5 More Tips For Studying Your Bible

It is difficult to place every Bible study tip into a single blog post. You didn't actually think that the five tips I gave here were the only ones I had, did you? Either way, here are five more tips that you can use to help you study the Bible.

1. Read Aloud

This may seem strange, especially at first. However, I have personally found that my mind focuses more on the Scripture in front of me when I read it aloud as compared to when I read silently. If I am the passenger in a car, it helps me to speak what I am reading, even if I speak it quietly to myself. Regardless of where you read God's Word aloud, you will come to notice that it adds a whole new dynamic to the Bible reading experience.

2. Become Part of an Accountability Group

You don't have to always read the Bible by yourself. Becoming part of a Bible Reading Group or an Accountability Group is an excellent way to exhort others and be exhorted yourself in your study of Scripture. The premise is simple: Each person in the group is accountable to the rest of the group for ensuring that Bible study becomes a habit. Some individuals have even started Bible reading groups, with the sole purpose of coming together to read a section or book of Scripture. These are both great ideas for helping you in your study of Scripture.

3. Memorize Scripture

Memorizing Scripture is a way of internalizing the message. As you are reading through Scripture, if you notice a key verse or section, take the time to memorize it. If you are reading and come across a verse or passage that speaks to your situation, write it down and memorize it.

I can tell you from personal experience that memorizing Scripture is an investment worth making. I graduated from a Christian high school, and every week we had a bonus question on our history exam. The question had nothing to do with history, but it had everything to do with providing us a solid foundation in the faith. The bonus question would always be a Bible verse that we were told to memorize on Monday. Our tests were on Friday. During the week, if you memorized the verse, you got bonus points on your history test. To this day, I still remember much of what I was required to memorize, and have found that this practice helps me when times become stressful or I am unsure about what to do. I highly encourage you to memorize Scripture, and not to stop with a single verse. Make Scripture memorization a regular practice throughout your life.

4. Context, Context, Context

It is important to understand the context of the passage that you are studying. No passage stands in isolation from the rest of Scripture. It always has an immediate context and a larger context within the whole of Scripture. In some places, such as narratives, the context of a particular passage is easier to understand. In other genres, such as letters, you may have to do some digging in other resources to uncover the full context of the passage. What prompted Paul to write his first letter to the Corinthians? You'll have to consult another resource for that.

5. Tell Others

It is a great thing to tell others what you learn from Scripture! Another good practice is to seek out those who have spent more time studying a book than you have and exchange with that person what each of you have discovered in the text. This is a great way for iron to sharpen iron (Proverbs 27:17).

Recommended Resource: Knowable Word: Helping Ordinary People Learn to Study the Bible