A Simple Way to Study Any Book of the Bible
Sometimes we can make studying the Bible pretty complicated.
But it doesn’t have to be.
Check out this basic guide that can be used to study any book of the Bible. All you need is something to write with, a study bible, and copy of the guide below or a notebook.
Below you’ll see two examples, one with lines and one without. Other than that, they are exactly the same. If you choose to print this out for each book, you might want to get a half inch binder for storing them.
You can also put this same information in a journal or notebook.
Getting Started
Anytime we study a book of the Bible, we need to start with these questions:
1. Who wrote it?
2. When was it written?
3. To whom was it written?
Answering these questions first will help us put the book in perspective and in the context of the writer and the reader. As we read, we will be able to filter our thinking through what we know about the writer, the time period, and the audience in order to gain a more accurate understanding of the book.
We must keep in mind that we are not the original audience, and our thinking may be quite different from those who live 2,000 years ago.
Reading the Book
After answering those questions, we are ready to read. Some books could be read all the way through in one sitting. Other books are quite longer, so you may choose to read the book over several days or read one chapter each day.
Listening to the Bible is a great way to read through a book because it gives you an opportunity to hear how words are pronounced and catch things you might not when reading it yourself. How you choose to read through a book is completely up to you.
After you finish reading each chapter, jot down some notes, write a sentence or draw a picture of what happened. This information will be useful when writing about the book as a whole.
Write the Main Idea
The last thing to do is write the main idea or summary of the book. This is when
all those notes from each chapter come in handy. Reread your notes, looking for commonalities or repetitions, and then use that information to write a sentence or two about the book as whole. The main idea can be as simple or as detailed as you want to to be.
That’s it. That’s all there is to it.
You can use this method in a Bible study group, by yourself, with your family or as your homeschool curriculum. After you have completed each book, put the handout in a 1/2 inch binder to keep as a reference for studying each book in more detail later.
Keep in mind that as you study, you don’t have to know what every detail in a book means, but if you need help, a study Bible is a great resource. A Bible dictionary can also be useful for a more contextual understanding of words found in Scripture.
Is this method helpful to you? Be sure to share this with a friend, and comment below to tell me how your Bible study is going.
