Tips for effective Bible Study

Studying the Bible in your own time can be daunting and intimidating, especially if you are new to Christ, or have never really taken the time to do an in-depth study of any kind. Many people pick up their Bibles on Sunday and then don’t pick those Bibles up again until the following Sunday when the pastor or teacher is preaching or teaching again. Here are the most common reasons why people do not bother to take the time to deeply study the Bible on their own:

• they do not understand what is being said.
• they don’t feel they have enough “time” to study.
• being ‘tired’ or sleepy every time they read
• a lack of interest and motivation toward reading the Word.
• a ‘quick’ fix view of study time.

“Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years.” -Charles Spurgeon

These are the most common reasons, but not all of them. If any of these sounds like your reason(s) as to why you find yourself struggling with reading your Bible on your own, don’t worry. You aren’t alone and this can change. I have some tips I believe will help you begin to find your study time more engaging and enriching.

Tip #1: Pick a translation that you can understand and follow. Perhaps the most important part of effective bible study is starting with a translation that you can comprehend and follow. My personal favorites and recommendations are The New Living Translation (NLT), The New American Standard Bible (NASB), The New King James Version (NKJV), and the Amplified (AMP). I personally use a combination of these present-day when I am comparing verses for contextual clarity; the process of uncovering the original context of a verse to comprehend and apply it to my life. When I first got saved in 2013 (for real this time) the NLT was my go-to. I found that it was very easy to ingest and understand, and eventually, as I compared it to my NKJV I found the translations of verses to be solid. This version was great as a beginner. My second runners up are NJKV and AMP. I use these daily, and I vacillate between the two; literally flipping back and forth when I am studying. “How do I test what version is good for me, Adara”? Great question. Start in the Psalms, preferably Psalm 1 and read in several translations. It should be easy to read as if you were reading for information, insight, and understanding, and you should be able to convey that information to someone else if you were asked. In essence, you will know a translation is right for you when you can understand clearly what you read and if you were asked you could articulate what you read. Correctly interpreting scripture (this is called Biblical exegesis) starts with having a translation YOU can understand. Once you can read clearly what is on the page, and not be confused about what you are reading, interpreting it correctly using other scriptures, commentary, and useful study tools like a study Bible will be a lot simpler. That brings me to my next point.

Tip #2: Once you have established what translation works for you, you will need to invest in a study Bible. A study Bible is a Bible that has commentary, guided prompts, explanations, further readings, comparing or parallel verses and more. It is extremely useful especially if you have never studied the word or are not used to in-depth study. My first study Bible was the New Believer’s Study Bible. It was and still is amazing. It has explanations, guided reading, maps, tips on how to study the word, a glossary of terms, devotionals and more. No matter where you are, whether or not you’re a babe in Christ or a seasoned saint in the faith, I recommend having this study Bible. Other great study Bibles are The Amplified Study Bible and The Life Application Study Bible (NKJV). These are just a few that I like–there are tons. Look up some study Bibles based on the translation you readily are able to read clearly without any confusion. Additional resources to consider getting are a good concordance and a dictionary of biblical terms. At the end of this post, I will have a list of suggested reads as well but this is a good place to start.

Tip # 3: Now that you have your translation of choice and your study Bible of choice, you need to focus on building better study habits. It takes 21 days to build a habit. That means, if you devote 21 whole days nonstop to cultivating a study habit, it can stick. In order to build an effective habit, you need to establish a routine. The most important piece to establishing a routine is setting and sticking to a time frame. Some people find waking up earlier to leave enough time for studying their Bibles in the morning to be most effective, while others find studying before bed to be most effective. This really depends on you to be quite candid with yourself. Are you a morning or evening person? When is your “downtime”? When are you most alert and aware enough to study? Factors to consider are how early you have to wake up to start your day and handle your obligations, your children and household upkeep, school and vocation, and other demands of life you may have. Personally, I find that reading and studying my Bible in the late evening works best for me. Especially now that I have a newborn, my schedule has shifted and during the day so for the most part, I sleep when she sleeps…sort of… if we want to consider two-hour naps at a time sleeping. Studying, and handling my personal affairs at night works for me–that may not work for you and that’s okay. You have to figure out how you best function. Once you do that, consider what little ‘helping hands’ you can give yourself. Consider setting alarms and timers or even consider making reminder sticky notes on your mirror or refrigerator. Both can be effective when used consistently. Eventually, you won’t need the reminder as it will become instinctual but to start, it is a good idea to have. A good habit to always have is to say a short prayer BEFORE you start studying or reading, where you ask God for clarity and understanding, AND GENUINE INTEREST regarding what you will read.

Tip # 4: Pick a study method. This part can be taxing and overwhelming. There are so many different study methods out there that picking a method that works for you can even become a stumbling block. My advice is to always start simple. There is a method I love called the S.O.A.P method. S.O.A.P stands for SCRIPTURE, OBSERVATION, APPLICATION, PRAYER. It is a very basic yet effective method of study for a beginner. Here is a basic breakdown of how you can use the SOAP method.

• (S) Scripture verses you’re reading
• (O) Observations: keywords, repeated words, repeated phrases, literary techniques used(i.e metaphors, similes, comparisons). Anything you notice about this text. The author, who the verse was written to, setting, time period, historical context. Why this passage or book was written, What commands from God were given? What promises from God were given? What warnings were given?
• (A) Application: Does the passage touch on a certain problem within culture/society/life? Is there a solution presented as well? How does this passage apply to my life/ our present-day world?
• (P) Prayer: A written and verbal prayer regarding what you have just studied. This is a prayer of your choice- and there is no right or wrong way to approach it.

Tip #5: As you are studying, look for Jesus in every passage. Remember, the Old Testament and New Testament are BOTH about Jesus. Every passage you read whether it is in the Old or New Testaments will point to Jesus/God and fit into one of these categories:

• The nature of God
• The curse of sin and disobedience
• The blessing of faith and obedience
• Jesus our Lord and His sacrifice for sin
• The coming Kingdom of God- glory

Remember, most important of all, it is important to correctly interpret scripture (exegete). We should always be looking to extract what the passage was meant to say, not what we want it to say. Scripture is written directly FOR us but it was not written directly TO us. Understanding this will help you understand the proper context more and determine who the original intended audience was.

Here are two additional resources for studying

• How to Study the Bible for all its worth– Gordon D. Fee
• What does the Bible say about….- Thomas Nelson

Remember, always start with prayer. Pray for clarity before you read and pray that God would show you what He wants you to see in His word that day.