Bible Study 101
How to Go Deeper When You Don't Know Where to Start
As we are quickly approaching another new year (how is it that 2024 is almost over??), many of us are turning now to consider what we want our New Year’s Resolutions to be. One main area where those of us who are believers often begin to start penning some goals is in the area of being in the Word more. We are giving thought to things like following Bible reading plans, having a daily quiet time, and increasing our understanding of the Word and our ability to interpret it.
But whether you have been raised in the church your whole life like I have been or whether you're brand new to Christianity, it can be very challenging to know where to start. It can be challenging to really know how to study the Bible, understand it, and interpret it accurately.
Then, as we continue to go through life, sometimes the problem shifts from trying to figure out how to study the Bible to trying to figure out when we're going to study the Bible.
So if you're a busy woman, if you're a busy wife, a busy mama, it can be very challenging to find (or, I should say, make!) the time to be in the Word.
We will cover all of that and more today. Let’s dive right in!
There are five primary Bible study tips that I would share with you, and they are as follows:
1. Pick a user-friendly Bible translation.
Choosing a specific translation of the Bible to read and study can be one of the most confusing places to start, but is also one of the most important.
This can feel discouraging because you know you want to pick a good and trustworthy translation, but there are so many to choose from. If you walk into your local LifeWay, for example, there are so many different translations, and it can be really hard to understand what makes them different, understand what makes one perhaps better than another, and so on.
In an effort to help with this conundrum, I’ll address the main two different types of translations, and then I will share a specific recommendation I think you will find helpful.
First, there are word for word translations.
These are also known as direct or literal translations.
These are Bible translations which seek to translate each and every single word in the Bible from the original Hebrew or Greek into, in our case, English.
Examples of these translations would be the King James Bible, the New King James Version, the English Standard Version, the New American Standard Bible, and the Amplified Bible (the Amplified Bible is a word for word translation, but also includes additional amplification and explanation of specific word meanings).
Second, we have what is called a thought for thought or dynamic equivalent translation.
These are translations which tend to be a little more like paraphrases in that they, instead of taking word by word and translating each word into a word in another language, take an entire thought at a time and translate that.
Examples of these would be the Contemporary English Version and the Message Bible.
Some translations are actually a balance of word for word and thought for thought, and these would include versions such as the New International Version, the New Living Translation, and the New Revised Standard Version.
Those are the two different types of translations you could get, and, under this umbrella, my personal recommendation would be the Christian Standard Bible or CSB.
This is a translation which does a really good job of translating in a way that is still faithful to the original text and translated in a word for word manner, (which I personally think is very important), but is also very readable and easier to understand than certain other word for word translations (such as, for example, the King James Version). For that reason, the CSB is known as an optimal equivalence translation.
So the CSB or the Christian Standard Bible is a optimal equivalence translation, which is one main reason why I recommend that you start there.
So, when it comes to Bible study, the first thing is to pick a user-friendly Bible translation.
The second thing is something I do encourage people to do, but I also have some caveats with this:
2. Choose a reading plan for where to begin.
With various Bible-reading plans you can do everything from a year-long Bible reading plan to reading through the Bible one book at a time. You can even approach the Bible with a desire to study a particular Bible character and read all the passages pertaining to that Bible character.
There are, after all, a whole host of ways to read the Bible, right?
A couple things I would say, though, depending on where you are in your walk with the Lord would determine what I would advise you to do as far as reading plans go.
If you're a brand new believer, if you are having trouble making it a daily habit to be in the Word every single day, if you've never read through the Bible before, if you don't really feel like you grasp the meta-narrative or big picture redemptive storyline of the Bible, if you don't really understand the great redemption story and you really feel like you need a deeper understanding of it, then a “read the Bible in a year” Bible reading plan can be a great option for you. If you are going to read through the Bible in a year, I would really encourage that you read through the Bible chronologically so you are truly reading through the Word, reading the events in the order in which they happened start to finish.
This is really helpful when it comes to understanding redemptive history and enables you to better interpret the Word.
Having said that, I actually wrote an article on my old blog years ago entitled The Potential Problems with Bible Reading Plans.
It may sound like I'm about to contradict myself, but no, I truly believe that Bible reading plans are great if you are in one of the camps I mentioned above.
However, if you pretty much already have it as a daily practice to be in the Word, if you feel like you have a good grasp on the metanarrative of Scripture (the big picture story), if you've been reading the Bible for a while and you feel like you grasp the surface level big picture perspective but what you really are looking for is a deep dive into the Word in an effort to really study it deeply, then I would say that a “read through the Bible in a year” reading plan is actually most likely not for you.
One of the problems with “read through the Bible in a year” plans is that in order to read through the Bible in a year, those plans have you read, on average, three to four chapters of the Bible a day.
