HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE
To be an effective Christian, a believer must have a good working knowledge of the Bible. It is through the study of God's Word that we come to know God in a deeper way and to know His will for our life.
There are certain principles that will help us in our study of the Bible.
Let us consider some of them.
**** 1.. SPEND TIME ****
The Bible is a big book and a serious one. No one can gain a working knowledge of God's Word without spending time studying it. The Bible says, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15
The Bible should be read daily and consecutively. It is best to read the Old and New Testaments together. By reading three Chapters in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament daily, one can read through the Bible in a year.
**** 2.. FIND FACTS ****
The Bible contains many spiritual facts which must be discovered in order to understand God's Word. God 's Word is written very carefully. In fact, God has forbidden that a single word in the original language be changed. Since the Bible is written so carefully, it must be studied carefully to know its truths.
****3... MEMORIZE ****
One of the most precious and productive ways of studying the Word of God is to memorize it. A good plan is to memorize a single verse a day for six days, then review them on seventh day. If you do this for a year. You will have hidden in your heart more than 300 verses of Scripture. You will be rich in the Word of God. The best way to get today's meaning of words is to get a good present day translation to use along with your regular Bible.
****4...USE COMMON SENSE ****
There are two main ways by which Bible passages can be interpreted:
(1) Literally-that is, the passage means exaclty what it says.
(2) Figuratively- that is, a symbol or figure is used to teach a truth. It is not to be taken literally.
The Bible uses many symbols or "figures of speech" to help us understand God's truths. The Lord Jesus was using a familiar symbol when He said, "I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved." We know that Jesus is not a literal door. What Jesus is saying here is that He is the "door" to Heaven. Those who trust him as Savior will enter Heaven by Him.
Generally, we should interpret the Bible literally unless it is clear to us that is speaking figuratively. A good rule to go by is this : If the literal sense make sense, seek no other sense.
**** 5.. DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED ****
There are difficult passages in the Bible. When you come across a passage that you do not understand, do not be discouraged. Simply set it aside for the time being and continue reading.
Someone once said that reading the Bible is like eating fish. When you come across a bone, you do not throw away the whole fish. You simply set the bone aside and keep on eating. So it is with the Bible.
When it comes to interpreting difficult passages in the Bible, a very important principle is this : Never use a difficult or obscure passage to contradict a clear and positive one.
**** 6.. GET ADDITIONAL HELP ****
You will be greatly helped in your Bible study by having two special books.
A BIBLE DICTIONARY will enable you to accurately identify persons and places in the Bible. There are ten different men in the Bible named Simon, four Johns, three named James, and six women named Mary ! And some people in the Bible have two names.
Note: This article taken from the booklet entitled " The New Life in Christ"
