Bible Studies

HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE Part One

by Henry Jaegers
04/08/19
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1. How do I begin?

            A) Understanding the bible begins very simply: with prayer. The Bible is not a book but a library containing 66 books, written by 40 different authors over a period of 1500 years, without one single error or contradiction. There has never been a book like the Bible and no religion or holy book can make that claim. This information alone is enough to convince men that it is indeed THE WORD OF GOD AND IS WORTHY OF OUR CONSIDERATION.

            B) What shall we pray for?

First, we should pray for Salvation. If a man is not born again he lacks the potential to understand the scriptures. The indwelling Holy Spirit, who enters a person’s life at the time of the New Birth, enables one to desire and understand God’s word. Jesus made this clear when He spoke to Nicodemus on this subject. “Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born again, He cannot see the kingdom of God. The word “See” in this sense means to have knowledge of or understanding.

Second, we need to pray for a heart like a child, eager to learn and expect to receive a blessing.

Third, We need to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us into truth: This means that when we seek the truth in God’s Word we must be willing to surrender preconceived ideas, not based upon the plain truth of scripture. There is a cost to believing the truth, for it involves surrendering false ideas that the enemy of our soul doesn’t want us to forsake. One of the activities of the Holy Spirit is to “Lead us into all truth”.( John 15:13) “When the Plain sense of scripture makes good sense, Seek no other kind of sense” is a good guide to help us along our journey.

 Fourth, pray for a hunger for the Word of God. This is a prayer that God Promises to answer. (Matthew 5:5) “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” When we are hungry there is an intense desire for that which will satisfy. Once again the Holy Spirit can create in us a clean heart and a desire for righteousness that results in God Being glorified

            These are some preliminary considerations for studying the Bible

            C) Begin with a quiet place without outside distractions. Studying the Bible requires concentration in order to hear God speak.

            D) Bring a pad and paper with you to record the things you receive that are important from your meeting with God, through the scriptures. Remember. God wants you to understand the Bible and He has made every provision for you to do so. ( sometimes He even uses preachers to help.)

2. Where Do I Begin?

Where to begin sometimes is determined by a particular need in my life or where I am in my spiritual development. The reason for that is, there are some passages and books in the Bible which are difficult to understand without the necessary background. To start reading books like Leviticus or some of the prophetical books without knowing the necessary historical format would lead to discouragement resulting in giving up. So to start, in the Old Testament, the first book of the Bible, Genesis is the best place to start. It is the book of beginnings and tells us about how everything began. It contains history, science prophecy, fulfilled promises, narratives of successes and failures, and compared to other books of the Old Testament, it is easy to understand.

            In the New Testament, The Gospel of John, by the consensus of many Bible teachers is the best place to start. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called synoptic Gospels and contain similar accounts of the life of Christ. The gospel of John is different and focuses on The Deity of Christ. John contains accounts that the others do not, and gives more place to the ministry of The Holy Spirit. It is pretty straightforward and easy to understand with many faith-building promises that give assurance to the believer.