1. A Guide for Private Study of the Holy Bible
I. Introduction
The Studying the Scriptures Series was inspired by participation on the Worship Committee of Grace Baptist Church, Chicago, IL. The purpose of the series is to aid one to grow in familiarity with the Scriptures, more commonly known as the Bible (used interchangeably here) of the Judeo-Christian religion. The series consists of four brief writings to help the seeker, a neophyte or more experienced, to grow in the love of the everywhere-present, all-knowing, and all-powerful living Spirit of all creation, seen and unseen. This living Spirit is commonly called God by Judeo-Christians and the terms are used interchangeably herein.
The writings in the series are:
“A Guide for Private Study of the Holy Bible” uses a question and answer approach for beginners to the study of the Scriptures.
“Establishment of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures” provides a brief background on how the Scriptures were authenticated.
“Translations of the Holy Bible for the Common Person” describes briefly the history of translation of the Scriptures.
“Interpreting the Holy Bible for Spiritual Growth” explores further the approaches to interpretation and application in one’s life.
II. Beginning the Joy of Study
A. What is “the Scriptures” or “the Bible”?
For those who espouse the Judeo-Christian religious system, “the Scriptures” (used interchangeably with “the Bible”) is God, the ever-living Spirit of creation, explaining and showing in human terms how to live the spiritual life for which one is created. First, God desires one to choose to be bonded to the ever-living Spirit by the Spirit of God (for some this may be more familiar as Holy Spirit). Then, the Spirit of God counsels and guides one through human life to a relationship of eternal spiritual life. To explain in human terms, God inspired human writers over centuries who wrote in their understanding for their times.
B. How do I begin?
Begin by praying to the Spirit of God for guidance as to what you need at this moment in your life. All true believers are indwelt with this Spirit of God who provides counsel to those seeking it, 1Cor 2:6-16 (see II.H on quoting the Scriptures herein). If you are a seeker to know God and not yet confident as a believer, this Spirit of God will act in your life to lead you to accept the workings of God in your life and to a healthy submission to God. This submission is:
Belief in an everywhere-present, all-knowing, and all-powerful living Spirit (commonly called God and used interchangeably herein).
Exercising God’s gift of free will to desire to walk in a personal relationship with God as the Spirit of God counsels you.
Acting with your abilities and with God’s enabling power to practice what God counsels is best and right for you, even when you think otherwise.
C. How do I select a Bible?
To choose a Bible version read the same passages from various sections of the Hebrew Scriptures and Christian Scriptures, more familiarly the Old and New Testaments, in different versions of the Bible. (For a discussion on the terms “Hebrew Scriptures” and “Christian Scriptures”: see Series 2. Establishment of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures.) Then select the version that was easiest understood overall. As you grow you may find that other versions will give you understanding also. Keep an open mind and do not lock yourself into one single version. Some study aids that may or not be included in a given version are:
Concordance: references where the same word is used in other verses. This helps to understand word usage.
Maps: locates Biblical cities and towns and people’s journeys.
Study Notes: clarify the meaning of a phrase or topic and are usually included at the point of reference.
Cross-References: relate the topic to other verses in Scripture.
Subtitles: denote the topic for a group of verses.
Other Essays: some examples are History of the Bible and Its Translations, Timelines of Biblical History, and Parallel Listing of Miracles and Parables in the Gospels.
For a comparison of study aids found in five versions, see Series 3. Translations of the Holy Bible for the Common Person II.B.
D. What is a proper attitude towards your study?
There is no one else like you. God loves you uniquely and your walk with God is unique. Conformity to others may not be God’s work in your life.
Your study is to be an enjoyable endeavor.
Know the Spirit of God is right there with you, whether sensed or not, as you desire to glorify God in all that you do.
Honor God’s desire to teach and reveal truth to you by wisely using your human intellect, but also let the Spirit of God help you avoid unbelief and the idea that only your reasoning is sufficient.
Be humble and open to learning within yourself, following the guidance of the Spirit of God.
