“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. (Psalm 19:7-9 ESV)
The Bible is: Rewards:
Perfect Revises the Soul
Sure and supportive Makes you wise
The right way Makes your heart rejoice in gladness
Pure Enlightens the eyes to His light
Clean Stands forever
True and righteous Trustworthy
1. Grow in obedience to God and in His service.
> Read Joshua 1:8; 1 Peter 2:2; Rom 10:17 (See also Matt 4:4; John 6:44-45; 2 Peter 1:12-15)
2. Avoid error and false teaching.
> Read Hosea 4:6; Acts 17:11< (See also 1 John 4:1,6; Gal 1:8; Matt 22:29, 15:14; Prov 2:1-20; Rom. 10:1)
3: Teach others. [See ATTACHMENT #4]
> Read Deut 6:6-9; Heb 5:12; 2 Tim 2:2< (See also 1 Tim 1:7; 1 Peter 3:15; Col 3:16; Rom 15:14.)
4: Express love for God and His Word.
> Read Psalm 1:2; 119:47-48, 97-99; John 14:15
5. Grow in knowledge of Yourself
It is important to study the Bible because you learn about God and yourself.
The Bible reveals God to us and also reveals us to ourselves. The Bible gives us the answer to
questions by making us aware of our identity and position, our source, our purpose, significance,
and our ultimate destination.
We are not merely readers of the Bible story but are participants in the story. We are included as
beneficiaries of it and also are participants in the Great Commission that Jesus gave His disciples:
“And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matt 28:18-20 ESV)
It is Born-Again Christians that make up the Church of Jesus:
“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:4-5 ESV)
6. Discernment of Truth
It is through Bible study that we become able to discern errors in doctrine.
A. Dangerous Assumptions
We often allow teachers to form our beliefs because want to believe they:
1). - have fully and honestly researched the topic
2). - have greater training and therefore their ability is greater than mine
3). - understand they are accountable to God
4). - are doing the work of God
The truth is that most Bible teachers are trustworthy and care more for the people than themselves. However, there are those who are mistaken either deliberately or accidentally (from carelessness or lack of education). In every case teaching must be evaluated for its adherence to the Bible.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matt 7:7 ESV)
Just as preparing for an athletic event well in advance, we must prepare in advance to evaluate the teaching we receive. This is done through prayer and Bible study. Luke, the writer of the book of Acts, actually goes so far as to praise those who evaluated the teachings of the Apostle Paul himself.
“The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:10-11 ESV)
It is vitally important to evaluate your teachers; to disagree with them when they are clearly in error, and to support them when they are clearly right regardless of their fame or integrity.
B. Grow in your Knowledge of God
The best reason for studying the Bible is that through the diligent study we gain God’s approval, learning how to properly handle the truth it contains and what He has revealed in His creation.
1. Examples of Interpretation and Translation
“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)
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (KJV)
“Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.” (NLT)
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (NKJV)
“Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.” (Amplified Bible)
Exegetical Translation
“Do your best...” (Gk: ‘spoudazo [spoo-dad’-zo]) To be swift/eager, make every effort to apply full diligence.
“present” (Gk: paristemi [par-is’-tay-mee]) to stand close beside, to present, appear
“yourself’ (Gk: seautou [seh-ow-too’]) You, yourself, own conviction
“to God” (Gk: theos [theh’-os]) the Creator, sustainer. and owner of all things
“approved” (Gk: dokimos [dok’-ee-mos]) acceptable, verified, tried and tested as genuine
“a worker” (Gk: ergates [er-gat’-ace]) a field-laborer, workman
“no need to be ashamed” (Gk: anepaischuntos [an-ep-ah'-ee-skhoon-tos]) no cause to be ashamed, not disgraced, irreprachable
“rightly handling” (Gk: orthotomeó [or-thot-om-eh'-o]) cut straight and accurately
“word” (Gk: logos [log’-os]) a spoken word, statement, speech, divine utterance expressing the thoughts of God “of truth” (Gk: alétheia [alétheia]) divine truth, true to fact, certain in reality
Literal translation = “be diligent to present thyself approved to God -- a workman irreproachable, rightly dividing the word of the truth”
Paul is comparing Timothy’s use of the Bible to a workman’s use of his tools and encourages him to consider the embarrassment that would occur if the workman were to use his tools improperly. Paul argues further that Bible study is crucial for the proper spiritual development of all Christians in all places and at all times:
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17 ESV)
The word “all” is ‘pas’ in Greek and means all, every, the whole, every kind of. The Greek word translated as the word “Scripture” is ‘‘graphe’ and means a writing/Holy Scriptures, Holy Writ and is used in only the Bible about the Bible alone. The word translated as “breathed out” in Greek is ‘theopneustos’ and means inspired and God-breathed. The word “profitable” in Greek is ‘ophelimos’ and means useful, profitable, and advantageous “for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly (Gk” ‘????t?sµ????’ - means entirely, completely) furnished unto all (same as above).” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV)
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8 ESV)
The word “sufficiency” (Gk: ‘autarkeian’) means self-sufficiency, a perfect condition of life in which no aid or support is needed from any person. The Holy God says He has provided everything needed that is entirely and utterly sufficient for doctrine, correction, and instruction in righteousness for the Born-Again Christian so that they may exceed and abound in doing every good work and deed that carries out and completes an inner desire, intension, or purpose.
