THE THE ABCABC's OF BIBLE STUDY's OF BIBLE STUDY

Warren E. Berkley

If you have a strong desire to find out what's right,

and to live as you should before God, that attitude

will serve you well as you read and study the Bible.

This desire becomes the motive that keeps you "on

task," as you seek to discover the right way of the

Lord.“Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart” (Ps 119:2)

“Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21)

ATTITUDEATTITUDE

You should give attention to all the Word of God.

There may be certain topics you develop a special

interest in, and some passages may be especially

relevant to current needs.

But you need to have a good, overall knowledge of

all the Word of God.

“For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. (Acts 20:27).

BALANCEBALANCE

In your study, you will come across

commandments; imperative statements which

require action, and originate in divine wisdom.

Carefully look into the context, and discover who

the commandment is directed to.

If the commandment applies to you, decide right

then that you will obey.You have commanded us To keep Your precepts diligently. Psalms 119:4.

Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. Revelation 22:14.

COMMANDMENTSCOMMANDMENTS

Diligence means great effort and care.

If you read the Bible carefully, and study the

context, define words and consult references– that

requires effort, but pays great dividends. Pray as David did: “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous thing from Your law” Psalms 119:18.

DILIGENCE

All through the Scriptures, there are examples.

We read of people who did good things, and afford

us excellent illustrations of what's right.

There are also stories of good people who took

wrong turns, and sinned against God.

In other words, there are good examples and bad

examples.

We should study these, and let them instruct us. “.. nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” 1 Cor. 10:6.

The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Phil 4:9.

EXAMPLESEXAMPLES

Effective Bible study requires belief in God, trust in

Jesus, and full confidence in the truth of God's

Word.

Mere intellectual or academic interests will never

yield the fruit that is generated by faith.“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” Romans 10:17.

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” Hebrews 11:6.

FAITHFAITH

One vital accomplishment of Bible study is to learn

about God.

There is really no other way to find out who God is,

what He is like, how He reacts, and what He has

promised, except in the Scriptures.“Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off”Romans 11:22

GODGOD

Don't ever hesitate to ask for help.

Have you ever been in a preacher's office?

The walls are lined with hundreds of books, and their

purpose is to help the preacher understand the Bible.

Dictionary books, concordances, commentaries and

reference works simply imply that we may need some

help.

There is no shame in asking for help. So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. Acts 8:30-31

HELPHELP

As you go through the written Word of God, not only

will you learn from examples, and find commands

that apply to you, there are also implications.

Don't call just anything an implication, but when

the information in the text leads to a conclusion,

accept it and consider it to be part of God's

revelation.

IMPLICATIONSIMPLICATIONS

"...God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son...,"John 3:16.

This good news is the theme of the Bible– Look for

this everywhere!

In Old Testament prophetic passages, the psalms

of David, the institutions of the Mosaic system, the

gospel accounts, Acts, the epistles and the

Revelation of John — Jesus is everywhere.

Look for Him, and let every new experience of Bible

study bring you closer to Him.“And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the pre-eminence” Colossians 1:18

JESUSJESUS

Your object is to acquire a knowledge of God's

truth.“that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God”Colossians 1:10

KNOWLEDGEKNOWLEDGE

LOVE the truth.

Paul spoke of some who would perish, and he said

they were deceived:"because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved," (2 Thess. 2:10).

Therefore, a love for the truth is an essential

quality of a good Bible student.

LOVELOVE

Growth to maturity in Christ can never be realised,

apart from Bible study.

As you learn of Christ, and study His will and apply

what you learn, you involve yourself in a process

that produces maturity.“Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus”Colossians 1:28

MATURITYMATURITY

Understand, that you cannot have spiritual life

without the divine food that sustains that life."Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” Matt 4:4.12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Hebrews 5:12-14

Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 1 Peter 2:1-3

NOURISHMENTNOURISHMENT

Honouring Christ and pleasing God by obeying the

Word of God — let that be your constant object.And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, Hebrews 5:924“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:25“and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27“and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Matthew 7:24-27

OBEDIENCEOBEDIENCE

Do you sometimes think it would be great to sit

down with your Bible today, and have complete

knowledge by noon tomorrow?

That's not reality.

Be patient with yourself, keeping studying, and

you'll add more to your store of Bible knowledge

after every session. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.Philippians 3:15

PATIENCEPATIENCE

Use questions to learn about a text. “Who wrote this …”

“Who was it written to …”

“What are the historical circumstance …”

“Are there are other passages that will help me understand this ...”

“What is there in this passage that I need to apply …”

“How does this passage help me understand other parts of the Bible…”

etc. etc.

QUESTIONSQUESTIONS

Don't ever finish or "get through" with any portion

of Scripture.

Go back and review.

Start over again with key passages, and you may

learn something you missed before.I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Philippians 1:3

“Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder)” 2 Peter 3:1

REVIEWREVIEW

There is a difference between reading and study!

When you read, that's your first contact with the

information.

Next, you should think about that information: "What did it mean to them?

What does this mean today?

How do I apply this today?

How does this passage or teaching relate to other parts of the Bible?

When you study, you apply the mind God gave you,

to the book He gave you.“Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” Ephesians 5:17

STUDYSTUDY

Track promises and prophecy.

When you find a promise:“And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15.

or a prophecy:Who has believed our report? 1And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Isaiah 53

in the Old Testament, follow those passages to

their fulfilment.

TRACKINGTRACKING

Especially when you read the stories in the Old

Testament, don't just regard those passages as

historical narratives.

Look for underlying principles that transcend

dispensational boundaries. “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” Romans 15:4

UNDERLYING PRINCIPLESUNDERLYING PRINCIPLES

Bible book stores shelves are running over with all

sorts of different versions and translations of the

Bible, some good and helpful; others, twisted and

inaccurate.

Consulting several English translations can be

helpful, but don't get too far away from the

standard translations—(King James, New King

James, American Standard, New American

Standard).

VERSIONSVERSIONS

Don't deceive yourself into thinking that "word

studies" and definitions are boring or

unnecessary.

The fact is, God has chosen to communicate with

us through words.

We need to know what those words mean.

Use a good Bible dictionary, consult references,

and respect the Biblical significance of the words

you read.“These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual” 1 Corinthians 2:13

WORDSWORDS

X marks the spot.

Systematic reading all the way through the Bible is

a great help to your understanding.

Read a portion, mark an "X" in the margin, or put the

date, then continue at that place next time.

XX

We may be tempted, in our Bible reading and study,

to immediately think of others – how they need

this; how others have violated what the passage

says.

Our first concern must be, self-examination.Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you are disqualified. 2 Corinthians 13:5

YOURSELFYOURSELF

©Warren E. Berkley 1999Presented by the Cape Rd Church of Christ,. Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

As you read and study and gain knowledge, be sure

that knowledge is accompanied by the zeal to

teach and practice the truth of the gospel.Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.2For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.3For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. Romans 10:1-3.

ZEALZEAL