Call Us: 423 661-4734 | Email: requests@comeandreason.com      
8 Steps for Successful Bible Study

8 Steps for Successful Bible Study

I try to study the Bible but find it difficult to understand and confusing. Can you give any suggestions on how to study the Bible?  


Great question and here are 8 simple principles to understanding the Bible:

  1. We must start with a humble heart/mind recognizing our dependence upon God to reveal Himself to us and enlighten our ability to understand. We by our own imaginations, ingenuity, or abilities cannot “discover” God. But thankfully we don’t have to. God has revealed Himself to us and therefore it is our privilege to “find” Him when we search for Him with our entire heart (Jer 29:13).
    • The error here is having an arrogant heart believing we can with our own innate abilities “figure” out God and His purposes or study Him in a lab like a science project. We cannot, but we can learn and understand what He has revealed.
  2. We must exercise our reasoning ability (Isa 1:18, Romans 14:5, Heb 5:14) and evaluate the evidence God has provided.
    • The error here is in diminishing reason and suggesting we just take Scripture as it reads and not ask questions or think it through. Those who suggest we take it just as it reads do so because they hold to positions that are not reasonable and will fall apart if the student of the Word were to engage His God given reasoning abilities and think about the meaning of the text.
  3. We must determine what the scripture says, then after determining what it says we must ask, “what does it mean?” and “how does it apply to my life?”
    • The error here is closely linked to the “not reasoning” error and is such statements as “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” But the student can only be benefited by understanding the meaning of the Word of God, not by mere hearing it.
    • “Merely to hear or to read the word is not enough. He who desires to be profited by the Scriptures must meditate upon the truth that has been presented to him. By earnest attention and prayerful thought he must learn the meaning of the words of truth, and drink deep of the spirit of the holy oracles.” — Christ’s Object Lessons, pg. 59
  4. We must allow Scripture to define its own terminology.
    • The error here is in using human dictionaries to define Biblical terminology. This error is at the root of much of the false theology taught, including much of the penal models of atonement.

      Example – Revelation 14 in which the smoke of torment ascends “forever.” If scripture is used to define the meaning of “forever” rather than accepting the common dictionary definition we conclude that forever means as long as the person is alive. If however, we interpret the meaning of “forever” with human dictionaries we conclude this means for eternity of never ending time and conclude the wicked are tormented eternally.

      Whenever we fail to allow the Scripture to define its own terms we are vulnerable to error.

      Unfortunately, penal models don’t allow scripture to define words such as “wrath” “justice” “judgment” “vengeance” “anger” “death” and the like and instead insert human definitions to these terms. Our model seeks to define these terms based on God’s Word:

      Wrath – Romans 1:18-32 – “letting go” “abandoning” confirmed when Christ drank the cup of “wrath” and was “abandoned” by His Father at the Cross (Matt 27:46, Romans 4:25).

      Vengeance – The Penal Substitution Model (PSM) claims Romans 12:19 “vengeance is mine says the Lord” as evidence God leaves His methods of love and uses power to inflict harm. This idea uses human dictionary definitions for vengeance – but if we use Scripture to define vengeance we find something different:

      Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: “Ah, I will get relief from my foes and avenge myself on my enemies. 25 I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities. Isaiah 1:24,25

      What is the vengeance of God? Turning enemies into friends – His vengeance is not on sinners but on sinfulness. He attacks and destroys sin! This is His vengeance which purges and cleanses the sinner! The greatest vengeance God can have on Satan is healing and restoring all those who trust Him!

      Justice – Bible definition is to do right in helping others, show compassion and mercy – no concept of punitive infliction of punishment, that is a human definition, which definition does PSM use? Here is the Biblical evidence:

      “Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice (tsadaq) to the afflicted and needy” (Psalm 82:3 NKJV).

      Wash yourselves clean. Stop all this evil that I see you doing. Yes, stop doing evil and learn to do right. See that justice mishpat) is done — help those who are oppressed, give orphans their rights, and defend widows. (Isaiah 1:16,17 GNB)

      This is what the LORD says to the dynasty of David: ‘Give justice (mishpat) each morning to the people you judge! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors.’ (Jeremiah 21:12 NLT)

      ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Enough, O princes of Israel! Remove violence and plundering, execute justice (mispat) and righteousness (tsadaq), and stop dispossessing my people,’ says the Lord GOD. ‘You shall have honest scales….’ (Ezekiel 45:9,10 NKJV)

      The LORD is waiting to be kind to you. He rises to have compassion on you. The LORD is a God of justice (mishpat). (Isaiah 30:18 GW)

      “This is what the LORD of Armies says: Administer real justice (mishpat), be compassionate and kind to each other.” (Zechariah 7:9 GW)

      Death – We use the human definition and call cessation of biological life death – but Jesus, God in human form, called this “sleep” and Paul the apostle called this “sleep.” When God said, “in the day you eat you will surely die,” He was not speaking of “sleep.” He was speaking of eternal non-existence, when body and soul are destroyed (MT 10:28). If we allow the Bible to define its terms then we realize no one has yet “died” but all “sleep” waiting in the grave for their resurrection (either first or second).

