The purpose of Bible study is the growth of your knowledge of God, and His ways; and a deepening of your worship of Him. An added benefit is that as you come to know Him, you’ll come to understand yourself, as well.
THE 3 QUESTION BIBLE STUDY METHOD
Pray for God to guide your study, to show you new things and give you new understanding as you read and study His Word.
Get a journal (any kind of notebook will do.) Dedicate it to writing what you learn from the Bible.
Pick out a short passage of scripture (5-6 verses a day) and read it. Example: Genesis 1:1-5 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning–the first day.
Question 1: What is the passage about?
Write down a list of the facts of the content of the passage. For example who are the people, if any? What are they doing? Where does it take place? When? Etc.
Try to write a brief sentence summarizing the content of the passage. Example: v.1: beginning – God – created – heavens – earth v.2: earth formless – empty – darkness over surface of deep – Spirit of God hovering over waters v.3: God said – Let there be light – light v.4: God saw light good – separated light from darkness v.5: God called light day – darkness night – evening – morning -first day In the beginning God saw light as good when He created and spoke light onto the dark earth.
Question 2: What do you learn from this passage?
Ask yourself questions like the following: Is there a warning, a command, a promise? Is there an example to follow or an example not to follow? What is the main truth of this passage? Is there a lesson or principle that is a universal truth? Why is this passage in Scripture? Why did God put this passage in the Bible? What dos this passage reveal about the character of God (His attributes, ways of relating to people, emotions, His views about something, reasons to love Him more, etc.) Are there specific things for which to pray? Is there a new thought to me? An encouraging thought? etc.
Not all of the above things will be in every passage you study. You may have other questions that come to your mind as you read. These are only suggestions to get you started. Write down your conclusions. Concentrate on one or two (maybe three) things that are especially meaningful to you personally. Example: God creates things and is able to speak things into existence; God judges things as good or bad; before God spoke over the earth it was formless and empty; It was when God separated light from darkness that He created the first day.
Question 3: How can I apply what I learned to my life? Be specific and directive. Don’t be easy on yourself. Make the question “nail you.” Ask yourself a personal question that demands action, i.e.: NOT “will I spend more time in God’s Word?” BUT “How (or when) can I set aside time to study God’s Word?”
Then write the answer to your question i.e.: “By setting aside the time from 8:30 – 9:00 a.m. daily to read one passage (chapter, section, etc.) of Scripture and to write out the facts, lessons and practical applications I discover there.”
Examples:
In what ways do I create good and bad things when I speak?
In what areas do I need to ask God to separate light and darkness in my life?
In what way can my life be compared to the story of creation where God brought light to the formless and dark earth, allowing Him to see it as good?
Summary:
Question1: What Does it say?
Question 2: What Does it mean?
Question 3: What Does it mean to me? Your study must be structured.
You cannot just jump into a passage without knowing what’s going on in the history and with the characters so study the bible in order.
Choose a book and study the entire book. Do not jump around. Ask God for where to begin.