Topic question: do you read the bible like a normal book?

The answer is absolutely NOT!!

A bible study is not just reading the bible and taking a few notes. So I’m here to tell you a true breakdown of how you should be studying your bible in order to get to know your God!

Step 1: before reading

1. First and foremost, Get that nice warm cup of coffee or tea and find a quiet spot that you can focus on, or even your local coffee shop with your headphones.

2. Set a schedule on a time to do your studies, whether it is in the afternoon, morning, anytime that you have a bit more free time.

3. Create a plan! Remember to prioritize God. If you just fit in your study wherever you can, anything can pop up on your schedule and take you away from that time. Put him and your time into an actual fit schedule! What book are you going to do your study on? How many chapters will you read in a day, a week? For how long will your study be? (if your trying to study 2 books in the bible i recommend studying one book in the morning and one at night time)

4. My favorite part…grab your writing utensils (colored pens, highlighters) sticky notes, bookmarks, stickers, washi tape, anything! — (just keep in mind bible journaling isn’t just about the pretty colors, it’s what you get out of it)..but it doesn’t hurt to make it fun and beautiful!

5. Your final step before getting into your study…PRAY! Ask god to open your mind and heart into what you are about to be learning. For the word and passage to be applied to your life and to thank him for you to even be able to read the word! Along with anything else that fills your heart to pray about.

Step 2: During your Study

1. This is not a “you need to do it this way” type of way, this is just a suggestion that helps a lot of others study the bible.

2. If you do not want to write inside of your bible you cant also write notes in a separate journal!

3. Circle words that you do not understand or that stick out to you! Look them up and write them out on your sticky note and put it in your bible, or just in a separate notebook.

4. Use the dictionary feature of Biblegateway.com ! Not only look up the definition of the word. But what does it mean in its context? Did it have a different meaning back in their time? Sometimes in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic (the 3 languages the bible was originally written in It was also written across 3 continents. Europe, Asia (modern day Israel) and Africa (Egypt)) have a different meaning or context to a word or phrase that maybe we are used to seeing in English nowadays.

5. Look for italicized words. This usually means that the word or phrase has another meaning! That is, the italics enable the reader to distinguish between words found in the manuscripts of the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament that actually translate into English

6. Read your passage several times in your preferred Bible. As you read, highlight important words, key ideas, and noteworthy people, places, or events. Highlighting can help you note key aspects of the passage and reinforce your familiarity.

7. It also helps to read that passage in other bible versions. Reading your passage in multiple versions such as a Hebrew or Greek edition or a variety of English translations can improve your understanding of the passage. Using translations that take different approaches may draw your attention to problems in interpretation. As you read, be sure to notice things that sound strange, or that seem confusing. You will want to remember these things for later study.

8. You can even look up a color code plan to follow when highlighting in the bible to help you keep certain topics together when color coding your bible.

9. Underline important words-get an understanding of why it is important to the passage/message. Each passage has certain key words or ideas that are central to the meaning of the passage. Identifying and examining these key terms and concepts is essential to understanding the passage properly. Taking different positions on the meaning of a passage’s key terms is often how significantly different interpretations arise. ( blueletterbible website can help)

10. Explore the larger context : Understand your passage better by examining its larger context. Begin by reading text before and after your passage. Studying the textual, historical, and cultural contexts helps you determine what the passage might have meant to the biblical audience. Also read about the author of that specific book, get to know him and his story; what his part is in the bible and what his importance is. You should explore the passage’s textual (or literary) context by looking at the text surrounding your passage and studying the way your passage is organized. You should also explore the historical and cultural context of your passage.

• Try verse by verse studies! Take an in depth study verse by versed at a time.

• Explore types of literature : There are a number of distinct styles of literature, called genres or literary types, used in the biblical text. Some of these are similar to literary genres familiar today, but others are not. Identifying and understanding the literary style or genre of a passage is crucial to interpreting it correctly. If a particular literary genre occurs in your passage, it should be identified and carefully evaluated.

• Types of literature: Narrative, poetry, epistle, prophecy, parable, exegesis, apocalyptic literature, saying, history, genealogy, quotation, literary criticism, allusion..etc.

• Find and record passage references to other passages in the bible

• Cross references: Examine relationships between your passage and other passages in the Bible. Letting Scripture interpret Scripture has been a guiding principle of biblical interpretation for centuries. The idea is that the meaning of an obscure passage might be clarified by other passages where the meaning is more straightforward. Cross-references, parallel passages, and the use of the Old Testament in the New are all potential sources for texts to consider alongside your passage.

• Identify new testament use of the old testament : Identify where the New Testament draws on material from the Old Testament, including material found in books included in the Greek Old Testament that are not part of the Hebrew Bible. why? New Testament writers draw on Old Testament passages more through indirect echoes and allusions than through direct quotation. They use wording that brings a particular Old Testament passage to mind, but they are not quoting the passage.
• It is very common for New Testament passages to interact with Old Testament passages in this way. Sometimes the New Testament writers quote the Old Testament directly, but they do not usually note where exactly they are quoting from. Identifying the interconnections between the Testaments can be a valuable way to consider the full context of Scripture in your interpretation. If you are studying a New Testament passage, identify any Old Testament passages that are quoted or alluded to. If you are studying an Old Testament passage, determine if your passage is quoted or alluded to in the New Testament.

• Summarize what you have read and learned; how can you apply this to your life?

• examine commentary discussions. Locate commentaries that discuss your passage and review the discussion to better understand which aspects of your passage are most challenging or unclear. A commentary discussion may alert you that something you thought was clear in the text is actually a complicated and debated issue.

• Determine the passages’ theological principles.: An essential part of application is determining what timeless principles are taught in a passage. The meaning of a passage will be applied differently at different times and in different places, but the underlying truths of Scripture will be applicable in some way at all times and places. Before we can apply a passage, we must understand its theological principles

• Write out any questions along the way and research for answers!

• Ending Prayer!! Close out your bible session again! Thank god for allowing you to have this time to get closer to him and to have him help you apply it to your life and have full knowledge and understanding of your study.

• Share what you’ve learned, don’t be stingy!!! What you have learned is not only for you to understand but help others understand and learn as well!

Closing Pointers!!

When you’re reading the bible you’re reading it to understand god’s nature. Who your creator really is. For the bible is a reflection of your heart and it shows who you really are before god; and what your purpose on earth is and apply it to your life (Hebrews 4:12) (James 1:22–25). You don’t read the bible to know how to become perfect…but it is meant to show how much of a sinner we are that we are indeed of a perfect savior. Jesus Christ.

Our goal is to strive to be like him. Which is noticing our faults and sinful nature, asking for forgiveness so you can ‘aim’ to be more Christlike. We will never be perfect but it is needed to know what ‘perfect’ looks like through God himself; to try to fight off temptation and this sinful nature. (Matthew 4:5–11).

It can help to play an audio bible of your passage as you are doing daily activities. After you do your bible study, throughout the day play the audio bible out loud so it gets impacted in your mind without you having to physically stop and read. As you eat, shower, do the dishes, anything! Just play it a few times throughout the day.

DON’T DOES:

• Don’t Use Wikipedia
• Try to read the entire book in 1 sitting and think that was all there is to it. Go back and dissect it.
• Don’t forget to pray the passage or scripture into your life
• Pray before you read
• Don’t rely on your own understanding
• Careful on using just anyones youtube for extra guidance. People have different views, just rely on the Word.