How To Study The Bible (Foundations)Sýnishorn

Great Bible Study is Supported By Tools

A man is only as good as his tools. – Emmert Wolf 

One of my favorite things to do on my days off from work is to sit down with a warm mug of ginger-lemon tea and binge on cooking shows. It’s hypnotizing to watch a master chef at work. Everything they do is purposeful from the seasonings they use, to the temperature they set, down to the type of dish-ware they plate their creations on. 

If you ask these world-class chefs what the most important element for cooking is, 99% of them will provide the same answer: ingredients. The fresher or rarer the ingredients, the more amazing the final dish is going to be.

For students of the Bible, our ingredients are the tools we use to help us understand Scripture. If we use good tools, we will develop a rich understanding of the Biblical world and learn how to apply the timeless truths found inside God’s Word. But if we turn to incomplete or inaccurate “ingredients”, our grasp of the Bible will come up short and possibly even lead us down dangerous paths.

2 Timothy urges us to become workers who are able to “rightly” handle the “word of truth.” The best way I know how to do this is: 

1. Discover the tools available to you to help you understand the Bible.
2. Pray that God will lead you to a godly mentor to help you use these tools. 

Now, it can be easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer number of tools out there. There are commentaries, dictionaries, concordances, maps, language software, and more. The #1 tool I always encourage my students to begin with is simple: a good translation. 

Thankfully, tools like the YouVersion Bible app make it easy to access dozens of useful translations. This is where I encourage you to start. 

There is treasure in the Word of God just waiting for those who are willing to go after it. 

Pro-Tip: Do you want to take your Bible study to the next level but aren’t sure where to start? Choose one of your favorite verses and write out 5 different translations of that verse on a piece of paper. What differences/similarities do you notice? Your awareness as a reader is one of the best tools there is.