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Effective Bible
study:
As a diligent student of the Bible, you will want to make sure the Bible really says what this study says. Always remember to test all things with God's word - as the Bereans did. They "received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11). Read the study all the way through, without looking up the Scriptures. Then read the study again, this time looking up the Scriptures. Highlight or mark each verse you look up so you can easily find it later. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There is one right way and many wrong ways to do just about anything. For example, most textbooks are arranged in a prescribed order. The information from page one, chapter one to the end leads you very carefully through the subject being presented. We study it from the beginning to end, because each concept or chapter is a building block for the next concept or chapter. God, however, inspired that the Bible be put together in a different format. It is a collection of spiritual writings. Themes run throughout the Bible; they are not found separately in a particular book or chapter. This is why He wants us to study His word by subject to show ourselves approved so we may handle His word accurately (2 Tim. 2:15 King James Version). He wants us to be Bereans and examine the Scriptures daily, and not accept man’s thoughts and ideas about the Bible. We are to prove all things as true or false for ourselves through Bible study (Acts 17:11). We are to prove what God’s Will is and then imitate Him here on earth daily just as He lives in heaven (Rom. 12:2; Matt. 6:10; Eph. 5:1). How can you possibly know whether you are being misled by man unless you know the Bible well by subject? Therefore, there is no substitute for daily, personal Bible study. The Apostle Peter offers a special warning about the Apostle Paul’s writings in 2 Peter 3:15-16. It says: "...Paul, according to the wisdom given him (by God), wrote to you, as also in all his letters...some things [that are hard to understand], which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures to their own destruction." This is why it is so important to study the Scriptures by subject. This gives us God’s balance on every topic. A great example of how distortion occurs today is when someone quotes Ephesians 2:8-9 and/or Titus 3:5-7. These two sets of Scriptures prove the point that good works are not necessary for the opportunity to have salvation. However, when you add Ephesians 2:10 and/or Titus 3:8, it becomes very clear that salvation is a free gift, but righteousness is what God created us for. This is repentance, which is an on-going righteous Way of life. This is the process of putting the flesh to death and living to the Spirit (Rom. 8:13). This is how we make all of our ways kind and just and how we imitate God (Psalm 145:17; Eph. 5:1). Looking at some other books in the Bible, we find that overcoming the evil in our lives by doing good ensures us blessings in this life. This is how God’s word instructs us to live (Rev. 2:5; Luke 13:3, 5). By living this precious Way of life, God changes us and causes spiritual growth in our lives (1 Cor. 3:7). It is how we become partakers of God’s divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). It is how Jesus Christ’s nature is formed in us (Gal. 4:19). It is how God establishes His kingdom within our heart and makes us spiritually ready for His kingdom, which is coming soon (Rev. 21:2, 4, 27; 2 Peter 3:13). God’s word gives many examples of what happens when you do good and what happens when you do evil. The Bible is a manual that was written for our benefit at the end of this age. When we are studying consistently, we have all the directions for doing good (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). The wonderful thing is that no formal education is required to be a student of God’s word. Jesus Christ and many of the apostles had no formal education (John 7:15; Acts 4:13). According to John 6:45, we shall all be taught of God! Yes, He will personally teach us about all things (1 John 2:27; 2 Tim. 2:7). Isn't this awesome knowledge! Bible study by subject is the safest, as well as the most efficient way to be a student of God’s word. For your daily Bible studies, use a complete Bible concordance. Note: the small concordance you may have in the back of your Bible does not contain all the Scriptures for any subject. Therefore, use a Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible for the King James Version of the Bible, or the New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible for the New American Standard Bible. Concordances are arranged in alphabetical order by word and list all the Scriptures in the Bible that use that word. In the back of the concordance, the Greek or Hebrew references are listed so you can look up the definition of the word from the Hebrew or Greek dictionaries. Concordances cost about $30 but are worth their weight in gold. Now it is just a matter of picking a word and beginning a study. For example, you may want to have a complete understanding of "God’s Will" as it is found in Romans 12:2. You will find 26 pages on the word "will" in the concordance. Because there are so many Scriptures for this word study, start in the New Testament at the Book of Matthew and work forward towards the Book of Revelation. Isolate the Scriptures that pertain to "God’s Will." As you study these verses, ask God to show you His meaning for this subject. Highlight the Scriptures in your Bible. For the future, take notes and cross-reference important Scriptures that relate to one another in the margin of your Bible. As time allows, you may also want to look up the Scriptures on "God’s Will" in the Old Testament. You are well on your way to having God’s word, the Bible, come to life for you – as it is the fountain of living waters (Jer. 2:13; Psalm 36:9; John 4:14). And, living by God’s word is truly life-saving! To read or study, that is the question! According to the King James Version of 2 Timothy 2:15, we are to study to show ourselves approved to God. Now you know the answer. (Feel free to give copies of this study to others who want to know God’s truth. You will be doing God’s Will when you show and tell others how to live this special Way.) Effective Bible
study:
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