Knowing how to study the Bible properly is an incredibly valuable gift. The Bible is the very word of God, so we want to do our best to understand what He’s telling us. I’ve put together some Bible study techniques I use to get the most out of my time in scripture.
First, it’s important to keep in mind that studying the Bible isn’t quite the same as reading it. (If you’re new to the Bible, I encourage you to check out my article on how to start reading the Bible and stick with it.) Studying is a deeper level of engagement, and it has its own rewards. I pray these Bible study tips will help you get more and more out of your time in God’s word.
Bible Study Tip #1: Align with God
Scripture’s primary purpose is to reveal the truth about God and connect us to Him relationally. If you go to the Bible with some other agenda, you’ll be off track and likely miss out. Study it with a sincere desire to know the truth, whatever it is. Before, during, and after you study the Bible, pray for God to write His word on your heart.
Bible Study Tip #2: Take a Whole-Bible Approach
In my article on Bible reading, I recommend that you read the entire Bible, chapter by chapter and book by book. When you finish, begin again. This is the foundation you need to best understand what the Bible teaches. Each part of the Bible must be grasped in the context of the whole.
This is not at all to say that you shouldn’t do topical Bible studies. I study the topics of death, hell, evil, and suffering. While I examine particular texts and passages, my study is informed by scripture as a whole. I’m constantly grateful that I read the Bible over and over. The more I read all of it, the more each part makes sense and comes to life. I also increasingly see how the Bible is coherent; each piece of the puzzle fits together perfectly to create one big, beautiful picture.
I’m also not saying that you shouldn’t study the Bible until you’ve read it all the way through. Not at all! Don’t hesitate to start studying scripture. Just look forward to understanding it better and better over time as you know the whole message of the Bible more and more. Texts that don’t make sense to you now will become clear in the future if you stick with it.
As you study, consider the passage’s immediate and larger context. Be careful not to draw conclusions based on one text. To understand what the Bible teaches about a particular topic, take into account everything it says on the topic and see it in the context of the entire Bible.
Bible Study Tip #3: Let the Bible Interpret Itself
This is a continuation of the previous point. The more you study scripture, the more you see how the Bible explains itself because it’s one coherent message. As you study, keep in mind that some words and passages can be interpreted in multiple ways. Here’s how to do your best to figure out which interpretation God has in mind:
- Identify all of the possible interpretations.
- Eliminate any interpretations that are inconsistent with Bible teaching.
- Keep the interpretation that’s best supported by the rest of scripture.
Let’s practice this with an example. Luke 23:43 (KJV) says, “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.’” First, let’s identify the possible interpretations:
- Jesus told the thief on the cross next to Him that, that same day, they would be in a place called “paradise,“ which is where God lives.
- Jesus told the thief that, that same day, they would be in a place that’s separate from where God lives.
- Jesus told the thief that, at some point in the future, they would be in a place called “paradise,“ which is where God lives.
- Jesus told the thief that, at some point in the future, they would be in a place that’s separate from where God lives.
With just one text, we have at least four different possible interpretations. In this case, we have two separate matters to sort out: (1) Where are they going? and (2) When are they going there?
Let’s deal with the location. How should we interpret “paradise“? Let’s let the Bible interpret itself.
When I put “paradise“ into the search field on Pure Bible Search, I see there are two other instances in the King James Bible when this word is used:
- “How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.“ (2 Corinthians 12:4 KJV)
- “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.“ (Revelation 2:7 KJV)
“Caught up into Paradise”
The first of these two passages isn’t a complete sentence, so we need to look at the immediate context to get a better idea of what it says. This was the apostle Paul writing about a man who had a vision in which God revealed something to him (it was a humble way to refer to himself). Verse 4 says he “was caught up into paradise,” and Verse 2 says he was “caught up to the third heaven.” The context appears to be talking about one instance, so it’s fairly safe to say that paradise is the same as the third heaven.
