“And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”

-Deuteronomy 8:3, ESV

If Christians must live by every word of Scripture as this verse states, it naturally follows that we should be as zealous to regularly study and understand Scripture as we are to regularly consume food. All Christians need to understand how to read and study the Bible in order to accurately interpret it and apply it to their lives. What follows is a brief synopsis of the most important factors of good bible study. Books can be (and have been) written about this subject, so this is by no means exhaustive, but I hope believers will find it useful in helping them to understand, obey, and love the Bible in its entirety. This will generally follow the model of observation then interpretation then application as espoused by Howard Hendricks in Living By the Book.

Never Read a Bible Verse

In his booklet called Never Read a Bible Verse, Gregory Koukl highlighted the importance of reading Scripture in its proper context. Indeed, many cults and heresies have started by people taking verses out of context. One of the most notorious examples in our day is Philippians 4:13 (“I can do all things…”), with Jeremiah 29:11 (the “graduation verse”) not far behind. By not understanding the context of these verses, people often misinterpret and thus misapply them. The former specifically refers to Paul’s contentment whether he as in need or had adequate resources (the subject of Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs’ book The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment). The latter is part of a letter to Jewish exiles in Babylon stating that God would not rescue them in that generation, so they needed to establish normal lives and trust in God and His timing. There are many other such examples I could mention, but the point is that context is king in Bible study just as location is king in real estate.

Therefore, Koukl extolls the rule of never reading a single verse, as it is so easy to take a verse out of context. Instead, it is vital to understand the context of any verse before trying to interpret it. After all, verse divisions were added in the sixteenth century to aid in referencing and memorization, for which they are extremely helpful. However, they can divide the text at unnatural points, breaking up the natural flow of the passage. In truth, all of the books of the Bible are meant to be read in their entirety…or at least in large chunks. Whenever we study Scripture, we must use the context along with the content of the passage itself to properly interpret it before we can apply it to our lives.

So whenever studying a passage, it is good to start by reading the entire section or book. Shorter books can be read in one sitting, but you will need to choose a section of longer books. The only exception to this is Proverbs 10-30, where many verses are meant to stand on their own. Still, it is vital to understand Proverbs 1-9 to get the proper context of all that follows them, as the standalone proverbs are in the context of various underlying themes introduced in the opening chapters. Many psalms can also be read alone, but some (such as Psalms 42-43 and the Songs of Ascent) should be read together. For the example of Romans 8:28 I will use later on, I would read at least Romans 6-8. Once you understand the context, you can begin studying the passage. While a paraphrase (like The Message or The Living Bible) can be helpful for this initial step, intense study requires a more literal translation like the English Standard Version or the New American Standard Bible. The New International Version strikes a balance between these. A synopsis of various translations and paraphrases can be found here.

Observation

The first step to proper Bible study is observation. Observe everything you can about the passage itself as well as its context and how it fits into the rest of Scripture. This is vital for proper interpretation. Toward this end, it is best to ask numerous questions of the text then answer them using (in order of precedence) the text itself, related texts, and other trusted resources. After reading the passage in its context, read the particular passage several times. In the process, ask any questions that come to mind from the text. General questions that should be asked of any text include:

• Who is the author of the passage and what was his intent?
• Who is the audience of the passage and what is the historical context in which they lived?
• What does this passage teach us about God? About man? About the world?
• How does this passage point to Christ?

Supplement these questions with specific questions that come to mind from as you read the text. For example, let’s take another often-misinterpreted verse, Romans 8:28:

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

-Romans 8:28, ESV

For this verse, questions might include:

• Why does Paul begin the verse with “and”? What is he linking this verse to?
• How do we know that all things work for good?
• Who are “those who love God”?
• What does it mean to love God?
• What is the meaning of “all things” in this context?
• How to all things work together for good?
• What is the definition of “good” in this context?
• Who are “those who are called”?
• How do we know if we are called?
• What is God’s purpose?

After asking these questions, it is important to understand the passage as it relates to the rest of Scripture. All of Scripture is a single, unified story of God’s redemptive work, following the general themes of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. Every passage of Scripture somehow fits into that structure. Since Scripture is infallible, it naturally follows that it is non-contradictory. Therefore, through studying the whole of Scripture you can answer your questions, leading to proper interpretation of the passage not as what it means to you (that would be application) but what it means objectively.

Interpretation

Once you have observed everything you can about the passage in its specific context, you can interpret it correctly. First, it is vital to remember that the only infallible interpreter of Scripture is Scripture itself. Therefore, if the passage is interpreted in another part of Scripture, that interpretation is correct. This is especially helpful when we come across passages that are difficult to interpret. In these cases, we need to use the more clear passages of Scripture to help us interpret the less clear passages. The inverse has led to many cults and heresies. An example of Scripture interpreting Scripture would be how Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4 in his thesis statement of Romans:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.””

