Bible Study

Study God’s Word

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life Studying God’s Word

If reading the Bible can be compared to cruising the width of a clear, sparkling lake in a motorboat, studying the Bible is like slowly crossing that same lake in a glass-bottomed boat.

The motorboat crosses quickly giving you a good overview of the lake but the slow glass-bottomed boat allows us to view beneath the surface in an unhurried look at the depths of God’s Word. As author Jerry Bridges put it, “Reading gives us breadth, but study gives us depth.” (Bridges, The Practice of Godliness, 1983, 51).

Let us look at Three Scriptures for an example of studying Scripture and what it does for us.

Ezra 7:10 “For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.”

He devoted himself set his heart to do something

this was to study the law of the Lord

he also set himself to observe to do what it said

then he set himself to teach it to his people. This is what Hearing, Reading, and then Studying the Word of God will do for us. We will be prepared to take it to others because we are filled with it.

Acts 17:11 “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”

Paul and Silas had been removed from Thessalonica by force but they continued to proclaim the word of God in Berea.

The Bereans were not content with just hearing the Word, they searched it to see if what was said aligned with God’s Word. They examined the Scriptures, the OT, to see if what Paul said was in line with the Word of God. We need to do this too.

In doing this you will be like the Bereans and deemed to be of noble character. What is more noble than seeking to make sure all are in line with the word o God? Nothing. Making sure truth is being told is the noblest of all character traits.

2 Tim. 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

The New King James Version (Chapter 2)

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth

King James Version (Chapter 2)

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Do your best, Be diligent, Study: give great diligence to, have a zeal for, seek to be the best you can be in the learning of God’s word.

Present yourself, show yourself approved. When we study, and give diligence to God’s word, we are seeking to be approved workmen by God.

When we are presenting ourselves as true and good workmen, we will not have shame because we know our Father and what he wants. We have searched the Scriptures and know what they say about many topics.

Rightly handle, rightly divide the word of truth. When we Hear, Read, and Study God’s word we will learn what the text is saying. We will handle it rightly and not apply certain texts to us that are not meant for us. The whole Bible is for us but most all of it is not to us. When we read and study it we will soon discover that many texts are not ours to claim. Some promises in it are not to us but they do teach us something. This is what rightly handling the word of truth is.

We must do this because:

I. Introduction:

The Bible is “the living voice of God” (Ward 150). It is not just a set of documents that are just words on paper. In the Scriptures, we see the “speech acts of [the Spirit] because he once authored them and is alive to speak them” (Ward 158). The speech acts make the Word of God more of an action verb than just a noun. In them, we see God acting and not just saying. Therefore, the Bible is more than just a set of handy directions and moral teachings.

II. God’s Word:

The Word of God in Scripture shows that “God speaking, and acting are often the same thing” (Ward 26). This is how the Bible is “the living voice of God.” It is His actions written down for humankind to see and adhere to. God uses the “words of the covenant” to speak to people and make Himself known (Ward 30). He could not make a promise or establish any covenant with us without His word. This is the Bible. It is no different than if I were to promise you that I would help you. If I did not speak it or write it, it could not happen. This is the Bible, God’s Word, and promises to all humankind.

III. Speech-Acts:

The speech acts of God are found in the pages of the Bible. In the Bible, God is seen in not only speaking but in acting. “Scripture is an aspect of the action of the sovereign, faithful, self-revealing God in the world, and especially it is the action by which God declares his ongoing covenant” (Ward 56). God’s actions are seen in His words in the Bible. Trusting the promises in the Bible means that you trust God (Ward 59). He said it and means it, and trusting it is trusting Him. No different than trusting someone that tells you that they will pick you up after work. This is speech-act in action. This is the Bible in action. God says it, and God means it.

IV. More than just moral teachings:

The Bible has a central message throughout its pages. The Bible was written over “several millennia. But a central message there is, and…this has led to the common treatment of the Bible as a book, and not simply a collection of books…” (Bruce 11). This central message is salvation. Since it is the living voice of God, the Bible centrally compels humankind to salvation through Jesus Christ. This is also the actions of God in His covenants and promises; it was to redeem humankind from the beginning; it is the story of redemption. The story of salvation. It is more than just a moral book with good teachings.

V. Conclusion:

Here are Ten Points to keep in mind when studying Scripture so we handle it rightly:

The Scriptures are the authority for believers. The Scriptures are the authoritative word of God because they are based upon the authority of God.

The Scriptures are God’s primary means of speaking to man. Since “all scripture is God-breathed…and good for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” it is God’s primary means for teaching man (English Standard Version, 2 Tim. 3:16).

Scripture is sufficient to guide us in the correct decisions. As such, the Bible contains all we need to know God’s will and to live a life pleasing to him. Although Scripture is sufficient, one must discover how to apply it to specific situations it does not explicitly address.

Always keep Scripture in the correct context. Never read A Bible verse. This means that the text should be allowed to say what the text says. One should never force their interpretation on the text. By this, I mean you should never say this text means this to me. Always strive to know what the text says and not what you want it to say.

Understand the different genres in Scripture or literary form. Not all the books within the Bible are written the same or with the same intentions. There is unity in the diversity of the Bible because the Bible is a collection of documents that tell, in different ways, the same fundamental story.

Always follow the narrative. Follow through Scripture looking for key images, be observant to what is being said. Never impose on the text something it does not say.

Compare the issues at hand with those in the text. Since times and circumstances change, so do the ways they are handled. Scripture is timeless (Heb. 4:12), situations may change, but sin and fallen humanity are still sinful.

Wrestle with the text. Do not just casually read it and make a decision. Study it intently to make sure it is a proper text for the situation. Do not just “cherry-pick” a verse and apply it.

Tradition, reason, and experience have shaped our views on things, and we must be careful not to inject them into the text or situation. As such, outside sources can be helpful to clarify what is in the text. They can help us to see our own biases.

Scripture is necessary above all other sources. It is impossible to live the Christian life faithfully and thoroughly without the Bible. Scripture is the wellspring of life. It is the identity of the church. To misuse the Scriptures is wrong and dangerous and can cause profound harm and destruction.

To make sure we do not misuse Scripture we S.T.O.P to study. Situation, Type of literature, Object of text, and is it Prescriptive or Descriptive.

We ask questions like, Who? What? Where? When? Why? and So What? Application.

We observe the text, then interpret the text, then we apply the text.

Conclusion

The Word of God is deep and immense. it is the most amazing book you can read. It will help you to grow and know how to live. It is the greatest book ever written. It is the guide to life. It is God’s Word for us. He gave us this amazing gift, we must use it and grow.

As I always say:

Learn It

Love It

Live it.

When we do this we will become the people God desires us to be. We will be living in His will, because His will is found in the pages of His Word.

There is one final thing I want you to know about Bible intake.

“If you turn Bible study into a checklist chore, you'll probably hate it. The goal is not to read your Bible every day for a certain amount of time. Your goal is abundant life. You want more joy, more love, more peace. Those things are supported by a Bible habit. To get your mindset right, pray that God would give you an interest in His word. Remember, transformation power comes from God's Spirit. That Spirit was able to bring Jesus back from the dead. He's able to help you find joy in His words. Ask for a desire to study your Bible.”

In Pursuit Of Fruit: Grasp God's Grand Goal For Your Life by Lucas Kitchen