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Tips for Bible Study

By Joe Felim

The first tip is to bear in mind that the dictionary’s definition of a word does not always match the Bible’s definition of that same word. According to Webster’s pocket dictionary, the word “believe” means to accept something as true or real and to hold on to religious beliefs, but biblical scripture demonstrates that faith in God is not merely an intellectual acceptance of the veracity of something. Genuine belief in God is defined by the Bible as obedience to God. The apostle Paul wrote, “But they have not all obeyed the gospel, for Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report” (Rom.10:16)? Scripture also says, “Even so faith (belief), if it hath not works (obedient action), is dead, being alone” (James 2:17). If the dictionary’s definition of “obey” is applied to the scripure of St. John 3:16 which states that whoever believes in the Son of God has eternal life, everyone with a simple intellectual belief in God has eternal life. However, according to the Bible, this is not the case. Jesus warns in the scripture of Matthew 7:22 that many will call him Lord in the last day but he’ll respond that he never knew them. The misinterpretation of the word “obey” is only one of numerous words that are misunderstood due to the application of a modern dictionary’s definition.

The second tip consists of paying close attention to the scriptures just above and below a scripture in question as well as the context and situation taking place in a given passage. Many Christians teach that God’s commandment in the scripture of Matthew 5:48, to be perfect as he is perfect means striving to never commit sin. Although the scriptures of Romans 6:1 and 1 John 2:1 clearly admonish against committing sin, Ecclesiastes 7:20 is one of several reminders that there is no mortal man that never sins. Consequently, the application of what appears to be a logical explanation of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:48, gives rise to a contradiction of God’s own word. In the scriptures immediately above that of Matthew 5:48, Jesus is teaching on the perfection of love. The Savior explains that his servants do not limit their love to those who love them and to their friends, but extends the love of Christ to the utmost in bearing love for their enemies as God also has demonstrated his love for his enemies (St. John 3:16, Rom. 5:10). Man’s reasoning defines perfection as total abstinence from sin, but God measures perfection based on the love of Christ that he sees in the heart of the believer who is commanded to love him first, his neighbor (Mark 12:29-30), and even his enemy (Mat. 5:44). The confirmation of this interpretation is found in the scripture of Colossians 3:14 which says, “And above all these things put on charity (love), which is the bond of perfectness.”

The third tip is to wisely choose a Bible to read and study aids. If a person is truly seeking to understand God’s word, it’s advisable to read the King James version of the Bible. The New King James version of the scriptures has done so much more than simply remove pronouns such as “thee” and “thou” and replace them with “you”. At the time of the translation of the authorized King James version of the Bible, the usage of personal pronouns that indicate singularity and plurality had already become obsolete (Terry Watkins). The translators took special care to use them because of their significance in understanding exactly what was taking place and to whom God or another person was speaking. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article by Ann Rodgers, a 1st-century text from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah was discovered among the scrolls of the Dead Sea. It perfectly matched the Hebrew text from the year 1006, proving the preservation of the scriptures. There is justifiably much suspicion regarding the employment of the modern versions and new translations of the Bible. Bible students may want to make use of a paraphrased Bible which does not claim to re-translate the scriptures, but rather to simply paraphrase them. This keeps the student alert to the fact that a paraphrase does not make the exact same statements as the original work, and therefore, must be regarded as possible help and not necessarily answers. Also beware of commentaries. They can be of assistance in comprehending the Bible and they can unfortunately add to confusion by rendering incorrect interpretations of biblical passages. Recommended commentaries include The Wycliffe Bible Commentaries for the Old and New Testaments, by the Moody Bible Institute. Again, not every explanation of these commentaries is correct, but they can serve as important guides on most biblical questions. Serious students of Bible study often use an amplified Bible which fills in some of the “blanks” and thereby promote greater understanding.

