How Can We Study Scripture?

Here are some steps we can take when studying Scripture. This is not a comprehensive list and it may expand as you dive more and more into Scripture, but this is a pretty good foundation.

1) Understand God will meet you when you study Scripture

2 Timothy 2:16 states, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for corection, and for training in righteousness." The phrase "breathed out by God" means spoken by God. If we were to say, "That journal is breathed out by Alec," what we would be saying is, "As Alec spoke, the air that came out his mouth when he spoke carried words, and those words carried information , and that information was written down." Therefore Paul is saying that God spoke every single word that is in Scripture - "All Scripture..." - with His actual mouth and voice.

Hebrews 4:12 states, "For the word of God is living and active..." The Bible is not a normal book. With a normal book, the words give you the same information over and over again. It is like a roller coaster. The first time you ride a roller coaster, you experience something completely new. The something time you ride that same roller coaster, you still get a thrill, but you get the same thrill. When you read a book for the first time, you will learn and see new things. After that first time, however, you may experience the same thrill with the information in that book, but it will be the same information. Scripture is different.

The words of Scripture are spoken by God. They are eternal and therefore they are living and active. Since they are living and active, God will reveal to us something new each time, or He may repeat the same thing over and over again because we refuse to change. The main point is this: The words of Scripture are alive and active because God spoke them and this means God will meet us each time in a unique way when we study Scripture. When we read other books, we sit down and read the author's thoughts that were recorded once. When we read Scripture, we meet God Himself. We truly are on holy ground similar to when Moses met God through the burning bush (Exodus 3).

2) Pray that the Author of Scripture would teach you Himself

If Scripture is God's living and active word, and if that means that God will meet us Himself when we study Scripture, then we should ask that He would teach us Himself rather than trying to figure everything out on our own.

How did the actual words of Scripture get onto paper? Did God sit at a keyboard and tyep it all up? No, people wrote God's words by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we should ask the Holy Spirit to guide us and give us wisdom as we study Scripture because the Holy Spirit is the author of Scripture.

3) Read the passage

4) Understand the context

If we simply read Genesis 29 without understanding that Jacob was on the run after deceiving his brother and father along with how God worked in that situation, then we could not understand the emotional condition Jacob was in during Genesis 29. We cannot read a piece of Scripture without first understanding what lead to this passage. Take a little bit of time to understand what lead either in the narrative or the author's train of thought to the particular passage you are studying.

5) Ask, "What does this piece of Scripture say about me and humanity?"

What does the passage communicate about people? Scripture is the most honest and thorough evaluation of the human condition. In Genesis 29:15-20, we see how Jacob despises Leah over Rachel simply because of looks, but we also see his dedication to Rachel. This allows us to ask, "How am I like Jacob? How do I despise one group of people over another? How do I treat that particular group of people compared to the other?" The Bible shows that we do have decent qualities, but we also have indencet qualities about us at the same time.

As we look at people in the Bible or read statements about people in the Bible, we are given a mirror to honestly evaluate ourselves. As we continue to read Genesis 29, we see that Jacob was deceived by Laban when Laban gave him Leah over Rachel not because of any evil intent on Laban's part, but because Jacob and Laban simply did not truly talk with each other. Neither asked the tough questions or even basic questions because they were so focused on what they wanted: Jacob would get a wife, and Laban would get a worker. This allows us to ask, "In what ways am I not asking questions with people I am in relationship with because I am blinded by what I want?"

6) Ask, "What does this passage say about God?"

Jacob impregnates Leah, forces Laban to give him Rachel, Jacob and Laban make a deal so that Jacob can have both Leah and Rachel, and Leah is despised by Jacob. What now? What would Leah do pregnant and despised by the man who impregnated her? Genesis 29:31-35 shows us God's character in contrast to Jacob's, Laban's, Rachel's, and Leah's character. We see that God knows the true condition of Jacob's heart: He hated Leah. God knew Jacob hated Leah while Jacob and the other's would simply say, "Oh, look at how he loves Rachel and did not know the custom of marrying a man's oldest daughter first." No one took care of Leah. But God enacted justice. He granted Leah not only one child, but three while he granted Rachel none to show Rachel and Jacob their evil. We see that God decides whether or not a woman will become pregnant (this alone has vast implications). We see that God hears the cry of the afflicted. We see that God is a father to the fatherless. We see God's character and grace.

