How do you study your Bible?

Speaking of "Chronological Studies," a couple of years ago I taught our adult SS a "Survey of the Old Testament" that took about 9 months. I basically took the books in chronological order, incorporating Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, etc. into the Kings and Chronicles in their appropriate locations. I found a chart of the Kings of Israel and Judah, enlarged it to 3 length-wise pages, and gave each class member one. They were adding dates and other notes as we went along, without any prompting on my part.

I was amazed at the response, and also at how many did not know the basics of OT history, beyond the "childhood stories". (David and Goliath, Noah and the Ark, Daniel in the Lion's Den, etc.) This included people who had been going to good Baptist churches for 40 years or more, and included a pastor's daughter.

It was more than worth the time and effort. Now they know that David and Abraham and Daniel weren't neighbours.

 

Do you still have the charts in pdf format or something? We have a few people at church who are left behind on some of the studies, and this would be a handy thing to give to them.

 

Yeah, Bro do you have the whole series of lessons?

 

Will have to check into that.

 

I wish I could find a Sunday School class that dug into the Word like that!

 

I used Talk Through the Bible (Bruce Wilkinson) as the basis for the series. Supplemented by other study and my seminary background. Talk Through the Bible has dates for each book, and I used that to place them in correct chronology, although I did occasionally use another date based on other studies.
Because Genesis is so foundational, we spent about 4 - 5 weeks there. I also brought Job in just before Abraham, since we don't know exactly how old the book of Job is.

Still checking into where I found the chart of the Kings. There were several on the "net," and also in some books.

 

I've used numerous study aids through the years. Currently I'm working my way through Wayne Grudems "Systematic Theology". I look up EVERY verse that he uses instead of simply reading what he says. It has been a great blessing to me.
Also get yourself a good study bible with cross references etc. The Thompson is good I also LOVE the cross referencing on the OLD Open Study Bibles. Those were GREAT!! The new ones have a little too many notes for my taste.

 

Get the book "How to Read the Bible for All its Worth" by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart. Very good material already mentioned... but you will have a very good reference on hermeneutics.

 

As an expositor of the Word, I start by reading the Word repeatedly. I go to the original languages and note anything noteworthy. I study words, phrases, the flow of parables or narratives, etc. I will use word-study helps, dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc. to help me come to an interpretation of the passage. Then and only then do I go to commentaries to check my interpretation and find more nuggets into the passage and the language behind it. I find the central idea of the text. Then I move toward the application of the text. That's just the general overview of my method.

 

After reading the Bible through once (which works well with one of those "Bible in a year" Bibles):

I find that outlining what I read is a good way to go back and really see and learn what the text is saying. Ignore verse numbers, chapter divisions, and headings. Read a shorter book all the way through once, then go back and outline it. In longer books, you can divide them up however you'd like to.

Another good way to study is to ask, "What does this passage reveal about God and/or Jesus?"

 

of course its good to read and reread the text itself, but don't forget that God Himself is who gave teachers to the church,

1Co 12:28 esv And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues."

Eph 4:11-12 esv And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,
(12) to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,"

... so there is no need to avoid teachers necessarily.... to ignore teachers that God has given to the church is to be arrogant and act as if no one else has the Holy Spirit... I pointed this out on another thread, but it seems appropriate to mention it here as well.... Charles Spurgeon gave this advice...

"In order to be able to expound the Scriptures, and as an aid to your pulpit studies, you will need to be familiar with the commentators: a glorious army, let me tell you, whose acquaintance will be your delight and profit. Of course, you are not such wiseacres as to think or say that you can expound Scripture without assistance from the works of divines and learned men who have laboured before you in the field of exposition. If you are of that opinion, pray remain so, for you are not worth the trouble of conversion, and like a little coterie who think with you, would resent the attempt as an insult to your infallibility. It seems odd, that certain men who talk so much of what the Holy Spirit reveals to themselves, should think so little of what he has revealed to others."
http://www.spurgeon.org/misc/c&c.htm

blessings,
Ken

 

http://www.inthebeginning.org/ has many of the books already outlined. If you join the paid membership section, they have everything diagrammed out.

 

after looking around a bit I especially appreciate the Calvinistic writings at the link you gave, the fact that Greek scholar Daniel Wallace is a Calvinist is espcially interesting... so too for Philip Mauro... thanks for the resource HOG...

blessings,
Ken