Each day this week, I am posting about one of the “Essentials”–the things that we need in our lives to be spiritually healthy. Of course, I am speaking as a Christian, which will be obvious in this post. Today, we look at Essential Bible Study. For the purpose of this post, I am defining the Bible (and the synonymous term “scripture”) as the collection of Old and New Testament books recognized universally by Christians today.
Years ago, one of my mentors told me that you know you have studied the Bible when you can answer three questions:
- What does it say (read it)?
- What does it mean (not “mean to you”, but objectively mean)?
- So what?
Bible Study is essential to the Christian life. Without it, we don’t know the facts of the gospel, we don’t know what is true, we don’t know what is right in terms of behavior, we don’t understand God. Without the scripture we are locked into our own subjectivity, and while that may seem very “spiritual” to some, it leads to being one’s own Lord–which is of course, disastrous.
So, let’s briefly look at the three questions. First, “What does it say?” This is where we actually read the Bible (or hear it). This begs the question: “What do we read”? Unless we study ancient Hebrew/Aramaic and Koine Greek, we rely on translation. For a brief explanation of translation, wait until Monday, November 23 and listen to the message for Sunday November 22 at www.nocc.org. Everyone can read (or listen to) the Bible daily–even if it is only a chapter a day. Doing this get us in the habit of reading, and allows us to internalize what is in scripture. I am a believer in reading through a book of the Bible from beginning to end instead of skipping around focusing on specific verses out of context. However, reading only allows us to know what it says. It doesn’t tell us what it means. Hence, the second question.
What does it mean? let me give you an example. I am a husband. I read in Ephesians 5:25 that I am supposed to love my wife. What does this mean? Whatever Paul meant when he wrote this, he did not mean “love”, because English didn’t exist. So to study, I need to know what word Paul actually used. By using an exhaustive concordance, an interlinear Bible, or learning to read Greek, I discover the word was “agape”. This is the love that can be commanded, because it doesn’t rely on our feelings. It means to do whatever is best for the other. (If someone doesn’t understand how to do this study, ask your church leaders to train you–this is why we’re here!) As a husband, I am being to do whatever is best for my wife. That is important to know. But is useless without the last question:
So What? I am not married to “wives”. I am married to Donna. My Donna. What is best for her–what she needs at this point in her life–is not necessarily the same as what another woman might need. So, to obey this command in scripture, I need to think about–perhaps pray about–what doing the best for Donna looks like today. Then of course, I need to do it.
To assess my Bible Study, I need to look at
- How often (and how much) I read the Bible. (Am I reading the Bible at least daily?)
- How often I actually study the Bible passages I am reading, such as looking up words, checking context, cross referencing to other passages about the same topic, etc. (Am I spending at least 1-2 hours per week studying the passages I am reading?)
- Do I consistently put what I have studied into practice?
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