Reading & Studying The Bible

We are told, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you” (Col 3:16). We do so by reading, studying, “meditating”[1] on (Psa 1:2), and “examining the Scriptures daily” (Act 17:11; cf. Mat 4:4; Psa 1:2; 119:11, 33–35, 105, 160; Joh 5:39–40; Rom 15:4; 1Co 3:2; Col 3:16; 1Ti 4:6; 2Ti 2:15; 3:16–17; Heb 4:12–13; 5:11–14; 6:1–2; 1Pe 2:2; 2Pe 3:18).[2] It is through “the word of God” (Act 4:31; 6:7; 8:14; 11:1; etc.), which is “the sword of the Spirit” (Eph 6:17; cf. Luk 2:35; Heb 4:12; Rev 1:16; 2:12, 16; 19:15, 21), that God has revealed Himself,[3] “His will” (Joh 7:17; 9:31; Eph 1:9; Col 1:9; Heb 13:21; 1Jn 5:14; cf. Luk 22:42), and His plan for humanity to us, and unless one is well-versed in the Word of God and knows how to properly interpret it, trusting in and obeying the Lord will be more difficult.

You must know Scripture better than Satan and the “wolves,” “vipers,” “false prophets,” “false teachers,” and modern-day “Pharisees,” lest you be “tricked” or “deceived” out of your “crown of life” by following “a different gospel … a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you”—that is, the false teachings and “fake gospels” (paraphrase) of man.[4] How is one not deceived? It is by being diligent to continually “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2Pe 3:18; cf. Col 1:9–12; Heb 6:1; Php 3:12–14), “make your calling and election sure” (2Pe 1:10 KJV), “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Php 2:12), “test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves” (2Co 13:5), and “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” in NT Scripture (Jud 3; cf. Col 1:23). And that requires hard work and determination on your part.

I’ve found that if I am not spending enough time in the Word of God (i.e., each day), anxiety, worries, doubts, and fears can begin to arise. You should also be memorizing Scripture (storing it 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, and when you need to fend off the “fiery darts” (Eph 6:16 KJV; also “flaming arrows,” NASB) of the devil. Your “sword of the Spirit” should be a “sharp two-edged sword” (Rev 1:16; 2:12; cf. Heb 4:12), not a dull kitchen butter knife.[5]

Here are some notes to guide you:

1. Don’t ignore the Old Testament (OT); it is not “obsolete,” as some claim. It helps explain why we are where we are today, the need for Jesus, the nature of God, and so on, for “Jesus Christ [God] is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb 13:8; Jas 1:17). The OT also gives context and understanding to the NT; you cannot ignore either one. We see Jesus using OT Scripture to explain “the things concerning Himself” (see Luk 24:27; Joh 5:39, 46; cf. Joh 7:52). Moreover, the NT quotes from the OT approximately nine hundred times, underscoring the need for modern-day saints to read and understand what is written in it (Act 8:32–35; Mar 12:10; cf. Rom 15:4).[6]
2. If you fail to eat the Word of God “daily” (read, study, meditate on; see Act 17:11; Mat 4:4; Psa 1:2), 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 (Jas 4:8; Heb 4:16; 7:19, 25; 10:22; Psa 145:18). This is because your new “born again” (Joh 3:3–8; 1Pe 1:3, 23) spirit actually feeds on “the word of God” (Eph 6:17; Php 1:14; Col 1:25; Joh 4:32); as “it is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’” (Mat 4:4). Just as your fleshly body needs food to live, so too your new spirit needs to be fed “the word of God.”
3. Furthermore, if you do not consistently read, study, and meditate on the Word, you will likely “fall away” from the faith, back toward sin and the world. This risk is very real—it happened to me once. Do not be deceived by the “once saved, always saved” false teaching of man; you can indeed “fall away” from the faith even after being born again (see Mat 13:21; 24:10; 26:31, 33; Mar 4:17; 14:27, 29; Luk 8:13; 1Ti 4:1; Heb 3:12; 6:6; 2Pe 3:17).[7]
4. When studying particular verses:
   • Look up the cited verse(s) and then first expand outward to identify and understand the context. Failure to do this leads to false teachings.
   • Determine the type of language that is being used: literal, figurative or symbolic (e.g., similes, metaphors, parables), poetic, or even a combination. A major source of error comes from forcing literal interpretations of symbolic passages.
   • As mentioned prior, it is wise to compare several translations side-by-side to weed out any particular translation idiosyncrasies.
   • Use a Bible dictionary and thesaurus to understand unfamiliar words.
   • 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; Pro 11:14; 27:17).
   • Pray and humbly “ask of God” for His “wisdom” and understanding (Jas 1:5; Eph 6:18)[8] and then “meditate” on (contemplate, pray over) the verses (see Psa 1:2).[9]
5. It is often said, “The Bible is hard to understand.” While I agree that Scripture can be hard to understand” in places (2Pe 3:16), realize that it was meant to be that way, for you must desire and want to dig into and understand it “with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mar 12:30; Mat 22:37; Jer 29:13; Luk 10:27; 11:9–10; Act 8:37).[10]^, [11]
6. Correct doctrine can only be attained by harmonizing all of what Scripture says on any particular topic (“the sum,” Psa 119:160; cf. 2Ti 3:16–17). You build biblical truth by having interpretations that are in agreement with all of Scripture, not just some specific verses you’ve chosen and happen to favor while ignoring other verses (or entire books) that you don’t understand or just don’t like. Many false teachings arise when some verses are picked and interpretations made of those specific verses in isolation while others are conveniently ignored because they don’t fit with one’s preferred theology. One of the most basic principles of Bible study is that if your interpretation and understanding of a verse cause a conflict or disagreement with other simple, clear, literal, and well-understood verses, then your understanding and interpretation are 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 that is wrong.[12]
7. You almost certainly will not understand all of what is written in Scripture, especially at first, but if you continue to diligently and consistently seek, study, and meditate on His Word, you will see that God will lead you into truth (Joh 15:26; 16:7, 13; 1Co 2:14),[13] perhaps quickly or perhaps slowly over time, all according to His timing. I’ve found that God often reveals His Word to me gradually and progressively. Ask Him to open your eyes, ears, and heart to hear His truth and grant you His wisdom (Jas 1:5; Col 1:9; Eph 6:18) and then press forward in “full assurance” (see Heb 3:14; 6:11; 10:22; 11:1; cf. Rom 4:16–21) of His promises, as we remember that “God is not a man, that He should lie” (Num 23:19; cf. Rom 3:4; Tit 1:2; Heb 6:18; Jas 1:17) and that every single syllable and word of Scripture is there for a reason and will come true (Isa 40:8; 45:23; 55:11; Num 23:19; Psa 89:34; 119:89–91; Mat 5:18; 24:35; Joh 10:35; Pro 30:5; 1Pe 1:23–25; Hab 2:3; Luk 16:17; 21:33; Lam 2:17; 1Th 2:13; Rom 11:29; cf. 2Pe 1:20–21; 2Ti 3:16–17; Heb 4:13). God’s Word will never “return void” (Isa 55:11; 45:23; cf. 2Ti 3:16–17; Heb 4:12)! It will always accomplish what it set out to do, even if it may appear idle or that it won’t, even if it takes a long time (Hab 2:2–3).
8. If at first you do not receive wisdom, pray again with persistence—keep asking reverently of God.[14] If you’re like me, you may read a portion of Scripture and not really get much out of it, but then at a later time, it’s as if your eyes and ears have been opened, and it comes alive to you in understanding and meaning. As you unlock (correctly understand) some truth in one area, you often gain the ability to understand and unlock more truth in another area.

