<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT" CODEPAGE="65001"%> Developing a Personal Bible Study: An Introduction

Developing a Personal Bible Study
An Introduction

By William R. Cunningham

INTRODUCTION

I would like to share with you some information that I hope will help you develop your own Bible study program. Bible study is extremely important to the Christian for many reasons. First it will provide you with first hand knowledge of God's word by which you can judge doctrines that you contact. Second, it will edify you in the sense that it will bring about liberty. Thirdly, it will cause you to be a resource for other Christians as they take their journey on the road of discipleship as you have. A true seeker studies his or her Bible in order to live by God's truth.

Read the full study on How to Study the Bible

Definition of Personal Bible Study

Personal Bible study is not the process of Studying Bible alone. Personal Bible study simply means that you are initiating the seeking of truth. You are active in your pursuit for the truth in God's word. This is distinguished from those who simply accept what they are told by ministers, pastors, evangelists, and the many Christian books available.

Developing a personal Bible study means that you have in your heart to know what God really says and you actively pursue that knowledge. You will solicit the help of many others but you are the initiator and not the passive antenna receiving whatever you are told without discretion. You will talk to pastors, evangelists, family, friends, co-workers. You will read articles, resource books, ministry books, outlines, and many other Christian resources. You will also use non-Christian resources especially in the area of history and the knowledge of other religions.

What's Involved?

A personal Bible study program involves the following

Much reading of the scriptures
Much gathering of background information pertaining to those scriptures
Much evaluating other sources pertaining to the topic or scriptures being studied
Evaluating various interpretation of the topic or scriptures being studied (commentary)
Drawing a conclusion of all the information that you have gathered
Testing what you have concluded
Talking to others about what you have learned to further test and perhaps edify someone else with the results of your study.

There are four stages to Bible study. These are not THE four stages but just a grouping to illustrate what is involved. You can break the Bible study process in more or less stages depending on how you group things.

Gathering information - Reading the scripture pertaining to the topic being studied. Reading other supporting information pertaining to the topic being studied, and talking to others for input on the topic.
Interpret information - Evaluate the information received. Order this information into a coherent structure. Extract the Biblical truths from the information.
Conclusion - Make a conclusion of what the Bible teaches about the subject based on your analysis of all of the information that you have gathered.
Test your conclusion - Talk to others about what you have learned and get their feedback. It is important that you talk to people who you believe are Bible students as well (they study the Bible too). All information you get should be analyzed and compared with all of the other data that you receive in your previous study. Never just change your conclusion because someone disagrees with you--regardless of who it is. You may have to modify your conclusion of additional valid information deems it necessary.

The crucial part of this process is the gathering of information. This is where a lot of Christians go wrong. I find that most Christians are content to accept what they are told each Sunday morning by their pastors, bishops, evangelists, and other ministry leaders. However, this is insufficient for a personal Bible study. The word of God cannot become anchored in your heart and mind if you don't know what the Bible says for yourself. Of course, there will always be those ministers and Bible teachers who have proven themselves to be real students of the Bible and trustworthy and who you can give the benefit of the doubt to new information and doctrine.

Typically, however, you will study the Bible and evaluate all information for yourself. All information will be compared against the teachings in the Bible. Therefore, you will have to gain understanding of the scriptures.

(Prov 4:7 KJV) Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

(Mat 13:19 KJV) When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

Understand the scriptures that you study and/or read and don't just assume a meaning from what you were told or from the doctrine prevalent in your church.

Bible Study Methods

There are two basic ways to study the Bible: Inductive and Deductive.

Deductive Bible study involves the validation of a preconceived idea (belief) or presupposition. That is, a Biblical truth is assumed and scripture is located to prove that assumed truth (usually a dogma). Deductive Bible study is very subjective because it centers on the person’s preconceived ideas and beliefs and not the truth emanating from the facts of the scriptures. The deductive student will tend to read his/her ideas and beliefs into the scriptures instead of extracting the truths from the scriptures.

Inductive Bible study involves the gathering of facts from scripture and then drawing conclusions that are revealed by the facts. Inductive Bible study is an objective Bible study. That is, any conclusions that are made can be easily tested against the scriptures themselves since the conclusion came from the scriptures.

Personal Bible Study Methods

The following are three methods that can be used to study the Bible. These are not the only methods that can be used however.

