Studying the Bible is crucial to having a stronger relationship with God. Investing time reading the Word is investing time in God.
“And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have see his glory, glorious of the only son from the father, full of grace and truth.” -John 1:14
There are times when I really want to sit down and talk to Jesus personally, ask him for advice and wisdom. I then remember that although Jesus isn’t physically here with us, we can still turn to our Bibles and get the same knowledge and wisdom we would get if we talked with him personally.
I’m so passionate about Bible study that I’ve broken it down into four types of Bible studies.
1. Book Study
How it works: A book study is where you read one book of the Bible over a period of time. It could be one chapter a day or even one chapter a week. It all depends on your lifestyle.
Getting started: I like doing book studies on my own or with friends. Recently, I read Romans with my friend/mentor. We read three chapters a week on our own, and met up once a week to go over the chapters again. We’d talk about what we learned, verses we liked, questions we had, etc.
What to remember: When doing a book study, get some context about the book from a study Bible or trusted online source. Take Philippians for example. Before reading that, it would be good to know that it’s in the New Testament, it has four chapters, and it is a letter written by Paul to Christians in Philippi. Knowing background info means you’ll have to do a bit of research, but it’s important to know the context of what you’re reading, so you understand it better.
2. Topical Study
How it works: Topical Studies can be really great for personal growth. Struggling with gossip? Do a Bible study on Gossip. Topical studies aren’t meant to be done in a short period of time, but something to keep in the back of your mind over a long period of time.
Getting started: You may choose to use a special study book to get started. And, when you are reading through your Bible, a verse may pop out at you that relates to the topic you’re studying. When that happens, write it down along with all the other verses that relate to the same topic.
What to remember: Prayer is really important! Once in a while, go through all the verses you’ve found and use them as the basis of your prayers. Pray that they’ll help you understand the topic. Remember to apply it to your life. What’s the point of doing a Bible study on gossip if you’re not at least going to try to watch what you say?
3. Verse Study
How it works: Verse study is a fun one 🙂 if you come across a verse that strikes you, maybe you could turn it into a verse study. Write it on your hand so you have it with you all day. As you go through your day, see how that verse applies to your life or to someone else’s life. This is actually a good daily habit.
Getting started: I challenge you to pick a new verse everyday. Write it on your hand, or just keep it in the back of your mind, and apply it to your life for that whole day. Be observant with it. Make connections. You never know what you’ll learn.
What to remember: It can be helpful to read the verse in many different translations. Sometimes one translation of a verse is more clear than another one. My favorite translations are ESV, NLT, and NIV. I often switch between them if I don’t understand a verse.
4. Exploration
How it works: This is one of my personal favorites. Everyone has questions about their faith. If you have a question, don’t just think about it for a bit before you drop it, bring it to the father, and explore his word for answers.
Getting started: Dig through the Bible, and see what it says about your question. Make it into an investigation. Often times, your one question can lead to a bunch of other questions. If and when you find the answer, you’ll feel so much closer to God. This, like the topic study, is another thing that can be spread over time. You could use an online tool like biblegateway or an app like youversion to help search for key terms.
What to remember: Be careful not to take verses out of context. As you search through the Bible, remember the big picture of what you are reading.
If you know any other types of Bible studies that I didn’t mention, please share in the comments below!! I'd love to expand my Bible studies XX