Do I need to go to Bible college to learn how to study the Bible? Do I need to learn Greek and Hebrew to study the Bible? The answer to both is no. Otherwise, most of us wouldn’t qualify to study the Bible. Would God want to make it so difficult that only a few could study it?
I’ll share the magic of how to study the Bible here. You only need two things.
Intense Curiosity
First you need an intense, passionate curiosity about Bible books, verses and words. Without that you won’t want to study the Bible. You will be satisfied with reading a daily devotional and enjoying what other people think about topics or verses. Or you will watch Bible-teacher videos and love the perspectives of others. Let’s not mistake that for studying the Bible. Those are nice supplements, but they aren’t what the Apostle Paul had in mind when he said, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Tim 2:15) The question then is, do you have enough of a curiosity to drive you to study your Bible?
Here’s what curiosity looks like. You read or hear someone quote a verse, like 2 Tim 2:15 above, and you think, “What does studying have to do with being approved unto God?” Or you might really wonder, “What does it mean to rightly divide the word of truth?”
Rather than Google for the answers, you decide you are going to study it in the Bible. Let the Bible teach you the answers. It will define itself. But we’re back to our lead question. How do you study the Bible?
The Right Tools
The second thing you need to study the Bible is the right tools. The Strong’s Concordance was the first tool I learned about more than 40 years ago. It shows you every single verse that each Bible word appears in, so you can study where else that word is used. It also gives you the Greek or Hebrew word with its meaning.
The second tool is the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK) I discovered soon after Strong’s Concordance. It’s an amazing book of cross references for each verse. Many Bibles have a few cross references down the center column or at the bottom or off to the side. But the TSK book has umpteen more cross references so that you can get the idea of a verse by comparing it with verses that say something similar to the one you are looking at. When I discovered this book, I determined that if I was trapped on a desert island and could only have one book besides the Bible, it would be the TSK.
But I confess, now if I was trapped on a desert island, I would choose to have cell phone reception and an internet connection. That’s because both Strong’s Concordance and the TSK are on a few Bible apps for your cell phone or your computer. Since discovering that, it’s been revolutionizing. On my phone, I replaced the Bible app I had with the Blue Letter Bible. It has those 2 books/tools installed. On my computer, I installed e-Sword, which also has both books installed. Both apps are free. Install one or both right away.
In summary, the best way to study the Bible is to ask God to open your mind’s eye to have an intense curiosity. After all, it’s a spiritual book, and only the Spirit can teach you its meaning. (Pray this: Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Ps. 119:18). Then use one of your newly installed apps and start looking up cross references or word meanings and see what God shows you. It’s as simple as that!
Tell me what you think.
Jody