The Bible is more than good literature, a detailed historical document, a general handbook on how to live a good life and become a good neighbor and citizen, even though it is all those things and more.
The Bible is the actual revelation of God to His people and takes on an importance far beyond any other written material in the history of mankind. It is a good book but because it was given to us by God who is good all the time!
The reason that the Bible is worth studying is because we are actually studying God’s thoughts as He revealed them and is the primary method by which we come to know God better, learn who we are in Christ, and to hear His voice.
ATTACHMENT # 4
The Feynman Technique to Learn Anything
Have you ever had a teacher or coworker who spoke in only technical terms, or would explain things with language that was really challenging to understand? You probably weren't able to learn much from that person because you could hardly follow what they were saying.
The Feynman technique can be used to learn anything. The idea is that when you can teach something in the simplest way possible, you will master it. Simplicity was the key to learning. It was devised by the Nobel laureate and Physicist Richard Feynman who was recognized as someone who could clearly explain complex topics in a way that everybody - even those without degrees in the sciences - could understand. He was able to take the mystery out of complex scientific principles.
While studying at Princeton, Feynman began recording and connecting the information he knew with the things that he either didn't know or didn't understand. In the end, he had a complete notebook of topics and subjects that he had disassembled, translated, reassembled, and written down in simple terms.
Feynman worked on the Manhattan Project when he was only 20 years old. He went on to win the Nobel Prize in 1965 for his work in quantum electrodynamics, along with Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga. He was named “The Smartest Man in the World” by Omni magazine in 1979.
Feynman believed that truth lies in simplicity and that things are easier to learn and retain when they're simpler. When your knowledge of something is full of complex explanations and terms taken from textbooks, you're less likely to grasp it. He's famously been quoted as saying, "You must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool."
The goal of learning is to understand the world better. But more often than not, the way we learn doesn't help us to achieve this. You end up memorizing something exactly as it's written in a book or as the teacher explained it to you, so it doesn't take long for this knowledge to disappear. Doing this, you can acquire a deep understanding of the topic you're studying.
Benefits of the Feynman Technique
There are several benefits to using this learning technique.
1. It helps you gain a complete understanding of what you're learning. Once you fully understand the information at hand, you are better equipped to make informed and intelligent decisions regarding the subject.
2. Allows you to apply the concepts that you learn to real-world problems because you are able to grasp the concepts and processes of complex ideas.
3. Helps to improve your teaching skills, as you use this technique to essentially teach yourself the fundamentals of a subject. This also increases your capacity to use critical thinking skills about a topic.
Feynman’s Technique is especially beneficial for people who find writing to be a challenge. He used verbal communication as the foundation for the majority of his published works. He preferred to dictate his books and memoirs, and the scientific paperwerehat are credited to him were transcribed from his lectures.
Four Steps to Learning
1. Choose any topic and start studying it
Write down all of the things you know about the skill on the piece of paper. Try and break it down into its core components and seek to understand it as a whole.
Write the concept as a heading on a blank piece of paper or a notebook page.
After choosing the concept, write down everything that you already know about the subject in your paper. Think of every small piece of information that you can recall about the subject or have learned in the past. Keep this sheet handy to continue to write down what you learn.
2. Teach - Explain the topic to a child
This step allows you to establish whether you've learned what you studied or you just thought you had. Explain the concept in your own words as if you were trying to teach it to a child. When you try to break things down into simple ideas with plainer vocabulary, you'll realize whether or not your knowledge of the subject is sufficient. This makes it easy to identify any gaps in your knowledge.
Explain the concept using your own words, pretending that you are teaching it to someone else. Make sure that you use plain, simple language, without limiting your teaching to simply stating a definition. Put yourself up to the challenge of explaining an example or two of the subject to make sure that you can apply the concept to real life.
Ideally, the person you’re teaching will ask questions and probe you, trying to find holes in your knowledge base. As your student asks questions, you’ll inevitably discover holes in your knowledge – questions that you can’t answer. But this is exactly what you want.
Explain the concept using your own words, pretending that you are teaching it to someone else. Make sure that you use plain, simple language, without limiting your teaching to simply stating a definition. Put yourself up to the challenge of explaining an example or two of the subject to make sure that you can apply the concept to real life.
3. Go back to the study material when you get stuck to fill in the Gaps
Only when you can explain the subject in simple terms will you understand it. This means the knowledge will stick with you and not disappear, as it can when you try to memorize something. Review your notes and study material for anything you still don't understand. Try to explain it to yourself in an easy way. If it's too difficult or if you have to use terms from a textbook, then you still haven't got it.
