How To Get The Most Out Of Gods Word: Bible Study For Beginners
Dont let intimidation prevent you from learning how to study the Bible in-depth! Just apply these simple steps with my free inductive bible study guide!
Maybe you are a new believer or maybe you have been in church all your life but dont know how easy it is to dive into Gods Word with inductive Bible study methods.; Here are some simple steps that are simple to follow in order to get the most out of your Bible study time, making it the richest part of your day!
Physical Bible Study Plans
Footnotes
How Not To Study The Bible
Context is Key When you dont understand a verse, read the context.; The paragraph, chapter and book will give you lots of clues to the meaning.; If we imply a meaning to a verse, that isnt really there we misunderstand the meaning of the passage and its misapplication can be harmful to us and others.; God takes very seriously the correct interpretation of His Word and we should too!
Dont Compare Your Walk with Others Your spiritual journey does not consist of rungs on a ladder.; If someone is studying more than you are, thats fine.; But you arent them.; Dont let someone elses relationship with God in any way deter you from spending time with Him.
Be Doers of the Word If we are hearers of the word and not doers of the word, James 1 tells us that we deceive ourselves.; Dont be like the Pharisees who didnt apply Gods Word or applied it incorrectly.; Focus on God and not just attaining knowledge for your own purposes.
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Learning To Use A Study Bible
After you’ve decided what translation to use, I encourage you to purchase a study Bible, since it will contain a number of tools in one volume that can help you dig deeper. Nearly every Bible publisher offers a study Bible. Your local Christian bookstore can help you figure out which one is right for you. Here are some of the features that you’ll come to appreciate:
Other features you may find include articles on various topics, a brief Bible dictionary, outlines of topics and Bible books, index of place names, time lines, and so on.
Keys To Planning A Successful Day
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Sign up and you can start going through it right away!;Join me to chat about how, with a few simple tips, we can start living with more intention.;It might seem overwhelming to work on being more intentional and purposeful in your schedules and to-do list. But in reality, it takes just a few minutes to begin transforming your routines with 5 simple stepsâ¦
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Don’t Toss Out Any Books Of The Bible
2 Timothy 3:16-17 says,
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
From the seemingly monotonous genealogies to the Levitical Law, all scripture points us to the feet of Jesus and is applicable to our lives today.
Be open to every book in the Word of God. As Jen Wilkin says, “There are no pink parts of the bible.” We need more than Esther and Ruth.
The Bible Project Plan
The complete Bible with video introductions.
This was my 2019 plan and I loved it. Each week, in this 365-day plan, youll read chapters grouped and organized. In other words, if a certain topic spans three chapters, youll read three. If it spans, six, youll read six. The coolest thing about this plan is, at the beginning of each book, youll watch the Bible Projects signature explanatory videos. Along with other topical videos throughout.
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Find The Original Word And Meaning Using The Interlinear Bible
The original language of the bible – which was for the most part Hebrew , Greek , and in some areas Aramaic – was taken and translated into English, to make it readable to the masses!
The problem with bible translations is that many times, the context or message captured in the original tongue can become diluted, misinterpreted, or lost all together through translation. .
That’s why the Interlinear Bible is perfect for digging deeper in bible study.
The beauty of the interlinear bible is that we can find the full meaning and deepen our understanding of words found in bible passages by going back to the original word.
– Now Your Turn –
1) Download the Free Printable
2) Note your chosen scripture for this in depth bible study guide on Bible Study Sheet #1. My chosen scripture for the demonstration is Hebrews 4: 12
3) Highlight at least three key words or phrases you would like to dig deeper. For mine, I chose “word” “quick” and “soul”
4) Note them separately on the Bible Study Sheet
5) Go to the Interlinear Bible
6) Put your Scripture verse into the search bar and then click “Find It”
7) The screen will open to your scripture verse with most of the words highlighted in blue
I will show you the complete simple method in the demonstration below.
8) Watch the brief video to get the final steps
Search Out The Context
Context is key, y’all!
When studying a book of the bible, you must find the context.
Believe it or not, you can find out a lot about a book by reading it multiple times in a row. I do this by searching for information about the author, recipients, or themes I see and writing them down.
A decent study of hermeneutics will be super helpful for this. The bible is compiled of many types of literature, from poetry to letters. Knowing what kind you’re studying will be helpful for how to interpret scripture.
Of course, there’s also the option of a good study bible which has all of that information at the beginning of each book. However you decide, search out the context. This is vital to bible study and protects the reader from wrong interpretation of the text.
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A Deeper Understanding Of The Bible
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.; 2 Timothy 2:15
The goal of Bible study is not just to gain greater knowledge but to apply the truths of the Bible to; everyday life.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. James 1:23-24
The reason we study Scripture is so we can apply it.; With every insight we learn from Gods Word, we should prayerfully consider how it should be applied in our own lives.; Not allowing Gods Word to result in action is as unnatural as looking in a mirror and quickly forgetting what you look like according to James 1.
So no matter where you are in your journey, set a daily appointment with God.; Then commit to spend time every day studying the Word.
The Bible Plan For You
You have endless options for a Bible plan. You can choose any of these, or one of the physical study plans below. And its not like a set plan is mandatory. If you prefer to just read your Bible daily, and pick whichever chapters you want, that works too. The important thing is spending time in Gods Word.
If you start in prayer, and read fervently, youre going to grow as a Christian.
Figure out how to fit this into yourschedule. If you have five minutes, thats great, there are plenty of quick plans. If you have 30 minutes or an hour, even better, you dont just have to stick to one plan. But the goal is to grow in our spiritual wisdom and relationship with God, not just to read as much as we can each day.