In closing, I’d like to ask: Is your time of Bible study (and prayer) a chore that you must force yourself to do each day, or is it something you relish and look forward to with joy as you spend time with the Lord? People tend to find (make) the time to do what they think is important. Are you finding time to read the Word, or does other stuff always push it off? Reflection on these matters can reveal much about your priorities, heart, and desire to seek and serve Christ daily.

[1] Think on, contemplate deeply, and pray over.

[2] Additional verses to consider: Deu 6:6–9; Ezr 7:10; Isa 28:9–10, 13; Job 23:12; Psa 19:8; 24:4–5; 27:11; 43:3; 86:11; 143:8, 10; Pro 6:23.

[3] Also, through His Son, Jesus Christ (Heb 1:2), and we have Jesus’ words recorded in Scripture.

[4] See the chapter “Beware the Wolves” for verse references.

[5] See the chapter “The Armor of God.”

[6] Most books have a built-in reading plan, and the Bible is no different. In fact, one of the best (and simplest) “reading plans” for the Bible is this: Start in Genesis 1 and continue until Revelation 22. You could also add reading one chapter from the Books of Psalms and Proverbs each day if you want. There, I’ve just saved you countless hours trying to find (and remember) the perfect reading plan. Moreover, you wouldn’t buy a romance novel or thriller and then pick it up and start reading it randomly in the middle, would you? I didn’t think so. Yet some think this is okay to do with the Bible and that God will lead them to open it randomly on the exact right page. While I have seen that happen occasionally, it’s not generally how Bible study works.

[7] See the chapters “Press On to Maturity” and “Persevere in Faith.”

[8] See the chapter “The Wisdom of God.”

[9] See the chapter “Understanding Prayer.”

[10] One must want truth and godly wisdom more than “silver” or “fine gold” (see Pro 3:13–18; 4:1–27; Psa 119:127; cf. Mat 4:4; Psa 1:2).

[11] I’d like to add an observation here: We’ve all seen many thousands (and hundreds of thousands) of people standing or sitting out in the freezing cold, rain, snow, and blizzards on hard metal benches for hours on end to watch their favorite sports team; for example, the Ice Bowl (played on December 31, 1967, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin) had a temperature of –13°F with a wind chill of –48°F. Yet I wonder, how many would endure the same conditions to hear the Word of God preached for three hours? Now, I must admit that I’d be hard-pressed to do so in those conditions, but you get the point I’m trying to make. See also Act 20:7–10; 1Ki 10:1–10.

[12] One must also be a careful reader of Scripture, not reading into it things (or words) that are not there.

[13] This verse was spoken to the disciples, so it must not be construed to mean we will receive special or private revelations (or prophecy) today from God or the Holy Spirit. Before the canon of Scripture was finalized (see the chapter “Choosing a Bible”), the Spirit helped the apostles recall and write the words that were spoken to them by Jesus and gave them prophecy and Scripture (Act 11:12, 28; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 20:22; 1Ti 4:1; the Book of Revelation, etc.). Today, we rely on the same Spirit to be led into truth (“the Spirit of truth,” Joh 14:17; 15:26), for by the Spirit we are able to understand (and obey) the Word of God. Without His help, we cannot understand the (spiritual) things of God (1Co 2:14; cf. Pro 3:5–7; Isa 55:8–9).

[14] See the chapter “Understanding Prayer.”