The Bible is the basis of our Christian faith. Many of us own a Bible and read our Bible frequently, listen to sermons and attend Bible studies. But have you ever been taught how to study your Bible independently? I will admit that throughout my lifetime attending various churches and Bible studies I was never taught how to study my Bible. I was taught different views of scripture and taught how to find answers in scriptures, but I wasn’t taught how to study scripture. For a long time, I left the Bible studying up to elders and other teachers. But I have realized that everyone can study their Bible, and when I say study I mean more than just reading the scriptures daily.

So what exactly does it mean to study your Bible and why should we study? The study of the Bible is called Hermeneutics. I bet that many of us have heard this word before but had no idea what it means, well now you do! Studying the scriptures starts with reading, but it is more than just reading God’s word. It is diving deep into the text.  There are many different ways to study the scriptures, but the way we are going to talk about today is studying verse by verse. This is the most natural way to study scripture because it is how it was written. 

15 I meditate on your precepts
    and consider your ways.
16 I delight in your decrees;
    I will not neglect your word.
Psalm 119:15-16

Prayer

The first step in studying your Bible is to begin with prayer. Ask God to open your eyes and heart to hear His word and to learn from him. Pray for wisdom, discernment, and understanding on the passage you are studying today. Next, there are some different factors to look at when studying the Bible. 

Simple Reading

The “simple” or “plain” reading of the text is the next step to studying your Bible. An example of a simple or plain reading of the text, is the way most of us read scripture. We read the words and interpret a basic understanding. An example of this is Mark 8:1-10 where Jesus feeds the Four Thousand. The simple understanding of this is that Jesus was able to multiply the fish and bread to feed four thousand men. This is a great place to start when first reading a text to determine the basic understanding of the text. 

Literary Genre (Style, Form and Substance)

After determining the simple reading of the text you can move into the literary genre. Is the text portraying an idea through poetry, narrative, prophecy, declaration, or something else? Knowing the genre helps you know the tone of the passage and gives you hints on interpretation. Some other questions to think about are: does this passage style differ from other passages in the book, is the writer telling you the purpose of the text and how does this book differ from other books in the Bible?

Contextual Realities of the Text (Historic, Grammatical, and Contextual Substance Surrounding the Text)

It is imperative to know the context of the passage that you are reading. A passage from the Old Testament is going to be different from a passage from the New Testament.  Thinking about what we know from the time period of the book, and the culture during that time helps give context to the passage. A book in the Old Testament, written to the Isrealites has implications for us today but it is not written for us

How God’s Word in other texts speaks about the text

This is the time to look into the other passages your passage might be quoting or referring to. Reading the passages being referenced to will help you give you a greater context and idea of the purpose and message of your current reading. 

Our Preconceptions, Baggage, and Previous Understanding

When we read a passage we are going to bring in any knowledge that we already have from previous teachings. We will also bring in any emotions, or baggage from previous experiences. One way to figure out any preconceptions you might have is to ask yourself what your first impression was of the passage. We need to be aware that we will read scripture with our own baggage and work hard to take that out of the equation and read scripture as what God has intended it to be read. 

Coming to an Interpretation (Double-Checking an Interpretation)

This is where we finally get to the point of determining what the text has to say. After completing the above steps you should have a pretty good understanding of the passage you are reading. If not, then seek out some extra help from your pastor, fellow Christian or got answers. 

Now, I know what you are thinking, how in the world do I have the time to go through these 6 steps when I hardly have any time to just read scripture. To that answer, it won’t take that long! Once you get the hang of it you will naturally start asking yourself these questions and noticing connections without a second thought. It seems like it takes a long time and it will at the beginning but only for the first few times. Pretty soon studying your Bible will become second nature to you.  

Check out below for some additional resources on reading your Bible.

Resources:

How did the Puritans understand the study of the Bible? 
Dr. Robert Plummer on YouTube for an in-depth study on Hermeneutics
Dr. Plummer’s Blog
“The Naked Bible” Podcast
Dr. Heiser’s work “I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible”
O. Palmer Robertson’s “Christ of the Covenants” 

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