If you are busy as I am and as most people are, having to read three to four chapters of the Bible a day does begin to change from an “I get to do this” to an “I have to do this”. It begins to feel like drudgery to rush through in order to mark it off the to do list.
We don't want to approach our time in the alive and active Word of God with that kind of attitude.
It is for that reason that I say that read through the Bible in a year plans may not actually be what's best. They do serve their purpose, but it may not be what's best year after year after year as you grow in the Lord. You can read the Bible all you want, but what we want to do is get to the point as we mature in Christ to not just reading the Bible, but actually studying the Bible. And that often requires more time than is afforded us when we try to read entire chunks of Scripture each day in order to follow a “plan”.
When the time comes when you are ready to begin a deep-dive study into a particular book of the Bible, I encourage you to walk by the Spirit, praying for guidance and direction as to what book of the Bible to begin with. I do always encourage, if you're a new believer, to begin in a book like John, move on to Romans, and then pick an Old Testament book such as Genesis.
3. Find a good Bible study or Bible study method.
One very simple Bible study method to begin with is known as the SOAP method, in which you take a passage and you run through these four steps with it:
S - Scripture.
Read the passage.
O - Observation.
What is this verse saying?
Where did it take place?
Who is being spoken to?
A - Application.
How can you apply this verse to your daily life?
P - prayer.
Pray over what you have read, asking God to open your eyes to His truth.
Another great Bible study method is the inductive method, popularized by fellow-Chattanooga, Kay Arthur, which you can check out here.
If you are looking for a great guided Bible study book to go through, I highly recommend resources from Jen Wilkin and Bible Studies from Angie Smith, Karen Ehman, and Priscilla Shirer.
4. Learn how to reflect on what you are reading.
One of the best ways to internalize and remember what you've been reading in the Word is simply to take notes as you go.
I personally recommend either the Give Me Jesus Journal or the Quiet Time Companion for this.
If you do not have it in your budget to purchase a journal like those, you could always simply go to Walmart and get a lined school notebook for a dollar or two and use that.
Whatever you can afford, whatever you have on hand, whatever that looks like for you, just use what you can - the main thing is that you just journal as you go.
Write down what you're learning, write down what stands out to you, write down questions you might have, and then look back every so often at your journal and see how God has answered your questions as you've learned more and matured in your faith.
5. Take advantage of the study tools at your disposal.
As I said at the beginning, it can feel really overwhelming and daunting to know how to study the Bible.
The reality, however, is that we live in an amazing day and age when it comes to all the free Bible Study resources that are literally available at our fingertips.
There are three specific ones I recommend the most and personally return to again and again myself.
openbible.info.
This is where I look up cross references which aid me in my desire to better allow Scripture to interpret Scripture and to understand how the Word of God does actually explain itself.
2. Blue Letter Bible
This one is my absolute favorite.
Here you can look at the definition of any Greek or Hebrew word in any passage and thereby study the Word in its original languages, all without having to know Hebrew and Greek yourself.
3. Bible Study Tools
This is an amazing site which provides you with Bible dictionaries, quite a few different commentaries, concordances, lexicons, and more.
It is just a wealth of information right at your fingertips, all for free.
We will transition now quickly to addressing the question of how to be in the Word as a busy woman.
It can be so challenging to make the time to be in the Word, so we are going to go through a list of tips and ideas for how you can make time to be in the Word as a busy wife, mama, employee, whatever you might be.
1). Get up earlier in the morning to be in the Word.
For me, having that time first thing in the morning makes a huge difference for the rest of my day. It doesn't always happen that way- sometimes I am in the Word in the afternoon or in the early evening.
And that’s ok! The reality is that the power of your “quiet time” is not in it actually being quiet, before the kids get up, and first thing in the morning with music playing, the sun coming up, birds singing outside your window, a hot cup of coffee steaming beside your recliner, and a candle flickering.
The power of your quiet time does not come in the atmosphere in which it is conducted - it comes from the word itself which you are studying.
Isaiah 55:11 promises us that the Lord's Word will not return void, but will always accomplish that for which it is sent out.
Hebrews 412 tells us the Word of God is alive and active and more powerful than any double-edged sword.
It is active and alive and is always able to produce change in our hearts and our minds if we are in it.
So the good news is that if you are in a season of having newborns, you are working third shift, or whatever the case may be, you don't have to be in the Word of God in the morning.
People sometimes refer to verses in the Psalms where David mentions seeking God first thing in the morning and take passages such as that to somehow prove you have to be in the Word first thing in the morning or else it almost doesn't count.
Today, I want to give you a little bit of freedom.
The important thing is not what time of day you're in the Word, but the fact that you are in it.
The fact that you want to be in it.
