Bible Study 101 is your essential guide to understanding and studying the Bible with confidence. Explore my carefully curated reading list.
Bible Study 101: Reading List
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How To Study
Observation: Analyzing Structure
Watch for these things when you’re making an analytical outline.
How to use e-sword as a concordance
One of the basic parts of a word study is finding and comparing the uses of the word in the rest of Scripture. Before the internet, we used a physical concordance. Here’s how to locate quickly accomplish this task using my favorite Bible study software: e-sword.
How to use a concordance
Suppose the internet is down and you want to study your Bible. You want to study the word “blessed” in the beatitudes, but you’ve forgotten how to use your physical concordance. Here’s a refresher.
How to find Strong’s number
Strong’s numbers have become the “industry standard” and many other biblical reference works are keyed to Strong’s numbers. Here’s how to find them.
Word Study Shortcuts
While I recommend you learn how to do your own word studies, here are some shortcuts you can take to save time, to get past “study block” or compare your ideas with someone else’s.
16 things to do while your Bible study is on break
Is your Bible study on break for the holidays? Many studies end before Thanksgiving and don’t resume until January. What can you do over break to stay in the Word? Here are some good ideas.
How to Do an Analytical Outline
An analytical outline is a way of displaying a text of Scripture so that the flow of thought and the relationship between the grammatical parts become clear. It is my favorite study tool and one of the first things I do. Learn how to make one.
5W’s and H
You may have been taught to create a list of questions, using the “5Ws and H” (who, what, when, where, why, how). If you need some help learning how to use the “5Ws and H”, here are some questions to get you started.
How to use context
When learning how to study the Bible, you’ve probably heard the expression “context is king”, meaning context is the arbitrator that rules a particular interpretation valid or not. But how do you use context to decide between possible interpretations?
How to do a word study
Word studies are one of the basic tools of Bible study. With today’s tools, you don’t have to know Greek and Hebrew to do a good word study. Here’s how.
Improve your Bible study in 20 minutes
Want to improve your bible study skills? Got 20 minutes? Listen to the Renewing Your Mind podcast. This week (February 2017) RC Sproul is podcasting from his series “Knowing Scripture”, which covers interpreting and applying Scripture properly. Each podcast lasts about 20 minutes, which is perfect for listening while you drive. Time well spent!