Review the explanation that you came up with, and pinpoint the areas where you were not clear or you felt your explanation was shaky. Then, return to your source material and notes to better your understanding. Practice step #2 again with your new, revised notes.
4. Simplify - Organize and review
Don't stop until you can deliver a simple, natural explanation. Break it down into its simplest form. Attempt to express this in a short, clear way. It’s easier said than done. Explain the concept using your own words, pretending that you are teaching it to someone else. Make sure that you use plain, simple language, without limiting your teaching to simply stating a definition. Put yourself up to the challenge of explaining an example or two of the subject to make sure that you can apply the concept to real life. This step is extremely effective at building your cohesive understanding of a subject. To be able to cut away clutter and explain something so clearly that even young children with limited vocabulary can understand, is extremely difficult. Attempting to do this, forces you to not only deeply master the information/skill but to also grasp how all of the different elements join together.
“If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.”– Albert Einstein
Make sure that you are able to explain this to someone who knows nothing about the subject.
To do this, you will want to use simple terms when you write the ideas or concepts in your own words. While complex, subject-specific jargon sounds cool, it confuses people and urges them to stop paying attention. Replace technical terms with simpler words, and think of how you could explain your lesson to a child.
Children are not able to understand jargon or dense vocabulary. Because science is filled with complex terms, Feynman’s diagrams became valuable to people who were struggling to teach and to people who were struggling to understand. His charts were able to simply explain things that other scientists took hours to lecture students on in an attempt to teach them.
If a concept is highly technical or complicated, analogies are also a good way to simplify them. Analogies are the foundation of learning from experience, and they work because they make use of your brain's natural inclination to match patterns.
Analogies influence what you perceive and remember, and help you process information more easily because you associate it with things you already know. These mental shortcuts are useful methods of processing new and unfamiliar information and help people understand, organize, and comprehend incoming information.
One example of an analogy created by Feynman encapsulates the power of his technique. He was able to take a question regarding human existence and simplify it into a simple sentence that even a middle-schooler could understand. Feynman said:
“All things are made of atoms—little particles that move around in perpetual motion, attracting each other when they are a little distance apart, but repelling upon being squeezed into one another.”
Here, Feynman is saying that if you don't know anything about physics, the most important concept to understand is that everything is composed of atoms. In one sentence, he communicates the fundamental existence of the universe. This is a genius ability—not only for scientists but also for writers of any subject. Get to your point as succinctly as possible, and avoid confusing and verbose language.
Does the Feynman Technique Work for Everything?
This is not a good technique to use on concepts that you already find to be simple or easy to understand or if you are trying to memorize something. Using flashcards or mnemonics are more effective strategies for memorization.
How to Apply the Feynman Technique to Your Study Habits
Now that you know what the Feynman Technique is, let's look at how to apply it. While this technique is most commonly used to help people understand difficult math concepts, it can really be used with any complex concept.
1. You can use the technique to go over your notes and identify the specific parts of a lesson that are vague to you.
This is especially helpful when you are trying to understand challenging concepts or complex interactions, such as when math and physics are combined.
Knowing where you have gaps in knowledge is the point where true learning occurs. What doesn't make sense, or what piece of the puzzle is missing? Highlighting your gaps in knowledge will help you organize your notes into a cohesive narrative.
2. You can create simple analogies to enhance your recall of concepts.
If possible, try to come up with your own analogy to help understand and explain the topic at hand. Using analogies when teaching forces you to meet your listeners where they are in terms of their level of understanding, and relate something they already know to the new concept you are teaching.
3. Using the Feynman Technique without looking up your source materials is a good way to test your comprehension of a topic, and is ideal for self-testing before an exam.
A great way to practice this is to get into a small study group and take turns teaching each other the material that will be on your exam. If everyone in the group gets stuck on an idea, work together to simplify it until it is clear to everyone.
Explaining these concepts to your classmates or friends will not only stimulate your senses, but it will also provoke emotional responses that help you retain the information. Group studying is not always effective, but when using the Feynman Technique in a small group setting, it can benefit everyone who is involved. However, you always have to remember to find the study environment that works best for you.
To self-test, go through all of the information that you are trying to learn without referencing your notes. See how far you can get in explaining the concepts without getting stumped. The Feynman Technique forces you to completely understand a concept because otherwise, you wouldn't be able to explain it to a child. In this way, the information is ingrained in your memory.
“The more a learner focuses on the meaning of the information being presented, the more elaborately he or she will process the information. This principle is so obvious that it is easy to miss.” John Medina – Expert on Cognitive studies
A Final Word on the Feynman Technique
The Feynman Technique is a helpful learning tool that requires you to challenge your own understanding to enhance your recall of complex topics, break down the complexity of a lesson into easily understood points, and provide an opportunity to really absorb learning materials and concepts.
As you are able to grasp ideas and concepts quickly, no matter how complex they are, your academic performance will definitely show an improvement. By constantly practicing the Feynman Technique, you will be able to develop good learning habits that will improve the effectiveness of the time you spend hitting the books.
