What does it mean to 'study the Bible'?

[CharismaticLady]

No...i do not keep the decalogue under Moses, but rather under Christ;
Moses in the OT gave way to Joshua....a type, of the new Exodus in Jesus

Hebrews 3
King James Version



3 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

2 Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

3 For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.

4 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.

5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;

6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,

8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.

11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

Iconoclast, please read this all as I really would like you to understand where I'm coming from, and what I see as the gospel of the New Covenant. From what I've seen in you, it seems you think what I believe is impossible. But I don't, because I experienced the extreme change in my nature in 1977.

One difference I see is that the Ten Commandments IS the Old Covenant.

Ex. 34:28
28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

But there is a higher Law than these, that the Ten Commandments were based on, BUT did not completely fulfill because the Ten Commandments was just the final action, but the iniquity could still be in the heart. This is why we must be born again of the Spirit to kill the iniquity lying beneath at the very core of us. This is the gospel - the good news. No longer do we have to struggle with sin when the Spirit baptizes us with fire. No longer do we have to try with our willpower to keep laws in our mind that are contrary to our sinful nature. At last sin is removed so that the righteous requirements of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh any longer, but by the Holy Spirit. We are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit if the powerful Spirit of God dwells within us. And if the Spirit of Christ does not dwell within us, we do not belong to Him.

That higher Law is to "Love God with all your strength, mind and heart. And love your neighbor as yourself." The commandments of Jesus and His New Covenant fulfill this higher law, and are easy to keep because of the creation of a new nature in us that automatically established every other law from the past, including the Ten Commandments, even the Sabbath as we rest in Jesus and abide in Him. And by the way, the Cup of the New Covenant is its sign. 1 Cor. 11:25

1 John 3:23-24
23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. 24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

 

[Heart2Soul]

Please stay on topic, the OP is about what does it mean to study the Bible.
Also the Bible Study forum should be about the Bible...not a debate over doctrinal beliefs.
Thanks

 

[farouk]

ok, but 386 pages is kind of a lot to parse.
i am looking for the answer to "what does 'study the Bible' mean?"
can you put what you learned about defining that, from this 400 page pdf?

i.e. what qualifies as 'Bible study' and why?
if i tell someone to study the Bible, what am i expecting them to do?

E W Bullinger wrote a lot of Bible commentary...

 

[Enoch111]

E W Bullinger wrote a lot of Bible commentary...

True. While some of his commentary was sound, much of it was false doctrine.

 

[Enoch111]

so how do i know the difference between an evil spirit vs. the Holy Spirit?

Simple. Evil spirits oppose whatever the Holy Spirit says or does. And the Holy Spirit exposes evil spirits by their words and deeds.

 

[Curtis]

Is it just memorizing verses?

The definition of studying that so many believers seem to have, is studying someone’s proof texts on any topic.



Maranatha

 

[Curtis]

Literally it means to take in knowledge from it sir. The Bible states that it is alive and exerts power (Heb 4:12), I find this to be very true. Everyone who studies it will be affected by it's teachings, spurning most to make changes in their lives. For some of us drastic changes.

Except the WTS idea of bible knowledge is reading their books telling you what to believe, alongside the Bible, instead of just reading the Bible alone.

I believe they say that if you read the Bible alone, you’ll go into darkness.

Shalom

 

[Curtis]

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. " Matt 6:33

But in context the ‘all these things’ are food, shelter, and clothing, and not all things that pertain to the faith or scriptural understanding of the Bible from studying.

Maranatha

 

[MatthewG]

What does it mean to 'study the Bible'?

To study the who,what,why,when,where,how's of scripture. While prayerfully looking to understand the scriptures by the spirit in worshiping God in spirit and truth.

Applying what is applicable for us today and nothing more than that. - No authority over others but willingly to love God and love others, by and through receiving faith.

 

[amadeus]

But in context the ‘all these things’ are food, shelter, and clothing, and not all things that pertain to the faith or scriptural understanding of the Bible from studying.

Maranatha

And in the context of the whole of the scriptures or the whole of God's plan? Is this also out of context?

"Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you." Matt 9:29

No eyesalve applied?

"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." Rev 3:18

"And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear." Matt 13:14-16

"Where there is no vision, the people perish...." Prov 29:18

"When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek." Psalm 27:18

"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." I Cor 13:12

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." I John 3:2

Then again what is the most important food, the most important shelter and the most important covering?

"And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." Luke 4:4

"Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed." John 6:54-55

"For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah." Psalm 61:3-4

"And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." I Peter 4:8

 

[Curtis]

.

And in the context of the whole of the scriptures or the whole of God's plan? Is this also out of context?

"Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you." Matt 9:29

No eyesalve applied?

"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." Rev 3:18

"And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear." Matt 13:14-16

"Where there is no vision, the people perish...." Prov 29:18

"When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek." Psalm 27:18

"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." I Cor 13:12

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." I John 3:2

Then again what is the most important food, the most important shelter and the most important covering?