      What does this mean? It means God has never killed anyone – put to sleep, yes, but killed no! Penal models utilize OT texts and God’s acts there as evidence of God “killing” and projects this as evidence He will, in justice, kill the wicked in the end. But such an idea exists only if we don’t allow Scripture to define itself:

      The wages of sin is death.  Romans 6:23
      Sin when full grown brings forth death.  James 1:15
      The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction. Gal 6:8
      Sickness, suffering, and death are work of an antagonistic power. Satan is the destroyer; God is the restorer. — Ministry of Healing, pg. 113
      God destroys no one. The sinner destroys himself by his own impenitence. — Faith I Live By, pg. 58

      Read the Scriptures carefully, and you will find that Christ spent the largest part of His ministry in restoring the suffering and afflicted to health. Thus He threw back upon Satan the reproach of the evil which the enemy of all good had originated. Satan is the destroyer; Christ is the Restorer. — Medical Ministry, pg. 240
       

  5. We must identify God’s testable laws and require all interpretations to harmonize with these. These include the law of love, liberty, and worship as described in other blogs and my lectures and books.
    • The error occurs when we misconstrue God’s laws as imposed and when we hold to doctrines which violate God’s testable laws. Such as teaching God threatens or coerces with inflictions of pain and suffering and eternal punishment, rather than the Biblical position that sin brings its own punishment of death and God is working to save.
  6. We must harmonize the declarations of Scripture with the stories of Scripture
    • a. An error occurs when the declarations of scripture are not harmonized with the stories. Like using God’s thundering and threatening of rebellious Israel as evidence that God inflicts pain and suffering rather than harmonizing those words with the history of what God did, which was let them go, at their persistence, and the Babylonians destroyed them, not God.
  7. We must harmonize scripture and science
    • a. The error here occurs when Christians claim faith doesn’t require evidence and when scientists claim the Bible is a book of myths or allegories. God is the author of nature and His principles are revealed in nature. However, nature is infected with an antagonistic principle and cannot be rightly understood without the aid of God’s word. Science and scripture rightly understood always harmonize.
  8. We must require Jesus, God in human form, to be the lens through which God, His nature, character and all His actions are understood.
    • a. An here error occurs when we see the Old and New Testaments as separate or try to fit Jesus into the Old Testament symbolic system rather than seeing the Old Testament through the lens of what Jesus revealed and taught.

Try applying these simple principles and see if what was once mysterious doesn’t become clear and understandable.

Email me the blog whenever a new one is published.

Donate online, securely via PayPal using your credit or debit card (no PayPal account needed, unless you want to set up a monthly, recurring payment).


cancel recurring payment

 

Want to use zelle instead?
See how on our
Support and Donations page.

Upcoming Events

calendar

Testimonial Post Slider

Testimony 62

I would like to express my thanks to the C&R team for creating a platform from which people can learn to trust in God and grow. My life is a witness to the effectiveness of this ministry. Without believing the truth about God as you have shown, I don’t know what my life would be like. I had given up on God helping me with certain sins – it was all useless. Given that the scripture is clear and God is so good, how could I have betrayed him so many times? I was a yo-yo christian; spinning up and down. My faith and enthusiasm was driven by discoveries/threats that prophecy is about to be fulfilled. But when I watched your “Healing the Mind” seminar, it was like a light finally went on. I could see God had no plan to hurt me, the danger came from sin, and that He is working to protect me and strengthen me. Thank you for allowing God to use you. The message God gave C&R saved my life!

Antony N. – Hobart, Australia

 

Testimony 56

I cannot thank you enough for opening my understanding to the beautiful truth of God’s Law of Love and how it applies to everything. I have been a Christian for over forty years, but I feel like I am only now seeing with my eyes open. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!

Tammy Cinzio, Australia

 

Testimony 75

Thank you so much for everything you do! