Reading & Studying The Bible (Part 2)

It is essential to read, study, and “meditate” (Think on, contemplate deeply, pray over; Psa. 1:2) on “the Word of God” each day.

• It is through His Word, the Holy Bible (i.e., Scripture), that God has revealed Himself and “His will” (Luke 12:47; John 7:17; 9:31; Acts 22:14; Rom. 9:19; Eph. 1:5-11; Col. 1:9; Heb. 13:21; Jas. 1:18) to us (as well as through His Son Jesus Christ).
• You should not ignore the Old Testament (OT) because it is “obsolete,” as some claim. Without the OT, you won’t understand why we are where we are today, or the need for Jesus, or the nature of God, etc. The OT gives context and understanding to the NT; you cannot ignore either one. You won’t understand the NT and Jesus if you don’t understand the OT (God)…for God/Jesus “is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). We see Jesus using OT Scripture to explain “the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27; John 5:39) to the disciples. The NT quotes from the OT nearly 900 times, underscoring the need for modern-day saints to read and understand what is in the OT. (John 5:39, 46; 7:52; 22:29; Acts 8:32-35; Mark 12:10; Rom. 15:4; Luke 16:29-31; Acts 17:11)
• If you fail to “eat” (read, study, meditate on, Matt. 4:4; 1 Tim. 4:6) the Word daily, it may seem like God has drifted far away from you; but, in fact, it is you who have started to drift away from Him. This is because your new “born again” Spirit actually feeds on “the Word of God,” as “It is written, ‘man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of god’” (Matt. 4:4). As your fleshly body needs food to live, your new spirit needs to be fed “the Word of God.”[1]
• Further, if you do not consistently read, study, and meditate on the Word, you will almost surely drift away from Christ and back towards sin and the world. This risk is very real – it happened to me. You can indeed “fall away” from the faith even after being “born again” (Matt. 24:10; 26:31-33; Mark 4:17; 14:27-29; Luke 8:13; 1 Tim. 4:1).
• When doing Bible study (Matt. 4:4; Psa. 1:2; Acts 17:11; 2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17; 4:1-2; 1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 1:10; 1 Tim. 4:6; 1 Cor. 3:2; Heb. 4:11-13, 5:12-14; 6:1; Jas. 3:1; Ezra 7:10; Col. 3:16; Isa. 28:9-10, 13; John 5:39-40):
  
