An In Depth Way To Study The Bible
An in Depth Way to Study the Bible
Reading and understanding the Bible may seem like an incredibly daunting task but it shouldn’t be. God wrote this book to be read. It may be understood in various ways and at different levels for those who He intended to receive a specific message, but it was still meant to be read, studied, and understood.
In Hebrews 5:12-14 it states:
12. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
To paraphrase God here, He’s saying salvation is important but once you have it you need to quit drinking baby’s milk and mature by getting into the meat of the word of God.
If you truly have a desire to understand God’s word, you’ll need a few tools. It’s impossible for anyone to know every aspect or nuance of the Bible, but if you put forth the effort, He’ll make sure you get the message He intended for you. New insight comes to light every time you read the Bible. You may have read a particular verse several times before but something new seems to come through each time you read it.
Some say, “It’s not that important to know every detail of the Bible. I’m a Christian and I’m saved so how does having a deeper understanding of the Bible affect me?” It might not… right now. However, there is a reason we have the phrase “the devil’s in the details”. If you are around when the antichrist appears and you don’t have a good understanding of scripture, it may make all the difference in the world. It may save your soul.
Every verse of the bible was meant to be read and understood, there are no fillers. II Timothy 2:15 states: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
To get a good start, the best books I’ve found are a Smith’s Bible Dictionary, The Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, and The Companion Bible-King James Version.
The Smith’s Bible Dictionary, published by Thomas Nelson Publishers, is an excellent way to quickly look up topics or definitions. It’s a great first layer of knowledge that will help make up your ever-growing filtering system. People have a lot of different opinions regarding the Bible. The more you learn on your own, the better you can filter out others opinions and false doctrine through sound discretion as it states in Proverbs 2:10-13:
10. When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
11. Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
12. To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;
13. Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
The next tool you’ll want is The Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible published by Hendrickson Publishers. This book can help you find every word in the Bible and give you an accurate definition of that word from the original language it was written in. There are Hebrew and Chaldean dictionaries for the language the Old Testament was written in and a Greek dictionary for the language the New Testament was written in.
You just look up a word and it will show you everywhere in the Bible where that word appears. It includes a piece of the verse it appears in and gives you the context and location of its usage. It’s accompanied by a number you can look up in the corresponding dictionaries, giving you the translation and origin of the word. It’s a great source for studying the Bible by topic.
For instance, if you look up the word “angel” in the concordance, it shows you everywhere in the Bible that word appears so you can read each verse on the topic and get a complete overview of the subject. This book gives you an indispensable second layer of knowledge to further your understanding and filtering abilities.
The last and most important tool you’ll need is a King James Bible. I recommend the Companion Bible published by Kregel Publishing. Not only is it an authorized version of the 1611 King James Bible, but it also has a wealth of information on each page to better guide you to the true meaning of the text you’re reading. Each page has the original text on one side and notes on the other side. It brings to light differences in translations, mistranslations, omissions, additions and clarity to the meaning of the chapters and verses.
This information was put together by a brilliant theologian and Biblical scholar, E.W. Bullinger. He had access to one of the greatest collections of original Biblical manuscripts in the world which was owned by Dr. C.D. Ginsburg. Bullinger was also well versed with the Massorah and its notes. These last two points are very important.
The Massorah has been called the fence to the scriptures because it was a system designed by the early Jews to fix the text in place. This system was so accurate that in 280 B.C. King Ptolemy of Egypt gathered 72 Jewish scholars and separated them on an island for them to produce individual translations into Greek for the library in Alexandria. They produced 72 exact copies of the Torah!
The Massorah also had notations on each page of the Old Testament to help the reader know when to take a phrase literally or symbolically as a figure of speech which are known as Hebraisms. The importance of this cannot be overstated. It is the difference between knowing a phrase like “painting the town red” or actually painting a town red. As stated in the Companion Bible, the Massorah “is spread over many manuscripts and Dr. C.D. Ginsburg has been the first and only scholar who has set himself to collect and collate the whole…”.
Bullinger was one of the very few people to have been granted access to Ginsburg’s collection. In addition there are 198 appendixes in the back that cover everything from fallen angels, the first earth age, timelines, biblical numerology, the zodiac to even the hours of Jesus’s last day. It is the best Bible you will ever own and adds yet another layer of knowledge to cross reference and to reinforce that filtering system.
As for reading the Bible, I recommend reading it first cover to cover just as you would any other book. This will give you the feel of how the Bible played out chronologically for the most part. Don’t worry about not understanding all of it right away, this takes time. The more you read and research the more the pieces will fall into place.
Many Christians believe the Old Testament isn’t pertinent to them, so they don’t read it. However, if you don’t know how the story started, you’ll never understand how it ends. The Old Testament is the foundation of God’s story and is filled with prophecies fulfilled in the New Testament, our generation, and soon to be in the near future. It was referenced by Jesus many times and He frequently asked, “have ye not read?”
After reading the Bible cover to cover, study it topically. For instance, take a topic like Satan. There are verses throughout the Bible that have reference to and details of Satan. By reading all the verses of a specific topic you get an overlay of information that produces a more well-rounded understanding.
This is where the Strong’s Concordance really comes in handy. It can give you all scriptures related to that topic by simply looking up that word. Topical study will greatly enhance the depth of understanding in addition to a linear reading of the Bible.
Reading and absorbing all this information will no doubt take some work, but it’s worth it. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (II Timothy 3:16)
In a time where it’s hard to know what’s true and with so many Christians not knowing even the basics of God’s book, it behooves each of us to read the letter He wrote to us in order to verify what’s being given to us.
Jesus said that he foretold us all things and that we should be watchmen, so nothing or no one should deceive us or catch us off guard. I believe this is the last generation before the antichrist appears and Jesus returns. That should be enough motivation to read the very blueprint of God’s plan. Not only will you save your soul but who knows who else you can bring into the light. Read the Bible and “Study to shew thyself approved unto God...”