Topical Study

In this method topics or subjects are studied using the Bible. You would select a topic such as "love" and focus your Bible study on love. Since this is a concentrated study, you will obtain much knowledge and revelation about "love". This will not be the end however. If you study love again at a later date you will receive more from the Bible concerning love. This is due to the fact that understanding begets more understanding which is an application of the seed principle. The more you know about something the more you can learn about it.

In this type of study you will need at the least a Bible and Bible concordance. First decide on a topic that you want to study. Then determine the definition of the word (topic) that you want to study. Use a dictionary (The Webster's Unabridged dictionary is a good one to use) or use the Greek or Hebrew Dictionary in the Strong's Concordance (The young's concordance include the meaning of the original Greek or Hebrew word alongside the word in question). Use your concordance to find the scripture references for the word. Review these references and select the ones that are applicable to what you are studying. Review the actual scriptures that you have selected from the concordance reference and be sure to review any other references that appear if you have a reference Bible.

After you have gathered all of the information from the scriptures, meditate on them and form a conclusion based on your findings.

Word Studies

A word study is the process of acquiring a detailed definition to a word or group of words in the Bible. This will help you understand a passage of scripture more absolutely. For example you may study the words in Philippians 4:8 to determine what Paul is actually saying and to reveal the principle behind what he is saying. The power of the word study is that you gain a good understanding of the word in question, the context by which it was used, and the various ways it was used.

Character Studies

The lives of personalities in the Bible are examined in character studies. We can learn much by examining the lives of people such as Moses and Samuel in the Bible. Some things that we can look for when we do a character study are: The meaning of their names, parents and ‘upbringing’, their background or training, friendships, how they were influenced by others, what influences they had, what they did that was outstanding or different, their good and bad points, how they communicated with God, and major accomplishments.

Study By Parts

Studying the Bible by parts or sections is very useful to become familiar with certain sections or time periods in the Bible. Studying by parts/sections means to study a section of the Bible at one time. For example you may study the Gospels, the book of Matthew, or the Psalms. In this type of study you will be exposed to many principles as you move through the section. This may lead to limited topic studies so that you can at least be familiar with the spiritual principle that you have discovered.

Reading The Bible

Though you may not think so, as I once did, reading the Bible through (Genesis to Revelation) is one of the most important things that you can do for your Bible study program. When you read the Bible in this way you are not really taking notes or developing thoughts. You are simply reading the Bible as you would a novel. This is important because the word of God is fed into your spirit as a seed. I have learned that it is beneficial to develop a plan where you read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation over and over again. By doing this you will become more and more familiar with the Bible as a whole.

You do not have to read the Bible sequentially from Genesis to Revelation. Instead you may read parts at a time. For example you may read the Pentateuch (Genesis - Deuteronomy) and then you may read the Gospels. There are many "read the Bible in a year" programs that you can use to accomplish this.

Outlining The Bible

This is a very effective way to become familiar with the contents of the books of the Bible. In this method you summarize each topic, subject, or main thought or activities of the books of the Bible. After you have done this and gone over it a few times, you will become very familiar with that book and each of the chapters in it. If someone says 'I know the scripture says something like "Blessed poor in spirit"' you, being familiar with the book of Matthew, will immediately say something like "I think that it is the fifth chapter of Matthew" and go to it. You may not be exactly right but you are familiar enough with the book to know that it is somewhere in the vicinity. You see the Bible in "pictures" and not just words on paper.

The Art of Linking

A major tool that you can use to help you understand scripture in its proper context is linking. Imagine that you are trying to explain something by the use of scripture to another Christian. You make a statement and then share an originating scripture verse. The principle involved with your statement may be related to other principles and therefore other scriptures. It is similar to walking down a path and at the end of the path is a major revelation from the word of God.

What You Will Need

There are a few Bible study resources that will be very useful to you as you begin your new Bible study program. The first thing you will need is of course a good durable Bible. This Bible should be durable because you will use it a lot and you don't want it to fall apart too soon.

Here are the items that I found to be very useful for a typical Bible study. These are basic items that you will use time and time again.

Good Study Bible (includes objective commentary, scripture reference, and concordance)
Concordance (typically the Strong's concordance is used)
Bible dictionary (even an unabridged Webster's dictionary will be very useful)

Some other items that you may find to be very useful are:

Bible Commentary
Bible Handbook
Different versions of the Bible

You will begin to add to these items as time passes and you purchase various resources that are particular to a particular study or scope. For example you may purchase books that deal with Jesus Christ or Christian History. You may also purchase resources dealing with apologetics, teaching, or personalities.