Now we have a new term to interpret! A search for the term “third heaven” shows that this is the only time it appears in scripture. This is where it helps to have a familiarity with the Bible as a whole. It talks about heaven in three different senses: the sky, outer space, and where God lives. Paul referred to a place where he “heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter,” and it was a vision from God. The most likely location of this third heaven — this paradise — is where God lives. This is what we typically refer to as heaven.
“In the Midst of the Paradise of God”
Revelation 2:7 uses the term “the paradise of God” and gives us two clues as to what this location is: The one who overcomes will have access to it, and the tree of life will be there. A search for instances of the word “overcomes” in the Bible reveals that this is a reference to those who are redeemed. When it comes to their location at some point in the future, Revelation 3:21 provides a big clue: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” This is Jesus speaking, and His throne is where He lives. This is the location we typically call heaven.
What about the tree of life? Where is it located? A search for “the tree of life” in the Bible indicates that, at the beginning, it was in the garden of Eden on earth. It’s mentioned three times in the first chapters of the Bible, in Genesis. It’s not mentioned again until the last book of the Bible — Revelation. One instance is the text we’re already looking at. The other two are in Revelation 22:1-2, 14.
“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. … Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”
The fact that this passage starts out with “And … ” indicates that we need to back up a bit to see what’s going on. Revelation 21 shows that this is a vision God gave John about the future. God showed John “a new heaven and a new earth” that God will create after Jesus returns to earth, after a period of a thousand years, and after the devil, the devil’s angels, and unrepentant people experience the second death and are destroyed in the lake of fire. The tree of life is part of this new heaven and new earth, and it’s in close proximity to the throne of God and of the Lamb. In other words, the tree of life is where God lives. Right now, this is what we call heaven. In the future, God will live on the new earth.
Narrowing Down the Possibilities
Our study of the word “paradise” reveals that, according to the Bible, paradise is where God lives. The Bible explained itself. We can rule out possible interpretations #2 and #4, which both say that paradise is a place that’s separate from where God lives.
We’ve answered the where question, but we’re still left with the when question and two different interpretations of Luke 23:43. When were Jesus and the thief going to be where God lives — that same day or some other time in the future? I invite you to watch Part 4 of my series Death & Hell: What Does the Bible Say? to see how I interpret that portion of the text. I use some advanced Bible study techniques that entail the original language. Still, it’s a case of the Bible interpreting itself.
You can see how this will get easier the more you do it and the better you know the Bible, so just stick with it! (Also, I often go through this process when I teach the Bible, which you can check out on my YouTube channel and podcast.)
Bible Study Tip #4: Engage Your Mind
You’ll notice that, as we worked through the Bible study example in the last point, we had to engage our minds. I’ll address three different ways we can use our God-given brain power to get more out of Bible study: meditation, reason, and questions.
Meditate on God’s Word
We have to be extremely careful here. The devil has done an excellent job of devising a counterfeit to this. Meditation is a core practice in some false religions, and it’s becoming increasingly mainstreamed to the point that even many Christians regard it as beneficial. But that type of meditation is a far cry from what I’m recommending here.
Psalm 119:148 (KJV) says, “Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.” Notice something extremely important: It does not say, “that I might meditate.” It says, “that I might meditate in thy word.” That distinction is critical. Biblical meditation doesn’t mean clearing your mind; it means filling it with God’s word so you can ponder it deeply and internalize it.
As recorded in Joshua 1:8 (KJV), God told Joshua, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein.” The verse before it provides some context, referring to “all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee.” “The law” is a term that describes the books of Moses — the first five books of the Bible that precede the book of Joshua. In other words, it was the scripture — God’s word — that Joshua had access to. After Moses died, God called Joshua to take Moses’ place in leading God’s people. This commission included the instruction to meditate on God’s word day and night so he could live according to it. This is nothing like the mind-clearing, navel-gazing practice of meditation the world champions today.