The fact that your heart is driven to be in it.
And if that's your desire, that is what is important.
If you can't get up a little earlier in this season, don't worry about it - maybe go on to another tip or trick or idea that I have to share in this list.
2. If you are a nursing mama, sit down, nurse that baby, and get some prayer time or Bible reading time in at the same time.
When I was nursing, I loved to have my Kindle nearby. I found that having to sit down and nurse is the perfect pause button in my day to get in some reading time.
3. If you're frequently up in the middle of the night with your child, you can use this time to commune with the Father.
Listen to an audio book version of the Bible or just spend time communing with the Father in the middle of the night - after all, He never sleeps!
4. Download a Bible app onto your phone.
You can literally take God's Word with you wherever you go this way!
You can read it in a doctor's waiting room, turn on the audio option and be read to while you're driving, listen to it while you're taking a shower or cooking dinner or folding laundry, etc.
The possibilities here are really endless.
The YouVersion Bible app is perfect for this - there are audio options, Bible Reading Plans, and devotional series on there. (I actually have three series I’ve written available on this app!).
5. Have your quiet time while your little ones are napping.
Similar to the premise behind having your quiet time before they wake up in the morning, you can also have that time while they're napping.
6. Keep your Bible in the bathroom.
It might sound crazy, but if you intentionally add a little bit of reading into every opportunity you get, you will get a lot more reading in than you think you will.
For example, I have been known to, since I was a child and continuing to this day, read while brushing my teeth.
7. Remember that if you have time to be on social media, time to listen to a podcast, time to watch Netflix, or time to scroll Pinterest, the reality is that you have ample time to read the Word and be in prayer.
You just have to want time with the Father even more than you want time on social media or Netflix.
When it comes to that, I would encourage you to pray about it because the Holy Spirit will work in your heart to cause you to want to know and seek Him more - after all, that's what He wants for you, too!
8. Keep your Bible open on your kitchen counter so that you can read quick verses here and there as you go throughout your day.
This is really helpful if you're at home a lot. If you're a work-at-home mom or stay-at-home mom, chances are you're either in or walking through the kitchen quite a bit throughout your day. Keep your Bible open on your kitchen counter and every time you walk by it, maybe stop and read one verse.
That's still a great way to get the word into your heart and mind all throughout the day!
After all, the Christian life is about walking with God in relationship, which means that you bring God with you into your everyday, day to day, all throughout the day situations.
9. Post verses in your car and throughout your home.
You can do this on a little decorative chalkboard in the living room, on an index card, on your bathroom mirror, etc.
10. Read the Bible out loud to your children and discuss it.
When you do so, you're killing two birds with one stone - you are not only having your personal time in the Word, but you're also obeying the commission that we've been given as parents to share and teach God's Word with our kids.
11. Once your kids are already up, go ahead and have your Bible reading time by yourself in your special spot.
Will you get interrupted?
Yes.
Will they ask questions as you're trying to study?
Yes.
Will you have to stop and start and pause and start over again?
Most likely.
But here's the thing - you can't teach your kids to prioritize being in the Word of God if they don't see you prioritizing it.
As much as I like to have my quiet time before the kids are up, there are times when I intentionally do not have my Bible study time until the kids are up and already around me.
This doesn't necessarily mean I'm reading it out loud to them every time, because I'm not.
But it does mean that they see me in the Word regularly.
If I'm only ever in the Word of God when they're in bed asleep or in their rooms during a quiet time, I can tell them I believe it is important to prioritize being in the Word of God. But they are not actually seeing me live that out.
I just encourage you with this reminder that you don't have to strive to be in the Word when your kids are not up. You can be in the Word when they are up, and that can just really bring about so much good fruit.
12. Put on a show for your kids while you enjoy your more uninterrupted Bible study time.
It can be so common to feel mommy guilt when doing something like this, but I'll never forget the day I heard Sally Clarkson say on a podcast episode that when her kids were little, she would regularly turn on a 20-minute Winnie the Pooh episode and let her kids watch that while she spent uninterrupted time in the Word.
There's nothing wrong with that, mama.
It goes back to our kids seeing us prioritize it, seeing that it's important to us - this will have a huge impact on them.
13. Have Bible-based worship music playing in your home and car.
We always have Christian music playing in the car and oftentimes in the house, as well, and it has been so beautiful to see how this has gotten truths from God’s Word into the minds and hearts of my kids.
Other resources that are great for this include:
Seeds Family Worship
Catechisms set to music
Psalms set to music.
Steve Green’s CD of scriptures set to music.
Well, I have thrown a lot at you today between all the Bible study tips and tricks as well as the ideas for how to make time for study. I hope something mentioned here has proven to be helpful for you and will aid you greatly in your quest to study the Word.