How To Study The Bible Like A Pro - Class #1 - Course Objective, Goals, Content, And Introduction Series

Course Requirements

1. Your hard work and faithfulness to consistently read the Bible.

I want to encourage you to commit to this course of study for the next few weeks. You must be willing to lay aside preconceived notions, denominational distinctives, and favorite interpretations.

2. A Hungry Heart.

Are you hungry to hear from God? Is there a craving to have Him teach and mold you and give you the truths that will set you free? Is your spirit not satisfied unless it has been satisfied by the spiritual food of God’s Word?

“you can give a Christian a sermon and they’ll feed from the Word of God for a day. If you teach them to feed themselves from the Word of God, they’ll feed for a lifetime.” Author Unknown

3. A Disciplined Heart.

Be willing to work hard. The more you put into it, the more you get out of it!

4. An Obedient Heart.

Apply and obey what you learn in Scripture. We can know what the Bible says but it is a whole other thing to do what it says.

5. An Open Mind and Love for Truth.

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15 ESV)

6. A Proper Attitude

The right methods of study must begin with the right attitudes. The scribe and priest Ezra "prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord" (Ezra 7:10). Diligent study requires motivation.

Bible Study Tools

We will be using the English Standard Bible (ESV) as the primary reference Bible. In addition, we will be referring to an Online tool that you can utilize for your study:

- Bible Hub App - https://biblehub.com/app.htm

COURSE CONTENT

I. INTRODUCTION

II. IMPORTANCE OF THE

BIBLE

III. HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE

IV. BENEFITS OF BIBLE STUDY

V. STRUCTURE OF THE BIBLE

VI. PRINCIPLES OF BIBLE.

AUTHORITY

VII. FOUNDATIONAL RULES OF

BIBLE INTERPRETATION

VIII. METHODS OF BIBLE STUDY

ATTACHMENTS

# 1 - Theology Test

# 2 - Essential Doctrines of Christianity

# 3 - Earthly Schools of Theological Thought

# 4 - The Feynman Technique to Learn Anything

# 5 - Does God Make Good All Bad Life Experiences?

# 6 - Does the Bible Contradict Itself?

# 7 - Definition of Terms

I. INTRODUCTION

For as long as I can remember I have had an unquenchable hunger and thirst to know God. When I chose to become a follower of Jesus I had a voracious appetite for knowledge about Him, as well as a deep desire to grow in intimacy with Him. I would read everything about Jesus I could get my hands on, no matter who, or what, the source was, and I would listen to anyone who spoke His name. Unknowingly, that led me to digest a toxic stew of Occult and cultic beliefs, mixed with traditional and orthodox church teaching, along with some serious heresy thrown in for a little seasoning.

As I grew older in the faith, I surrounded myself with those who longed for the same intimate relationship that I desired with Jesus. The pastor of the church I was attending was a great preacher, but he was not a teacher, and his sermons were often mixed with personal conjecture and various scattered verses combined to help him prove his point of view about what he thought the Bible passages meant to fulfill his agenda.

A couple years after graduating from high school I entered into intense formal Bible study and training. I began to learn that much of what I had read, and been taught about God in the past, was way off base. That really, really upset me, to say the least! I felt I had been betrayed, abused, deceived, and intentionally misled by my spiritual elders.

The one significant thing I took from all my years of training was how to study the Bible and to spot spiritual deception. As a result of my experiences, I desired to become a “watchman on the wall” and made a commitment to diligently study the subjects of the Bible backward and forwards, making every attempt to never teach it based upon a self-centered agenda, or by twisting the Scriptures (pretzel preaching) as a means to an end.

The Bible warns of a time that “will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lust shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned to fables." (2 Tim 4:3-4; see also 1 Tim 1:10; Titus 1:9; 2:1)

Within the Church there is a growing emphasis on experienced-based theology that validates belief rather than the Word of God validating the experience. Too little emphasis is given to the Bible and too much emphasis is given to personal experience, personal revelation, and speculation that have no biblical precedence or historical foundation. Christians tend to blame things on the demonic and neglect normal Christian growth and maturity which requires personal acknowledgment and repentance of sin from the neglect of studying the Bible and living a life of repentance and personal holiness.