HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE | Bible Basics

Many believers read the Bible, but reading the Bible and studying the Bible are not exactly the same thing. Both are important, but they serve different purposes.

Reading helps us become familiar with God’s Word. It lets us see the broad picture. We learn about people, events, promises, warnings, and the work of God throughout history.

Studying means slowing down and looking more carefully at what we have read. We seek to understand what the passage says, what it means, and how it should affect our lives.

Paul told Timothy:

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

God does not want us merely to read His Word. He wants us to handle it accurately.

1. Begin With the Bible

Books about the Bible can be helpful, but they are not the Bible. Devotionals, commentaries, study notes, sermons, and Bible lessons were written by people. People can misunderstand Scripture and teach things that are wrong.

The Bible was inspired by God.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

A book about the Bible should never become a substitute for reading the Bible itself. We should never believe something merely because a preacher, teacher, author, or church says it is true.

The Bereans listened to Paul, but they still checked his teaching against Scripture.

“Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).

If the Bereans examined Paul’s teaching, we should certainly examine the teaching we hear today.

2. Choose a Passage

Do not begin by opening the Bible at random and reading the first verse your eyes find. Choose a book of the Bible and work your way through it. For those who are new to Bible reading, I recommend beginning with the Gospel of John, then moving on to Acts, and then Romans. These books give a strong foundation in the life of Christ, the beginning of the church, and the meaning of salvation.

Begin with a short passage. It might be one paragraph, one event, or several verses that deal with the same subject. It is usually better to understand a few verses than to rush through several chapters without knowing what they mean.

3. Read the Passage More Than Once

Read the passage slowly. Then read it again.

The first reading helps you see what is happening. The next readings help you notice details you may have missed.

Look for words or ideas that are repeated. Notice commands, warnings, promises, questions, and changes in the subject. Pay attention to words such as “therefore,” “but,” “because,” and “if.” These words often connect one thought to another.

Do not be in a hurry. Bible study is not a race.

4. Read What Comes Before and After

A verse should not be pulled away from the verses surrounding it. The words around a verse help explain what it means. This is called its context.

Ask who is speaking, who is being addressed, and what was happening at the time. Ask why the words were spoken or written.

Philippians 4:13 says:

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

When that verse is separated from its context, people sometimes use it to mean they can accomplish anything they desire. However, the surrounding verses show that Paul was talking about being content whether he had plenty or was in need. Christ gave him strength to remain faithful in every circumstance.

The context keeps us from making a verse say something it does not say.

5. Ask Simple Questions

You do not need a Bible college education to study the Bible. Begin by asking simple questions.

What does this passage tell me about God?

What does it tell me about people?

Is there a sin being exposed?

Is there a command to obey?

Is there a warning to take seriously?

Is there an example to follow or avoid?

What is the main truth of the passage?

Try to state that main truth in one clear sentence. If you cannot explain what the passage means simply, you may need to study it longer.

6. Let Scripture Explain Scripture

The Bible does not contradict itself. When one passage is difficult to understand, the best way to study it is to compare it with other passages that speak about the same subject.

To do this well, first identify the main idea of the difficult verse. Ask, “What topic is this passage dealing with?” Then use a concordance, Bible search tool, or cross-references to find other verses that address the same topic. Read those passages carefully and compare them.

Next, look for clearer passages on the same subject. Clear verses help guide our understanding of more difficult ones. We should never build a teaching on one unclear verse if other parts of Scripture speak more clearly about the same issue.

Also pay attention to the context of each passage you compare. Do not isolate verses from their setting, even when comparing Scripture with Scripture. The goal is to let the whole Bible speak together in harmony.

This is why we must know more than a few favorite verses. A person can make the Bible appear to teach almost anything by pulling individual verses away from their setting.

We must consider everything the Bible says about a subject before reaching a firm conclusion.

7. Do Not Look for a Hidden Meaning in Everything

The Bible contains symbols, figures of speech, parables, and prophecy. However, that does not mean every word has a secret meaning.

Begin with the plain meaning of the passage. What was the writer saying to the people who first received it?

We should not force our own ideas into the Bible. We should allow the Bible to correct our ideas.

Bible study is not asking, “What does this verse or passage mean to me?” The first question is, “What does this verse or passage mean?” Only after we understand its meaning should we ask how it applies to our lives.

8. Use Other Resources Carefully

A dictionary, concordance, Bible map, or commentary may help us understand unfamiliar words, places, customs, and history. These tools can be useful, but they are not the final authority.

Study the passage yourself before reading what someone else says about it. If you begin with a commentary, you may simply accept the writer’s view without examining the Scripture for yourself.

Commentaries often disagree with one another. Study notes can be wrong. A famous preacher can be wrong. I can be wrong. You can be wrong.

God’s Word is the authority.

9. Pray, Study, and Obey

We should ask God to help us understand His Word, but prayer does not replace careful study. Our first thought about a verse is not automatically correct because we prayed before reading it.

God will never lead us to an understanding that contradicts what He has already said in Scripture. The Holy Spirit has been given to guide and teach us through His Word.

The purpose of Bible study is not merely to collect information. God gave us His Word so that we would believe it and obey it.

“But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (James 1:22).

If we study forgiveness but refuse to forgive, our knowledge has not changed us. If we study prayer but never pray, we have missed the purpose. If we study obedience but continue knowingly disobeying God, we are not responding properly to His Word.

10. A Simple Way to Begin

Choose a short passage and read it three times.

Read the verses before it and after it.

Write down who is speaking and who is being addressed.

Notice repeated words, commands, warnings, and promises.

Look up other passages that deal with the same subject.

Write the main truth in one sentence.

Then ask, “What must I believe, change, or obey because of what I have read?”

Reading the Bible is good. Studying the Bible is better. Obeying what we have read and studied is where God’s Word begins changing our lives.

Do not allow books about the Bible to keep you from the Bible. Do not depend on someone else to tell you everything God has said. Open His Word, read it carefully, study it honestly, and let Scripture speak for itself.

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“What I write is not for everyone, but what I write is meant for someone.” – Dean Butler