This is the third in a series of posts on how to study your Bible.
The Bible is an awe-inspiring book. However, we don't want merely to admire it; we need to understand it. Most people don't understand what it says, that includes Christians. Understanding the Bible is crucial because the Bible is the Word of God, so we need to know how to study the Bible. That encompasses four things: reading it, interpreting it, meditating on it, and teaching it.
When we study the Bible we need to approach it with purpose, expecting it to let us know more about God and His plan for us. We need to approach our personal study of the Bible prayerfully.
Psalm 119:33 (NLT)33 Teach me your decrees, O LORD; I will keep them to the end.
And to do so expectantly means we believe that the Lord is going to speak specifically to us
Psalm 25:4 (NLT) Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow.
Sermons, Sunday school lessons, and quiet times on our own are all things to be anticipated. God uses these to build us up, strengthen us, or offer us comfort—He certainly makes listening to Him worthwhile. And obedience is the only proper response to this kind of personal attention.
Approaching the reading of Scripture prayerfully prepares our hearts to listen well and ushers in an attitude of purpose and expectancy.
If you want to experience God working in your life, come to Scripture with a prayerful, expectant, purpose-filled attitude. The mourner will be comforted. The weary will gain strength. Those convicted of their sin will repent and know peace. All will sense joy. Recognize what a gift God’s Word is to you.
When we study the Bible we need to approach it with purpose, expecting it to let us know more about God and His plan for us. We need to approach our personal study of the Bible prayerfully.
There are three step to reading and understanding it.
Application
Application is really why we study the Bible. We want our lives to change; we want to be obedient to God and to grow more like Jesus Christ. After we have observed a passage and interpreted or understood it to the best of our ability, we must then apply its truth to our own life.
You’ll want to ask the following questions of every passage of Scripture you study:
The application step is not completed by simply answering these questions; the key is putting into practice what God has taught you in your study. Although at any given moment you cannot be consciously applying everything you’re learning in Bible study, you can be consciously applying something. And when you work on applying a truth to your life, God will bless your efforts by conforming you to the image of Jesus Christ which is His purpose for us.
Romans 8:28-30 (NKJV)28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
The Bible is an awe-inspiring book. However, we don't want merely to admire it; we need to understand it. Most people don't understand what it says, that includes Christians. Understanding the Bible is crucial because the Bible is the Word of God, so we need to know how to study the Bible. That encompasses four things: reading it, interpreting it, meditating on it, and teaching it.
When we study the Bible we need to approach it with purpose, expecting it to let us know more about God and His plan for us. We need to approach our personal study of the Bible prayerfully.
Psalm 119:33 (NLT)33 Teach me your decrees, O LORD; I will keep them to the end.
And to do so expectantly means we believe that the Lord is going to speak specifically to us
Psalm 25:4 (NLT) Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow.
Sermons, Sunday school lessons, and quiet times on our own are all things to be anticipated. God uses these to build us up, strengthen us, or offer us comfort—He certainly makes listening to Him worthwhile. And obedience is the only proper response to this kind of personal attention.
Approaching the reading of Scripture prayerfully prepares our hearts to listen well and ushers in an attitude of purpose and expectancy.
If you want to experience God working in your life, come to Scripture with a prayerful, expectant, purpose-filled attitude. The mourner will be comforted. The weary will gain strength. Those convicted of their sin will repent and know peace. All will sense joy. Recognize what a gift God’s Word is to you.
When we study the Bible we need to approach it with purpose, expecting it to let us know more about God and His plan for us. We need to approach our personal study of the Bible prayerfully.
There are three step to reading and understanding it.
- Step 1: Observation—What does the passage say?
- Step 2: Interpretation—What does the passage mean?
- Step 3: Application—What am I going to do about what the passage says and means
Application
Application is really why we study the Bible. We want our lives to change; we want to be obedient to God and to grow more like Jesus Christ. After we have observed a passage and interpreted or understood it to the best of our ability, we must then apply its truth to our own life.
You’ll want to ask the following questions of every passage of Scripture you study:
- How does the truth revealed here affect my relationship with God?
- How does this truth affect my relationship with others?
- How does this truth affect me?
- How does this truth affect my response to the enemy, Satan?
The application step is not completed by simply answering these questions; the key is putting into practice what God has taught you in your study. Although at any given moment you cannot be consciously applying everything you’re learning in Bible study, you can be consciously applying something. And when you work on applying a truth to your life, God will bless your efforts by conforming you to the image of Jesus Christ which is His purpose for us.
Romans 8:28-30 (NKJV)28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
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