What NOT To Do When Studying The Bible

bible study May 01, 2019

I have been reading some form of the Bible since I was a kid, and have been studying the Bible for most of my adult life to this point. Over time, I have probably made each one of these mistakes. Here are a few things to watch out for when studying the Bible.

WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN STUDYING THE BIBLE

TAKE VERSES OUT OF CONTEXT.

One of the most common verses taken out of context is Jeremiah 29:11. I am sure you have seen it on a graduation card somewhere. It says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Now this is a great promise, but it was a promise for the people of Israel that were in exile at the specific time this was written. It is not a blanket statement for all of us. I KNOW that I have quoted this verse incorrectly in the past, but as I seek to get better at Bible study, I don’t want to take verses out of context, but instead want to seek out what they meant for the original audience when it was written.

SKIP OVER WHOLE SECTIONS.

When we are reading the Bible, we can’t just skip over a passage because it is hard, or it says something we don’t like. We shouldn’t even skip over a passage simply because it is boring (guilty). We should instead seek to understand scripture as a whole. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,” and if all scripture is inspired by God, then we should study all scripture.

LOOK FOR WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT YOU, INSTEAD OF WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT GOD.

Have you ever looked to the Bible to give you an answer to a question you have about your life? I know that I have, especially with the question, “what should I do with my life?” But in reality, the Bible is not a book about me. It is not a book about you. It is a book about God. So as we read the Bible, we should be looking to see what God says about Himself. Does that mean He won’t tell us what to do, or how to live our lives through His Word? Absolutely not! But it does mean that we should read our Bible with the objective to get to know Him better!

MISS OUT ON THE BIG PICTURE OF SCRIPTURE.

All of scripture points to one thing, and that one thing is Jesus. All of it. When we miss out on the bigger picture of Jesus in the smaller stories in the Bible, we miss out on so much that God is teaching us about Himself. There is so much we can learn about God through His Word, and the overarching story of Scripture, and I want to soak up as much of Him as I possibly can! This stuff is too important to miss out on.

Over the years, I have made so many mistakes when reading and studying the Bible. But we do not have a God who sits on a school tallying up our mistakes. He waits for the opportunity to lavish us with even greater grace. What an amazing God we get to learn about through Scripture!

Have you made any mistakes when studying the Bible?