How to study the Bible - Part 1

by Ben Santing

How do you study the Bible?

There is a simple song that I taught my children when they were small, and while it is simple, even childish, it is a great summary of this subject:

As I read God's Word each day,
I will ask myself three questions:
What does it say?
What does it mean?
What is God saying to me?
I will ask God's Holy Spirit,
Who lives in my heart,
To show me the answers clearly,
So I'll know God's message to me.
Helen Wunnenberg, © 1981 by Child Evangelism Fellowship Inc.

Why study the Bible?

Before we go into the how to read the Bible, the question must be asked, why do you want to study the Bible? If you are about to open the Bible for the first time, you will notice that it is a big book, with over a 1000 pages in it! Do you really want to study this? Well, since you are reading this, the obvious answer is yes, you do! But why?

If you want to study (or read) the Bible, there are a few conditions you must fulfil. I once heard about a group of people who wanted to study God's Word together and started with the last book, the book of Revelation. After a few nights, they gave up, because, as one of them said, "We couldn't sleep at night, it was so scary!". These people did not believe the very first words John the Apostle wrote down in this book: "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it", otherwise the opposite would have happened, they would have felt blessed (i.e. happy).

So to start out, when you read the Bible, you must believe that it is God's message to you, (see the last line of the song!) and that when you read it, God's message will come to you. Now that might look a bit scary! When you read God's Word, suddenly you will know that God wrote that specific passage for you, to bless you. It might be an encouragement, it might be a correction, He might show you something of His Glory, and you will know that this is just for you. The Bible is alive! It is not just an history book, or a collection of songs, prophecies and letters, it is a book that speaks today and is just as relevant for us as it was when it was written down. As it says in the book of Hebrews: "The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, ... it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

If we accept that the Bible is God's message to us, it obviously means that we must act accordingly. What do we do with it? If we really believe that God is speaking, than we must do what He says. Reading God's Word will change you ... and always for the better!

How to Start?

Before you start - each time you open God's Word - it is good to start with prayer ("I will ask God's Holy Spirit ..."). Praying as in "talking to God." Since we expect God to talk to us, it is good to approach Him and tell Him that you are open His Word because you want to listen to Him and do what He says. If there is anything that is bothering you right now, you can tell Him about that too - yes, even if you think negatively about God, tell Him! God can handle that as well! If you read the Psalms (they are exactly in the middle of the Bible) you will be surprised what the Psalmist dared to say to God! Obviously, if you have reasons to praise God, go ahead as well! Ask God to speak to you through His Word. Ask Him to help you to understand what you are going to read.

Where to Start?

Where do we start? The obvious answer would be at the beginning, but this may not be the best answer for you! The Bible is a collection of 66 books, of which the first 39 books form what is called the "Old Testament" and the remaining 27 form what is called the "New Testament". (The word "testament" in this case means covenant or contract and describes how God interacts with mankind.)

In these 66 books there are roughly three audiences: Jews, Christians and Gentiles. If you are a Jew, and you therefore claim your relationship with God through your descendancy of Abraham, I would advice you to start with reading the Gospel of Matthew, the first book of the New Testament. If you are a Christian, meaning that you know that the Lord Jesus is your Saviour, but you are new to studying God's Word, I would advice you to start with the Gospel of John, the fourth book in the New Testament. If you are a Gentile, meaning that you either don't (really) know God, or don't know that God wants to have a personal relationship with you. I advise you to start reading the Gospel of Mark.

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To read part 2 of this article click here!