I hope you have an idea of what you want to start next in your Bible reading.
God bless and Merry Christmas!
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Use The Resources And Tools Available To Help You
There are so many tools and resources available for us as we study the Bible! Use them!
- Go to the app store on your phone and download a few of the MANY apps available to help you. My #1 recommendation, as Ive already said is The Bible App by YouVersion.
- Do a quick google search for verses about. whatever topic youre looking to study and just follow the trail of verses through the Bible to see what God teaches you.
Whatever you decide to do just do something! Friends, this is the most important thing you can do after salvation to guarantee a life of victory! God has given us a treasure more precious than anything. His very own Word! Lets spend our lives devouring it!
YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!
*What have you learned that has helped you get started with in-depth Bible study? How has developing a deeper relationship with God become important to you as youve studied the Bible?
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Word Study By Bible Books
Certain words have special significance in certain Bible books. For example, after studying the Gospel of John as a book and by chapters, youll find it instructive and inspiring to trace the words believe and belief. They occur almost 100 times. By reading the book hurriedly and underlining each passage where the words believe and belief occur, youll understand why Bible scholars contend that the purpose of the Gospel of John is expressed by the author in John 20:31.
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Bible Study Method #: Chapter Analysis
This is one of the simple Bible studies that I have grown to love! The chapter analysis Bible study method essentially has you read one book of the Bible at a time one chapter at a time. The beauty of this Bible study method is that it gives you the opportunity to really dig deep in each book of the Bible.
In 2017, I did a Bible reading plan that took me through the entire Bible in a year. I enjoyed this immensely but I didn’t realize how much I miss out on until I began the chapter analysis Bible study method in 2018.
Bible Study Method #: Topical Bible Study
Another one of our different Bible study methods is a topical Bible study. This is one of the effective Bible study methods that help you connect a single concept throughout the entire Bible.
For example, if you felt compelled to do a study on love, you could use the concordance in your Bible or do a google search to find a list of scripture that is about love. You could then go through this scriptures one a day, or even one a week, to focus on its meaning and how you can apply it to your life.
Topical Studies you might enjoy:
One of the cool things about this particular Bible study method is that you can use it along with another study method! If I were doing a topical study on courage and my verse for the day was Joshua 1:9, I could use the SOAP study method to analyze and learn from that particular verse.
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Park Yourself In One Book
As women, we like to move quickly. We’re always on to the next thing. This ought not be so in our time with the Lord.
Make yourself a student of one book of the bible for as long as it takes. Your goal is to find Jesus among the pages, learn more about God’s character and allow the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the truths of Scripture which will shape you into Christlikeness.
This requires you to slow down. Take your time.
If this means you spend six months studying one book of the bible, that’s awesome! Be okay with mulling over hard passages for long periods of time. In the end, you’ll reap the reward.
Bible Study Method #: Scripture Verse Mapping
Scripture Mapping is a really fun way to engage and learn from the Word of God.; Though it sounds complicated, it’s actually pretty simple. The overall idea is to take one or two scriptures and essentially dissect them.
The verse mapping method is really good for those who are wanting to learn how to study the Bible effectively because it’s great for breaking down each verse and getting to the original meaning, studying the cultural and historical context, different translations of the same verse, etc.
Verse Mapping Study to Try:Kneel Before the Throne: Exploring Ephesians with Verse Mapping & Bible Study
This method is also good for those who like to be more creative in their Bible studies. Most people use a variety of colored pens, markers, highlighters, etc. along with different arrows and shapes to denote each part of the scripture they’re analyzing.
While there are several different ways to use the scripture mapping method, most include writing out the verse, highlighting sections or words that stand out to you, defining words you don’t know the meaning to, looking up cross-references for the verse you are studying, and reading the verse in a couple different translations.
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How To Study The Bible: Choose One Of These Methods
Are you ready to start studying the Bible for yourself? Are you looking for different methods to study the Bible and enrich your reading of Scripture?;Here are 11 different ways to effectively study Gods Word.
You can choose the one that fits your season of spiritual growth, the passage of the Bible youre interested in, and the time that you have available. Explore different methods and let them spark ideas you can pursue in your study of the Bible.
The different types of Bible Study methods are given a rating of 1 to 3 Clipboard icons depending on the level of difficulty. The amount of time thats required for each is also given a rating of 1 to 3 Clock icons.
Level :
Bible Study Through Biography
The Bible is a record of Gods revealing Himself to people and through people. The Old Testament as well as the New is rich in such biographical studies. Here are a few:
- Noah: Genesis 5:3210:32
- Deborah: Judges 4; 5
Let us summarize various methods for studying the great Bible biographies:
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The Bible Is A Personal Word From God
The Bible has had a greater influence on this world than any other book. Eighteenth century German philosopher Immanuel Kant said, The existence;of the Bible, as a book for people, is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced. President Herbert Hoover emphasized, The whole inspiration of our civilization springs from the teachings of Christ and the lessons of the prophets. To read the Bible for these fundamentals is a necessity of American life.
Men and women by the millions, famous and unknown, have changed history because God used the Bible to change them. St. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, and many others depended on the Scripture to guide their lives, which in turn gave them power to influence the world in which they lived. Daniel Webster, politician and diplomat and one of our countrys greatest orators, said of the Bible, I have read the Bible through many times, and now make it a practice to read it through once every year… It fits man for lifeit prepares him for death.
Be A Doer Of The Word
Don’t just study God’s Word for the sake of studying. Be sure to put the Word into practice in your life.
Jesus said in Luke 11:28, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”
If God speaks to you personally or through life application principles you find in the text, be sure to apply those nuggets to your day-to-day life.
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