The three steps of Bible study are like this: (a) It begins with observation - what does it say? (b) Then comes interpretation - what does it mean? (c) Last is application - how should I respond?

Martin Luther once said that he studied the Scriptures like he gathered apples. First, he'd shake the whole tree so that the ripest fruit would fall to the ground (study of the Bible as a whole). Then he'd climb that tree and shake each branch (study of a whole book). Then he'd move to the smaller branches and shake each one individually (study of a chapter of a book). He'd next shake each of the twigs (study of the paragraphs and sentences), and conclude by looking under each leaf (study of single words). As we study the Bible, first, we will look at the whole; then divide that up into its parts; and finally scrutinize the details.

1. LOOK AT THE WHOLE
Suppose you had an extra hour or two this evening and wanted to spend it studying your Bible. With your Bible in front of you, you ask yourself, `What now? Where do I begin? How do I get started?' Here is a plan to help you get started.

A. Select a book to study: I would suggest for you to begin with a small book of the Biblad Generally, do not study more than seven chapters at one time. John's 21 chapters can be divided into three study sections. The 28 chapters of Acts would be divided into four study sections.

B. Read it straight through in one sitting: Pastor John MacArthur recommends reading it straight through in one sitting every day for 30 days. This will help you get a handle on the book as a whole. Reading it in different good versions will also help your reading.

C. Mark your Bible as you read: Marking in your Bible will really help Bible reading and study. Here are some suggested marking symbols: (1) Circles: To put around key words that are repeated. (2) Boxes: To put around other emphasized words. (3) Underlining: To put under empha-sized phrases. (4) Arrows: To show contrast between words or phrases. Also, a highlighter can be used to mark special words or phrases.

2. LOOK AT THE PARTS
The Bible, as it was originally written, had no chapter or verse divisions. In fact, it wasn't until AD 1228 that Bishop Stephen Langton added the chapter divisions. These were added to make it easier to find places in the Bible. According to these divisions, there are 1,189 chapters in the Protestant Bible. If you studied one chapter each day, you could read through the Scriptures in just over three years.

The secret of Bible study is asking the right questions. For background information ask; WHY was the book written? HOW was it divided and how can we outline it? WHO wrote the book? To WHO was the book written? WHAT was happening when the book was written? WHEN was the book written? To WHERE was the book written? From WHERE was the book written? Now, as we look at the parts we will find out the answer to these questions.

3. LOOK AT THE DETAILS
To help us find the detail of needed background information we need the right tools. Bible study tools do not replace the Bible but they help us study the Bible. Carpenters need their hammers and saws; artists need brushes and paints; plumbers need wrenches and a serious Bible student needs basic reference tools to help him search the Scriptures. Like a farmer who still insists on doing everything by hand instead of using helpful tools some today piously say, "All I need is the Bible." True, but the tools suggested in this section will help you get into the Bible:

A. Your Bible: A wide margin Bible gives you space to write in. A loose leaf Bible allows you to insert your own notes. You can't really study the Bible without writing something down.

B. The study Bible: Like The Open Bible, The New Scofield Study Bible, The NIV Study Bible, The Life Application Bible, or The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible.

C. Several recent translations: The Comparative Study Bible is a very good parallel Bible (with the New International Version [NIV], the New American Standard Bible [NASB], the King James Version [KJV] and the Amplified Bible).

D. An exhaustive concordance: Like The Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and The Young's Analytical Concordance to the Bible. Also the Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge is a good companion tool for finding cross references. It gives a list of all Bible words and where to find them.

E. A Bible dictionary or Bible encyclopedia: Like The New Bible Dictionary, The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia (5 volumes) or The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia [ISBE]. These give information on the historical background.

F. A Bible atlas: Like the New Bible Atlas or Baker's Bible Atlas.

G. A Bible handbook or chartbook: Like Talk thru the Bible and Chronological and Background Charts of the OT and NT.

H. Commentaries: Like The Bible Knowledge Commentary (2 volumes), Tyndale's Old Testament and New Testament Commentaries, and the Daily Bible Study by William Barclay. Think of these books as long-term investments in your spiritual life. Many books you buy are read once. But reference books are used over and over every time you study the Bible and give a lifetime of help and enjoyment. Be like the Bereans who:

Acts 17:11

"...searched the scriptures daily to see whether these things were so."

by Steve Nicholes
LINKS TO . . . Other Bible Messages Genesis Esther Daniel Philippians James Complete Discipleship Topics