they went and studied it for themselves to make sure what they heard was valid.

You have chosen a passage to study, now what?

Tools for Effective Study

There are some basic tools that will prove to be a tremendous help to you as you study the scriptures.

The first tool I would recommend is a good dictionary.

As you study the scriptures, there are going to be words that you come to and are unsure of their meaning.

My personal preference is the Webster’s 1828 dictionary because the definitions it contains are generally accurate for the time period of the translation of the King James Bible. This resource can be accessed free online at: http://www.webstersdictionary1828.com

Example: the word Conversation as in Philippians 1:27 & Hebrews 13:5

Google definition- Conversation- a talk, especially an informal one, between two or more people, in which news and ideas are exchanged

Webster’s 1828 dictionary- Conversation- General course of manners; behavior; deportment; especially as it respects morals.

The second tool I would recommend is a concordance

A concordance is a reference tool that you can use to see the underlying Hebrew or Greek words which the English text has been translated from.

This resource will also give you the ability to trace the use of a word all the way through the scriptures.

The most widely used and likely the most widely available is the Strong’s concordance.

This resource is also available free online and as a part of most Bible study software applications.

The third tool I would recommend is a notebook

You may choose to use an electronic method of note-taking or a simple pen and paper, but as you begin to study you will need somewhere to record what you discover.

You may want to copy a word definition to refer back to, you may want to record a scripture reference that sheds additional light on the passage you are studying, you may also want to record the lessons that you learn and the thoughts that your study provokes.

The final tool I would recommend is a Bible Study application.

There are a number of free websites and apps that are extremely helpful when studying a passage of scripture and these can provide you with a great deal of information on the passage you are studying.

These sites and apps will often have dictionaries, concordances, commentaries and many other resources available at not cost to the user.

Some of the most commonly used apps/sites are:

Blue Letter Bible- blueletterbible.org (also available as a smartphone app)

E-Sword- available for PC or Mac and as a smartphone application

Precept Austin- a website with a wide range of free commentary and study outlines- https://www.preceptaustin.org

Logos- a bible study program with thousands of resources available for purchase and a wide range of tools that streamlines the study of the scriptures. Available for Mac, PC, and on smartphones and tablets.

Olive Tree Bible Software

Youversion Bible App

The Basic Process for Studying the Scriptures

Study of the scriptures should always begin with prayer.

We will not discover the great truths of scripture by our own wisdom and intellect for the scriptures are spiritually discerned.

John 16:13 KJV 1900

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

It is the Spirit of God which shall guide us in our search for truth from the scriptures.

Once we have prayed we are ready to begin in earnest the process of studying the scriptures.

This process is best understood in three basic steps:

Observation- this involves becoming familiar with the passage and asking some basic questions about it.

Interpretation- This is where we ask the question “What does this passage actually mean?”

Application- This is the crucial step where we ask the question “How should this passage affect me?”

Ultimately this process will be repeated every time that you sit down to study a passage of scripture.

In future lessons we will take the time to look at each step of the process in much greater detail.