How do you "study the bible" --as in, where are you sposed to start?

Question

I recently became christian but i find the bible really overlwelming sometimes.
There is some verse that advises christians to study the scriptures and dont be ignorant or sumthing like that, but WHAT are you sposed to study? And what is "studying" in this context????

Answer 1

http://www.watchtower.org/

Answer 2

If you have just become a Christian I recommend you cut to the chase and read the New Testament first. Read it 2 or 3 times before you get to the Old Testament. The New Testament contains the saving gospel truths that the old leads us to and illustrates. The irony is you really don't appreciate the Old Testament until you are familiar with the New. Studying the Bible in context simply means reading and understanding it like you would any other written work. You start at the beginning of any book of the Bible (such as Romans) and read it in the order written by Paul. We should not just jump all around the Bible in an effort to find short passages we like. Doing this will likely lead to misunderstandings of these very passages since we have not examined them within the flow of thought given by the original author. This understanding of how given passages fit into the bigger meaning of a book and of the Bible as a whole is what it means to understand the context of a verse. Even cults quote an abundance of isolated verses but they misuse those verses, understanding them in a way that the larger context they are found in shows they mean. Give a lot of time to reading and let your heart tell you how fast or slow to read the passage you are in at a given moment. Sometimes you will read quickly to get the overall picture. This can be very enlightening. At other times you may pause to meditate upon a given verse or passage. That is great too. I've been a Christian now for about 33 years and I still never tire of or get bored with the Bible. Studying its contents is an exciting journey!

Answer 3

Great question! Often, the best place to start "studying" is in the New Testament--which is in the back of the bible. The book of John (look in the table of contents) is a really great place to start. Just read it as if you were reading a biography, making notes (if that helps) about what you notice about Jesus. Jesus is our savior but also our role model.
If you visit a Christian bookstore, you can find bible study books, that guide you through studying either a section of the Bible, or a topic. These can be very helpful.
I've written a book to help people reflect on the Bible, it's called Oxygen: Deep Breathing for the Soul. If you're interested, it can help you not only study but pray and meditate on God's word. You can find it on amazon.com.
Blessings,
Keri Wyatt Kent

Answer 4

God bless you! The Bible is a heavy book as you already know. It is not really one book but a collection of booklets. it is not designed to be read straight thru altho some do.

I recommend reading the first book, Genesis, to get a foothold of sorts and then using a good devotional. There are many, many out there in all places - a lot even free.

The main thing is to study continually. Join a church if you havent already and Sunday School and Bible Study class. Ask lots of questions.

Welcome to the kingdom of God upon the earth! What an incredible adventure!

Answer 5

There are many different ways to study God's Word. Try a topical study or try starting from Genesis to get the foundation of all of Scripture. Most importantly, seek the assistance of the Holy Spirit to teach you and strengthen you as you read and study.
Try to purchase lexicons, which contain the literal words in the ancient languages used and provide literal translations.
Meditate on God's Word and remember the time,place and situation in which the particular portions of Scripture you're studying were written.
Do not rush, take your time
Place your faith in the Holy Spirit to teach you and guide you.This is a promise of God's Word.
Be in a prayerful spirit and be open to God's leading.
Do not take God's Word out of context.

Answer 6

How did you become a Christian ? In a bible believing church ? Romans 10:17, Hebrews 4:12......If it is a bible believing church then go to morning and evening service on Sundays , mid week services to be fed Gods word . If it's not a bible believing church , find one ! Start reading in the new testament ,it will be easier to understand .Go slow , Thank the Lord for his word then ask God for wisdom before reading.

Answer 7

If you are not that familiar with the Bible yet, just read a few chapters everyday. You will understand some things and not others. That's ok. I suggest you do a Bible read thru. There are a number of plans out there to read thru the entire Bible over the course of a year.

Here is one reading schedule among many that you could follow.

http://eword.gospelcom.net/year/49/o.htm

Answer 8

Before reading the bible you ask the help of God to guide you to understand His words in the bible. Till Him that you have repented in not believing him and want to go to the truth. Then read it either on the Old testament or New Testament. Read everybook in the bible because the bible consist of many books written by the Prophets and Apostles of Jesus Christ.
jtm

Answer 9

First fix a time and a place. Relax, then pray to God to send the Holy Spirit to lead you, and as you read Holy Word the Holy Spirit will guide you to understand the deepest meaning. Start with John,Mark,Mathew and Luke and I'm sure if the Holy Spirit can lead me then he can lead you too. Praise the Lord.

Answer 10

Start with the book of John, it pretty much gived you the whole story of jesus, and then work your way around. for instance there is a proverb for everyday. today is the 5th so read proverb 5... go to http://www.wbschool.org/
These bible study are for new christians, very informative and good!!!! Good luck and don't give up!!!!!

Answer 11

There is no "supposed to", but I would recommend starting in Matthew, then reading Romans, and Acts after that. Luke, Galatians, James, Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 John, the Timothys, and the Peters are also good ones to get into after that, though not in any particular order. John, Hebrews, and Revelation get into some more advanced stuff, but don't put off reading them!

The main thing is that you are reading! Put the Word of God in your heart! It will renew your mind and build your faith (Romans 12:2, Romans 10:17).

As for studying, it simply means that you think about what you read. Think about how one verse connects to others, both in the immediate context and throughout the Bible.

When I study the Bible, I have two main purposes: #1- to understand the meaning of individual verses, as the author originally intended them (what it DOES mean, not simply what it CAN mean). #2- to play "connect the dots" with scriptures and learn how they go together to form coherant truths. Different verses in different books can line up in interesting ways to shed light on God's truth.

An example:
Ephesians 2:8 says "For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."

We see that grace is from God, and opperates in our lives through faith.

If you add to that James 4:6 which says "God opposes the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.", we see that grace is also connected to humility, meaning that faith and humility are connected together. As it turns out, if we believe God (have faith in His Word), we will humble ourselves before Him in response! This can be established through other verses, too, by showing that humility is an importent part of repentance, and that repentance is the direct result of genuine faith in the Gospel. But this would turn into an essay to get into all of that!

The point is, the Word is rich in truth! Just be careful not to make presumptuous connections between scriptures when no connection exists. The key is finding more scriptures to back it up! Try writing scriptures down that go together. Read them together, and even write some comments nearby on the same peice of paper or computer doccument (whichever you use).

But, the most important key, is the Holy Spirit. God gave His Word through the Holy Spirit, whether by inspiring the writers of the Bible through His Holy Spirit, or concieving the living Word, Jesus the Christ, in the Virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit. To properly interpret the Word of God, you have to have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. I would reccomend reading Acts 2, about the baptism of the Holy Spirit experienced by the early church. Ask God to baptize you in His Spirit. Worship God in His Spirit (John 4:23) Know God through His Spirit and His Word working together, and you will know God in truth! Just remember that the Holy Spirit and the Word never work apart, they always work together.

I hope this helps, and may God bless you in your walk with Him, and strengthen you to abide in Him and bear much fruit through His Word!