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GETTING MORE FROM YOUR PERSONAL BIBLE STUDY
BASS Convention
Friday, March 7, 2014
Donna R. Patrick, Facilitator
I. THE PURPOSE OF THE BIBLE
A. Regeneration and salvation
B. 66 Books compiled by different authors with different objectives
C. Single Author and a single unifying theme (II Tim. 3:16)
D. It is a Book of Faith in Christ
E. It is a history of God’s plan to save all peoples and nations
F. It is self-authenticating – it stands well on its own; it has authority over individuals,
churches, communities, and nations and carries the authority of God Himself
II. SOME MISCONCEPTIONS
A. Too hard to understand
B. Too boring and out of touch with today’s world
C. Don’t know where to start
i. Get help at church
ii. Join a small group Bible study
iii. Ask for help from other strong Bible readers
III. FACTORS (OR GAPS) THAT KEEP US FROM UNDERSTANDING SCRIPTURE
A. Historical – thousands of years between the biblical audience and us in the modern world
B. Cultural – Customs, practices, and beliefs that make no sense to us; How people of the Bible
act toward one another is very different than today. Our own cultural understanding can cloud
our understanding of the Biblical text. Good research will help, i.e., concordances, Bible
dictionaries, Bible atlas, the internet, etc.)
C. Philosophical – Our way of thinking today, compared to the thinking of those in Biblical
times. The thought patterns are very different then vs. now. Most of the Bible is from a
Hebrew perspective, much different from our own.
D. Linguistic (language) – the writers of the Bible wrote in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.
Various Bible translations that we have can help us with this gap. Choose a Bible translation
that is readable and understandable. A comparison of different translations will help
IV. GETTING AROUND THE GAPS
A. A very thorough, and prayerful reading of the passage – take your time, don’t rush
B. Read the footnotes in your study Bible

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C. Read the introduction to the book your studying; it will tell you who wrote the book, a
little about what was happening at the time the book was written
D. Invest in a good Concordance, Commentary, Bible Dictionary, or Bible Atlas; these will
tell you about word meanings, proper context, Biblical history, and more info.
E. Investing in a good study Bible in a version that is easy to understand
is always helpful
V. APPROACHING THE BIBLE
A. It is a God-centered book
B. God wants us to encounter Him on every page (Heb. 11:6)
C. There is meaning on every page (Heb. 4:12)
D. The Bible can speak intimately to the reader
E. The Bible works together with the Holy Spirit to reveal God to us as we read; none of us
can understand the Bible without the help of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26). It doesn’t
matter how smart we think we are
F. When we read the Bible with the intent to know God better, He will reveal Himself.
Regular and intentional study and application of the Word will change lives:
i. Refined. You will see yourself as God sees you. His Word shows us ourselves
from an eternal perspective. All the distractions are taken away as we see reality
from God’s point of view
ii. Reoriented. We have a new direction and a new standard for our lives – it is no
longer our own understanding, but now we begin to see God’s path for our lives
(Prov. 3:5-7)
iii. Renewed. As we respond to what God has revealed to us in His Word, obedience
always brings blessing and restored relationship (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) (James
1:25).
iv. Restored. Back to His original purpose, which is intimate fellowship with Him.
God wants us to live in fellowship with Him, and have an ever-growing
relationship with Him.
VI. APPROACHING THE BIBLE, CON’D.
A. God speaks today
1. The Bible is not just an ancient book – it is living, and God does still speak through
it
2. It is one of the tools through which God speaks to us; He speaks through times of
prayer, circumstances, the church body, and through His Word, the Bible
3. Expect Him to speak – when He does, write it down; meditate on it, and adjust your
life to it
4. Everything God tells us has a purpose to it
B. It is an inspired book – God-inspired, Single Author (II Tim 3:16)
1. Revelation – how God communicates Himself and His will to us; it is God’s
revelation of Himself. The Bible contains divine truth about God that we cannot
know unless He reveal it

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2. Inspiration – the Holy Spirit’s influence on the minds of people;
3. Illumination and Enlightenment – the divine quickening of the human mind,
allowing it to understand the truth that has been revealed; we need the Holy Spirit’s
power to fully and accurately understand scripture
VII. SOME PREREQUISITES
A. Because of our sinful, human condition we cannot naturally know God
(I. Cor. 2:14)
B. Our desire to seek God, live a life that pleases Him, and our limited knowledge of Him is
only because of His grace! We should never mistake our desire to know Him for an inner
goodness on our part.
C. We must be born again
1. Spiritual knowledge is spiritually discerned; we cannot grow and mature in the
knowledge of God until we have been born into the family of God
2. Being a believer is not just knowing the truth, but applying the truth in our lives
3. If we really want to encounter God, our sin-damaged spirit must be washed and
renewed (John 3:3)
4. Hear the gospel (Rom 10:8-14); Repent (I John 1:9); and choose to make Jesus
Lord of your life (Acts 2:38). When we receive Him, He gives us His Spirit,
allowing us to be in relationship with Him.
D. We must receive the Holy Spirit
1. The Holy Spirit unlocks the door to spiritual realities (Eph 5:18)
2. To be given the gift of the Holy Spirit is one thing; to be open to His teaching is
another (John 16:13) (John 14:26)
3. Allow the Holy Spirit to be your guide as you study
E. Humility
1. Humility recognizes God as the ultimate authority
2. Moses’ example (Numbers 12:3)
3. Second Chron. 7:14 – if we humble ourselves. . .
4. As we study the Word of God, we must acknowledge our ignorance of spiritual
things, and our need for divine help
F. Ready Obedience
1. Before you begin your personal study, make a conscious decision to receive what
the Holy Spirit teaches
2. Always begin your personal study with prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to guide your
thoughts and receive what is on the heart of God – then obey Him (James 4:17)
3. Prepare to hear from God by nurturing a heart of ready obedience
G. Questions for Personal Preparation
1. Is my heart clean before God? Bible study is an encounter with God. We cannot
walk into God’s presence as we would any other person – He is God!
(Psalm 24:3-5) (Psalm 139:23-24)

