Reading the Bible is one of the most important things you can ever do. We must make the the studying of the Bible a priority in our lives because it is through this discipline that God transforms our lives.
Quote: “The Bible—know it in your head; stow it in your heart; show it in your life; sow it in the world.”
Here’s a few tips to assist you in your journey through the Bible:
- Begin with Prayer: John 16:12-15, Ephesians 1:14-18; Psalm 119:1,81 Corinthians 2:11-14; John14:26
- Read the Bible: Nehemiah 8:1-3
- Study the Bible: Nehemiah 8:7-8,
- Meditate (bring to mind, consider over and over) upon the Bible: Deuteronomy 6:6-9, Psalm 1
- Read what others have written: Every student of the Bible should use commentaries, a concordance which will prove invaluable e.g. Young’s concordance, Strong’s concordance,
or Cruden’s. A good Bible dictionary is a must e.g. Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Vines Complete Expository Bible Dictionary. - Obey the Bible: Romans 1:5, Romans 16:26
- Pass the Bible on to others: Hebrews 10:25, Romans 12:7
The gospel is written a chapter a day
By deeds that you do and words that you say.
Men read what you say whether faithless or true.
Say, what is the gospel according to you?
(Author Unknown)
How to Study Each Chapter
Locate:
1 – The theme
2 – The most important verse
3 – The most prominent word
4 – The teaching about Christ
5 – The command to obey
6 – The promise to claim
7 – The new truth learned
Books of the Bible
PENTATEUCH (First Five Books of the Bible – Jewish name ‘Torah’)
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers (Called Arithmoi in the Septuagint (Greek version of OT), meaning “arithmetic”)
Deuteronomy (The Book of Experience and Obedience)
HISTORY
Joshua ( name means ‘Jehovah is Salvation’)
Judges (A Philosophy of History)
Ruth (Addendum to the book of Judges)
1&2 Samuel
1&2 Kings
1&2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
POETRY
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
MAJOR PROPHETS
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
MINOR PROPHETS
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
GOSPELS
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
HISTORY
Acts
EPISTLES
Romans
1&2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1&2 Thessalonians
1&2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1&2 Peter
1-3 John
Jude
PROPHECY
Revelation
List of a few formal biblical terminology and their meaning:
- Theology – Teaching about God
- Christology – Teaching about Christ
- Pneumatology – Teaching about the Holy Spirit
- Anthropology – Teaching about man
- Soteriology – Teaching about Salvation
- Ecclesiology – Teaching about the Church
- Eschatology – Teaching about the future
- Hermeneutics – The principles and task by which the meaning of the Bible text is determined
- Exegesis – The determination of the meaning of the biblical text in its historical and literary contexts
- Homiletics – The principles and task by which the meaning and relevance of biblical text are communicated in a preaching situation.
- Doctrine – means what the Bible teaches
- Septuagint – Greek version of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)