So, you’ve decided you want to study your Bible. But where do you start? You have no clue what to do or even what resources you need before you begin. Relax. This post is going to point you in the right direction. I’m going to share my best Bible study tips for beginners. But even if you’ve been studying your Bible for a while, these tricks will help you prepare for Bible study.
What is the Purpose of Bible Study?
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Why do you want to study your Bible? If your reason is something like, “It’s what Christians do”, that’s not going to get you through the tough times. It won’t help you to create a lifelong habit for digging into God’s Word. And even if it does, you’ll be doing it for the wrong reasons and won’t find the joy in it.
What’s the point of studying the Bible? The main reason for Bible study should be to draw closer to God. The Bible is a book about God, written by Him through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. As we read and study, the Bible we learn more about God and ourselves. We realize that we are sinful people in need of a Savior. And we learn to call on Him because He is faithful even when we’re not.
How to Start Studying the Bible
Now you may believe you can’t possibly study the Bible for yourself. I want you to get that thought out of your head right now. Like any other skill, Bible study can be learned if we dedicate time and effort to it. After you have developed a habit of reading the Bible it’s easier to move into deeper study. So, where should we start?
Before you start studying the Bible you need to have a plan. Don’t worry; I’m going to help you with all that. We’re going to divide the plan into three categories: preparation, gathering your supplies and resources.
Bible Study Tip # 1: Preparation
While it’s possible to just pick up a Bible and start reading, I wouldn’t recommend it. Since our aim to create a lifelong habit, we’ll need to put a bit more effort into. Think about what happens before a child starts school.
No parent I know takes their child to a random school and drops them off. And even if someone did that, the administrators wouldn’t accept that child as there’s a process that must be followed. Before we start studying our Bible we need to answer a few questions:
Why are you studying the Bible? Finding your why is critical. This is what will get you through the days when studying becomes difficult or tedious. Despite your best efforts, there may be times when you don’t study your Bible as you ought to.
Your “why” will encourage you to restart your habit as soon as possible. I’d encourage you to write it down somewhere. Maybe, in the beginning, you want to have it visible or just remind yourself of why you’re doing it.
Are you trying to start studying your Bible? Here are some tips for beginners. #biblestudymethod #hebrews12endurance #biblestudycommunity Click To TweetWhen will you study your Bible? Many persons will suggest studying in the morning. While there are some advantages to starting the day with Bible study, not everyone is a morning person. You want to spend time with God when you’re most alert, not when you’re groggy and grumpy.
Where will you study your Bible? Choose a place where you will not be interrupted. Make sure you have enough space for your supplies and that you’re comfortable.
How long will you study your Bible? Decide on the amount of time you have to devote to your study. If you know you only have fifteen minutes each day, don’t commit an hour. Instead, ask God to bless the time you have with Him and over time, your schedule may open up for you to devote more time to studying the Word.
What will you study? After deciding to read or study their Bibles, many persons simply open the book and start reading whatever their eye falls on. Bible roulette, as I call it, is not the best way to study God’s Word. It’s best to study each book in its entirety so that you can get the proper context. Decide ahead of time what you will study.
What Bible translation will you use? I always say the best Bible to use is one you’ll actually read, but there are some translations that lend themselves better to in-depth study. When studying the Bible, choose a word-for-word translation instead of a thought-for-thought translation or a paraphrase.
Examples of word-for-word Bible translations:
- King James Version
- New King James Version
- English Standard Version
- New American Standard Bible
- The Amplified Bible
- Young’s Literal Translation
Some Bibles fall between the word-for-word and the thought-for-thought such as:
- New International Version
- Holman Christian Standard Bible
- New Revised Standard Version
Examples of thought-for-thought Bible translations:
- New Living Translation
- Good News Translation
- Common English Bible
Examples of paraphrased Bible translations:
- The Message Bible
- The Living Bible
- Phillips New Testament
Use a tool such as BibleGateway.com or Biblehub.com to figure out which version of the Bible resonates with you.
What Bible study method will you use? There are so many ways of studying the Bible. Choose one method and learn how to apply it to studying your Bible. Once you know how the method works, apply it to the passage you’re reviewing.
In all things, be consistent. Try to study at the same time, in the same place every day (or according to your schedule). This will train your body and mind to anticipate your Bible study time.
Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll discuss a few Bible study methods so you can get started. We’ll talk about:
- SOAP/SOAK Method
- Chapter Method of Bible Study
- Thematic Bible Study Method
- Character Analysis
I hope you’ll return to the blog so you can learn more about those Bible study methods. But for now, focus on gathering your resources and supplies.
Bible Study Tip # 2: Gather Your Supplies
What will you need to start studying your Bible? If you’re anything like me, a project like this is an opportunity to get new stationery. Do not, however, let the hunt for the perfect supplies stop you from starting your new Bible study habit. All you need to start is a Bible, notebook or loose paper, and a pen. You may also want some highlighter or crayons. That’s it! Don’t get distracted by all the stuff.
Tired of reading? Watch the video on YouTube.
Bible Study Tip # 3: Bible Study Resources
There are some things which can enhance your study of the Word. Let’s look at a few of them:
Dictionary—this will come in handy when you want to check the meaning of a word. You can use a Bible dictionary, but many times a regular dictionary is enough.
Bible Study Tools gives access to the following Bible dictionaries:
- Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary
- Easton’s Bible Dictionary
- Hitchcock’s Bible Names
- Nave’s Topical Bible
- Smith’s Bible Dictionary
- Torrey’s New Topical Textbook
Concordance—this allows you to look up the original Greek and Hebrew. Doing this will expand your understanding of a passage or verse. For an example of how this can enhance your understanding of a verse, check out this post on Proverbs 4:23.
A Bible concordance is also useful when you want to do a topical or character study. Use Bible Hub to access the following concordances:
- Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance
- Englishman’s Greek Concordance
- Englishman’s Hebrew Concordance
- NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Other Bible translations—reading other translations of the Bible help put things into perspective. Reading the Bible in other translations will paint a better picture for you. BibleGateway.com currently has 59 English translations available.
Bible study guides and books—these can provide a guide for studying the Bible especially books that guide you through an interactive study of a topic or Bible book. Please be sure to read the Bible passages for yourself so you can get the proper context.
If you've been wanting to start a Bible study habit, this list of resources will give you a place to start. #hebrews12endurance #biblestudymethod #biblestudycommunity #biblestudytip Click To TweetBible commentaries—after you have dug into a passage for yourself, it may be helpful to read what commentators had uncovered. Commentaries also provide historical background for the Bible so we can better understand why some things were done. StudyLight.org has 51 total Bible commentaries available.
Bible study checklists—these can help you remain focused on the steps for your Bible study process. This is especially helpful when you’re just starting out or when you’re using a new Bible study technique. Also, putting your Bible study on a checklist can help you arrange what you’re learning in a way that makes it easy for you to review the information.
This article on SimplyBible.com has a simple checklist that will allow you to interact with the passage you’re studying.
Everything mentioned here is available on the internet so you don’t have to rush out and spend hundreds of dollars. All you need is access to the internet and you’re good to go. I hope these tips gave you an idea of what to do as you prepare to begin a lifelong habit of Bible study.
If you’ve missed the rest of the series, check out the posts here:
Thank you, this was really helpful. God bless this ministry.
Thanks, Joni. I’m glad you found this post on beginner Bible study tips helpful ?. God bless you.