Let's talk about the Bible for a bit. I have mentioned in previous posts that I read the Bible daily. My cousin Mark, his wife Michelle, and I have our own little long-distance daily devotional reading group. One of us picks a book of the Bible to read, then we read it, a chapter a day, until it's done. Then the next person picks. We have been doing that for quite a while.
Lately, I have been feeling moved by the Holy Spirit to do more. I have been reminded of something that Chuck Missler, one of my favorite Bible teachers, said. To paraphrase, as Christians, our number one hobby should be our Bible study. I want to be the kind of Christian who spends more time in my Bible than on any other personal pursuit.
So, I have been looking into different ways to up my Bible study game. I have a series of notes from Chuck Missler that I purchased back in the mid-2000s. These notes are his thoughts on how to study the Bible, where to start, and the different methods of study. I have been reviewing those notes, and that put me onto the concept of expositional study.
An expositional study involves selecting a single book of the Bible and going through it in depth. This is not a daily devotional, but an actual study. There is a method to this kind of study. R.A. Torrey's "How to Study the Bible". The simplified steps for studying an individual book are as follows:
- Choose your book - Torrey suggests starting with a short and easier book.
- Master the book's general content by reading it through several times in a single study session.
- Prepare an introduction of the book in your own words
- Divide the book into its proper sections - look for natural divisions and subdivisions based on your reading, not based on what headings are in the Bible
- Proceed with a verse-by-verse study of the book - this includes finding the exact meanings of the words, using a Bible dictionary and an exhaustive concordance
These steps are a very brief summary of Torrey's method. And yes, even from this simple summary, Torrey's method is quite involved. It could take weeks or months to get through an entire book. The result, however, is an intimate knowledge of scripture that is uniquely yours and God's. Imagine what the Holy Spirit could teach us if we followed this intense method of study.
I realize this is not for everyone. It is time-consuming, thought-provoking, and daunting. This is something I am going to try because I feel called to do so. The first book I am going to do is Jude. It's only a single chapter, but I know there are some really important truths in Jude.
Why does this matter? I want to understand the scriptures more deeply. Since I believe this is something God is calling me to do, He must want me to do it as well. The deeper I understand scriptures, the more connected to my Savior I hope to become. It's that simple.
Have you ever done an exhaustive Bible study? Would you be open to trying one? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
—Daniel