Study

1. Why study (what is study)?

Ecclesiastes 1:13 –
i. Dictionary.com defines study as: application of the mind to the acquisition of knowledge, as by reading,
investigation, or reflection.
ii. Daniel 1:17 – Daniel’s studies follow this definition.
2. What are the benefits of study?
a. 2 Timothy 2:15 –
i. So that you can correctly handle the Word of truth.
b. Hebrews 4:12 –
i. So that you can remove deception in your life by allowing the Word to judge you.
c. Hosea 4:6 –
i. To avoid destruction.
d. 2 Timothy 4:2-3 –
i. To be prepared and avoid false teachers and complacency.
ii. 2 Peter 2:1-3 – realize that without study you’re beliefs will be composed of things you’ve heard others tell
you. Are you a Christian only because someone told you about Jesus? Or are you a Christian because you
know Jesus personally?
iii. Acts 17:10-11 – The Bereans only believed after checking for themselves, this is a smart thing to do.
3. What should be avoided in study?
a. Ecclesiastes 12:11-12 –
i. We’re warned against studying material that lacks truth.
ii. We’re warned against excessive study (why? Excessive study is wearisome – you get burnt out, find the
middle ground between laziness and hyperactivity. Also, sometimes the simple answer is the right one –
sometimes we over think a question or verse).
b. John 5:37-40 –
i. Study must become more than head knowledge – learn it then live it. The Pharisees are said to have
studied the Scriptures diligently, and yet Jesus says that the Word of God didn’t dwell in them.
ii. 2 Timothy 3:7 – always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth (study with meditation and prayer
– our definition mentions how study includes reflection).
4. What are the types of Bible study?
a. Two broad categories –
i. Expository: think of an expo (display), or think expound (explain). You take a section of verses and
explain it using good exegesis and hermeneutics.
1. To do expository study –
a. Determine who’s speaking?
b. Who is the speaker speaking to?
c. What is the background for the scene? (Including historical setting, events, landscape,
etc.).
d. What is the culture like?
ii. Topical: Think topic (e.g., love). You take scattered verses that all relate to the same topic.
1. To do topical study –
a. Determine who’s speaking?
b. Who is the speaker speaking to?
c. What is the context of the verse?
5. What tools are available for use during study?
a. Bible –
i. Good versions to use: ESV, NIV, NKJV, NASB – find a version that isn’t paraphrased.
ii. Look at the original Hebrew and Greek; look at the Bible in another language if you know it.
iii. Multimedia –
1. E-Sword, Biblegateway.com (plethora of information available), blueletterBible.org.
b. Extrabiblical –
i. Google search, Jewish encyclopedia
ii. Books from solid teachers, Christians from the past, people who have studied, read church history