How Should We Study the Bible?
We often speak of how important it is to study God’s Word. Paul instructed Timothy with these words, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). New Testament Christians must remember some basic rules of Bible study to help us remember there is a right way to study the Bible, as with any book.
Who Is the Speaker?
A fundamental rule of Bible study is to consider who is speaking. Could you imagine what would happen if we did not consider the speaker? Take, for instance, Job 2:9. “Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” The speaker is certainly important. What if we did not make the distinction of who was speaking? Perhaps one might say, the Bible tells us to curse God and die; and if that is the case, why should we believe a contradictory message?
While it is true that the Bible is God’s Word, we must understand that God is not the only one who is speaking in that book. For instance, Exodus 5:2 records the words of the Egyptian king, “And Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.” Moreover, Matthew 4 includes several statements of Satan. “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me” (Matt 4:8-9). In all circumstances, we must ask who the speaker is because the speaker in any book matters. This is important because it is a question of authority. Who is speaking, and by what authority are they speaking? Is it God’s or their own? This will help us understand what we are reading much better.
To Whom Is It Given?
Next we need to consider to whom the specific passage was given. The Bible affirms, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work”. (2 Tim 3:16-17). However, we would all agree that certain imperatives and instructions in the Word of God were given to specific people at a specific time. If I were to apply Genesis 6 to myself and start searching for Gophar wood to make an ark, someone would clearly say that this passage does not apply to me. Let's remember to apply that same reasonable logic to other passages.
A comedian once mused in a mock song, “I am facing my giants, I am David, the Bible is about me!” His joke exposed a truth that many read the Bible and believe they are the main character. Why might this be a problem? Can we, or should we look to David for our standard today? This is why it is important to ask who the original audience was that received this message. Why would it be important to them? We can certainly learn from all books of the Bible, and we have the complete Word of God, but we must be careful not to hold strange doctrines based on practices of men throughout the Bible, or commands given to specific men in other times.
What Is The Context?
We must look at how the passage fits into the section of the book, the book itself, and the whole Word of God. We must also consider in which dispensation it was given (Patriarchal, Jewish, Christian). We cannot go to Moses for the law which we live by today after the cross. The book of Hebrews makes that abundantly clear, among others. We need to go to the foundation of the Apostles and prophets with Christ as the chief cornerstone (cf. Eph 2:20).
Often brethren apply 1 Cor 3:16-17 and 1 Cor 6:19-20 to the 21st-century church, insisting on a literal indwelling of the Holy Spirit Himself. A study of the context makes it evident that the church at Corinth had received miraculous gifts from Paul, who was an Apostle. He planted the church in Acts 18, taught there for a period of 18 months, and returned multiple times. As an Apostle, he was able to hand down the miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands (cf. 2 Tim:1-6; Acts 8:14-19). In the context, First Corinthians teaches much about those miraculous gifts. They were present and defined (cf. 1 Cor 1:4-7;12:4-11), and those gifts would one day cease. (1 Cor 13:8-10). We can conclude that miraculous gifts were present in Corinth clearly. So we need to ask what these passages meant in their time, to the original recipients, before we run and apply them to ourselves.
Is The Language Literal or Figurative?
Another valid question we should ask is whether this language is literal or figurative. Consider John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” Is the Lord an actual vine; are we woody branches? Did our brother Paul warn the church at Philippi of rottweilers and pitbulls, or was he referring to the Judaizers who would have Christians return into bondage? Let us use the same logic when we read portions of books with great figurative language such as Ezekiel and Revelation.
Do Not Use One Passage to Contradict Another
There is certainly a problem with misapplying Scriptures by many to contradict other passages. Peter commented that this was present in the first century,
and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
(2 Peter 3:15-16)
Some utilize Acts 16:31, where it says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” to teach faith only. This clearly contradicts Mark 16:16; Acts 2:37-38, Romans 6:3-6, et al. The Bible does not contradict itself. Men, however, do a consistently thorough job of contradicting and twisting.
Give Consideration to the Historical Order and Titles.
The order of epistles is certainly valuable (i.e., 1 and 2 Corinthians, 1.2.3 John, 1.2 Kings, etc). Moreover, titles give us keys to the book. The title Genesis gives us the beginning of the earth, life, and the Patriarchal age. The Book of Hebrews is written to Hebrew Christians who were tempted to go back to the dead Jewish religion. Acts is the record of the birth of the church and the carrying of the Gospel to Jerusalem, all of Judea and Samaria, and the furthermost points of the world.
While this is not an exhaustive list, these principles will certainly help you as you seek to allow the Word of Christ to dwell in you richly (cf. Col 3:16). If we pay careful attention to these guidelines, we will become better students of the Word that God has delivered once and for all to the saints (cf. Jude 3).
