Do You Need a Bible Study Refresh?

 



Happy New Year!!! (Are we still saying HNY?)

Let’s just go with it :) We’re at the top of a new year, and for many, this time represents an opportunity to start over, create new habits, revisit old ones, and refresh what didn’t quite stick during the last season. Discussions on and off social media are filled with declarations and promises of upgrades and improvements. And I respect it, no sarcasm. We all have areas in our lives that we have either completely dropped, neglected, or need some life (fresh perspective) breathed into them. Living spaces, closets, work offices, our health, our minds, or our image/aesthetic all may come to mind when pondering the new year and the changes that need to be implemented. They are all important, full stop. I don’t have the space to discuss how each of those aspects of our lives deserves intention and attention. However, I’d like to suggest that there are quieter, less overt spaces in our lives that may need revitalization. For believers, I’d like to throw another hat in the ring, our devotion habits.




Early on in our walk, many of us experienced a zeal that couldn’t be contained, and it was displayed in a myriad of ways, particularly in our time. We spent hours with the Lord in prayer and studying the Scriptures to learn about this new way of living we had been introduced to. Then it shifted into habit-forming. We began to understand how vital these habits were for our spiritual health. Spiritual disciplines (e.g., prayer, Bible reading + study, meditation) are a necessity for Christians, and we engaged and showed up…until it became monotonous. Life happened, and those hours spent became a few minutes on the train ride to work or a quick reading before bed. And depending on the demands of your responsibilities, those train rides and nighttime “stories” were sufficient for the season, and God honored it. But the tide turned, the season changed, and now you recognize you need more than before. This is who I’m writing to. And if you are new to your walk with Jesus, keep reading, because I’m sure you can find some helpful tips to aid you in your Bible study.

If the new year has ushered in an awareness that your devotion life, particularly your engagement with Scripture, needs to be refreshed, allow me to make some suggestions that I’ve found helpful. Below, I’ve shared 5 types of study you can implement in your devotion, to not only refresh your approach, but prayerfully, they will instigate a hunger to dive deeper into the mysteries and revelation of Scripture.

  1. Topical Study – themes, words, or concepts

This type of study centers on a word, concept, or theme. Based on the direction you choose, you can start by defining the word(s) with a Biblical lexicon. You can also use a concordance or use an online Bible to search for the frequency of the word. If you’re comfortable, I’d also recommend utilizing online software to look up words and phrases in Hebrew and Greek. The definitions from the original languages are thorough and provide insight into what the writers intended and the message they were conveying to their initial audience. Across the frequency of the word(s) you’re studying, you can begin to track the through-line and develop a more robust understanding and situate it properly within the meta-narrative of Scripture.

Example: studying the word and topic of grace.

  1. Biographical Study

Biblical narratives focus on the births, deaths, and everything in between of real people in history. I previously labeled this study a “character analysis,” but I didn’t feel that character captured the essence of this study approach. When a colleague of mine (thanks, Asha!) suggested biographical, I yelled, “That’s it!” While every verse, chapter, or book isn’t dedicated to one singular person, we can apply our research principles to survey Scripture by studying every occurrence in Scripture when a person appeared or was mentioned. When we narrow our focus and concentrate on a person, we gather in-depth insight that deepens our conception of the text and the spirit of the text.

Example: David – the events in 1 + 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles, and his emotional processing in the Psalms

  1. Chronological Study

I am a church baby and a Sunday school kid who attended a Christian school from kindergarten to the eighth grade. I was able to recite passages of Scripture and the books of the Bible before the age of ten. But if you weren’t aware, the position of books in the Bible is not in the order in which the events occurred. For example, if you decided to read or study the events of Esther, this book is situated in the middle of the Old Testament (OT), but the events occur towards the end of the OT time frame. To read/study Esther in context, you would read Ezra 1-6 > Psalm 137 > Haggai > Zechariah > Esther > the remainder of Ezra > Nehemiah.

I’ve included one of the chronological guides I utilize here.


 

  1. Book Survey Study

Out of tradition, have you ever quoted a verse(s) and, after reading a few verses before and after, you realize the meaning you initially ascribed wasn’t as accurate as you thought? Studying a book (and the complementary books - 1 + 2 Kings) in its entirety can yield robust revelation and easily overlooked details. The context, history, culture, and people are just a few components embedded in each book of the Bible, and the vastness of wisdom and insight is endless. You will grow your understanding of the message of the book and how it contributes to the broader thread of Scripture.

Example: The book of Ephesians.

Tip: Some of the densest books are 1-2 chapters long, hello, Jude! The shorter books should be savored, but don’t underestimate them :)

  1. Systematic Study

    An underrated approach that is rich in content and rewarding in its journey is a systematic study. This type of study takes discipline and focus – you won’t always connect the dots and leave your study with answers. You actually may have more questions at the beginning of the process than understanding. This type of study employs aspects of the studies mentioned above to lead to broader interpretation and conclusions. It is likened to a mosaic, where you are constructing your epistemology using a combination of other components of scripture to make a cohesive set of beliefs. I am biased in that I was academically trained in Systematic Theology, so my appreciation for holistic studies is obvious and overt. One benefit of this approach in Bible study is developing a theology based on evidence other than your lived experience. If you can observe and trace the thread from Genesis to Revelation, the process may be rigorous, but the reward is boundless.

    Example: Studying the life of Jesus by way of the prophecies in Isaiah and their fulfillment in the Gospels.

    This list by no means is an exhaustive one, but they have served me in my devotion life over the past twenty+ years, so I’m excited to share with you. If you have additional suggestions for Bible study approaches, I’d love to hear them, so please share in the comments. And if you’d like, bookmark this post and come back when you’ve completed a study mentioned above, and tell us if/how it helped you.

    Until next time, happy studying :)

    Talk soon!


    For conversation and to connect, visit me here: https://sistertheologian.substack.com/.

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