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2. Is there current evidence of the Holy Spirit in my life? Not just at the point of
salvation, but the continual work in our lives (Gal. 5:22-23). If the Holy Spirit
controls our lives, He will produce Christ-like qualities in our lives
3. What has God said to me already? As we consider what God wants to say to us,
we must remember what He has already said.
4. Am I obeying what He’s already said? If we have not obeyed what He has already
said, why would He trust us with something new? What we do reveals what we
believe about Him.
5. Am I ready to respond in obedience to what God is about to say? This is very
important when it comes to hearing God speak through His Word. Being ready to
say “yes” to the Lord brings freedom to our personal Bible study time. When God
knows we are ready to respond, He can talk to us about what’s on His heart.
VIII. DIFFERENT TYPES OF BIBLE STUDIES
A. Biographical Studies
1. Gain more insight into a particular Biblical character
(i) What does the person’s name mean?
(ii) What passages of scripture refer to that person?
(iii) What made the person a spiritual success or failure?
(iv) Approximate birth date (if known)
(v) The person’s reputation, character, and personality
(vi) What was the family life and significant life events?
(vii) How was this person’s character tested?
(viii) How does this person’s life help us get closer to God?
2. A good concordance will prove helpful to locate passages of scripture that refer to
the character you’re studying; a good study Bible would help also.
B. Word Study
1. Look for words that are critical to the passage
2. Look for words that occur repeatedly in the passage, i.e., “abide” appears 10 times in 7 vv.
in John 15: 4-10; also “praise” occurs multiple times in some of the Psalms, i.e., Psalm 148
and 150 particularly
3. Look for unclear or difficult words to study
4. Caution! Some words can have more than one meaning. You want to match the English
word with the original Hebrew or Greek word to grasp the original meaning of the text,
and fits the meaning of the text you’re studying
5. A good concordance will prove helpful
C. Synthetic Study
1. Studies the “big picture” of the book being studied

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(i) What is the overall theme of the book?
2. This type of study is helpful because it keeps you from getting bogged down in too
many details
3. You don’t necessarily need additional study aids; just read the entire book and get
the flow of it
4. Then re-read the book and take notes; look for the author, to whom the book was
written, the issues addressed in the book, and the author’s purpose in writing the
book
5. How did the author arrange his thoughts?
6. Re-read in smaller sections; does one chapter lead into another?
7. Try to summarize each section
8. Look at each section and see how the writer pulled it all together
D. Analytical Study
1. Focuses on a particular passage in the book
2. One verse or small group of verses
E. Biblical Background Study
1. Study the writer, who he was writing to, and any background elements of the
passage
2. Helps us understand God’s Word in its original setting so we can better apply it to
our lives
3. Areas of study:
(i) Historical – what was happening at that point in time
(ii) Cultural – what was the lifestyle of the people? Religious ceremonies, idol
worship, family life, trades or professions, economics, politics, etc.
prevalent during that time?
(iii) Sociological – social behaviors and customs of that period
(iv) Geographical – understanding the geography or topography assumed in the
text, i.e. the physical region, rivers, roads, cities/towns, distance from one
region to another, etc.
4. A Bible Atlas will prove helpful here. Other helpful study aids are commentaries,
Bible dictionaries/encyclopedias, books on ancient life and culture; Old and New
Testament histories, and the internet
F. Thematic Study
1. What, where, why, when, how, and who questions
2. Choose a theme you are particularly interested in
3. Find passages that relate to your chosen theme (a Concordance will help here)
4. How do I apply the theme to my life?
5. Examples:
(i) What does God hate? Why does He hate it?
(ii) Praise – Why praise? Who do we praise? When. . .etc.
(iii) Hope – What does the Bible say about it? Who should we hope in? Why
do we have hope?

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G. Doctrinal Study
1. Focuses on a particular principle or belief
2. Examples: Salvation, the church, the end times, Holy Spirit, etc.
3. Here, a good Commentary will help
H. Topical Study
1. Choose a Biblical topic and search a single book or the whole Bible to find
scripture references related to it
2. Allows for an orderly study and gives us clear perspective as we study
3. Examples: faithfulness, standing, being a servant
4. A good Concordance will help when doing a topical study