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.