How to Study the Bible for All It’s Worth

Are you getting bored in your Bible study? Are you following a daily guide which doesn’t seem to engage your mind or spirit to the extent you crave? My goal in this article is to give you some tools and tips on how to study the Bible for all that it is worth.

In this article you will learn 5 study methods which will broaden your learning, deepen your understanding, and hopefully, bring you closer to the heart and mind of God. I learned these methods from my years of studying the word and from my days at seminary.

There are Amazon affiliate links below for the books I recommend to do these study methods. I use these on a regular basis and only promote them because I find them of great value and want to share their value with others.

Method #1 – Study a Book of the Bible

Now check this out! This is what my professors told me at seminary. If you spent one month in a book of the Bible. Made it your aim to study that book deeply for all you can in that time frame. Well, in 5 ½ years, you would have accomplished an in-depth study of the entire Bible. That’s basically a college degree worth of knowledge that you didn’t have to go to seminary and spend thousands of dollars to get.

So, let’s break this down and I’ll show you ways of doing this that are free, relatively cheap, and intellectually stimulating. 

How to Begin

When deciding where to start, I would recommend beginning with the New Testament. You can go in order, like Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; or you can start with Paul’s letters beginning in Romans.

My suggestion is to start with the book of John. It will give you a grasp of who Jesus Christ is and the reason for the New Testament’s teachings. The one resource I would recommend for the New Testament is “An Introduction to the New Testament” by D.A. Carson and Douglas Moo. This one book will last you through the entire New Testament with an investment of around $1 dollar a book of the Bible. There is also one for the Old Testament that I would recommend by Paul R. House.

These resources are full of facts and details about Dates, the authors, history, and themes and topics in each book. They present it without bogging you down with incomprehensible jargon and specialty terms.

Free Versions

Now for the free versions. These options give you many tools for your book study. I also made a video about how you can use them.

If you want an overview of the book you want to study, check out the Bible Project and watch their introductory video on the book. It’s a fun way to get an overview of what you are about to embark on and they have many other helpful tools to use. https://bibleproject.com/app/

You can also check out commentaries of the book you are studying to get explanations and other perspectives of the text. If you use the Blue Letter Bible App, they have commentaries for free by well known theologians in Christianity. That app is actually a MUST HAVE for any of these study methods you choose to do. https://www.blueletterbible.org/apps-tools.cfm

Method #2 – Study Scripture Cross-References

Another great method to use while going through a passage of scripture is studying cross-references. Personally, I use a cross-reference Bible for my study and it has become a natural part of my reading. What this does is it allows you to see other scriptures which talk about the same topic, idea, event, or quotation you just read.

For example, I use a Leatherbound, column reference Bible. The New American Standard, of course! These Bibles are awesome and will last you for years. They work like this:

As you read your passage you’ll come upon a small number or letter by a word. You go to the reference column and find the verse. You look at the number or letter and it will tell you a different meaning for a word or a verse that talks about the subject around that word. 

And there you go, you’re off to explore the rest of the Scriptures and how they interlink with each other. You can check out a short clip of how to do this by watching my video below.

By the way, did you know that the Bible cross references itself 63,779 times? There is also a surprising amount of asymmetry within these links. They don’t contradict each other as one may think. It really shows how these 66 books were orchestrated by One author, God, even though they were written by many different people through out history.

Method #3 Word Study

Along the lines of cross-references, you may find yourself stuck on a particular word and its meaning, especially if it’s not a common word in English. This is where a Word Study becomes helpful. 

There are two ways I would recommend going about this:

(1) Use the Blue Letter Bible app and find a quick definition of the word. It is a good source to find the root meaning of the word and its usage in other passages.

(2) I use Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. This is a wonderful resource to have with you always. You can the Kindle version and search a word you want to learn about. It will give a good definition as it is found throughout the Bible; as well as, both Old and New Testament uses of the word.

Method #4 Topical Bible Study

As you discover words to study, perhaps you were curious about deep subjects like What Is The Meaning of Life?. Or you find yourself struggling in life with a sticky situation or internal struggle. Maybe you struggle with anger and you want to see what the Bible says about that emotion and its reaction. Perhaps you are interacting with a person who is angry toward you and you want to see what the Bible teaches on how to respond to an angry person.

This is where you can look up that word, find some passages that talk about it, and use cross references to discover more verses. Soon you’ll find several passages and examples of how you ought to handle anger and what God thinks about it. Commentaries may also point to other resources and explanations as you have questions for each passage of Scripture.

Method #5 Character Study

The final Study Method you can do is a Character Study. Perhaps you want to learn more about Paul and his life. You want to study who he is and his adventures preaching the good news of Christ.

Well, as you read about Paul through his letters and the book of Acts, you discover many other topics and words that you can study. For example, what is the difference between a Pharisee and Sadducee?  What does Paul mean when he uses the word “mind” verses “heart.” What do commentaries say about Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” in 2 Corinthians. Where is Corinth and why did Paul write two letters with a different feel to each. 

There are so many questions to ask and answer when observing a text about a person. It is also a great way of finding a personal connection within the Bible. You will find that others had the same struggles and questions thousands of years ago that we face today.

The learning is endless once you have all of these tools and methods on your belt, ready for use.

You may also like: How to Use the 6 Step Model of Hermeneutics! Enjoy!