The Bible is an incredible book and studying it can feel like being on a treasure hunt for the most precious gems you will ever find. The unfortunate reality is sometimes it can also feel like a big chore or a task we need checked off of a daily list. Don’t get me wrong– the Bible is a big piece of literature! It’s made up of 66 books, 39 of the Old Testament and 27 of the New Testament. There are almost a million words, some of which are difficult to understand. Sometimes the concepts can feel out of our reach. Other times, it can be just plain boring. But, it is the Word of God. There’s no denying that and it should be treated as such, right? But, oh my, it can feel so intimidating to open up the book– even overwhelming. I’m here to tell you with great confidence that Bible study for beginners doesn’t have to be that way. Bible study for anyone doesn’t have to be that way!
Let me start by saying that I’ve had trouble with reading and comprehension all of my life. It’s true. It has been a massive struggle for me and Bible reading was never excluded from that struggle. As a young adult, I would open the Bible and hardly understand a word of what it said. I wanted so badly to comprehend what God was saying to me, but it wasn’t until I was introduced to some simple study methods that the Scripture began to make sense for me. Not only did it make sense but the discoveries were easy to achieve by taking simple steps in my study time!
I am so excited to share with you steps to get you started on the wonderful journey of Bible study for beginners:
Without fail, pray before you read.
Studying God’s Word should always begin with inviting the Holy Spirit into your time with Him. Ask Him to give you understanding. We see many accounts throughout Scripture where the Holy Spirit gives wisdom and understanding to the devoted believer (see Exodus 35:31, 1 Kings 3:9, Daniel 1, Ephesians 1:18, Colossians 1:9) and we can pray for this confidently with Scripture.
Choose a book and read it from beginning to end– verse by verse.
When I was a young adult, I will admit that I used the Bible as an 8-ball. I would open up the book and randomly choose a passage on the page. There are so many reasons this approach is sure to fail and frustrate. The Bible is a historical piece of literature! The reader must approach it as such. Could you imagine opening up a random page of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and understanding what’s going on? You may be able to gather a little information but you would miss the absolutely breath-taking story C.S. Lewis intended. Don’t get me wrong, the Bible is not a fiction novel. But there is a beautiful narrative within it’s pages of the greatest story ever written. The Bible was written by 40 different authors in 3 different languages across thousands of years and, as a Bible student, it’s important to understand that each book of the Bible contains an author’s purpose, theme, literary voice, etc. When we recognize each book’s individual purpose, we are able to extract a better interpretation of that text and apply it to our own lives with accuracy.
Approach God’s Word with God’s Word.
This step is so exciting to me because it’s incredibly simple. The concept is to allow Scripture to support Scripture. You will find that the Bible is so rich and satisfying all on it’s own. There is no need to look elsewhere for interpretation or understanding. You can do it yourself! Whether you are studying a smaller book, such as an Epistle, or a more lengthy book like Exodus, you can observe the text by finding all of the things you learn about God within those verses. Let’s take Ephesians 1:7, for example. It says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”. Here are things we can extract from this verse about God: He redeems, forgives sins, has rich grace. Look at that! We’ve already unpacked so much from merely extracting what we’ve learned about God within that short verse. You will be so blessed to write down what you’ve learned about God every time you read your Bible!
The 3-in-1.
The Word of God is simultaneously an entire book that has one main theme running throughout in which God speaks the same message to all believers, 66 separate books with various voices, themes, and messages, and one massive love letter to the heart of the individual reader alone. With that said, God desires for every believer to learn something about Him, something about other believers in history, and something about yourself. These will not always happen together, there will be times when you read your Bible and learn a lot about the Israelites but maybe have trouble understanding how that relates to you (especially if you’re studying Levitical law). But it’s important to be aware that just because God always wants to speak to us, and He longs to do so (Psalm 1:1-2), but it’s not always about us. Sometimes God wants to teach us about His character so that we can know Him more intimately.
Slow it down to simple.
God’s Word is simple (Psalm 119:130). There are times when we complicate it well beyond its intent. We may sometimes feel like there has to be a deeper meaning to the text than face value. Paul writes in his second letter to the Corinthians, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3) The truth is, God’s Word is so incredibly rich in its simplicity making it so tempting to corrupt. God, in His great mercy, wants us to understand His words. His goal for us is to understand, not to complicate or confuse. He is the God of order (1 Corinthians 14:33). So, as we approach Scripture we want to slow down and read verse by verse in order. We also want to make simple observations of the text such as the author and recipient (mostly in the New Testament), what type of literature it is (prophetic, epistle, gospel, narrative, etc), the overall theme of the text you’re observing, and what you learned about God within the text.
Don’t set yourself up for failure
t’s no secret that some books of the Bible are easier to read than others. Even the most devoted Bible teacher can have trouble reading through all of the genealogies and “begots” and laws. It can be tedious, there is no doubt. So, where you start is important. Allow yourself to succeed. Choose a short book to begin such as an Epistle or, in the Old Testament, Esther, Malachi, or Nehemiah. God wants you to enjoy His time in the Word and this cannot happen without honestly evaluating one’s self. Just like you would set yourself up for any other positive lifestyle change, you want to have a plan. Where will you study the Bible? What time of day? These are questions a Bible student wants to ask themselves. When you decide where, when, how you will devote your time to God, write it down and pray over it. The Lord will meet you there.
These are the simple and practical steps to Bible study for beginners. You will be so incredibly blessed as you journey through Scripture, discovering the intricate details the Lord has put within His story for you to witness. He has so many promises He wants you to know about as you read His Word. They are amazing and they will blow you away as you dedicate your time in Bible study. I can’t wait for you to have those “ah-ha!” moments as the Lord gives you wisdom and understanding to connect the dots through His beautiful book. May your faith be strengthened all the more!