The Truth - 5 Spiritual Principles Of Studying Your Bible

2 Tim. 2:15

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

The word “study” is the word sp??d??? spoudazó (spoo-dad'-zo), which means, to make haste, give diligence, be eager, be zealous; to “shew”, not “show”; which is the word, pa??st?µ? paristémi (par-is'-tay-mee); which means, to present, or come up to by presenting thyself” – unto God as one approved.

What we see is studying our bibles has less to do with academia and more to do with receiving. Memorizing and knowing scripture, having a yearly bible reading plan, highlighting and taking notes, and all that jazz, is a good thing, but it’s not really the meaning of 2 Tim. 2:15. After all, BTK the serial killer was a deacon at his church and studied the bible regularly, and knew scripture.

What we’re going to go over, is not just some method, blueprint or system devised on how to study your Bible, but the 5 truth principles of how are bible is to be studied.

The first and most important principle.

2Peter 1:20-21

20knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private [j]interpretation, 21for prophecy never came by the will of man, but men spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

The word English word “prophecy”, which many tend to think means foretelling of some future event; is actually translated from the Greek word “prophéteia (prof-ay-ti'-ah); which means, communicating divine inspiration declaring the purposes of God. The phrase “of any private” is one Greek word ?d???, a, ? idios (id'-ee-os), meaning, personal, distinct or private. And, interpretation, ?p???s??, e??, ? epilusis (ep-il'-oo-sis), means to unpack, untie, give explanation or interpretation.

Scripture tells us, the first thing or first principle about reading or studying our Bible is, that we must know or ginóskó, (meaning, have personal intimately knowledge) that all scriptures, did not come from any private, personal or distinct reasoning or explanation of any man, who somehow was able to unpack, untie, explain or interpret the thoughts and expressions of God, what God spoke, means or revealed. Verse 21 then says, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but men spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. This tells us, scripture did not and does not have its origin in “the will” of man; but, that men spoke or communicated scripture, as they were moved, carried along, conducted, by the Holy Spirit.

This very important principle, is the beginning and end all of reading and studying our bibles. Intimately knowing that God Himself is the author of all scripture, not man. Though books of the Bible have been given titles of the men God used to communicate/transcribe His Word, these men served more or less as God’s “scribe”. A scribe is copyist, as well as, a teacher; all lead by the Holy Spirit to proclaim God’s revealed Word to man.

You cannot truly or rightly study your Bible without the assurance of what you are reading is God’s Word, directly from God. They Bible was written to believers, not none believers.

Rom. 10:17 emphatically tells us, Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing comes from the Word of God. The word for “hearing” used in this scripture is ????, ??, ? akoé (ak-o-ay'); which is an ecclesiastical word, which means it is a word primarily used in bible language. This word akoé (ak-o-ay') means more than the general definition of hearing, which is defined as a process or function of perceiving sound. what akoé (ak-o-ay') means is spiritual hearing (to perceive, discern God's voice).

Now, it tells us, that “faith” comes by perceiving, discerning God’s voice, and that perceiving and discerning God’s voice comes from His rhéma (hray'-mah), His Word. So, if I approach my bible without the assurance that I am hearing God speak, then it can’t be spiritually hearing, and therefore, it is not of faith, and if it is not of faith, I will not, cannot receive anything from God. No matter how much I highlight scripture, reread it, use Bible tools, commentaries, concordances, lexicons, etc., you will get nothing from it, nothing spiritual, because you will not being hearing God.

Principle #2: The Holy Bible is a collection of testimonies!

When studying your Bible, you have to understand the Bible is a collection of testimonies, stories and instructions of God’s interaction with man and man’s interaction with God. Approaching God’s Word with this perspective gives us the opportunity to vicariously, to experience in ourselves through actions of another, of knowing how God does and will interact with us. So, how God dealt with David, Peter, Paul, and others, is how we are able to see how He will deal with us in given circumstances and situations. Now, granted, times were different back then, then they are now, but God’s principles, statutes, precepts and laws have not changed, He has not changed. So, this gives me the perspective of God’s will and truth for my life today.