How to Study the Word of God Effectively
The Importance of Studying the Word of God
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
The means by which Believers strengthen their relationship with the Lord is through the study of the Scriptures. The entirety of the Bible proclaims the beautiful love story of Christ with His Bride, the church. Those who study the Word of God will be blessed as they comprehend all that Christ has done, will do and is doing for those who are His. The more a Child of God studies the Scriptures, the more they will understand the character and attributes of the living God.
The Word of God is alive and active giving life and hope to all who study the Scriptures. The Bible indeed prepares us for everything that the Lord commands us to do. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to renew our minds to be more Christ-like thereby equipping us to walk in obedience.
I found this newer acronym for BIBLE which I like even better than the old one:
Basic Instructional Book for Living Everyday
But the original works just as well:
Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth
Indeed, when we study the Word of God, we will benefit greatly as we gain a storehouse of wisdom and knowledge for life and living, all to bring Glory to God.
Understanding the Word of God
Prepare
I want to preface this sub-section by saying that Bible intake can be done anywhere at any time. God's Word is alive and active and will meet you right where you are. Whether you are a mother who never has a moment alone and steals a second in the bathroom to read a verse of the day or a corporate executive with project deadlines who listens to the Bible during their commute, God's Word will touch and speak to you wherever you are.
For the purpose of today's post, I am focusing more on effective study of the Word of God.
No matter what your station in life is, it is important to try to have a goal set for a time to be in the Word. For those of us with flexible schedules, it's important to "schedule time in" to spend in the Word of God. It should really be the most important item on our itinerary!
If you are able, find an area in your home where you can study the Bible uninterrupted and without distractions. Might I even suggest putting your phone in a different room than the one you are in.
A study Bible with a concordance and the use of Bible commentaries are wonderful tools for furthering your study of a passage once you have read it for yourself and allowed the Lord to speak to you.
For the purpose of today's post, I am focusing more on effective study of the Word of God.
No matter what your station in life is, it is important to try to have a goal set for a time to be in the Word. For those of us with flexible schedules, it's important to "schedule time in" to spend in the Word of God. It should really be the most important item on our itinerary!
If you are able, find an area in your home where you can study the Bible uninterrupted and without distractions. Might I even suggest putting your phone in a different room than the one you are in.
A study Bible with a concordance and the use of Bible commentaries are wonderful tools for furthering your study of a passage once you have read it for yourself and allowed the Lord to speak to you.
Pray
But you might ask, "how do I understand the Word of God?"
Once you have a quiet place to study the Word of God, pray. It's soo very important to ask the Lord to give you insight and wisdom before you study the Word. For He has given us the Holy Spirit who guides us in understanding all things related to the Scriptures.
It is also important that while you are in a passage of Scripture and maybe have questions about it or are trying to understand it deeper, pray again. Pray for clarity and understanding.
Once you have a quiet place to study the Word of God, pray. It's soo very important to ask the Lord to give you insight and wisdom before you study the Word. For He has given us the Holy Spirit who guides us in understanding all things related to the Scriptures.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world,
but the Spirit who is from God,
so that we may know the things freely given to us by God
1 Corinthians 2:12
It is also important that while you are in a passage of Scripture and maybe have questions about it or are trying to understand it deeper, pray again. Pray for clarity and understanding.
Scripture interprets Scripture
For effective study of the Word of God it is important to understand how to rightly read Scripture for proper interpretation.
When reading a book of the Bible, you must first consider the genre, the author, the audience being addressed, and the author's intended meaning and purpose for writing the book in order to be able to put the passages of the book into context.
A book of the Bible MUST be considered with the whole canon of Scripture.
You will notice that your Bible has references to other verses within passages of Scripture. As you look up these references, you will gain more understanding and context for the selection you are reading, allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture. An excellent Bible for doing just that is the Thompson Chain Bible.
Remember, the Bible is inerrant and will not contradict itself. Therefore, when studying a passage of Scripture, you must keep in mind what the whole Bible says about that topic.
When reading a book of the Bible, you must first consider the genre, the author, the audience being addressed, and the author's intended meaning and purpose for writing the book in order to be able to put the passages of the book into context.
A book of the Bible MUST be considered with the whole canon of Scripture.
You will notice that your Bible has references to other verses within passages of Scripture. As you look up these references, you will gain more understanding and context for the selection you are reading, allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture. An excellent Bible for doing just that is the Thompson Chain Bible.
Remember, the Bible is inerrant and will not contradict itself. Therefore, when studying a passage of Scripture, you must keep in mind what the whole Bible says about that topic.
Ways to Study God's Word
Inductive
The inductive Bible study method considers three areas when reading a passage of Scripture: Observation, Interpretation and Application.
Observation answers the question, "what does the passage say?"
When we observe what the passage is saying by asking ourselves, Who, What, Where, When and How questions, we will understand more deeply what we are reading.
Interpretation answers the question, "what does the passage mean?"
By using the above mentioned method of allowing scripture to interpret scripture and investigating cross-references to the passage you are studying, you will gain more understanding of what the passage means.
At the interpretation stage, you can turn to concordances and commentaries to deepen your study of the passage.
Application answers the question, "how does this passage apply to me?"
After effective study of a passage, it is important to apply what you have learned - put feet to the knowledge you have gained.
SOAP
The SOAP method for studying the Word of God is an acrostic for:
Scripture
Observation
Application
Prayer
The purpose of the SOAP Bible study method is to engage with the passage, not just simply read through it.
