Learning to Study the Bible

Before we dive into this chapter, I want to share some Bible study tips with you and you can read this chapter (chapter 7) and then use these tips to study it out more for yourself this week. Listening to, reading and watching Bible commentaries are great, but most important is to learn to study scripture out more for yourself as well. If you are a believer, you have God's Spirit in your spirit and it is the ministry of the Holy Ghost to teach you God's word as you read and study it rightly divided. Bible study is WORK. But, we must put off the flesh (the flesh doesn't like to study God's word) and choose to walk in the Spirit by taking the time to study God's word and to study it daily if possible.

2 Timothy 2:15 says,

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

1. Read through this chapter and look for words that you might not understand or words that you could use more clarity about. For example, what does "concupiscence" mean in verse 8? Be sure to use a King James Bible as it is the preserved word of God for us in the English language. You can grab a journal or notebook and a pen to take notes with as well. I use notes on my phone also for some of my Bible studies.

2. Look for the sections in this chapter. Some Bibles already categorize or title the sections in each chapter, however make sure that you are in agreement with their titles of each section. Give each section a name yourself, and describe what each section is teaching.

3. Look for helping words like "For", "But", "But now", "Wherefore" etc. Notice when they are used as they either connect ideas or they give further explanation.

4. Notice how often Paul uses questions. These questions are used to cause us to stop and think over what he's teaching us.

5. Look for grace and law words. Law words would be words like "commandment" whereas grace words would be words like "yeild". In this chapter many law words are used. Why is that? What is being taught in this chapter regarding us trying to keep the law in our own efforts?

These are just some simple Bible study tools. Next week we will be going into this chapter more verse by verse.

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