How To Study the Bible

Developing a biblical worldview takes time and effort on our parts. If we want to
view the world as God does, then we must know God through His Word. Studying God’s
Word should be one of our most essential daily habits. I did some research on how to
effectively study the Bible in an easy to manage way. And for those of us who really
want to understand God’s Word this year, I think this blog will help.


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1. Salvation- This should go without saying, but if we are not saved, how can we
understand God’s Word? 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us “But a natural person does
not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he
cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” When we
become Christians, we receive the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that illuminates
God’s Word for us. “...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of HIm. I pray
that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the
hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the
saints...” (Eph.1:17-18). If you truly have a desire to understand God’s Word, you
must belong to God through salvation: repent (turn from) of your sins and believe
the gospel (Who Jesus is and what He did on the cross) (Mark 1:15).

2. Pray- Before reading God’s Word, pray and ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance in
understanding what you read. He wrote it and wants us to understand it correctly.
As Christians, we are required to handle God’s Word correctly. 2 Timothy 2:15,
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need
to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (emphasis added). The
Spirit will help us accurately handle God’s Word.

3. Observation- It is really important that we do not pull one verse out of a passage
and try to understand it. Instead, we must read the surrounding verses and
passages. This is called reading in context, and it is key to understanding
anything that we read, especially the Bible. Here is typically what I do when
reading and observing Scripture: I read and focus on one book of the Bible at a
time. I read and study that book all the way through. First, I gather background
information. I research some background information such as who wrote the
book, to whom did he write, when was the book written, and why was the book
written. (Many study Bibles have this information at the beginning of each book.)
Second, while reading, I try to notice key details: repeated words or phrases,
important words and phrases and themes. I also look at what is going on in the
passage.

4. Interpretation- When interpreting the Bible, we should keep in mind that the
Bible was not written about us, but it was written for us. This is where
understanding the historical context comes to play. I ask myself when interpreting
a biblical passage, what does this passage mean? What is the message that the
author is trying to convey? What does he want his readers to understand? It is
important to note that whatever the answer is to these questions will not
contradict other teachings of the Bible.

5. Application- The purpose of studying Scripture, of course, is to be able to
correctly apply it to our lives. Questions to consider for biblical application are:
How does this passage apply to my life? What lesson can I learn from this
passage? What do I learn about God in this section? Sometimes, for example, I
may learn that God uses trials in a believer’s life to work out His plan and
purpose but that He will be with the believer in the trial. I would apply that to my
life by recognizing that the trials in my life are allowed by God and He will be with
me during the trial. Then I live out my life in confidence, knowing that God is in
complete control over everything that happens to me, and somehow He will work
my life out for my good and His glory.

6. Use Resources- If something you are studying seems confusing or unclear, use
a tool such as a Bible commentary for help. Here are some free online resources:
www.bibleref.com, www.blueletterbible.org . Bible commentaries should not be
used instead of personal Bible study, but they are a tool to help with your
personal Bible study. Another great resource is www.stepbible.org which is
helpful in understanding the original languages of the Bible. The website is easy
to use even for a beginner Bible student.

I hope this blog is a helpful resource to use in going deeper into God’s Word this
year.

Angela Talbert
​Christian Life Academy Dean of Students

Does God Care About My Entertainment Choices?

As a new year begins, many of us set resolutions that usually fall by the wayside
by February 1st. Some of those resolutions involve limiting TV, social media, and the
like. When developing a biblical worldview, one must ask himself: does God care about
what I watch or read? Are these relatively small things a big deal to Him? Let’s take a
look at what the Bible says.

There are actually many biblical passages, both Old and New Testament, that
lend themselves to the discussion of entertainment choices. As Christians we are “new
creations” (2 Cor. 5:17), and we don’t want to be conformed to the patterns and habits
of this world (Rom. 12:2). Therefore, we should be different from the world, and that
difference should be reflected in the way we choose to live, including our leisure time.
Philippians 4:8 gives us a quick guideline when it comes to choosing entertainment:
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is
anything worthy of praise, think about these things (emphasis added).” In this verse,
the apostle Paul gives us several descriptive words of what to think about. All the words
boil down to this: if there is nothing good about what we are watching or reading or
focusing on, then we need to get rid of it! Here are some examples of what to get rid of
besides the obvious of pornography, sexually explicit material, blood and gore, etc. Let’s
say you are scrolling Facebook and you come across a post made by someone going
through a messy divorce. This person is angry with their spouse and has chosen to list
in a lengthy post all the bad things they feel the person has done. Is there anything good in that post that would meet the standard set in Philippians 4:8? Probably not. Is there anything beneficial to your reading that post? No. Scroll away. There is nothing for the Christian in a post like that. Don’t use the excuse that “I am only reading this so I can pray.” You can pray for that situation without reading the post.

Philippians 4:8 is far from the only verse where God’s Word gives instruction on
what we put in front of ourselves. Psalm 101:3 says, “I wil not set before my eyes
anything that is worthless...” and again in Psalm 119:37 the Psalmist prays saying,
“Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.” Notice
here that the Psalmist isn’t talking just about overtly sinful things like pornography, but
he mentions worthless things. This could include things that are time wasters, things
that take away from those things that God wants us to do or that God has called us to
do. This doesn’t necessarily mean those things that are sinful; these verses could
include those things that take us away from time with God.

What are we to do then as Christians in order to keep our minds steady on Christ
and His Word during this new year? How are we to make better choices when it comes
to how we spend our time? Colossians chapter 3 is a great read for help in this area.
Verse 2 tells us, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on
earth.” We are to think about and dwell on godly things. Things that meet the criteria
found in Philippians 4:8. Verse 5 says to “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you...”
The “earthly” things in us are those sinful things that should no longer be part of our
lives now that we are saved, things such as lying, anger, immorality, obscene talk, etc.
Instead, we are to practice things such as kindness, humility, and forgiveness. If you
truly want to set aside sinful habits this new year, I would urge you to pray over and
study Colossians chapter 3.
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There is much more the Bible says about what we set before us and how we use
our time. In this new year, choose to focus on Christ, His Word, and make that your
daily aim.