This post is about how to read and study the Bible in 2023.
Specifically, you’ll learn three of my favorite ways to dive into the Word with diligence, delight, and dependence.
But first, some general comments about what it takes to benefit from time in the Word.
Diligence Is Required
The lazy need not apply, because productive, spiritually beneficial Bible reading/study takes hard work and lots of it.
There is no shortcut. It’s not magic. It doesn’t just “happen.” It takes time and effort. And like anything else, the more time and effort you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it.
This is why Paul told Timothy, “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 Timothy 2:15).
Do you want to read and study the Bible this year and experience the presence of God? Do you desire stronger faith, a more intense devotion to Jesus, and a life of increasing holiness and decreasing habitual sin? Then be ready to work at it, because the person who is “rightly handling the word” is a worker.
Delight Should Be the Result
The psalmist prayed, “Open my eyes, that I may see wonderful things in your law” (Psalm 119:18). This prayer is based on the assumption that the Bible is packed with many wonderful truths about God that, when properly understood, will fill us with delight in him. Yet the Bible is also described as a two-edged sword that will pierce our souls and judge our hearts (Hebrews 4:12), which, of course, will be painful. But even the end result of the Spirit’s convicting work will be confession, repentance, and the joy of forgiveness.
Psalm 1 tells us that the blessed person’s delight “is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). One of the main goals of Bible study should be to know God better, and “knowing God is a relationship calculated to thrill a man’s heart” (J.I. Packer, Knowing God).
Prayer Is the Indispensable Demonstration of Dependence
What is the biggest mistake we can make when opening the Word? Forgetting to pray – before, during, and after our time of reading and studying.
To read the Bible without prayer is to declare our independence from him. To incorporate prayer is to demonstrate our dependence on him. Oh, how we need God’s help! We need his Spirit to provide both the illumination to understand and the power to obey. Without Jesus, we can do nothing (John 15:5).
Psalm 119:18 (see above) is a great prayer whenever you study the Word. And here are four more prayers that God loves to hear from your heart and mouth:
https://godwrotethebook.com/do-you-make-this-mistake-when-reading-the-bible/
To handle the Word “rightly,” and to experience delight in God while doing so, here’s how I’ve been reading and studying the Bible the past few years.
METHOD #1:
Read the Word Comprehensively and Consistently.
Bible reading plans are an excellent tool to keep us on track. I spent several years reading the whole Bible in a year. Lately, I’ve been focusing on reading the New Testament in a year, 1 chapter a day, 5 days a week, while also reading specific books of the Old Testament each year.
We read to get the big picture. When we see the big picture of the Bible, the individual books become much easier to understand.
When I started to read the Bible in its entirety, my understanding of Scripture skyrocketed to a new level.
For more thoughts on the benefits of reading the whole Bible, please check this out:
https://godwrotethebook.com/a-better-way-to-read-the-bible/
As far as the nuts and bolts of this method, you’ll find a wide variety of Bible reading plans here.
https://www.ligonier.org/posts/bible-reading-plans
The New Testament plan that I’ve been using is called the “5x5x5 New Testament Bible Reading Plan.”
https://www.navigators.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/navigators-5x5x5-new-testament-bible-reading-plan.pdf
METHOD #2:
Study the Word by asking and answering good questions of each passage.
I like Erik Raymond’s “CRAM” Bible study method.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/erik-raymond/a-tool-for-reading-the-bible-devotionally/
Each letter in the “CRAM” acronym represents a specific question that you ask of the text. These questions will enable you to draw insights from the passage about God and yourself, and cause to you look deep into your life for ways to become more like Christ by focusing on him.
I know he calls this a tool for reading the Bible “devotionally,” but don’t let that word fool you into thinking that this method will be an easier or less intense approach. I find that when I answer all four questions thoroughly, God feeds my soul with a rich banquet of truth.
METHOD #3:
Go deeper by studying the Word one passage and one verse at a time.
Heather Erdmann’s book, A Week in the Word: Dig Deep into God’s Word One Passage and One Week at a Time, provides an in-depth yet straightforward approach that I have been using with life-changing results.
https://www.amazon.com/Week-Word-Deep-into-Passage/dp/B0BJYGHY69
I gave this book a 5-star review on Amazon because the author has done exactly what she promises to do: provide “an insightful Bible study guide to enhance your daily quiet time.”
The indispensable basics of proper Biblical interpretation are covered in a concise and easy-to-understand writing style: context, key words and their meanings, cross-references, translations, commentaries, application, and more. Best of all, I love how you are always directed to learn what the passage teaches about God, for the Bible is mainly about him, not us. This is a simple-to-follow plan that will show you how to immerse yourself in one passage each week.
There are many valid ways to read and study the Bible. If you take the time to use one, two, or all three of the above methods, God will enrich your life with the unspeakable joy of knowing him intimately.
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