Reading vs. Studying the Bible
Why study the Bible? Studying the bible is the learning, not just the reading or hearing, of God’s Word to us. When we study the bible and memorize scriptures, they become a part of us and sink into our hearts. Studying and knowing God’s word will help transform us from the inside out. It will change our hearts to make us more like Jesus, get us more in touch with the Holy Spirit and please God.
Many ask “what is the difference between reading and studying?”. There are some people in the world that God has given the gift to remember everything that they read. The majority of us have not been given that particular gift. There is an old saying that states people remember half of what they read or hear, and understand only half of that. Most of us need to “study” a topic to completely learn, memorize, discern, comprehend, and digest the full meaning of it. James 1:22 states, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." (KJV) How can we be doers of the word if we can't remember?
First, we need to understand that the individual books were originally written in other languages. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, the New Testament in Greek. There can be issues with word-for-word translations. For example the Hebrew word for health is “medicine”. At first glance you might say, that’s no big deal, but in some cases you might need to understand the true meaning of a word prior to the English translation.
Second, we have an issue with time. When the Bible was translated into English hundreds of years ago some of the words from that time period had different meanings than they do in today’s English. For example, the word “meat” in 1611 was a synonym for “food”. Later “meat” referred to all “flesh food”. Today, poultry and fish are usually not considered to be “meat”. Without digging into Scripture we may not understand God’s true message to us. None of us can know these thing just by reading. We must study to gain that depth and breath of knowledge.
One of our most powerful tools to resist and fight the devil is the Word of God. Ephesians 6:17 states: "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (KJV) Quoting scripture is one of the best defenses we have to fight and resist the devil’s attacks on us. It would be much easier for you to speak from memorized scripture, rather than running to your Bible to look up an appropriate verse. You may want to read Matthew 4:1-11 to learn how Jesus used scripture to defeat the devil’s attacks on Him. One hint on memorization is to learn just one scripture at a time. Remember, your goal should be quality not necessarily quantity. Write down the scripture with pen and paper, look at it and read it aloud several times a day until you no longer need to look at it; then go on to the next scripture, write it down and repeat the process.
You may look at your bible and become overwhelmed with the information. You may even say to yourself, “Where do I start?” There are several ways to study; by topic, people, book or individual chapters or passages.
One way to study is by topic. Choose an area in your life that you feel God wants you to improve. This may be emotions, relationships, marriage, health, finance etc…. You can start right here on this website by going to the List of Scriptures. However, this list of words is relatively sparse, and the list of scriptures is incomplete. This was done intentionally so that you can add to the list. Next turn to the back of your bible to the Concordance. This section lists the majority of words used in the Bible (other than words like “the”, “this”, etc). So if your topic is “health”, look in the Concordance for that word. Then look at all the scriptures that include the word health. Next, try to think of other words that relate to the word “health”. For example you may want to look for: heal, healing, disease, physician, etc. This is where a standard dictionary may come in handy. You may also look up words in a synonym reference book, or read other topical words within the scriptures. Don’t forget, many bibles will refer to related scriptures in the footnotes which may help with additional insight.
Whenever you study your bible keep a dictionary close at hand to look up words that you don’t understand. For example, Psalm 119:170 states: Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thy word”. When you read this, you may not know exactly what the word “supplication” means. If you look it up, it means: (1) to ask for humbly or earnestly, as by praying; (2) to make a humble entreaty to; beseech, or (3) to make a humble, earnest petition; beg.
When you study you should be in a quiet area with no distractions. We live in a world today of multi-tasking and distractions. It has been recently proven that while you are multi-tasking you can’t do your best in any one area you undertake. The same is true if you are constantly being distracted from your task or goal. Whenever you study God’s Word, prior to working, pray that the Holy Spirit will minister, guide and teach you exactly what it is that God wants you to learn in that session.
There are many study references published today, but here is a limited list to get you started. Each suggestion is linked to a specific product that you can purchase through this website.
The Merriam-Webster English Dictionary
Zondervan's Pictorial Bible Dictionary
Dake Annotated Reference Bible-KJV
Today's Parallel Bible
Nelson Impact Bible Study Guide Series: Genesis
Strong's Concise Concordance & Vine's Concise Dictionary of the Bible Bundle
We pray that this information has blessed you, and as always we thank you for spending time on this website. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you have any other suggestions on how to study the bible, let us know. We will be happy to add the information to the website.
May God Bless You !
To view our list of scripture topics
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