6 important considerations for Bible study

In addition to rightly dividing, we need to consider these 6 important aspects of Bible study:

1) SEEK — You must seek for the truth, not just expect it to fall into your lap, and when you do that, God has promised to satisfy you

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied (Matthew 5:6)

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. (John 6:35-36)

2) REVEALED — The Word of God cannot be studied and learned like chemistry or calculus, it is revealed from God to hearts that are ready to hear

At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way! (Matthew 11:25-26)

So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. (1 Corinthians 1:20-23)

3) LIVING WORD — It has been rightfully said the Bible is alive, if you cut it somewhere, it will bleed

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. (Hebrews 4:12-13)

“Moses himself told the people of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people.’ Moses was with our ancestors, the assembly of God’s people in the wilderness, when the angel spoke to him at Mount Sinai. And there Moses received life-giving words to pass on to us. (Acts 7:37-38)

4) FROM GOD — The Bible was not written by mere mortal man, and it isn’t subject to mere mortal man’s understanding

Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God (2 Peter 1:19-21)

5) CORRECT — His written and spoken word are consistent and do not have contradictions — when one scripture seems to disagree with another, then one or both are not understood correctly

For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people. (1 Corinthians 14:33)

I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. Please bear with me. For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed. (2 Corinthians 11:1-4)

6) CHANGE — When you seek the revealed living word from God as correct, it will change you

But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14-17)

“The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions. (Deuteronomy 29:29)

  • Sanctification – There is a beautiful interplay between divine initiative and human response, between what the Holy Spirit accomplishes within us and how we participate in that transformative process.

Please ask God to reveal His living word from Bible study to your heart. He has promised He won’t let you down. And, have patience with God and each other on your journey. God may not be ready to show you the same things He is showing others. He may need to lay some more foundation before you are ready. If you would like help with Bible study, encouragement, or fellowship on your journey, please write to us or comment below.