  
  • Lookup the cited verse(s) and then first expand to identify and understand their context; that is critical. Failure to do this leads to many (many) false interpretations, false teachings, and false doctrines,
  • As mentioned in the prior chapter, it is wise to compare several translations side-by-side to weed out any translation idiosyncrasies,
  • Use a Bible dictionary and thesaurus to understand unfamiliar words,
  • Realize and understand that the Bible uses various types of language: literal, figurative/symbolic (e.g., similes, metaphors, parables, etc.), and even poetic language,
  • Use cross-references and concordances to read and study related verses,
  • Read what other learned saints (and martyrs) who have come before us have written (i.e., commentaries),
  • Pray and humbly “ask God” for His “wisdom” (Jas. 1:5; Eph. 6:18) and understanding, and then “meditate” deeply on (contemplate) the verses. (Psa. 1:2; 40:8; 112:1; 119:11, 15, 35, 47-48, 72, 92, 97-99; Job. 23:12; Jer. 15:16; Matt. 4:4; Josh. 1:8; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Pro. 1:7; 9:10; 16:16; 23:23). This is typically done through prayer, often at the start of a study session.
• You should be memorizing Scripture (storing it up in you) during the good (easy) times, so you have it available to you at the ready when hard times come, when you need to teach the gospel to others, or when you need to fend off the “fiery darts” of the devil. Your “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God,” should be a “sharp two-edged sword,” not a dull kitchen butter knife (see The Armor of God chapter).
• You must know Scripture better than Satan and the “wolves” (Matt. 7:15; 10:16; Luke 10:3; Acts 20:28-30), “vipers” (Matt. 3:7; 12:34; 23:33; Luke 3:7; John 8:44), “false prophets” (Matt. 7:15), and modern-day “Pharisees” (Matt. 16:6, 11-12; 23:13-15, 23-29; Mark 8:15; Luke 11:39-43, 53; 12:1; Matt. 3:7; 12:14; 22:15; Mark 3:6; Luke 7:30; 11:53; John 11:57; 12:42; Rev. 2:9; 3:9; Php. 3:2; Acts 23:3) who are trying to “deceive” you, lest you be “tricked” out of your “crown of life” and “deceived” into following “another gospel which is not another” (i.e., fake gospels and false teachings of man). You must know Scripture exceedingly well by diligently reading and studying the Bible as if your very life depends on it (and it does so – eternally!). The naïve, those lacking sense (i.e., gullible), and those “wanting to have their ears tickled [itching ears]” will seek out and follow the schemes, doctrines, and deceptions of man and Satan! Jesus even warned us explicitly to be “shrewd” (i.e., wise; Matt. 10:16; Luke 16:8) in this regard so we are not “deceived”!
• How is one not “deceived”? It is by being diligent to “grow in the grace and knowledge [understanding] of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” “make your calling and election sure,” and “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Php. 2:12; 3:13-14; 1 Cor. 4:14; 9:24-27; 15:58; 1 Pet. 2:11; 2 Pet. 3:18; Rom. 2:7; Gal. 6:7-9; Eccl. 12:13) – and that takes hard work and determination!
• It is often said, “the Bible is hard to understand!” I agree that Scripture can be hard to understand in places (2 Pet. 3:14-18) – and it was meant to be that way, for you must want to dig into and understand the Bible with “all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind”! You must really, really, REALLY want and desire God’s truth (not man’s truth)!
• You must read the Bible with an open mind and heart. You must seek out and love the truth, which is revealed only through God’s Word by God’s wisdom; you must diligently and tirelessly seek it out as if it were more valuable than “silver” or “gold” (Pro. 2:1-4).
• Correct doctrine can only be attained by considering in aggregate all of what Scripture has to say on any particular topic (Psa. 119:160). You build biblical truth by having interpretations that are in agreement with all of Scripture, not just some specific verses you’ve chosen or happen to favor. Nearly all false teachings arise when some verses are picked and interpretations made of those specific verses in isolation, while others are conveniently ignored, which don’t fit with one’s preferred interpretation. One of the most basic principles of Bible study is that if your interpretation and understanding of a verse cause a conflict/disagreement with other simple, clear, literal, and well-understood verses, then it is your understanding and interpretation that is wrong – for Scripture never contradicts itself. Said another way, if your belief, theology, doctrine, or dogma causes Scripture to contradict itself, it is not Scripture that is wrong; it is your own belief, theology, doctrine, or dogma which is wrong. One must also be a careful reader of Scripture, not reading into it things (or words) that are not there.
• At first, you almost certainly will not understand all of what is written in Scripture, but if you continue to diligently and consistently seek, study, and “meditate” on “His Word” (Mark 10:24; Luke 10:39; 24:8; John 4:41; 5:38; 8:55; Rom. 9:28; Tit. 1:3; 2 Pet. 3:7; 1 John 1:10; 2:5) you will see that He will lead you into truth (John 16:13), perhaps quickly or perhaps slowly over time – all according to His timing. God often reveals “His Word” Ask that He open your eyes, ears, and heart to hear His truth and grant you His wisdom. Then press forward in full assurance of His promises. (Jas. 1:5)
• And if at first you do not receive wisdom, pray again in persistence – keep asking reverently of God! This lesson is given to us in the parable of the Unjust Judge (Luke 18:1-8). We are to be persistent in our prayer requests, not in a rude or demanding attitude, but presenting them before Him in persistence. If you’re like me, one day you may read a portion of Scripture and not really get much out of it, and then at a later time, it’s as if your eyes and ears have been opened, and it just really comes alive to you in understanding and meaning. As you unlock (correctly understand) some truth in one area, that gives you the ability and understanding to unlock more truth in another area. I want to point out that it wasn’t until I stopped trying to always seek out and find errors in the Bible (to trap it in a contradiction) that I really started to grow in understanding it.
• Lastly, do you find your time of Bible study and prayer to be a “chore” that you have to force yourself to do each day or a time you relish and look forward to with joy as you spend time with the Lord? People tend to find (make) the time to do the things they really want to do and that they feel are important – are you finding time for reading the Word, or does other stuff always come along and push it off? Reflection on this matter can reveal much about your priorities, heart, and desire to seek and serve Christ daily.

[1] Scripture; The Word of Life, The Word of Truth, The Word of the Kingdom, The Word of Jesus, The Word of Christ, The Word of the Lord, The Word of Reconciliation [with God], The Word of His Power, The Sword of the Spirit, The Sword of My Mouth, The Word of My Perseverance