In part 1 of this “Let’s Study” series we not only looked at the origin and purpose of Bible translations, but we also explained how each translation method should be used when reading and studying the bible. In part 2, we covered the variety of Bible types and best practices for choosing a Bible. Now it’s time to wrap up our series, and what better way than to focus on how we should actually study the Bible?

To do this, we’ve partnered with the Senior Pastor of Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Tucson, AZ, Marvin Hugley Sr., one final time to offer you four tips that will help you better understand the Bible. These tips will help prepare your heart to understand God’s Word and effectively apply it to your life.

1) Study The Bible With Multiple Translations.

We hinted at this tip in part 1 of this series. It’s important to study the Bible using multiple translations so that you can compare and contrast scriptures. Remember that the English bible is a translation of the original Bible, written in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. Therefore, the Bible version that you read is an author’s or committee’s attempt to translate the Hebrew/Greek/Aramaic scriptures and make them clearer in English.

If you use multiple translations when studying the Bible, you will be able to compare how different translations interpret scriptures and ultimately develop a better understanding of a scripture’s meaning.

Pastor Hugley encouraged us to consider the life of Jesus as an example. The Bible includes four different accounts of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. These are the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Pastor Hugley said that although each book has some similarities, they still offer four different perspectives of Jesus’ life, and by reading and comparing the details of each book, we are able to get a more complete picture of Jesus’s life to better understand him and his ministry.

This example can be applied to using different translations to study the Bible. If you were to read the story of Moses parting the Red Sea (Exodus 14) in the English Standard Version (ESV), you could also read it in the New International Version (NIV) and New Living Translation (NLT) to compare the story’s details in each translation. Taking each translation into account will then give you a more complete picture of the scripture in order to truly understand what it means.

2) Use Bible Study Tools.

It is helpful to use a variety of Bible study tools as you read and attempt to understand God’s Word because different tools will give you greater insight into scriptures. Pastor Hugley recommends the following tools:

• Bible dictionary: a dictionary that defines biblical terms.
• Bible encyclopedia: similar to a traditional encyclopedia, a Bible encyclopedia provides background information on terms, people, places, and languages in the Bible.
• Concordance: an alphabetical list of words used in the Bible, which helps you see where every word is located in scripture.
• Lectionary: books that offer Bible reading plans.
• Commentaries: give you other perspectives of the text. Pastor Hugely cautions us to use commentaries as a last resource to interpret scripture, because commentaries are usually one person’s interpretation. He encourages readers to first attempt to understand scripture on your own and then use commentaries to explore whether or not others have come to the same conclusions.

3) Have an Approach to Studying.

According to Pastor Hugley, you need a plan if you want to effectively study the Bible. Think about what you want to study before jumping into your Bible study. There are multiple ways to study the Bible: Do you want to study a topic, specific book, the Old Testament, or New Testament? Do you want to read it chronologically to understand the overall story, or would you rather study prophetic literature?

Although many Christians tend to simply open their Bibles and read whatever passage to which they’re “led,” this is not the most effective way to study God’s Word. You need to create an approach and decide what type of study you’re going to do in order to get the most out of your Bible study.

4) Be Open to Shifting Your Perspective.

One of the most significant practices for effective Bible study is focusing on context. We must remember that the Bible wasn’t written to Americans in 2022. The Bible was written to a specific audience, with a specific culture during a specific time period in history.  Although it was not written to us present-day Christians, it has application for us.

So, as you study the bible, you have to ask questions of the text and understand the background of Biblical stories, events, and characters. The books of the Bible (especially the New Testament) are letters. So, it is helpful to think about studying in terms of what the Biblical author was trying to say. To do this, consider the following questions as you study:

Who is the author writing to? Who is the audience?

What is going on in this scripture? Why is the author writing this?

What issue is the author addressing?

What is the author’s solution?

How do I apply the solution to my life today?

Again, asking questions helps you understand the author’s original intent for writing the letter/book and then further understanding how that original intent applies to you. One of the easiest ways to misinterpret scriptures is by not first considering Biblical context.

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Thank you for journeying with Peculiar On Purpose through this three-part “Let’s Study” series! We pray these blog posts gave you more insight and tools to understand the what, why, and how of effective Bible study, and how to properly apply God’s Word to your life. We also thank Pastor Hugely for sharing his wisdom and expertise to help us all be better students of God’s Word.

As you study, may you “ . . . grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18)