-Romans 1:16-17, ESV

In doing so, Paul is interpreting Habakkuk 2:4 as referring to how the righteousness of God comes by faith. Thus, any study of Habakkuk 2:4 should include Romans 1:16-17. Whenever you come across one of these citations, it is important to read the cited passage in its proper context to inform your interpretation of the passage citing it.

Citations are just one form of cross-references, which are extremely useful and can be found in any good study bible. This allows you to view related passages of Scripture to see how a concept is portrayed in Scripture throughout redemptive history. For our Romans 8:28 example, the ESV Bible in the Olive Tree app lists Ezra 8:22, Ecclesiastes 8:12, Romans 9:24, 1 Corinthians 1:9, 7:15, and 17, Galatians 1:15 and 5:8, Ephesians 4:1 and 4, and 2 Timothy 1:9 as cross references. Therefore, an adequate study of Romans 8:28 would involve studying all of these verses in their proper context as well.

Other parts of the passage itself are also key to interpretation, as many passages are part of a larger argument the author is trying to make. Pay special attention to linking words, like for, therefore, and, but, because, etc. When you find these words, pay close attention to the verses before and after them. This is true in our example of Romans 8:28, which begins with “and” linking it to the previous verses and is followed by “for” continuing the flow of Paul’s argument. Like much of Paul’s writings, the immediate context of Romans 8:28 is full of such linking words. In the case of Romans 8, this is all part of a single argument starting in chapter 1, underscoring the importance of understanding the broader contest of any passage.

Word studies are also helpful for interpretation. It can be helpful to search the Bible for the English word in question, especially with names. For example, when God tells the Jews through Jeremiah to observe what He did to Shiloh in Jeremiah 7:14, we should search for “Shiloh” and read the associated passages, like 1 Samuel 1-4 and Psalm 78. Sometimes a Hebrew or Greek word is translated as different English words in different passages based on context, so in most cases it is best to use a good concordance or lexicon for this, though a Bible app with Strong’s numbers or the Literal Word app can also be used. These show you the Hebrew or Greek word used in the passage and point to other places that word is used in Scripture.

Commentaries, whether part of a good study bible or standalone, can also be helpful in providing the overall context of the book and passage as well as how it has been interpreted throughout church history. Since the church has been studying Scripture for two thousand years, an interpretation that cannot be consistently traced through church history is most likely incorrect. Since commentaries are not Scripture, it is important to remember that they are fallible. Therefore, only use commentaries from trusted sources and ensure you have put in the effort to understand the passage yourself before consulting commentaries.

In all of this, it is vitally important to remember that the Bible was written for all saints throughout time–and therefore it was written for you–but each passage was written to specific people living in specific times, places, and circumstances. The passage does not have different meanings for different people but has one meaning for all people. This means that what it meant to the original audience is what it means to us, even if the original audience did not interpret it correctly. Even though we are blessed to have a clearer view of any passage of Scripture because we have the whole of Scripture, we are also far enough removed from its original context that we must be extra diligent to ensure we interpret Scripture with the primary audience in mind. Finally, we must also take the genre of the passage into consideration, including the descriptive rather than prescriptive nature of narratives, the different categories of law (moral, ceremonial, and civil), the metaphorical nature of poetry and prophecy, the generality of wisdom literature, and the specific contextual situations of epistles.

Application

Only after you have determined what the passage means can you apply it to your life. Application before interpretation has led to many false interpretations. This is how passages get distorted to apply to us in ways they were never meant to apply, such as applying David and Goliath to our personal struggles or using Jeremiah 29:11 at graduation. Remember that the Bible was written for us not to us, so proper application can only begin after proper interpretation is complete. Once the passage is properly interpreted, it can be applied to various aspects of life in various ways. One application of Romans 8:28 (when combined with verses 29-30) may be to give hope to a believer who is suffering by pointing out that God will ultimately use whatever evil they face (be it fighting their own sin, enduring the shame from others’ sin, or suffering in a world fallen because of sin) for the purpose of their sanctification and ultimate glorification. A related application would be that we should not grumble or lose hope when we face various trials, as such a reaction would show a distrust in God and His purposes that are infinitely better than ours. Whatever the application, it is vital that we not only read and understand the Bible but that we obey the Bible in everything.

Depend on the Holy Spirit

Finally, it is important to note that it is impossible to adequately study and understand Scripture apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. The inspiration of Scripture means that He is its original author who truly understands its meaning and helps us to understand it. Without the Holy Spirit working in us to illuminate the true meaning of Scripture, our understanding is clouded such that we cannot properly understand it, just as the Jews read and memorized the Messianic prophecies but missed the Messiah when He was standing in front of them. Therefore, whenever we study Scripture we need to pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal its meaning to us and thereby reveal more of the truth about God and ourselves it contains. Yet the Holy Spirit is pleased to work through our diligent study, so every Christian must work to study and understand Scripture while also relying on the help of the Holy Spirit. It is impossible for us as finite humans to exhaust the infinite riches that God has buried in Scripture for us to find and thereby enrich our spiritual lives, so start digging today and never stop!