1. PURITY OF HEART. The single most important factor for Bible study is purity of heart. By that, I mean: What are you trying to find when you study the Scripture? It is extremely easy to approach the Bible with a mindset of proving what I want to. Instead, it is imperative that we approach the Bible humbly and prayerfully seeking to understand God’s will. Any sort of “spin” or biased interpretation we apply (knowingly or unknowingly) to the Scripture changes nothing of it’s real meaning. The Scripture is of no such “private interpretation” (1 Pt. 1:20-21). When we open the pages of the book divine, may we truly desire “the pure spiritual milk of the word” (1 Pt. 2:1-2).
BIBLE READING. The perfect foundation for good Bible study is Bible reading. You simply cannot have good Bible study without Bible reading… and the more the better. The text of the Bible is the product of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 16:13). Bible reading prepares us for deeper and responsible study, so that we are ready to “test the spirits” (1 Jn. 4:1) when we hear (or read) what man says. Seven times in the Gospel accounts Jesus is quoted saying, “Have you not read” (see, for example: Mt. 12:3; 19:4). The Bible is also the best commentary on itself. The more we read, the more we will understand.
A GOOD METHOD/SYSTEM. Bible reading and study needs a solid method to facilitate learning and understanding. Most would never consider randomly opening any other book they study. The Bible was written in the form of individual books or letters. Studying it one book at a time is a great procedure. There is nothing wrong with studying themes of the Bible, but even that will be benefited from the foundation of reading book by book.
SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE. As simple as it seems, it is crucial to keep in mind that the first goal of responsible Bible study is discerning the original meaning in its original setting. Skipping immediately to application frequently leads to misunderstandings and misapplications. This is one of the reasons that many today believe that individuals can perform miracles. After all, Jesus says in Matthew 17:20, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Of course, this was stated to the apostles who ought to have been able to heal the demon possessed boy. This, and other statements, hardly imply that people today can perform miracles. After we have ascertained the original meaning, we are in a perfect place to make responsible applications.
CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT. There is actually a lot overlap here with the former point, but it is probably worth additional emphasis. Remember that it is not just about what a word means or what we think a memorable verse means. Our goal is to ascertain what the inspired Bible writer intended. Many times this can only be known through giving attention to the context. Words and verses have meaning in context. Many people would be quite surprised if they really studied the context of John 3:16 (see verses 3, 5, and 35 of that chapter). Others would be shocked that when Jesus promised to be in the midst of those where two or three are gathered together (Matt. 18:19-20), it is not written for consoling a small crowd of Christians at worship! Knowing and memorizing verses is good, but knowing the meaning is even better.
BETTER HANDLING OF THE SCRIPTURE. This point also goes back to understanding the original meaning, but I want to bring out an oft neglected point here. It is important that we go to the right place to answer Bible questions. For instance, we don’t turn to the book of Psalms to discern what God wants us to do to be saved. It may seem strange to some, but neither do we turn to Paul’s epistles to see what we must do to be saved. Why is that? Well, of course, because those books are written to individuals who have already been saved. Although Paul deals some with the conversion process in certain epistles, it is far better to look at the book of conversions, the book of Acts. Questions are actually asked and answered regarding what a person must do to be saved in Acts (see especially Acts 2:37-38; and Acts 16:30-34). Much more could be said about rightly handling the word (see 2 Tim. 2:15), but suffice it to say that understanding the purpose of various sections of the Bible, and each book, will help us engage in more responsible Bible study.
May God help us to have a pure desire to know Him, His will, and be able communicate it to the next generation and a lost world.
Daren Schroeder
