Do you want to study the Bible, on your own? Are you unsure how to study the bible, or even where to start? I want to show you how to study the bible. There are many ways to study God’s word, but today I will show you just one way. Today, you can study one topic in scripture. Don’t worry, it’s easier than you think.

I am recruiting my family to help me out. We will use them as separate examples on how to study the bible.

HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE CHECKLIST

• PRAY
• CHOOSE THE SUBJECT
• FIND VERSES OR A PASSAGE ON THAT SUBJECT
• READ THE VERSES AND OR PASSAGE
• READ THE VERSES AND OR PASSAGE A SECOND TIME
• WRITE DOWN QUESTIONS ABOUT THE READING
• WRITE DOWN THOUGHTS ABOUT THE READING
• BEGIN ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS USING SCRIPTURE
• ORGANIZE YOUR THOUGHTS, QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

This may seem overwhelming, but hang in there! You got this!

STEP 1: PRAY

Heavenly Father, help me to study the bible. Please guide me as I begin to study Your word on my own. Show me what You want me to see and learn, and show me how to apply your word to my life. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

STEP 2: CHOOSE THE SUBJECT

Choose something that you are familiar with, but want to learn more about, or chose an area in your life that you’re struggling with. What ever the subject matter is, it needs to be something that you are interested in.

EXAMPLE 1

Subject: Forgiveness

EXAMPLE 2

Subject: Hope

EXAMPLE 3

Subject: Job

STEP 3: FIND VERSES OR A PASSAGE ON THAT SUBJECT

To find verses, you can use the search tool in your bible app, a bible concordance or subject index (many have this in the back of your bible), or lastly searching the topic online.
If I search online I would type “bible verses on forgiveness” After you find your verses or passage write them out.

EXAMPLE 1

Verses on Forgiveness: She typed “forgiveness” in the search bar in her bible app. After reading many verses she chose 2 verses.
Matthew 6:14, Daniel 9:9

EXAMPLE 2

Verses on Hope: He tried using the concordance in the back of his bible, but switched to an internet search. He searched “bible verses with the word hope”. He chose 2 verses from his internet search.
Romans 8: 24-25

EXAMPLE 3

Verses about Job: He tried the concordance in the back of his bible along with an internet search, without luck. He ended up using the search bar in a bible app. He searched “Job” in the bible app and found 2 verses that he liked.
Ezekiel: 14:14, Job 42:12

STEP 4 & 5: READ THE VERSES 2 TIMES

The first time you read your verses, you are familiarizing yourself with the verses. The second time you read them think about what you are reading, keeping an open mind so you will be able to see something new.

EXAMPLE 1

Read Chosen Verses:
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Matthew 6:14
“To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him.” Daniel 9:9

EXAMPLE 2

Read Chosen Verses:
“For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” Romans 8:24-25

EXAMPLE 3

Read Chosen Verses:
“even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord God.” Ezekiel 14:14
“And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.” Job 42:12

STEP 6: WRITE DOWN YOUR QUESTIONS AND/OR THOUGHTS

Reread the verses. As you read it you can write down any questions and/or thoughts that come to mind.

EXAMPLE 1

Thoughts: One has to forgive others before God decides to forgive them.
The Lord is willing to forgive us even though we don’t always obey Him.
God loves us too much to give us limited forgiveness.
She had no questions.

EXAMPLE 2

Thought: Obviously hope is important to God. If Jesus were to appear to each of us everyday (Christian or not), then our hope would be diminished and then our perseverance in waiting to see Jesus, would be lacking.
Question: Are we as eager for Jesus as we should be each day?

EXAMPLE 3

Thought: He got more than he lost.
Question: What does it mean to deliver yourself by your righteousness?

STEP 7: BEGIN ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS

Answer your questions. When doing this take advantage of scripture references in your bible. They are usually in the margins, sometimes on the bottom of the page. Remember you want to try to keep your answers scripture based if possible.
Super important information here! Do not cheat and read your footnotes! Footnotes can be a good resource, but it’s also good to research it yourself before reading someone else’s opinion.

EXAMPLE 1

Answer to Question: No questions to answers.

EXAMPLE 2

Answer to Question: He did not have to search scripture for an answer because he had an application question.
Not when things of the world is our #1 priority.

EXAMPLE 3

Answer to Question: To find the answer to his question he read the verses before and after his chosen verse, 12- 16, and searched verses on deliver and righteousness. He had no scripture references that pertained to his question.
Deliver – To be saved from something (Psalm 6:4). Righteousness – Godliness (Proverbs 10:7,16) To be saved by God because of your righteousness.

STEP 8: ORGANIZE YOUR THOUGHTS, QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

When you organize your thoughts and answers you will be reinforcing what you just learned. Most of the time I will do this on a different day.

EXAMPLE 1

Organize:
Matthew 6:14
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
Thought:
One has to forgive others before God decides to forgive them.

Daniel 9:9
“To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him.”
Thoughts:
1. The Lord is willing to forgive us even though we don’t always obey Him.
2. God loves us too much to give us limited forgiveness.

EXAMPLE 2

Organize:
Romans 8:24-25
“For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
Thought:
Obviously hope is important to God. If Jesus were to appear to each of us everyday (Christian or not), then our hope would be diminished and then our perseverance in waiting to see Jesus, would be lacking.
Question:
Are we as eager for Jesus as we should be each day?
Answer:
Not when things of the world is our #1 priority.

EXAMPLE 3

Organize:
Ezekiel 14:14
“even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord God.”
Thought: He got more than he lost.

Job 42:12
“And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.”
Question:
What does it mean to deliver yourself by your righteousness?
Answer:
Deliver – To be saved from something (Psalm 6:4). Righteousness – Godliness (Proverbs 10:7,16) To be saved by God because of your righteousness.

I want to encourage you to study God’s word on your own. It doesn’t have to be complicated, long, and full of theology. God wrote His word for His children to understand. You can do this!

We hope you search our Free Bible Studies from Christian Fellowshipping for more encouraging ways to fellowship with God and other believes.

References:
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.