Bible Study 101: Digging for the Story

The Bible is an incredible repository of ancient accounts of the interaction between God and humanity. Much can be gleaned from casual devotional reading. This is a completely legitimate, time-honored spiritual discipline every God-seeker should incorporate. The Bible is a living document. God uses it to speak directly to us in ways that are mind-blowing.

But, as with other areas of life, the deeper we go the more we discover. The Bible is a gift. Imagine receiving a gift, but only admiring the beautiful wrapping, and never opening it up to reveal what’s inside. The more you open up the Bible, the more you appreciate the gift it is. This short guide will provide you the most basic questions you need to ask when you want to go deeper.

Motive. You most certainly want the best ride out of life possible, yes? Learning how the author of life, God, interacted and instructed people or the course of thousands of years will give you wisdom beyond your years. Knowing God leads to the best life now, and even life beyond the grave. Take it seriously, then, knowing that there is treasure buried between the covers of your Bible to be gleaned for your benefit, and for the whole world.

Think of studying the Bible like you would investigate a new story. It all starts with the basic questions: who, what, where, where, and why?

Who? Who wrote the account? What genre are they using? Who is the primary audience of the writing? What influence do the author and intended audience have on our view of the account? Who are the characters in the account? What language did they use to write? What translation are you using?

When? When was the passage written? When did the account take place? How does the time and context within which the account was written impact the importance of the details of the account? How is the time in which the account was written different from our own?

Where? What part of the world was this written? Where, on the theological map, did these accounts take place? What influence does the location play on the account?

Why? Why was this account worth writing for the author and the original audience? What was the motive for writing the account? How does the motive for the original audience impact our understanding of what took place?

What? What are the issues involved in the account? What motivated the account? What key terms need to be further defined? What is the story’s most basic point or plot? What were the primary messages for the original audience? How are these messages related to our context? What principles can we apply to our context for our daily living?

Does this sound like a lot of work? Of course it does! That’s because it is!

The good news, however, is that it is worth it, because you’ll understand much more what was actually happening between God and humanity rather than just a guess. When you understand with greater clarity, you are more apt to apply the truths of scripture correctly to your life today. When you’re sloppy, however, there is a great likelihood that you’ll miss some easily-overlooked details that will cause you to feel righteous, perhaps, but you will, in fact, be very wrong. This is especially critical when it comes to morality and ethics – be careful in your research so that you don’t find yourself acting more like a Pharisee (who Jesus categorically reprimanded) than the Jesus who lived the life we’re meant to live.

Study Bibles. Excellent study Bibles can be purchased. The Life Application Study Bible is very good, as is the TNIV Study Bible. Be aware, however, that they are clearly written from an evangelical stance, and therefore miss some key points due to their bias. By the way, every translation and commentary is biased. Discovering the bias helps you avoid biased application.

Online Bible Study Resources:
http://bible.crosswalk.com
http://www.biblegateway.com