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10 Steps to an Effective Bible Study
By Lloyd W. Cary

Many wonder, how do I study my Bible? Are there any guidelines to help me? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” The ten points presented in this brief article will assure that you will derive the most benefit from the time you invest in you personal Bible study.

It is self-evident that the existence of the world must depend upon something other than itself. The world did not create the world. The Bible states, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). God also wrote a book to mankind: the Bible (2 Timothy 2:16).

God’s Book can be found almost anywhere on the earth. It has been translated into more than 2,000 languages and dialects. It is the world’s all-time “best seller.” Yet, the Bible remains a “mystery” to many. It is our duty as aspiring Christians to do our best to understand what our Creator is saying to us.

Because the Bible is God’s Word, it is essential that we study it diligently. Without Bible truth, no one ever becomes a true Christian and no true Christian ever grows.

Many wonder, “How can I understand the Bible and study it for myself? Where do I begin?” Good questions! Let’s ask God, since He is the author of it. He should know how to study it.


Our Starting Point

The Scriptures ask, “Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.” And the answer, “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little (Isaiah 28:10, KJV)!” In other words, we must put all the verses on a particular topic together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, to see the whole picture. This is called “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Here is our starting point: we read in Ezra 7:10 that Ezra, “prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord.” Ezra was in a receptive frame of mind. We must begin with right attitudes. We must be humble enough to realize God, who made the heavens and the earth, knows more about everything than we do and we must be willing to be corrected when wrong.

We are next told to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV). Just as with any other worthwhile endeavor—math, music, sports, or writing—we must exact effort.


How Do I Study My Bible

Here are ten brief points condensed from the booklet, How To Study Your Bible.
  1. Pray for guidance and understanding and then reflect upon what you have learned. Before you begin, pray about what you are about to study. Ask God to reveal His truth to you and to help you obey what you learn. David said, “Open my eyes, so I may see the wonderful things in your law” (Psalm 119:18).


  2. Have a goal—a reason to study. Do not study haphazardly, hoping to find something to catch your interest. Determine what you want to study before you begin.


  3. Study with the intent to recall or teach. Study with the thought in mind of being able to share your findings with others (1 Peter 3:15) and you will automatically remember and study more effectively.


  4. Mark your Bible and take good notes. A well-marked Bible is an excellent memory aid and becomes like an old familiar friend enabling you to find what you are looking for faster.


  5. Your attitude should be one of self-correction. Take the Scriptures personally, as though God is speaking directly to you.


  6. Realize God inspired the entire Bible. The Bible never contradicts itself! It is always safe to assume any problem in understanding is with us, not with the Bible and that we will find the answers upon further study.


  7. Let the Bible speak for itself. Do not come to conclusions based upon partial facts, insufficient information, or the opinions and speculations of others. Take the Bible literally wherever possible. When the passage is obviously a parable, metaphor, or analogy, look for the literal truth it is trying to impart.


  8. Read the Bible from cover to cover. In order to study God’s word we must first read it. Most people simply do not read the Bible! Reading the Bible is vastly different than studying the Bible. Reading and studying are like a right and a left leg: they must work together to do the job. There is a handy check-off reading guide in the back of the How To Study Your Bible booklet to help you keep on course.


  9. Be familiar with study aids. A Concordance is a book listing the words used in the Bible often giving their basic root meanings as well as other places the words are used. Young’s Analytical Concordance is a good book to begin with. Bible dictionaries such as Smith’s, Unger’s, or Peloubet’s give you the meaning of words as they were when the Bible was written. A Topical Bible, such as Nave’s, lists the Scriptures by topics for easy reference. Bible Commentaries can be useful, but every author has his or her own slant or biased paradigm. Important: never establish doctrine with Bible helps! There are many Study Bibles on the market and each has its strong and weak points. The Thompson Chain Reference Bible is among the best because, instead of commentary, the margins are filled with thousands of cross chain-references that propel you ahead into Scripture.


  10. Live by what you learn. Use, or live, what you learn—or lose it, “For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous” (Romans 2:13). James says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22)!
By applying these ten guidelines, you’ll find your Bible study is easier, more profitable, and, yes, much more exciting than ever before. i
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