Studying God’s Word is more than skimming the Book of Proverbs and a few words out of John’s Gospel. It requires reading, understanding, and applying the stories about biblical history, theological truth, and the words of Jesus Christ. Despite the felt-tip pens and highlighters, filling in the footnotes, or memorizing verses, the primary reason to study the Bible is to get to know Jesus Christ.

Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:14-15 NKJV

This is God’s Word, not just some book collecting dust in a library. The stories have lasted since the beginning and are meant for us to use as protective armor and a sword.

Before going into battle, getting ready for civic policing or protection detail for the Emperor, the Roman Praetorian Guard needed to present themselves to their superiors to show their preparation and zeal for duty. If their armor and weaponry weren’t ready, they weren’t welcome and probably were sent back to training or punished.

Are you ready for your daily battle? How do you look after your armor and sword? When was the last time you presented yourself for duty?

Ephesians 6:12-13 NKJV

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:12-13 NKJV

Those are your orders. That is your enemy. This is your armor. And the Word of God is your weapon. “Be diligent,” “prepare yourself,” and “rightly divide the word of truth.” Now, how do we do that most effectively?

S.O.A.P.

Depending on the theologian, pastoral leader, or fellow Christian you trust, there is no set type or way to study the Bible. It’s like a diet. Some have names, and others have proprietary methods, but Bible study always involves an area of study, reading, and praying.

Acronyms to lists, jingles or numbers, the fancy word for any kind of memory technique you use to help you remember anything is called a mnemonic (Ne-MON-ik). A familiar example comes from the military or first responders and how they relay letters to others on the radio (i.e., people on the ground, dispatchers, coworkers).

• A military mnemonic of the alphabet is “Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo…”
• A police mnemonic of the alphabet is more user-friendly with “Adam, Boy, Charles, David, Edward…”

For Bible study, always remember to use S.O.A.P. That’s it. Have a plan, invite God to be a part of your review, and get alone with the Holy Spirit. However, don’t ever forget to stay clean and use soap with your Bible and markers.

• Scripture – Have the verses you are led to study or that’s on your heart to commit to memory. That scripture will be the foundation of your treatment to study the Bible.
• Observation – What lessons do you gain from the Word? How is that particular verse resonating with your soul? What do you want to remember the most from these scriptures? Write those observations down or recite them aloud in prayer.
• Application – Now that you know what you want to learn, how will you apply those observations? What usage of the Scripture will bless you the most in daily living? That’s the structure of the final step of Bible study.
• Prayer – You have read the Bible, asked what you can learn from the Scriptures, and determined how to use it. Now, ask the Lord to help you do that. Commit those ways to the Lord and watch God do what He does best, work through you.

Choose Your Bible

There are over 450 versions of an English-translated Bible. Add to that nearly 2,100 languages with a translation and 3,140 versions of the Bible digitally, and there’s no telling what Bible is best for you. Where do you start? Initially, don’t allow this selection to be as daunting as it seems.

Most churches use the New International Version, New King James Version, or the authentic King James Version to recite scripture. While the Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Koine Greek, and Jesus’ native tongue of Aramaic, the Latin Vulgate (St. Jerome, 405 A.D.) helped the stories and words of God become more universally understood. From there, the world opened to Bible study, but you determine what “voice” of the Bible helps you learn best.

• Authenticity – If you want a translation that is closest to the Latin Vulgate, get a King James Version (KJV) or New King James Version (NKJV), which is essentially the KJV with the “thees” and “thous” words replaced. For a modern sentence structure (i.e., minimal clauses, fewer complex sentences, reflective verb tense), the English Standard Version (ESV) or New American Standard Bible (NASB) are good options for reading.
• Storytelling – If you are a newer Christian, avoid paraphrased or “storytelling” versions of Bibles. Although the meaning of God’s Word is there, there is another author to consider. These are versions created by respected Biblical scholars, proven Biblical translators, and theologians who have dissected God’s scripture longer than you’ve been reading it.
• Lexicon – Are you a Word Nerd? A good Amplified Version (AMP) of the Bible helps provide a description or extra meaning to verses. Compared to a storytelling version, the Amplified Bible solely focuses on words, like a built-in thesaurus among the Scriptures.

Tools to Study the Bible

A craftsman is only as good as their tools. The same goes for scholars of the Bible. When sitting down for a serious Bible study, make a sandwich or get a drink and prepare to spend some time with the Lord. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to certain passages in the Bible related to what you need. To help your discovery in God’s Word, having some tools geared to enhance your study could help provide a more fulfilling experience.

• Interlinears – Interlinears are not translations, which is often how they are sold. These tools identify original languages that enhance the English translation. This is known as “transliteration,” which allows the original language that inspired a translated word to provide a richer meaning.
• Parallels – Many people don’t have the desk space for multiple translations of the Bible, which can create a more complete Bible study to gather interpretation. Parallel Bibles are made for that space and convenience as they list a side-by-side reading experience of different Bibles on the same page, usually a KJV and other more modern versions.
• Commentaries – We trust scholars and lean on them for direction to complex text. Bibles are certainly published works that inspire opinions, thoughts of study, various expertise, and ways to interpret what is being read. Biblical Commentaries take each chapter of each book in the Bible.
• Concordance – This is a thick book, but necessary for worthwhile study. If you value etymology and understand why certain words are written as they are, get a Biblical concordance. This is an alphabetical index of words used in various verses.