Be humble before other believers as they also have the Spirit of God and may provide valuable insights. Don’t be locked into denominational dogmas or a conservative or liberal theological system. All of these tend to close one’s mind to what God may want in your life and toward insights from the larger faith communities. You are not required to accept blindly someone’s interpretation. All humans only know in part, only God knows the whole.
As you study, you are interpreting the Scriptures in light of your knowledge and experience in life.
Put into practice what you have learned through prayer and faith, but do not get discouraged. This is a growth process of small steps.
E. How do I study?
Each titled writing within the Scriptures are known as a book of the Bible. Select a book and read the entire book through seeking the central theme of what the writer is saying. During this first reading, don’t dwell on the details; just make notes for later study. Often the introductions to a book will give you the central theme, but confirm this for yourself and what it means to you individually.
Read individual chapters for context and content.
Study how individual verses develop the context and content. Remember that when the books were written, there was no chapter or verse numbering. The first Bible to use numbers on the verses was the Geneva Bible of 1560 CE.
Remember that the meaning that you attach to a word will be based on your experience as to what that word means to you. Your meaning may be quite different from that of the author and translator of the original Hebrew or Greek. Thus it is very important that the Spirit of God guide you to the true meaning needed in your life today. Later re-readings may give you a different sense as you grow in your knowledge of God and the Scriptures. These insights are good.
To be most effective, set aside a regular time for study as part of your weekly routine.
F. Which book do I begin with?
When starting with Genesis, one often gets bogged down with ancient names and details resulting in becoming so discouraged that one stops reading and/or studying the Scriptures. I recommend the following sequence. However you are in control of your study and are free to read any book in the order that you choose.
The Christian Scriptures/New Testament book, the Gospel of John because it is relatively easy to read and explains the deity of Christ.
The Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament book, Psalms that was written by believers walking with God Almighty, like David King of Israel. The Psalms are prayers of praise, thanksgiving and intercession during times of joy and trial. The Psalms express the writer’s range of emotions through the writer’s walk of faith. For this book apply steps E.1 to E.3 to each Psalm rather than the whole book.
The remaining books of the Christian Scriptures/New Testament: the other Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) exemplify Christ’s interaction with people, Acts describes the formation of the Church, and the Epistles with Revelation Chapters 1-3 explain Christian living.
The Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament books of wisdom: Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs (also known as Song of Solomon or Canticles). In Proverbs usually one thought is expressed in fewer than six verses with the next thought being very different.
The Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament books forming the Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Numbers is rather tedious to read.
The Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament history books: Joshua through Esther, describe how the relationship between God and the Israelites progresses over time after Moses.
The Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament prophetic books Isaiah through Malachi, describe how God desires to draw the Israelites back into the right relationship with God and the consequences, if not heeded.
The Christian Scriptures/New Testament book, Revelation. starting with Chapter 4 describes a time yet to come.
G. What do I do if I don’t understand the verses that I just read?
Don’t be discouraged; it is all right to skip and move on. The Spirit of God knows if you have grown enough to apply these verses to your life today. Remember a baby is given milk first then slowly solid food; likewise the simple ideas of God working in your life are what you need first and the meat of the word will come as you grow in your study and understanding of God and the Spirit’s transforming and working power in your life. Ask questions of people who exemplify the walk of faith with the Spirit of God and are willing to explain the meaning at your level of understanding.
H. How do I quote the Bible?
A common method of referencing a verse is as follows: in 1Cor 2:6-16 cited in II.B above, the book abbreviation is 1Cor signifying Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. The chapter precedes the colon and the verse or verses follow after the colon. Thus 2:6-16 signifies Chapter 2 verses 6 through 16. Great care must be taken when quoting from the Bible so that one does not take the verse out of the written context and use it to demean verbally another person. Many misunderstandings and conflicts would be avoided if this approach were applied.
III. Nurturing Growth
Now that you have become familiar with the Bible and your interest is perked to know more, the following topics are to help you grow through exploration of other available resources.