Anyone who has studied learning styles knows that when you write something down, it seems to magically imprint upon your brain. lol.
The Scripture step of the SOAP method has you physically write out a scripture passage. By taking the time to slow down and actually write what you are reading, you will find that insights or even convictions will stand out to you because you are truly focused on the words of the passage!
The Observation step is an exercise in highlighting what you see in the verses that you’re reading? Who is the audience? Is there a repetition of words? What words stand out to you?
The Application step helps you to apply God's Word to yourself asking, "What is God saying to me today?" "How can I apply what I just read to my own personal life?" "What changes do I need to make?" "Is there an action that I need to take?"
The Prayer Step asks you to pray God’s Word back to Him. If the Lord has revealed something to you during your time in the Word, pray about it. In an area of conviction, confess to the Lord.
Journal
Bible journaling is an excellent way to study the Word of God effectively for understanding and application. The Give Me Jesus Journal, by Well Watered Women Co., is a helpful tool for guiding your study of the Bible.
The journal layout features a date, time and place section; a praise section; a "be still and know" section; a Scripture section; a "what am I learning about God?" section; and a "how this changes the way I live" section.
The Scripture section can be used to journal questions you might have about the passage; write down passages that stand out to you; record insights you have gained or how you've been convicted just to name a few. There is no right or wrong way to fill out this section. It is for the purpose of interacting with the Word of God.
Commentaries
Commentaries are a great resource for delving deeper into Scripture, but it is a good practice not to consult them until after you have read and absorbed the Scripture passage for yourself using any of the methods above.
My favorite commentary and the commentary of choice for many Pastor's going all the way back to Charles Spurgeon, is the Matthew Henry Complete or Matthew Henry Concise Commentary, both of which can be found online.
Another great online resource, is https://www.preceptaustin.org/, which has a wide variety of commentaries and information to guide your study of the Word.
Scripture Memorization
Bible Gateway says the following about Scripture memorization:"Reasons to Memorize Scripture
First, Bible verses that are memorized will come back to you. Memorized Scripture is particularly helpful when you’re being tempted... When you need encouragement, comfort, or strength to stand firm in your faith, God’s Word will be readily at hand.
Second, memorizing Scripture, like all Scripture engagement practices, will help you grow in your knowledge of, love for, and obedience to God. The truths of the Bible will soak into your life, changing your understanding of what is real and good. It will help you to be stronger emotionally, bring a deeper peace into your life, and will be used by God to renew your mind.
Third, memorized Scripture is also helpful as you serve other people. You can bless others when you have an appropriate passage to share.
Finally, memorizing Scripture is a powerful tool to help you to live out your faith."
Scripture memorization certainly enhances your study of the Word of God.
There are different ways to memorize passages of Scripture. Whatever works best for you, is the best approach, and it might not even be one of the suggestions below.
Verse at a Time
This is probably the most basic way to memorize Scripture, one verse at a time. Once you have mastered the first verse of the passage, you can move onto the next verse and so on. Once you have worked at memorizing the entire set of verses, make sure that you have got the entire passage committed to memory by rehearsing them altogether.
Read, Write, Say Aloud
This method employs all the different learning styles into one.
First, read through the Bible verse or verses ten times through. Second, write out the verse/verses at least five times. Third, read the verse/verses aloud several times.
By applying these three different skills to Scripture memory, you will find that memorization has come easy.
White Board Method
This is a great Scripture memorization method for those who learn by sight and through movement. Write out the verse you are working through on a white board. Take your finger and point to each word of the verse while saying it either to yourself or out loud. Do this several times. Next, erase one word from the verse and then read through it again, pointing to the words as you go, even the words you erased. Continue doing this until you have erased all the words. When no more words are on the white board, point to where they once were as you recite the verse. This method is one of the best for memorizing Scripture, in my opinion.
I hope this brief look at how to study the Word of God effectively has been informative for you.
For any of you who are intimidated by studying the Word of God, I hope you have a better understanding of how to approach your time in the Word.
I promise you, the more time you spend studying the Word of God, the more you will desire to dig deeper and deeper, and the more God will reveal Himself to you.
May He bless you with an enriched time in the Word as you seek to study the Scriptures effectively.
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I love what you said about "allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture." And the Thompson Chain Reference Bible was my Papaw's and Mom's favorites. He knew the Bible like no one I ever knew. They even called him the "Walking King James." I so appreciate the Godly heritage God has blessed me with, and my dear parents sacrificing to keep me in Christian schools where I was forced to memorize a LOT of Scripture. It DOES come back to me now all the time and is my constant companion and comfort. Thank you for another wonderful post, sweet friend!
ReplyDeleteHi Cheryl! Awe. I love that! "the walking King James". Thank you so much for sharing about your Godly heritage and the emphasis placed on the precious Word of God.
DeleteYou are very welcome! Sending you hugs and blessings.
SOAP is a great approach and new to me. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Michele, I'm glad you were introduced to a new approach to Bible reading. :-)
DeleteAnd thank you so much for stopping by!
Wow! You certainly put good work into this post. The information and methods shared are helpful. It's my first time learning about the SOAP method. I use MH's commentary as it is readily available on Bible Gateway, but I've been hesitant to consult any other. Maybe I'll check out others listed on the link you provide. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your kind words about my efforts.
DeleteYes, indeed, Matthew Henry is always my first stop. :-)
Glad you found helpful tips here for studying the word of God effectively.
Thanks so much for stopping by.