BIBLE STUDY METHOD

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of Christian Bible study is to be able to know the exact meanings and teachings of the Bible so that we can apply them to our daily lives, because the Bible is the cornerstone of Christian life. For us, studying the Bible is not just a duty, but it is a delight that equips us to navigate life’s chaos with purpose.

All Christians know that God is the Creator of mankind and has loved mankind by sending Jesus Christ to be born into the world to die on the cross to redeem mankind from the bondage of sin and to be able to receive eternal life in the future. But it is worth noting that with such great and immense love, God has only given mankind one thing through which mankind can build faith in Him and in the redemption of Christ. That one thing is the Bible. Apart from that, God has given mankind nothing else by which we can clearly know His love. Therefore the Bible is the ultimate love letter from God. In a world full of distractions and half-truths, the Scriptures stand alone as a clear, unwavering voice detailing not just what God has done, but why and how we should respond to God’s love.

Although mankind can perceive the presence of the Creator through the universe (Psalm 19: 1), nature (Lu-ca 12: 27) and through the wonders of our own bodies (Psalm 139: 14), the Bible is the only thing that presents in detail about God and His love. Therefore, for Christians, knowing how to use the Bible is more important than any other work in this life, because through the Bible we can know the will of God to follow so that we can be saved and enjoy eternal life, as Jesus said (Matthew 7:21). Therefore, knowing how to use the Bible properly to learn the truths contained in it is of great importance for Christians.

One thing that all Christians can see is that although there is only one Bible, belief in God and in Jesus Christ is divided into many different churches, many denominations, not only in ritual and administrative organization, but also in doctrine. The reason why this happens is because each church wants to interpret the Bible in the way that they sees most suitable and correct according to their own personal views, not according to God’s views. From this, a question arises about what is the most correct way to interpret the Bible. Since the time of the Apostles until today, no one has dared to claim that their interpretation of the Bible is the most correct, but on the other hand, there are many people who claim that their interpretation of the Bible is more correct than others. The difference and also the notable problem is that everyone is more correct and no one is the most correct. So in this article we will present a method that Christians can examine, try, comment on, and determine whether it is correct or not (1Thessalonians 5: 21, Acts 15), and then apply it to our own Bible study so that we can hopefully come to a unified result.

THE PURPOSES OF THE BIBLE

But before presenting that method, every Christian needs to know clearly about the purposes of the Bible, that is, for what reason the Bible was written, because those things will be used as the main basis for meditating and learning about the words of God recorded in the Bible. This is the most important point that needs to be clearly determined before one wants to learn about the meanings in the words of God. The first and most important purpose of the Bible is that the Bible was written to glorify God. According to the Bible, everything created in this universe, from human beings to nature and all things and all creatures, is aimed at the purpose of glorifying Jehovah (1 Chronicles 16:24, Psalm 19:1, Romans 11:36). Because the primary and most important goal is to glorify God, the Bible teaches that Christians must live and act according to that principle (1 Corinthians 10:31). We can see that when eating and drinking, which is a daily routine for humans due to physical needs, must be done in the best way possible to give glory to God, how much more so with other important tasks, such as preaching, witnessing, and especially studying the Bible.

The second purpose of the Bible is to reveal God Himself to mankind (John 1: 18, 17: 3, Colossians 1:10, Ephesians 4:13). God is so supreme that if we were left to try to understand God on our own, we would never know Him clearly and correctly. The religions of this world tend to seek the Creator, but they all have very wrong views about Him. This happens because the human mind and ability cannot possibly understand God and His divine nature. That is why God uses the Bible to reveal Himself to mankind so that we can believe in Him, seek Him, and meet Him in the future.

The third purpose of the Bible is to reveal to mankind the reason why we are on this Earth, to know the true goal of human life and how to be at peace, happy, and satisfied both in this life and the next (Genesis 1: 26-28, Ecclesiastes 12: 13, Micah 6:8). Because if we know about God, especially about His will and His plan related to humanity, but do not know the best way to live happily, peacefully, and to meet the Creator in the future joyfully (Philippians 4: 7, Matthew 22: 37-40, Hebrews 12: 1-2), then even if we know the other two purposes of the Bible, they will not be of any use at all. Therefore, Christians need to always remember these three purposes of the Bible so that every time we meditate and study the Bible, we will receive the most correct answers and explanations from God.

EXPLAINING THE WORD OF GOD

Usually, people interpret the word of God by picking up a verse of the Bible that they think is easy to understand, and then use their imagination, or their academic ability, or their degrees, or their long experience, or the books they have read, or their position in the church or in society to interpret that verse of the Bible. Such interpretations cause the word of God, although it is only one, to have many different ideas, to advocate many different doctrines, and to guide people to go down different paths and even to believe things that are completely contrary to the truths in the Bible.

Such interpretation of the Bible is based on one’s own ideas and abilities. Those who do so are often lazy, or proud of their own abilities, or ignorant of God and forget that God’s thoughts and ways are far above human abilities, as high as the heavens are above the earth (Isaiah 55:8-9). That means that humans cannot possibly understand God and the mysterious meanings in His words. Even if a person has thousands of doctoral degrees, that ability can only be considered a sand castle on the beach, quickly disintegrating with the tide. The arrogance in human life makes many people think that with just a few degrees they have obtained from school are enough to understand and explain the ideas in God’s words recorded in the Bible. Those who think like this show that their faith in an all-powerful and all-wise God is very small, so small that they think that with human ability they can understand God, not remembering that all mankind is but a speck of dust on God’s scales.

(to be continued)