Building a Study Library

Over a period of time you will develop a Bible study library. Your library will contain books and all types of other resources that you use to study the Bible and biblical topics. People sometimes ask me what are some good Bible resources to start with? They want to know the basic Bible study resources to use for studying the Bible. Well I have dedicated an entire web page for this type of information.

The Process

Now let's put all of the above together. First we assume that you regularly study the Bible and that you are focused on one topic or goal. This means that you are studying the Bible with purpose and not just "shooting in the air." You study, make your conclusions, test your conclusions, and begin to live by what you have learned from the Bible. Now be warned that all Christians will not be excited about the fact that you have learned new stuff (right or wrong).

Always find something to study. If you hear something strange from the pulpit, TV evangelist, or another person, then check it out by using your new Bible study process. See what the Bible really teaches about the subject and determine for yourself what the truth. Note that "determine for yourself" does not mean to determine the truth alone. It means, as we defined Bible study earlier, to initiate a study on the topic and use all available resources, including people and clergy, to find the truth. Jesus encourages us with...

(Mat 7:7-8 KJV) Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: {8} For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Disagreements

What happens when you tell others about your Biblical discoveries. Some of your peers, those who are seeking as well, will want to talk about it and learn more. They may disagree but they are willing to talk about their views intelligently because they have been studying also. This type of interaction will lead to edification of one or both persons.

However, there will be times when you are rebuked for what you say. I have experienced this time and time again especially with ministry and church leaders. Also those who are indoctrinated by a church's teachings will persecute with the leaders. It is quite alright for these individuals to disagree. As I said, that could lead to edification. However, they disagree without the benefit of Biblical discussion so that you can see where you erred and perhaps adjust your study technique or something. Instead they tell you that you are wrong, you are talking against the pastor (or church doctrine) and that you should be quiet.

What do you do now? One thing you shouldn't do is cause strife among the people. Gently try to get the disagreeing party to talk with you so that you can further your education in the subject. If this doesn't work than you have no choice but to keep silent regarding you publicly declaring what you have learned. However, this should not mean that you can't freely say what you have learned or believe when people ask you on a one-on-one basis. Just don't start teaching it and proclaiming it in the church or organization that disagrees with you.

Try to analyze what the disagreeing party believes about the subject and weigh that against the scriptures to the best of your ability. If you find that your views are consistent with the scriptures then good. However, it is not wise to go back to your persecutors with a great "Look here. I am right after all." It is quite evident based on their initial response to you that they are not really interested in getting at the truth or they are more concerned about preserving church doctrine or maintain current teachings. Just know what you have learned and count that as another victory for your understanding in the word of God.

If you do find that you were off with your views then modify them so as to be more consistent with the Bible. However, only modify conclusions if the facts show that it is necessary to do so.

Continue to study. Find Christians that are willing to talk to you about Bible truths. Find people who are willing to disagree with you constructively. No one can claim to know all truth. We all learn more each day. However, as a group--the Body of Christ--we can edify each other and get closer to pure understanding.

Bible Study and Church

What is the relationship between Bible study and church? If you attend a word centered church (a church that stresses and ministers the word of God from scriptures) they church will have a great deal to do with your Bible study. You will find that the church and ministry leaders will be valuable resources for information, insight, correction, and verification. You will find that many or most of the sermons and Bible study sessions at the church will become very valuable to you because of the focus on the study of the Bible. This would be the ideal situation, however, not all churches are word centered from my experience and with talking to others.

Many churches are more concerned with activity then they are with the word of God or the study of the word of God. It is very rare to find a church where they stress the importance of a personal Bible study. It is uncommon to find a church where they teach you how to study the Bible so that you can obtain Biblical truths away from the church edifice or meeting place. Usually you are taught whatever the pastor or ministry leaders believe and you are expected to agree or in many cases leave. If you are in this type of church then most of your study resources will come from another source. You won't be able to extract Biblical information or scripture knowledge because that is not the focus of the church. However, don't fret. Simply find other resources for your studies.

In general the church you attend is simply another potential resource for scriptural information. A word centered church adds the benefit of providing feedback to your views obtained during your own studies or providing valuable information about the topic that you are studying. If you attend a "typical" church then you will find that Bible study is not a priority. You will find that your church is always preparing for a special service, a special guest, or some other activity. You will find that even the Bible study classes are actually mid-week services.