Upon seeing the value of God's Word, the Bible, we are spurred to study, honor and live out its teachings.

How then should we study the Bible?

In this lesson, we are going to learn some important principles of effective Bible study which upon application, would greatly enrich our relationship with the Lord.

Maintaining the Right Spiritual Attitude

1. Total Dependence On The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

According to 1 Cor. 2:9-14, who can understand and accept the teachings of God?
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In John 14:26; 16:13, what does the Holy Spirit do?
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In 1 John 2:20, 27, what is our privilege as Christians?
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2. An Eagerness To Learn

Describe the attitude of the Bereans in Acts 17:10, 11.
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According to 1 Peter 2:2, whom should we imitate?
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3. A Willingness To Work Hard

Read 2 Timothy 2:15 and Joshua 1:8. Why should we give adequate
effort in studying the Bible?
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4. A Desire To Practice What He Learns

According to James 1:22, what do we do to ourselves when we simply listen to the Word?
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Planning Your Bible Study

Time: What do you think is the most appropriate time for you to have a  personal Bible study? Determine to do your study during that time. You will find out that no matter what time of the day you decide to read the Bible, there will always be a spiritual struggle. Discipline is essential.

Place: Can you think of the most appropriate place for you to study the Bible? Make sure that it is free from distractions and is conducive for study.

Things Needed: Bible, notebook and pen. It is important to take note of the lessons we learn from God's Word. When we study, we should study to retain the lessons.

Where To Begin: Read the Bible by books. The Bible is not a collection of random thoughts. Read from the start moving towards the end. 

You may want to begin by reading the whole Gospel of John in one sitting and go into deeper study by reading it chapter-by-chapter. 

Do not rush your study. Wait on the Lord. Read it many times over so that what you are reading may be brought home into your heart.

After reading the Gospel of John, you may want to read the whole New  Testament. Afterwards, you may want to do a study of the whole Bible.  Remember that "All Scripture is inspired by God," therefore, all should be read.

The Actual Bible Study

In order to draw out the proper meaning of a biblical text, bear in mind certain important guidelines. Following them would prevent us from misunderstanding the Bible.

1. As a general rule, Read Literally. Don't try too hard to uncover some mysterious meaning while overlooking its most obvious meaning. Some one has said, "If the literal sense makes good sense, be careful not to make it nonsense."

There are exceptions of course, but certain signposts will tell you if the passage is not to be taken in its literal sense.

2. Understand Background. There are certain gaps we have to bridge if we are to understand the proper meaning of the Bible.

The Language Gap - The Bible was written in Hebrew (OT) and Greek (NT).  We must refer at times to a Bible Dictionary or Concordance to verify the  meaning of a certain word.

The Culture and History Gap - Understanding biblical culture and history would help us discern how people then would have understood a particular passage of Scripture. A good Bible Handbook would help us in this.

3. Recognize Context. The Bible is not a collection of jumbled ideas. It has a flow of thought and is to be read as a unit. Avoid reading verses in isolation.

4. Interpret The Old Testament By Using The New Testament.  A great deal of the Old Testament is puzzling to many people. This is understandable since the Old Testament contains a lot of things that are symbolic and temporal in nature. However, these are fully brought to light by the New Testament. The danger lies in basing our understanding on the Old Testament alone. 

5. Harmonize Scriptures. Certain passages that may be difficult to understand could be explained if we use another passage of Scripture.

6. Draw Out Practical Principles Based On Correct Interpretation. Having drawn the proper meaning of a text, you should write down practical principles that you can apply to your life. The acronym SPECTS may be a helpful guide.

S: Are there sins to avoid?
P: Are there promises to claim?
E: What about godly examples to follow?
C: How about commands to obey?
T: Are there teachings about God, or principles about the spiritual life that I should know about?
S: Lastly, are there stumbling blocks to avoid?

7. Personalize These Principles By Writing Down Specific Action Points. In other words, what are you going to do with these principles you have learned? Bible study is not complete without specific application!

Preparations for the Next Lesson

1. Make a study of the Gospel of John. Read the first chapter and make use of
the principles you have learned.
2. Answer Lesson 10.
3. Memorize Joshua 1:8.

The whole material can be downloaded in PDF file.