7) Ask, "Knowing what I do from this passage, what am I to do?"

What are we to do with the knowledge that we are too blind from desire to understand the implications of our actions and the knowledge that God hears the cry of the afflicted? What are we to do with the knowledge reaveled by a passage about us and God? We continue to ask the Spirit for guidance. We think, and we think hard, to see how the dots connect. Sometimes, it is so obvious. The best thing to do though, is to examine other Scripture, especially the Psalms, Proverbs, and Gospels, to see how the Bible itself answers the question. This looks differently for different people. Some people may know the Scriptures so well that the dots connect in their memory. Some people may need to search up related words in the index. Some may need to talk to a teacher or pastor. Some may need to do research on the web. The first step, though, is to always search the SCriptures first.

Proverbs 16:1-3 states, "The plans of the heart belong to man, / but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. / All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, / but the LORD weighs the spirit. / Commit your work to the LORD, / and your plans will be established." Jacob had his own plans, but God was directing what He did. Jacob thought his love for Rachel was pure, but God knew he despised Leah only because of her looks. What does the writer of this Proverb say we should do with this knowledge? He says that we should commit our work to the Lord. Jacob should have weighed his decision about whom to marry not based on looks, but based on grace. God chose Abraham, his grandpa, to produce a nation that would bring mankind's savior not on skill or righteousness, but based on His favor. We commit our work to the Lord, whether it is actual work or pursuing a relationship, by embodying God's character and grace. This saves us from trouble. This brings us greater joy. This allows us to love others. This brings God glory. This gives us a foundation to stand on when we need to take unpopular stands for God. With this, we are given something to do: Love as God loves. And the Spirit along with your own thinking will show you how this looks in specific ways, even if it may not be instantly. You might have to reflect on this a while and seek outside guidance.

For Christians specifically, this question ultimately should tie into Christ. Luke 24:36-49 states all of the Bible is pointing to Christ. How is Genesis 29 pointing to Christ? We see God in the flesh loving others without bias in instances such as in John 4. Also, where did Jesus do this? At Jacob's well! Therefore, since we see our King loving in such a way we are able to understand that He died to liberate us from our sin that we may freely follow Him. Remember this point that pastor Sinclair Ferguson said, "Jesus is always savior first and then example second." We do not love without bias on our own as Genesis 29 and Proverbs 16 says we should do. But Christ's death on the cross forgives us of this sin, but it also gives us the power to obey by His resurrection.

8) Pray that God would grant you the strength to do what He revealed to you

If we cannot understand God's word without Him, we cannot do what it says without Him. Ask God to give you the strength, grace, and mercy as you do what He has revealed for you to do. Most of the time, it won't be easy. However, there will be joy in knowing if we are obedient to God by the liberating power of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, we will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9, John 1:9-13).

9) Obey whatever God is calling you to do

Whatever God has called you to do with your time in Scripture, do it. Don't wait for good feelings, or encouragement, or "the right time." Simply do what God has called you to do. Pastor of Moody Bible Church in Chicago, Erwin Lutzer, said, "It is always better to obey the living God."

2 Peter 1:3-11 gives us great encouragement to always obey what God calls us to do, no matter what. Starting in verse 5, Peter states we should supplement our faith with virtue. He continues to add on to these things. The great thing about this is that if we add virtue to our faith, then we can add knowledge, and so forth. But if we do not add virtue (it is always virtuous to obey God), then we can not add the other things. We can add virtue whether we feel as though God is with us or not. It is a command either we break or obey.

It honestly is always best to obey. We do stumble in many ways as James 3:2 states. But we also have a God that died on a cross for us and nailed the record of our debts to that cross (Colossians 2:14). If you are God's kid by trusting the cross of Jesus Christ for your redemption, God will always love you and aid you in everything so that when you stand before Him, you may be presented as holy and blameless because of your obedience out of love for Him.

10) Study any time and any where

Whenever you have a chance to study Scripture, study it. Psalm 1 states that a person is blessed when they meditate on God's word day and night. It is always best to have a specific time and a specific plan such as studying the book of Colossians every day at 9am. The word of God is living and active and therefore is the best place to meet God. Don't be foolish and miss any opportunity to meet with the living God by studying Scripture.