What is the best way to study the Bible?

First, I’d suggest reading and rereading a passage or a book to get the

gist of the message and the context. Familiarity with the text is vital.

Another a good procedure is to read through the Bible once a year to

continue to familiarize yourself with its total message.

As you read the Bible, pay special attention to the context and the

argument of the writer. Ask and answer questions like: Who is writing? To

whom is he writing? Why is he writing? Is there a problem he is

addressing? What is the purpose and theme of the book? You can ask this

last question of every paragraph and chapter as well as for the whole

book. Another help is to read a commentary and a survey to get the

overall view of the book you are studying.

May I also suggest the following: Living By the Book by Howard G. Hendricks and William D. Hendricks. I had a study course with him when he taught a Bible study methods course at Fellowship Bible Church in Dallas or years. This is his specialty and anything he writes is exceptional. In this book he discusses ten strategies for

reading, things to observe and principles of interpretation and

application.

There are, of course, a number of ways one may approach the

study of the Bible:

Synthetic-an overview of the Bible as a

whole to provide a grasp of the overall message,

Analytical-the process of viewing the Bible verse by verse

to get an in depth understanding,

Topical or Doctrinal-a

study of the Bible according to its many topics and

doctrines, and

Typical-a study of the many pictures or types

found in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament, that

portray the truth of the New Testament. The synthetic or

overview approach is extremely helpful for the beginning

student or for those who have never undertaken such a study.

Through the synthetic approach, we are not only able to

grasp the big picture or see the whole forest, but such an

overview will help in understanding the details later on in

one's study of the Bible.

On several occasions, Christ claimed that He is the theme of

all of Scripture:

1. In Matthew 5:17 He said, "I have come not to abolish

them (the Scriptures) but to fulfill them."

2. When walking with the disciples on the Emmaus road,

Luke tells us that, "… beginning with Moses and with

all the prophets, He explained to them the things

concerning Himself in all the Scriptures."

3. Later that evening, the Lord spoke to ten of the

disciples and regarding that, Luke tells us in Luke

24:44-47, "These are My words which I spoke to you

while I was still with you, that all things which are

written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets

and the Psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then He opened

their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He

said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ

should suffer and rise again from the dead the third

day; 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins

should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations,

beginning from Jerusalem."

4. In John 5:39 and 40, when in dialogue with the Jews,

Jesus said, "You search the Scriptures, because you

think that in them you have eternal life; and it is

these that bear witness of Me; 40 and you are unwilling

to come to Me, that you may have life."

5. In addition, in Revelation 19:10 we are told that "the

testimony of Jesus (about Jesus) is the spirit of

prophecy." In other words, the very nature and purpose

of prophecy, and all of Scripture for that matter, is

to reveal Jesus Christ. Obviously, due to the fall and

need of man, Christ is the theme of both the Old and

New Testaments for it is only through Him that we can

have both eternal life and life abundantly (John

10:10).