A. What if I don’t understand the verses that I just read (continued)?
In Part II.G herein you were encouraged to “Ask questions of people who exemplify the walk of faith with the Spirit of God and are willing to explain the meaning at your level of understanding.” The next step is to read commentaries or other writings, or to listen to speakers. Commentaries and other writings may be found in ancient and current books and magazine articles, or by surfing the web. You may listen to speakers by attending other denominational churches, attending seminars or conferences, or listening to radio and TV preachers. These sources, written or spoken, are usually by noted Biblical scholars or teachers, however you must remember that the views expressed are of that particular scholar and these views may or may not agree with other scholars. Denominational biases also may affect the interpretation. For example, Biblical writings on homosexuality range from liberal to conservative views. As one reads and studies Biblical writings, one must be guided by the Spirit of God to avoid being deceived and led away from your walk with the Spirit of God. The Bible warns one about false teachers.
B. What was the meaning of the original Hebrew or Greek word?
Without being versed in original Biblical Hebrew and Greek languages, you may use concordances. These reference books list all the words in the Bible by citing part of a verse using the word and cross-referencing to the original Hebrew and Greek words. The best-known concordances are “Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (KJV)” and the “Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance”. In both of these the English word is numerically cross-referenced to either its original Hebrew or Greek word and their meaning in the Hebrew or Greek dictionaries. In these dictionaries the many ways the original word is translated may be given. For example in many English versions today eight Greek words are all translated as one word, servant, losing the shades of meaning that range from a voluntary servant to various involuntary slave functions.
Now if you are gifted in the ability to learn foreign languages, one may want to learn Biblical Hebrew and Greek. These are not easy languages to learn because of the alphabets and grammatical structures. However, I have often been told that the Bible takes on new meaning when read in Hebrew and Greek.
Again the Spirit of God must guide you as the scholars who define the meaning of the words in English may have their own personal and denominational biases.
C. What is the Influence of Church History?
Church history may be a key to understanding the doctrines and dogmas that are based on Biblical interpretations. It is important to read the history of various denominations, for example a Roman Catholic should read Roman Catholic history and the history of the Eastern Orthodox churches to gain both perspectives of the 1040 CE schism of these two great religious systems. All the various denominations from the unaffiliated single church to the very large church systems are founded on varying degrees of dissent from another’s interpretation of the Bible. Within all of these there are true believers who are walking by faith with the good deeds of the Spirit of God being expressed in their lives. Remember, the Spirit of God reads the heart, not the outward actions. This is especially true when the Spirit of God is in the process of removing a root cause for actions not aligning with the Spirit’s purpose in one’s life.
D. How were the Scriptures established?
Since the Bible was written by many authors over centuries, Hebrew and Christian religious leaders set criteria for what is the authentic word of God from the many writings. For a brief history see Series 2. Establishment of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures.
E. How does Near East Studies affect Biblical interpretations?
Near East studies are a rich and fertile ground for understanding cultural and historical Biblical contexts. These study writings may be found in such fields as sociology, archeology, anthropology, comparative religion, mythology, and languages. For example, these writings shed light on why God commanded the Israelites to observe certain practices to avoid defilement with the peoples around them. Although it is commonly held that most of the Bible was initially transmitted as oral stories, written records have been found indicating that some of the Biblical beliefs were held by peoples before the Bible was written.
F. How does the Bible system relate to other religious systems?
In studying comparative religions, one finds many parallels among religious systems around the world and predating the writing of the Bible, indicating revelation by the Creator. One key thought that identifies the uniqueness of the Judeo-Christian religious system is that it is the only system in which God reaches down to his created beings, who willingly assent to a personal relationship, and without them having to earn God’s favor by human works. Other religious systems typically require human works to gain favor or appease the gods and goddesses.
Acknowledgement: The author thanks J. Belile, K. Borst, K. Dunn, R. Hamer and S. Wetmore for their contributions in editing the series.
© 2004 Christ the Master Ministries
Contact: Jerome V. Scholle
Email: jscholle@christianbear.org