I’m a nerd. I know it. I own it.

That means I’m the girl who always loved school. Office supplies make me giddy. If I’m interested in the topic, I’ll research and study. I love the rush of a good test or quiz, and, yes, I even enjoy writing papers. That’s just me.

So, of course, the same rule applies to Bible Study. I can dig into a commentary and revel in studying the original Greek (because I’m a language nerd, too – it’s bad, y’all). I’m the kind of girl who was never satisfied with a surface-level devotional – and I tried many. But having one token verse to read each day with a loosely related anecdote or life application nugget was just never enough for me. I wanted MEAT. I wanted SUBSTANCE.

Now, that’s not to say devotions don’t have their place. Many well-grounded, Bible-loving Jesus followers can really drink from the well of a solid life-application devotional. But I still believe that in-depth study of the Bible is what will feed true spiritual growth. It’s crucial that followers of Christ know the Word of God.

And I know not everyone is me – the idea of sitting down with a Bible, a notebook, and maybe a commentary sends chills down some spines and causes sweat to bead up on some brows.

I understand.

But I really want to make it easier for even those who have never enjoyed the word “study” and have never longed to jot endless hours of notes.

Thus this series on How to Study the Bible.

In this first installment we’ll discuss book studies – and by that I mean sitting down, on your own, to study through a single book of the Bible. This is the best method for truly grasping the context of Scripture – because single verses can be powerful, but it’s so important to know where that verse is coming from and why it’s in the Bible at all.

But the first step to studying a Book of the Bible is to consider its background.

In the weekly Bible Study I’m privileged to participate in, we, as a group, always devote an entire week into background study before diving into a fresh book. The Bible wasn’t written in a vacuum. It involved real-life people in real-life places facing real-life issues. And it’s important to understand all of these to really grasp what you’re reading.

Much of this information can be found in any good Study Bible – just open up to the introduction to the book and read that, taking notes to help it cement itself in your mind (use my FREE worksheet to help!). If you don’t have a Study Bible (though I recommend you get one, such as the ESV or CSB Study Bibles), dig around online at BibleGateway.com or BlueLetterBible.com. Both have great free commentaries you can read, and both have apps you can use right on your phone!

These are the things you’ll need to consider as you study:

1. Choose a book. This seems basic, but clearly it’s the first step. If you’re new to Bible Study, I’d suggest starting in the New Testament, as New Testament books tend to be shorter, and we don’t want to overwhelm ourselves! If you’re a new believer, I highly recommend starting in John, because John gives a really good understanding of Jesus’s works and teaching. If you’re really interested in studying through the whole Bible, it’s going to take awhile, but you can absolutely go start at the very beginning – Genesis has SO MUCH good stuff to pull out!
3. Materials. As mentioned above, I highly recommend a solid Study Bible – if you don’t want to throw out your back, have a more basic Bible to carry to church and leave the Study Bible in your own little study corner at home. In this corner, also keep a journal (or a binder – download my FREE Bible Study Background Worksheet, it’s ready to be 3-hole punched and slipped into a binder!), and a pen, and if you want to be super fancy, a candle, because we want this to be your happy place!
4. Genre. Determine the genre of the book you’re studying. Is it a New Testament letter? A gospel? Historical Narrative? Prophecy? Apocalyptic (this would be primarily if you’re studying Revelation, which may not be the best choice if you’re just getting your feet wet 😉 )?
5. Author. As you begin sketching out the background of the book you’d like to study, determine who the author of the book is. It’s not always who we might assume! As you consider the author, look into when the book was written and where the author was at the time of writing. This information is not always known and THAT’S OK! But write down what you can discover.
6. Audience. Who was the author writing this down for? Much of the Old Testament was written to document the history of the people of Israel. The New Testament letters were typically written to specific churches or individuals. Who was meant to read this? Where were they located? Why was the author writing to them?
7. Historical Context. What do you know, or can you discover, about what was happening historically around the time this book was written (or written about)? For Old Testament historical narrative books, look into the other books around it to see what happened before and after. For prophecy, what was happening in the nation of Israel; who was kin;, or where were they located at the time? Were they one nation or two? For New Testament letters, what can you discover about the church’s or individual’s location and what the culture was like in that city? Further, discover more of what you can about the author and his story. Again, the Bible wasn’t written in a vacuum and the historical context will give you a much better understanding of the words you’re reading!
8. Related Reading. Is the book you’re studying closely related to another book? Are there parallel passages in another Biblical book, or is there a book of prophecy linked to the one you’re reading? If so, write these down and maybe consider digging into those next, after you finish studying through this book.
9. Key Verses. Some verses will be very instrumental in understanding the main idea of the book or certain chapters within the book. Does your study bible or commentary point to any particular verses that serve as a thesis statement for the author? If so, write these down! (Or write them down as you discover them later in your study.)

Like I said, in my weekly Bible Study group, we sometimes take a week on background alone, so if all of this feels super overwhelming to you, don’t feel the need to dig into all this information in one sitting. Maybe one day you’ll look into the author and what you can discover about him. The next day consider the audience. Another day look at historical context.

Bible Study is not a sprint, by any means. It is a marathon, or, maybe, really, a pentathalon – one that never truly ends. It’s not going to look the same in all seasons of your life and sometimes it will be easier than others. Just keep pushing. Especially when you’re sitting down to study an entire book of the Bible, it’s going to take time. But that’s ok and it’s good. The time you spend in God’s Word will always be a worthy investment.

In fact, I’ve heard that exact analogy before – don’t look at your regular time in God’s Word as a checking account from which you are regularly taking withdrawals and only feeling its value if you “got something good” out of it. Consider your Bible Study time as a savings account – you are making regular deposits, investments, of your time, energy, and intellect, and over time you will have a wealth of knowledge and encouragement stored up. And when life gets rough, you will have the Word of God hidden in your heart, ready to lift you up or to offer encouragement to others.

I’m looking forward to going on this journey with you!

Need some help organizing your thoughts?!

Click HERE to grab my FREE Book Study Background Worksheet!!!