Different ways to study the Bible to learn more from it …

Doing the same thing the same way can cause whatever you’re doing to become stagnant and very limiting.

That includes how you approach learning the Bible.

The two most common ways people try to learn from scripture are to simply read it (that’s good, but very limiting), and to use a devotional book (which has very little scripture and often makes a person reliant on what an author writes).

If you want to learn more from your time with the Bible, and even enjoy it more, then mix it up! Try varying approaches to how you learn from the Bible. Here are just 10 ways you can dive deeper into learning from time in the Bible:

Study it. Reading the Bible is valuable and should be a life-long practice, but so should studying it. I think many people confuse reading the Bible with being the same thing as studying it, but the two are not the same. You can read the Bible like reading any book and gain benefit from it, but you’ll never plumb its depths and really learn in a significant way without studying it. Making time for in-depth study will significantly improve your knowledge and understanding of scripture. Having a few study resources, such as a concordance, Bible dictionary, and a reliable commentary are a few basic tools (all of which you can find online if you don’t want to buy print copies) that can help you begin to study scripture rather than just read it. There are numerous resources available to teach you different approaches to studying the Bible, from asking a church leader or more mature Christian to teach you how to study scripture, to a plethora of books and online articles and blogs all detailing ways to study scripture. It’s easy to learn how to study scripture, which makes your ability to study the scriptures something you can do if you only choose to.

Recruit a study partner. Having a study partner can help you ask questions of scripture you didn’t think of and be a help to find answers to what you don’t initially understand. Studying with your spouse or family can not only deepen your knowledge and understanding of scripture but nurture your marriage and help disciple your children at the same time.

Listen to an audio Bible. We process information differently when we listen than when we read. Audio Bibles are easily available and can be as simple as a single reader taking you through scripture, to more highly produced and dramatized audio renditions of the Bible. Adding listening to scripture to your reading and studying of it can help keep your time in the Word fresh and provide new insights in understanding.

Read it aloud. Again, our minds process information that we speak differently than when we just read. You may have had a time when you needed to emphasize something to yourself and to do that you spoke “out loud” to yourself. Reading scripture aloud does the same thing, bringing new levels of emphasis that can bring new insights and deepen understanding.

Write it. Many people have reported profound experiences from writing out scripture. That’s because writing scripture engages our mind and senses all at once in a way reading doesn’t do. Try this method and see how it may broaden your experience with scripture.

Memorize it. The Bible was never intended to be just a book we read, but one we internalize, and are both informed and transformed by. We experience the power and impact of the Bible when we internalize it to the degree of memorizing it, filling our minds with it!

Build mastery of a book. No one can ever master the entire Bible, but in addition to studying all of scripture (a necessary thing for every follower of Christ), there can be great benefit and enjoyment in working on building mastery of a specific book of the Bible. The Gospel of Matthew and the book of Ephesians are my two favorite books of the Bible, so I spend extra time building knowledge and understanding from those two books in addition to my overall Bible study. You may find great enjoyment picking a book to work at building mastery with.

Topical studies. If you really want to dig deep in your understanding of scripture, you’ll need to go beyond just reading the books of the Bible to also giving focused study of different biblical topics. One of the most profitable and profound topical studies you could conduct is studying what the Bible says about the character of God. There are no limits to helpful and beneficial topical studies, such as the life of Christ, the doctrines of the Bible, or doing your own “What the Bible says about …” series of studies from a variety of topics you want to learn what the Bible says about. When I planted a church, one of the most popular teaching series we went through was taking single-word Bible terms and studying them, so we learned what the Bible taught about justice, mercy, grace, atonement, ransom, reconciliation, justification, sanctification, adoption, redemption, and propitiation. The lesson on propitiation was very popular because most of the people were not familiar with the word (or could hardly spell it!) but were moved profoundly by learning about it.

Build your familiarity with the Bible. Learning more about the structure and content of the Bible makes studying it and using it easier. This might include things like memorizing the books of the Bible in order, learning a basic understanding of the outline and content of each book, or doing a series of studies on the different characters (people) of the Bible.

Learn the different genres of scripture. The Bible is made up of different genres of literature. You can’t properly understand the scripture you’re reading or studying if you don’t understand what genre of literature you’re in.

Just reading the Bible limits what we can learn from it, and for many people eventually becomes dull. Keep your time with the Bible fresh and vibrant by changing up your approaches to learning from it. Doing so can create a lifelong desire and interest in reading, studying, learning from, and growing through time in the Word.

Scotty