The fourth tip involves the Bible student’s resistance against frustration when answers escape him. Understanding of the scriptures takes time, patience, dedication, a pure desire to learn to obey God and faith in his promise to fully satisfy everyone that hungers after righteousness (Mat. 5:6). It’s helpful to notate in a notebook or on index cards, questions as well as scriptures that are confusing and review them periodically. Purchase Strong’s exhaustive concordance if finances permit and run reference on individual words in the passages that are unclear. Strive to find every scripture that relates to the question or scripture for which an explanation is sought. Often, anti-biblical doctrines are formed by failure or unwillingness to consider all scripture on a particular subject. When learning from other Christian writers, it’s important to make sure they’re supporting all statements with biblical scripture. Opinions and man’s logic must be rejected when seeking spiritual truth. It’s not enough to see scripture cited in Christian writings. The serious Bible student must imitate the Bereans who verified what they were being told was scripture was truly written in the Bible (Acts 17:11). The student should not linger on confusing scriptures, but rather should continue his studies. The Bible is literally a commentary on itself and perplexity over a particular passage or question often becomes clear in the reading of other passages that may seem completely unrelated to the one that is confusing. Remember that the Bible is one long account of the gospel of Jesus who is shadowed in the Old Testament and revealed in the New. Although the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles of the New, lived in different time periods, lands, and situations, they all preached the same message. Genesis opens with man in paradise with full access to the tree of life, and Revelation ends with the return of redeemed man to paradise with full access to the tree of life restored, in accordance with God’s perfect will. Not everyone is able to dedicate much time everyday to the study of the Bible due to daily obligations. Fifteen minutes of productive Bible study with the intention to be a doer of God’s word is better than hours of study without comprehension or intention to obey Christ.

The fifth and final tip requires the prayer of faith that boldly and confidently asks God for wisdom. The very purpose of knowing God’s word should be to find and travel the road that leads to eternal life, back to paradise in the hereafter. That road can only be travelled by faith that begins with believing that God will put and keep one’s feet on that journey. The Bible says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But, let him ask in faith, nothing waivering, for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

holy bible king james version

Discovering The King James Bible
By Susan Sloba

We all know that Bible study is an important part of the Christian faith, but in these turbulent and busy days it can be challenging to find the time for proper Bible study. One method that many have found to be helpful in this regard is to utilize the audio Bible for this purpose. The comes in several well-loved versions, including the King James audio Bible. Audio Bible study has never been easier, because you can listen to a CD containing the audio Bible or you can listen to an audio Bible mp3 version that will fit on a tiny mp3 player, so you can take your audio bible. Bible study with you wherever you go. The King James version of the Bible that we have come to know and love has a fascinating history.

The King James version of the Bible uses the Hebrew texts as the basis for its Old Testament translation, and the Greek texts for the New Testament translations. It does also refer in a secondary sense to the Latin Vulgate text as well. The translation work took place in England between 1603 and 1611, and the text was translated by 47 scholars from the respected Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, as well as Westminster, working in different committees, which were assigned with translating certain portions of the Bible. The Apocrypha was included in this translation; some groups accept these books as part of scripture, while others do not.

King James himself started his political life as King James the Sixth of Scotland. His mother was the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots and his aunt was Queen Elizabeth the First. James became the King of England in 1603 and was known as King James the First. Before King James came to power in England, there were many competing versions of the Bible, most with footnotes favoring certain political or ecclesiastical positions of the authors.

In light of this situation, it was decided by King James that there should be a new English translation of the Bible that would settle all the controversies surrounding the many other versions, and this new version should follow the doctrine as put forth by the Church of England. He wanted a version where there was a minimum of marginal notes, except for the few needed to help better explain the meaning of certain Hebrew and Greek terms in words that English readers could understand. King James asked them to revise what was known as the Bishop’s Bible, and to compare this version to several of the other competing versions to come up with the translation that best fit the King’s parameters. The translation was completed in 1611, and hit the printing presses that year as well. Intense rivalries developed among the printers chosen to print the Bible; the rights for printing this version of the Bible were eventually purchased in the 1900s by the Cambridge University Press. Today the history of this well loved version of the Bible is carried on in the form of an audio Bible

You may want to check out my other guide on bible covers