HOW TO MAKE YOUR BIBLE COME ALIVE
The Bible is the most wonderful and most important book ever written. It contains the most important message ever written – the Gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, it is also the most taken for granted and ignored book of history. Even those who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ do not study as they should.
The reasons for this are myriad. They include: “I do not understand it.” “I am afraid that I will misunderstand it and mess up my spiritual understanding.” “I cannot figure out what it means because it is too hard and deep.” “I do not have enough schooling to study the Bible – you need a theological degree.”
None of these reasons or statements is valid! Not one is even close to being accurate. God wrote the Bible for each and every believer. He imbued it with His life-giving power for each of us. He made it infinitely applicable to everyday living for each person. He wrote it so we would come to know Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior and not as some intellectual foundation for religion or deep theological discourse.
I John 5:13 says this specifically: “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” It was written specifically for US!
John also addresses the question of difficulty and education: “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone should teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.” (I John 2:27) This means that you have the word of God and the Holy Spirit who guides you in the word of God and you cannot mess it up, get it wrong, or miss its meaning because HE is your teacher. He teaches you and leads you. This verse also says specifically that HE will insure it is true and not a lie.
We need to learn to study and listen to the Holy Spirit and He will make the Bible come alive to us. I want to show you a simple method for reading the Bible which will equip you to listen carefully to the Holy Spirit so He can “teach you all things.” (John 14: 25-6) This is simple and foolproof. Anyone who can read can do this. I promise you that God will speak to you through His word and you will see the Bible come alive. I promise you the Holy Spirit will not let you “mess it up” per His promise in I John and Jesus’ promise in John 14.
This Bible study method is based on 3 simple exercises which will make it come alive. There is not any magic in this method. It has been around for a long time. It is simply a means of slowing you down so you read carefully and slowly enough for the words to penetrate and for God to speak to you. Each exercise will utilize a few simple questions to guide you through a passage of scripture carefully and completely.
These three exercises are: 1) Observation– What does the passage say? 2) Interpretation– What does the passage mean? 3) Application- What does the passage require?
We will use 2 Peter as a textbook for learning these exercises. We will do each one on a portion of chapter 1. You do not need to spend more than 15-25 minutes on each one. Set aside a standard time and just work each day for the allotted amount of time. There is no rush and no need to finish any exercise. Remember that a major reason this method of study works is that it slows you down so you can read carefully and completely and not miss anything. Once you see how simple this is, then you can finish the chapter and the book on your own. God’s word will come alive to you!
Exercise 1 - Observation
We need to read carefully the passage so we can glean all of the richness and beauty in it. The Bible says that every single word is inspired by God Himself – do not miss any of them! We need to simply stop and observe the passage. We are literally going to write down what it says. What concepts and ideas; people, places and things; are written in this passage?
Get out a notepad or notebook. Write “Observation” across the top line. We are going to write on the page the answer to the following question: Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why. Yes, it is that simple. Write the word “who” outside the red line on the left of the page and then read 2 Peter 1 very slowly. Stop and write down each “who” as you come to it.
Who- Simon Peter, Jesus Christ, “those who have obtained like precious faith, us, God and Savior Jesus Christ, you, God, Jesus our Lord, us, you
That is all there is to it. This list is complete through verse 4. It really is that simple. Now just complete this exercise for the rest of the chapter. Now do the other questions. Here are a few examples:
What- a bondservant, an apostle, a like precious faith, grace, peace,
How- “by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ”; How is grace and peace given? “multiplied”; How are we given all things? “by His divine power”; etc.
Where- (11) “into the kingdom of our Lord”
When- (14) “knowing that shortly I must put off my tent” – meaning Peter will soon die and go to be with Jesus
It does not matter whether a word or concept makes you list as a “what” or a “how”. All that matters is that one of the questions caused you to slow down and see that it was there. That is why it is so easy. The Holy Spirit is infinitely able to be clear in His instructions to you. As you go through these questions, He will stop you when you hit the idea He wants you to see. All you have to do is walk through the questions.
Exercise 2 – Interpretation
The next exercise is to create a simple means of insuring that you interpret the passage properly. All that is required is make sure you are reading each verse within the context and framework of the passage. Write “Interpretation” over a separate page in your notebook or pad. Do these 3 simple things. First, count the repeated concepts and phrases. The most often repeated concepts will obviously establish the subject matter of what God is trying to communicate.
Second, circle and make note of words that connect or contrast. This is simply making sure that we read a verse carefully enough that we do not misunderstand an illustration or concept. For example, Peter uses the word “for” several times. He says “but also for this very reason”(5); “For if these things are yours”(8); Therefore (10). These words connect a thought to a command. They give meaning and connection to concepts so we get them in context.
Third, using these simple techniques, write a theme sentence for the chapter. Simply combine the repeated subjects together and see what it is God is trying to say as the theme of this chapter. This will give you a touchstone to compare the verses against as you read the chapter so that you will interpret every verse in light of its intended meaning.
It is that simple to carefully read a passage and insure you get the proper meaning. As you write a theme sentence from this chapter, it should include these ideas: the things we receive from the Lord as believers are so wonderful and credible; we should work in our lives to focus on them and grow them in our minds and hearts. Everything in this chapter is related to that theme and should bread in light of that concept. Now you cannot really mess up any verse in that chapter.
Exercise 3: Application
Finally, we will reach the reason for our study. What does the passage require? This is the target for your study. God’s word always calls you to a response. There is always a choice of faith the He wants you to engage in your life when you study. The Bible was meant to be applied to our everyday lives. See 2 Timothy 3:16-7.
Begin a new section in your notebook or notepad entitled “Application.” Answer 3 simple questions: 1) What did God show me to do? 2) Why does He want me to do it? 3) How does He tell me to do it?
Answering these 3 questions will truly make the Bible come alive to you. Most chapters have numerous applications. It does not mater which one you work on at any given time. God will show the one He wants you to develop. As you read, the Holy Spirit will make one stand out. It will convict you, excite you, or stir you – but it will be clear. Here is one example:
What does He want me to do? Verse 5: “add to your faith…” He then gives us a list of what to add. “Virtue” means goodness or integrity. Add virtue or good behavior to my faith in Jesus. Add knowledge to my virtue. That is what we are doing in this study. Simply follow the list of what we add and when in this process. God simply commands that we should add to our faith in Jesus an active growing process which impacts out behavior and actions.
Why does He want me to do it? “For this very reason…” What reason is that? Clearly, it is the list contained in the preceding verses. For example, verse 4 tells us we have been given “exceedingly great and precious promises” that have the power of making us “partakers of His divine nature.” Do you need any other motivation for studying God’s word? The promises in scripture were given to us to give us the means and power of becoming more like Jesus everyday of our lives! That is why we add to our faith the effort of self-control, perseverance and godliness.
How do I do what God wants me to do? The question for this command becomes how do I add to my faith these things? The answer is “giving all diligence.” Do you diligently work at growing in the Lord? Do you diligently study for the purpose of applying the “exceedingly great and precious promises of scripture?” The problem for most Christians is not skill, but diligence. How much more would we grow if we simply worked at it “with all diligence?”
It is my prayer that this simple lesson will help you sit down with these “exceedingly great and precious promises” and add knowledge to you faith. Even a little diligence in following this pattern will make your Bible explode to you. You can do this and do it well. The Holy Spirit will guide you and teach you if you will simply use the diligence to spend a few minutes each day pursuing these 3 simple exercises.