"And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." Luke 4:4

"Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed." John 6:54-55

"For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah." Psalm 61:3-4

"And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." I Peter 4:8

You’re just tossing out random scriptures, that don’t apply to the topic.

What is the purpose in it?

 

[amadeus]

.


You’re just tossing out random scriptures, that don’t apply to the topic.

What is the purpose in it?

They are not random to me! God's plan is complete. Without vision people perish. Whose vision is able to encompass all of God's plan now? Whose vision is improving? Who has already arrived at the "face to face" seeing Him now already "as He is"? From faith to...?

 

[GRACE ambassador]

• Reading the scripture

• Believing it

• Praying for understanding of it

• Delighting in it

• Meditating on it

• Finding Christ testified of in it

• Internalizing it

• being taught by the Holy Spirit through it

• testing doctrine by it

• taking all of it into consideration

• seeking to please God

• letting it say what it says

• committing ourselves to it

Precious friend, post, again, Great thread! I dug up from my archives the
following "Handling The WORD Of Life!" Summary. Hope it also helps in
your awesome "what it means to study" journey:

(1) Handling Scripture
(2) HOW to study It
(3) Using WHAT was studied:
-----------------------------
(1) Handling Scripture

a) Psalms:​

Magnify God’s WORD, As HE Does:

I will worship toward Thy Holy Temple, and praise Thy Name
for Thy LovingKindness and for Thy Truth: for Thou Hast
MAGNIFIED Thy WORD ABOVE ALL Thy Name. (PSALM_138:2 KJB!)

Chapter 119:

6 Respect ALL of It

9 A young man cleanses his way by

taking heed thereto According to God's Word!​

11 Thy Word have I Hid in mine heart,

that I might not sin against Thee!​

16, 35, 47 Delight ( X3 ) in It, And Do Not Forget His Word!

19 Ask God to Not Hide It from you

42 So shall I have wherewith to answer him that

reproaches me: for I Trust in Thy Word! ​

48 Lift God's Word Up, Love It, And Meditate in God's Statutes!

66 Believe It And Ask God To Teach me

good judgment and knowledge...​

67 Keep God's Word

73 Ask God for Understanding to Learn His Commandments

74, 114 Place your Hope in God's Word:

81 for deliverance of your “fainting” soul!​

76 Let, I pray Thee, thy Merciful Kindness be for my comfort

According to Thy Word unto thy servant!​

Psalm_119 : 105 {Acknowledge} Thy Word is A Lamp unto my feet,

And A Light unto my path!​

107 {Know} God's Word Quickens (Revives) in affliction!

127 LOVE God's Word above gold; yea, above fine gold!

131 Let your heart Long for It

140 Love It

161 ...my heart standeth in Awe of Thy Word!

162 I Rejoice at Thy Word, as one that findeth great spoil!

{Acknowledge} For ever, O LORD, Thy Word Is Settled In Heaven!
(Psalm_119 : 89)

---------------------------------

b) The four gospels:​

Matthew_21 : 42
Mark_12 : 10 JESUS Saith…...READ in The Scriptures…...

Matthew-22 : 29
Mark_12 : 24 JESUS Answered...Ye do err, not KNOWing

The Scriptures...neither The Power of God?​

John_20 : 9 For as yet they KNEW not The Scripture,

that HE Must Rise Again From the dead!​

John_2 : 22 ...disciples REMEMBERed that He Had Said...they

BELIEVEd the Scripture...​

John_5 : 39 “SEARCH The Scriptures; for In THEM

ye THINK ye have Eternal Life: and They
Are THEY Which Testify Of ME!” {and find}​

John_7 : 38 “He that BELIEVEth on Me,

As The Scripture Hath Said…”​

John_7 : 42, 19 : 37 “Hath not The Scripture Said?…Another

Scripture Saith... (Hear or Read?)​

-------------------------------------

C) In Romans – Philemon, THE GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD,

For us, who are the believers in This Age, Today: ​

Is it not the saints who are “chosen” vessels, children, heirs,
joint-heirs, soldiers, ambassadors, beloved brethren, standers,
walkers, runners, workers, co-laborers with God, and students
of The Word?

What is all of our Responsibility To handle
The Holy SCRIPTURES Of God Almighty?

“And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to
myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might Learn in us

Not To Think ABOVE That Which Is WRITTEN,

that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.”
(1_Corinthians 4 : 6)

Consider for understanding, what Paul, our pattern, says to us?:

“Consider what I say; and the LORD Give thee understanding in all things.”
(2_Timothy 2:7 KJB!)

If God, The Holy Spirit, Dwells in us, how Prayerfully and
Carefully should we consider This Holy SCRIPTURE?