Use Reason
God gave us the ability to reason, and we should make good use of it with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As recorded in Mark 3, some religious scribes accused Jesus of being possessed by a demon — because He was casting out demons. Jesus responded by saying, “How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand” (Mark 3:23-24 KJV). Jesus employed reason to make His argument that He wasn’t demon-possessed: It doesn’t make sense that a demon would cast out demons.
This is why, in addition to studying and teaching the Bible, I study and teach thinking skills. They come in handy on a daily basis!
Ask Questions
When you read the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), do you notice that Jesus asks a lot of questions? Even when He’s responding to questions? In the Mark 3 passage I shared above, Jesus responds to an accusation with a question. To this day, this practice is central to the rabbinical study of scripture — because it’s effective.
Let’s try this Bible study method with Genesis 2:9 (KJV).
“And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”
How many questions can we come up with? Let’s start a list:
- How many kinds of trees did God create in the beginning?
- How mature were the trees when God first made them?
- How close were the tree of life and the tree of knowledge to each other?
- Why did God make the tree of life and the tree of knowledge?
- What kind of knowledge does the tree of knowledge provide? Informational? Experiential?
- Do the tree of life and the tree of knowledge still exist? If so, where are they?
We could keep going, but I’ll leave it there for now. Notice that there are some surface-level questions and some incredibly profound questions. Also notice that I didn’t provide answers; I didn’t even try. The point of this Bible study method is to think more deeply about a passage by asking questions about it. It works, doesn’t it? I’ve used this technique with a group, and we spend at least 30 minutes only asking questions about a passage. No answers allowed! It’s a powerful experience.
If you want to understand a Bible passage better, I encourage you to do this on your own and with a group. You’ll be amazed at what you learn simply by asking questions.
Bible Study Tip #5: Draw Out of It Rather than Read into It
We all have a tendency to read into things. We don’t come to the Bible with a blank slate. We have knowledge, beliefs, preferences, desires, opinions, and agendas. All of this can color our understanding of what we read. This is one of the reasons why it’s important to pray when we study the Bible. I’ll reiterate the first tip I shared: Align with God and His purpose in communicating His word to us. Wouldn’t it be a shame if we opened our Bible and, instead of hearing from God, we just essentially talked to ourselves?
When I study scripture, I try hard to keep in mind that I sincerely want to know the truth of what it says — not what I think it says or what I want it to say. I admit that, now and then, I get a bit worried when I find the Bible doesn’t say what I expect it to say. But I trust God and His word, and I let it wrestle me to the ground if necessary. I keep pushing, digging deeper until I break through to the other side. I highly recommend this; you’ll find a treasure when you dig deep enough. If you’re ever dissatisfied with the Bible, it’s either because you’re not aligned with God or because you haven’t dug deep enough.
Bible Study Resources
Tons of good Bible study resources exist out there. Here’s how I use two of them on a daily basis.
Pure Bible Search
As I’ve demonstrated in this article, I use Pure Bible Search to look up texts and words. At almost any given time, this browser tab is open on my laptop!
Blue Letter Bible
The first time the Bible mentions that Adam and Eve were naked, it meant that they weren’t wearing any clothes. The second time it says they were naked, it meant that they felt vulnerable — exposed in a psychological and spiritual way rather than a physical way.
If you read the Bible only in English, you probably won’t pick up on that distinction because the English word “naked” is used both times. But, if you use Blue Letter Bible, you can toggle on Strong’s Concordance (Hebrew and Greek Lexicon) and see that the Hebrew words are different from each other.
This Bible resource has several other features, as well, but what really sets it apart is its integration of Strong’s Concordance. If you want to get into the nitty gritty of Bible meaning and understand it on a deeper level, use Blue Letter Bible. I use it every day, and my biblical understanding is richer for it.
Wrapping Up
God has given us an indispensable gift in His word. It’s worth understanding and internalizing. That requires study, and it’s unfailingly rewarding. What I’ve shared here are certainly not the only ways to study the Bible, but these principles and methods help me unwrap God’s gift and allow it to transform me. I pray that you have the same experience.
© All rights reserved • Elizabeth Whitworth