Theologian J.I. Packer wrote, “If I were the devil, one of my first aims would be to stop folks from digging into the Bible.” Digging? What about merely opening? Recent statistics reveal that less than half of all churchgoers open his or her Bible each week. Bible study is more than mere reading a verse here and there. Efficient biblical study results in greater spiritual literacy and the curbing of spiritual abnormalities within the church. The lack of theological and biblical knowledge has inflected pews and pulpits, causing confusion over what has always been accepted as orthodox by the church. While the quick weight-loss medication craze sweeps the world, allowing physical transformations overnight, many Christians crave a quick shot or pill to become Bible theologians without sweating the need for “spiritual pushups.” Our discernment and understanding come by and through the grace and direction of the Holy Spirit, but we have a duty to respond with diligent and purposeful study of the divinely inspired, inerrant, and infallible scriptures. Further, Bible study matures our ability to discuss scripture and theology with others. To be effective publicly, we must be effective and diligent in our private studies.
Christians are called to be both diligent and efficient Bible students. As Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” Thus, these “God breathed” writings serve to set out our responsibilities and expectations, but also our foundational guardrails for all that we believe. The Word himself, the incarnate Jesus Christ, asked the Pharisees, “Have you not read?” Not all reading is equal. David S. Dockery and Malcolm B. Yarnell III conclude in Special Revelation and Scripture that “the Bible remains the ultimate standard of authority for God’s people and that the Bible’s authoritative message remains immanently practical and applicable.” So, the question arises: how do I get the most from my Bible study?
1. Humbly and Prayerfully
Prayerful guidance before the study of scripture acknowledges our need for divine assistance to understand the divine revelation of God’s Word. Donald Bloesh, in his writing Holy Scripture, emphasized that scriptural revelation must be carefully pursued with reverence and humiliation allowing the Word to judge our preconceived suppositions with a prayerful and willing guidance from the Holy Spirit. Approaching God’s Word with arrogance crowds out the Holy Spirit, who is the illumination, making scripture understandable in both theory and applicability to our lives (1 Cor. 2:14).
2. Get Me Out of It
Scripture serves as our norming norm applicable and sufficient to mankind throughout the ages and differing cultures in its economy. Read scripture initially without placing yourself as a character in the story. God gave scripture and its revelation for us, but not to us. By eliminating the question “What does this verse mean to you?” from any Sunday School class or formal study, we glean greater insights by initially seeing the forest instead of particularized trees. If we read scripture by placing ourselves into the story, we inadvertently read into it and find an interpretation that applies to us personally. This approach can often be like attempting to place a square peg into a round hole.
3. First Time
Each of us has familiar verses or books of the Bible. We have read about the garden, Noah, Daniel, and Jonah for most of our church lives. Our confidence often creates stagnancy in effectively engaging in these scriptures. When we begin a study of scripture, however, it is helpful to read familiar passages as if we know nothing about the story, plot, or characters. Yes, read them as if you have no biblical knowledge whatsoever and make common sense observations as to the sentence structure, words utilized, and syntax employed by the author. Using the strategy of mere observation from the onset, the Bible reader can efficiently apply latent aspects which were never evident before such as Jonah’s familiarity with many of the Psalms. Again, scriptural arrogance is misplaced. Martin Luther wrote, “If the Word of God comes, it comes contrary to our thinking and our will. It does not allow our thinking to stand, even in those matters which are most sacred, but it destroys and eradicates and scatters everything.” Efficient bible study builds and plants by uprooting, tearing down, destroying, and demolishing, as described in Jeremiah 1:10.
4. Slow Down and Pay Attention
All of us read at different speeds. While attempting to complete a structured bible reading plan to read all 66 books in a year, checking off completion or getting in daily reps invariably becomes our ultimate purpose. Legalistic Bible study often prevents diligent study. When we have the primary goal of a set number of verses each day, external distractions are more permissible than when we strive to exegete scripture. None of us, however, can efficiently immerse ourselves into the written Word while phone notifications or television noise distracts our concentration. Distractions destroy any possibility of patience, which efficient scriptural study demands.
5. Early Birds
There is no better way to begin a day than with God’s word. Life becomes progressively more complex once our feet hit the cold tile each morning. Texts come in. Children awake. Decisions need to be made. Friend request notifications pop up. If we allow God’s Word to prepare and guide our path from the onset, our minds are less polluted by the punches of the world. David, in Psalm 5:3, wrote about beginning his day with praise and petition. Having a copy of scripture in front of us serves as a great reason to praise Him.
6. Have a Strategy
Who wrote this book? When was it written? To whom was it written? What genre? What was going on in the world when this book was written? How does this book/verse fit within the big picture? When we consider the author of the book who penned the writing with the divine Creator, we see differing styles, vocabulary, and syntax to convey God’s message. Scripture is both divine in that it was inspired by God and human because God used men through witness, revelation, or testimony to pen these books. God did not take over Paul or David and used them merely as stenographers, as he dictated Romans or Psalms word-for-word. God superintended the writers as given revelation while they utilized their own writing style. Whether the writing was to a general audience, a particular people, or a specific church gives the reader insight as to the relevance of the writing.
7. Cautiously Wade Outside
Our Bible study should always begin with the scripture before venturing into what extraneous sources reveal. By first having a familiarity with the verse(s), then other sources can offer insight not initially observed in our own reading. The usage of only the Bible for one’s theology sounds valiant for a fundamentalist argument. However, the writings of the church fathers and other historical documents provide invaluable insight for understanding scripture and corresponding historical cultures. These extra-biblical writings are clearly not given equal status with the holy scriptures but can provide insight as to questions being asked during the particular period of church history. Just as one must be careful of the Bible translation he or she utilizes, not all commentaries are equal.
8. Know the Context
All heretics have scripture (normally a verse) to back up his or her contention or theology. Thus, isolating verses with a fragmented concentration does minimal to one’s spiritual literacy. Each book of the biblical canon has a particular overarching theme that reveals its particular placement in the entirety of scripture. Following the “very good” creation and entrance of sin in the book of Genesis, the subsequent writings detail God’s promises, providence, sovereignty, and provisions on how His glory will culminate in renewal. Just look around -- humanity lost something in the garden, but our triune, holy, Covenent-Creating, righteous, and just God has a plan of restoration and victory. Dig in and find out where we’ve been, where we are, where we are going, and how we got here.
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Chad Napier, while an attorney by trade, his passion is filling the pulpits of local churches when needed and engaging a broader audience with his writing. He enjoys running and golf and recently completed his degree at Dallas Theological Seminary. Chad lives in Jonesborough, Tennessee with his wife Brandi and one-year-old Welsh Terrier LuLu.