Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Studying Scripture

If I had unlimited time and funds, I would go to seminary.  Not because I wanna be a preacher, but because I love God's Word and would love to understand it at that level. 

Since time and funds are an issue, I would love your suggestions for studying Scripture.  Is there a commentary that you love?  Some other tip or resource that would help me to really dig in, in the comfort of my own home?

I love Beth Moore and her fantastic in depth studies.  I think I'm on my 5th, right now.  She does exactly what I would do, if I knew where and how to do it.  There are certain verses that I would like to be able to understand in the original language, compare key words with how they are used elsewhere, and have a better understanding of the original cultural climate they were written in.

Acts 17:11
Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

I was in a church, many years ago, that tweaked things to suit their (his - the pastor's) liking.  I would really like to have the capability to do what the Bereans did.  If you have any suggestions for examining the Scriptures, I would greatly appreciate them!  Thanks.

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7 comments:

Raising Olives said...

I know that this is would take a serious commitment, but learning Koine Greek would be the very best way to study scripture for yourself. To be able to read and understand the New Testament in the original language with no interpreters between. Of course, Hebrew for the Old Testament.

Our children are currently learning Greek so that, Lord willing, they will have the ability to more thoroughly study and understand God's word.

Blessings,
Kimberly

Joelle said...

If you're wanting to look into the original language, you can pick up a concordance (they usually aren't very expensive). I recommend Strong's Concordance or Young's Concordance. Young's is good, in that it not only tells you what the word means, but it also tells where else in the Bible that word is used. Concordances are immensely helpful for learning what verses mean.
I also recommend contextual study of the Bible. Pick a book and read it straight through several times (preferably around 7 times). By then, you will begin to notice certain themes within the book. Then read each chapter through 7 times and try to understand the theme of the chapter. By this time, you should be able to come up with the theme of the entire book. I took a seminar on how to study the Bible and this was what the speaker recommended. It's helped me and some of my friends to dig deeper into God's Word!
Blessings to you!

Gina said...

What a great question-I totally agree that knowing the original language helps so much-but that is a big commitment.

In the meantime I'd recommend Biblesoft, it's software you can buy for your computer and has lots of commentaries and references. My husband and I both used this in Bible College and still do now. We also frequently visit Crosswalk.com, they've got a lot of commentaries, etc there too.

hope that's helpful!

Donna @ Way More Homemade said...

I highly recommend Bible Study Fellowship if there is a class near you. I, too, love Beth Moore and her studies but started BSF several years ago and won't be stopping any time soon. It's an expositional study through just about the entire Bible over 7 years. Google Bible Study Fellowship International to find the website and see if there is a class near you. I'd love to answer any questions if you have them.

~Donna
waymorehomemade at yahoo dot com

LaVonne said...

Kuddos to you for committing to read the Bible more in depth and learning its valuable truths for yourself. I can only echo the other commenters. I have really enjoyed my Strong's Concordance. Commentaries can be iffy at times since they are a human interpretation of the Bible, but can also be very insightful. I linked your post in my WFMW post. Stop by anytime. And Blessings!

Krista said...

I've used this website with some success when I've had questions about original Hebrew or Greek words in the Bible. It works with many different translations, too--you just tell it which one you want.

http://www.blueletterbible.org/

Rebecca said...

Great question today! And good for me to explore in my own mind, "how is it" that I really do delve into study?

I resonate with Joelle's exhortation to continue reading over and over. And read in other versions! I love my translation for its accuracy, but a paraphrase like The Message tells it in more of a story format, increasing the understanding I can receive. I like to go back and forth between the two so that my knowledge is enhanced each time.

There are also two books, "What the Bible Is All About" and "What the Bible is All About for Young Explorers" that are available. The Young Explorers one has aided our home schooling this year and is a simple, easy-to-understand overview of each book of the Bible. See my review of it at http://turnedloose.blogspot.com/2009/01/book-recommendation.html

Best to you!