“Which things also we speak, Not in the words which man’s wisdom
teacheth, But [ In The Words ] Which The Holy Ghost Teacheth;
comparing spiritual things with spiritual (Scriptures)!”
(1_Corinthians 2 : 13)

Should we also KNOW This?:

“For whatsoever things were WRITTEN aforetime were WRITTEN
for our learning, that we through patience And Comfort Of
The SCRIPTURES might have hope!” (Romans_15 : 4)

“In Meekness Instructing Those That Oppose themselves; if God
peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of
The Truth!” (2_Timothy 2: 25)

“And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three
sabbath days reasoned with them out of The SCRIPTURES!”
(Acts_17 : 2)

“These were More Noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they
Received THE WORD With All Readiness Of Mind, and Searched
The SCRIPTURES Daily, {finding out} whether those things were so!”
(Acts_17 : 11)
----------------------------------------
(2) HOW to study It:

"Study to shew thyself Approved Unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, Rightly Dividing The WORD Of Truth!"
(2_Timothy 2:15 KJB!)

Example "studies," IF you wish, are here: #44

Results of Proper “handling And study”?:

“All SCRIPTURE Is Given By Inspiration Of God, And Is PROFITABLE for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that
the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works!”
(2_Timothy 3:16-17 KJB!)
-----------------------------

(3) Using WHAT was studied:

“And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to THE WORD
Of His GRACE, Which Is Able To Build you up, and to give you
an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.”
(Acts_20 : 32 KJB!)

Example of commending?:

# Romans – Philemon {KJB!} = God's GRACE/PEACE Love
Letters Directly TO us Today, For: Consolation, Comfort,
Edification, Enjoyment, Encouragement, And spiritual
Building Up Of All The BLOOD-Washed "members ( saints!" )
In The Body Of CHRIST!, HIS Church, Seated In Heaven!
{Start here, but Always remember: "ALL Scripture Is
Profitable For learning!"} Amen?

===================

Please Be Richly Encouraged, Enlightened, Exhorted, and Edified!
God's Simple Will!

 

[post]

Except the WTS idea of bible knowledge is reading their books telling you what to believe, alongside the Bible, instead of just reading the Bible alone.

I believe they say that if you read the Bible alone, you’ll go into darkness.

Shalom

'WTS' = watchtower society?

 

[post]

To study the who,what,why,when,where,how's of scripture.

Thanks!
That part.
((adds to list))

• Reading the scripture
• Believing it
• Praying for understanding of it
• Delighting in it
• Meditating on it
• Finding Christ testified of in it
• Internalizing it
  
• being taught by the Holy Spirit through it
  
• testing doctrine by it
  
• taking all of it into consideration
• seeking to please God
  
• letting it say what it says
• committing ourselves to it
• Asking questions about it and seeking the answers in it

 

[post]

"Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you." Matt 9:29

No eyesalve applied?

"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." Rev 3:18

So what is 'eyesalve'?
God isn't talking about contact lens solution. Put those verses together and eyesalve seems to be 'His touch' - He is the one who makes the eye that sees ((Proverbs 20:12))

But we should look at every other scripture that talks about the healing of the blind, too, yes?
Even so while all those are related it doesn't mean we ought to - or are safe to - ignore the immediate context of anything.

IMO both you and Curtis have something to add that needs to be considered together. According to the rules for 'what is Bible study' we've been gathering =]

 

[Curtis]

hello Cl,
18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

You still sin while here on earth, that is why Paul commanded us to mortify sin in romans 8 and col3.
The reigning power of sin has been broken, but you are still susceptible to sin ....

22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

he says wretched man that I am....not that i was
[/QUOTE

'WTS' = watchtower society?

Yes. aka WTBTS

 

[Brakelite]

This is a good thread. I would like to add something to the list, how do we study the bible.
Coming to the scriptures with the right attitude. Having a good motive. We can read the Bible at any time, just to fill in time. That's good, but it isn't study. Jesus said as part of His prayer for His people,
KJV John 17:17-19
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

We ought not to study the bible just to gain knowledge... Although that is good also. Sanctification through the word of truth... That is worth our attention. Being made whole. Being made holy. Coming to scripture with a surrendered will and heart that through the scriptures we may be changed. That the truth of scripture, the promises, may become an experiential exercise to affect real life changing patterns of behavior. This is something we need to actively desire. @amadeus I believe was on those track when he quoted "hunger and thirst for righteousness". I think we could add that we should hunger and thirst for truth... Have a love for truth, not just for individual teachings like true doctrine, but have a love and passion for truth as a principle in the life.
My goodness. All that for just one bullet point. I'll let @post summarize the above into an appropriate phrase.

 

[Curtis]

I’ve learned the most by simply repeatedly reading the Bible linearly, particularly the new covenant section from Matthew to Revelation - and the Holy Spirit many times illuminates a scripture that pertains to various doctrines, that I would never have discovered by reading someone’s proof texts, or doing a word search study using key words on that topic.

 

[Robert Gwin]

Except the WTS idea of bible knowledge is reading their books telling you what to believe, alongside the Bible, instead of just reading the Bible alone.

I believe they say that if you read the Bible alone, you’ll go into darkness.

Shalom

What is the assignment given to Christians Curt?