xxiv | How to Study the Bible
5 . Form — Studying the literary category and the characteristics that make any passage special . ( Study Bible articles on genre serve this process .)
6 . Structure — Analyzing the way that the elements of a passage are ordered and how that affects its meaning . ( A careful reading of the Biblical text , especially with the aid of commentaries , makes this possible .)
7 . Historical context — Studying the milieu in which the Bible was revealed , which helps yield the point of its contents . ( One-volume commentaries and study notes , like those of the NIV Faithlife Study Bible , are designed to reveal this .)
8 . Literary context — Studying how a passage fits within the book of which it is a part and how that affects its meaning . ( Examining how a passage relates to those before and after it , and to the book as a whole , helps with this interpretive step .)
9 . Biblical context — Analyzing what a passage contributes to the Bible as a whole and what the rest of the Bible contributes to understanding the passage . ( Reading through the Bible as a whole , and reading passages that are cross-referenced , help with this .)
10 . Application — Seeking to conform beliefs and actions to the guidance the Bible imparts . ( Act on what the Bible says .)
11 . Secondary literature — Examining the wisdom and diligent study of others as they have put it into books and articles . ( This step should be used throughout study , but it is usually best to do after attempting to draw your own conclusions and is best done in conversation with other believers in Jesus .)
DON ’ T TRY TO REINVENT THE WHEEL , AND DON ’ T GO IT ALONE
As you read through the Bible , look up anything you don ’ t fully know or understand . Make use of the many good resources available to help you be a better student of the Bible than you would be on your own .
Bible dictionaries give an overview and a brief analysis of virtually any topic mentioned in the Bible , and they also connect that information to the various books and major doctrines of Scripture . Likewise , Bible commentaries explain Bible passages from an expert angle . Reading with a good study Bible provides additional help . Such resources introduce Bible books and special topics , and provide aids that explain the particular verse or passage under investigation .
TAKE NOTES , LIKE A GOOD READER SHOULD
If you rely entirely on your own memory , you ’ ll eventually lose many valuable insights . But if you develop an external memory — your notes of observations or what you ’ ve learned — you will preserve them . Writing down what you have learned also forces you to express your thoughts more cogently and carefully than if you merely relied on memory . Memory fades with time , but written notes provide you with an element of stability and continuity for what you ’ ve learned in Bible study .