How many times have you read a passage of scripture and found yourself asking, “What did I just read?” I have often read the Bible and wondered how I would even begin to apply this to my life. While it is great to read the Bible daily, unless we can apply its message to our lives, this is only a religious exercise. I have learned over the years to follow a simple and repeatable process for not only enjoying God’s word, but also to practically apply its message to my life. The following four steps will help to read and study the Bible well.
I. Read the passage
The first step is to carefully read the passage you want to study. You may need to read it more than once or even in a different version if possible. Work to identify the subject of the passage, repeated words and phrases and what the author is trying to communicate.
II. Summarize the passage
Write down in one or two sentences what the passage is saying in your own words. This reveals whether or not you understand what you have read and forces you to find the main idea of the passage. It is always good to write down what a passage means to you before being exposed to the idea of others.
III. Answer the following questions
This step is needed to discover and apply the message from the passage.
1. Is there a promise to claim?
Promises are declarations made by God that we can rely on. The key word to look for here is ‘will’.
i.e. Acts 2:38, Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
2. Is there a command to obey?
Commands are direct statements that urge a course of action to be taken. They come in the form of action verbs.
i.e. “go”, “make”, “teach”, “repent”, “be baptized”
3. Is there a teaching about God I need to believe?
Teachings are statements that can be accepted or rejected as true. They can be more difficult to identify. They usually expand our understanding of God and the working of His kingdom.
i.e. Forgiveness of sin is through the name of Jesus Christ.
4. Is there a sin I need to avoid?
Sins are actions and attitudes that go against the will of God. The Bible warns us to be aware of ourselves and avoid these behaviors.
5. Is there an example to follow or avoid?
Examples are behaviors the Bible explicitly praises or is implicitly shown to produce a favorable result. What examples should you be imitating?
6. Is there a difficulty to explore?
Difficulties are things that require more in-depth study to understand. Perhaps you need to understand the culture, the language behind the translation, the genre used or the context behind the passage. This may require additional tools such as commentaries, bible encyclopedias, bible dictionaries, original language tools, surveys, timelines or theologies to understand.
7. Is there something in need to pray about?
Prayer is the act of bringing your heart concerns directly to God. Often as you read and study the bible you will be convicted to change or challenged to act in new ways. Prayer helps to strengthen our conviction and involve the power of God in this area.
8. Is there something you need to think and meditate on?
Meditation is the process of repeating an idea over in your mind in order to see it from all sides. We can meditate for example on a passage about humility when struggling to overcome issues of pride.
9. Is there a verse you should memorize?
Memorization is the work of recording God’s Word in our minds so that we can recall its message as needed. Memorizing God’s word takes time and patience. Later however, you can recall God’s word in times of need.
IV. Pray to act on what you have learned
This final step is important because it releases God’s power to help us begin to live out the principles we just learned. We should always begin and end our times with God in prayer.
I want to encourage everyone to have a consistent and repeatable way to read and study God’s word. The result will be a changed heart and mind that will ultimate change your life.
If you have any additional thoughts about how to read the Bible well, please comment below.
Thank you for the teaching