Simple Steps to Better Understand the Bible

Step 1- The Most Important Pray first! Often overlooked, forgotten, or glossed over Asking God into the process of revealing his Word is asking the Author to explain it to you Don’t forget to spend the time to do this effectively before you read Always, always pray before and after you read.

Choose a Translation There are a variety of different English translations Choose one you will want to read. It does you no good to have a certain one if you won’t read it Use the one you enjoy and that is the best for your understanding Some are easier (NIV, NLT) than others (KJV, ESV, NASB)

Read to Enjoy before Understanding There are always going to be portions that are difficult to understand Get in the habit of reading first before breaking down into deep study for more difficult parts

Read in Chunks Don’t let the whole Bible, or whole books overwhelm you If a chapter seems to much, then read a few paragraphs at a time Don’t just read individual verses- be sure to at least in chunks so you can understand what is being said and not make a mistake

Steps to Study for Deeper Understanding After you’ve gotten into the habit of reading You’re wanting to learn more, understand more, get deeping into the Word You want to know what it means and how to apply it to your life

Interpret and Apply Correctly In order to properly apply a Bible Scripture to your life, you have to properly interpret the Scripture If you apply the Scripture without the proper interpretation it is called eisegesis. This is using the Bible the wrong way, making it say what you want it to say. It is adding to the Bible. When you first interpret the Scripture, then apply it, it is called exegesis. This is drawing the meaning of the text from the text- what we should be doing.

Understanding the Words When you read a passage, do you know what all the words mean? Define all questionable words- words you don’t know, don’t understand, or aren’t sure about. Remember, as someone has said before, “If the plain sense makes sense, seek no other sense.” (keeping in mind culture, context, etc.- more on that in a bit.) Bible dictionaries can be big helps here

Consider the Type of Literature Keep in mind the type of writing you are reading, and where it is Poetry (e.g. Psalms) will be understood differently than history (Kings and Chronicles). Letters (Epistles) will be understood differently than prophecy

What is the Historical/ Cultural Context? When was the book written? What was going on in history at that time? Who wrote it? To whom? Why? What did it mean to the original readers? (This is very, very important!!) Many Bible’s will have book introductions in them that will give some of this information Bible Dictionaries can again be a big help here

What do Other Scriptures Say? What are other Scriptures in the Bible that deal with the same subject as this Scripture? To find others, decide what the main subject/ key words are in the passage, then use a concordance (key word) or subject index to look up other Scriptures. Imagine all the writers of the Scriptures sitting around a table talking about the passage. What would they say? Scripture must be interpreted in the light of other Scriptures. It will not contradict itself. How does what it say fit with other Scriptures?

Keep it in Context! Look at the paragraphs and chapters before and after the scripture What is being said around the passage? How does this passage relate to those, and what is it saying based on those other passages? This is also very very important Don’t be like politicians- keep it in the context of what is being said around it.

How Has the Church Understood it in the Past? If the meaning is debatable, how has the church interpreted this passage in the past? Consider why the church has interpreted it that way. What is the evidence given? If other understandings of it have been rejected, consider why they were.

After all of that… Only after the work of interpretation is done: Application- ask yourself: What does this mean for me today? Why did God put this in the Bible? If this wasn’t in the Bible, how would this affect my life? What can I get out of this passage that will help me or others? How do I apply this to my life to change the way I think, believe, live? What is God saying to me?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions!! Asking questions helps us to find the answers! Ask pastor (Weds night), Sunday School teacher, or facebook messages… Ask Google (be careful!! Not every source on the internet is a good one. Many are not, and some are openly hostile)

Good websites to use: Biblegateway.com Bible.org BibleStudyTools.com StudyLight.org Biblehub.com AnswersinGenesis.org CARM.org (Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry)

Good resources to invest in These are things that will help your study and understanding: Study Bible (lots of help, maps, explanations, etc) Bible Handbook (overviews of books) Bible Dictionary Concordance/ Word Study (Vine’s, Strong’s) Survey’s (overview of Old Testament, New Testament, Jesus life, etc.) Commentaries (verse by verse explanations)

Other things to remember If you truly want to know, understand, and apply the Bible- it takes time, effort, and investment Like anything else you want to do well at, you have to work at it It’s not an instant thing Start now! Like eating an elephant- one bite at a time. Do a little bit each day and gradually build up your reading and investment.

Sources steps-to-understanding-the-bible steps-to-understanding-the-bible simple-steps-to-better-understand-the-bible/ simple-steps-to-better-understand-the-bible/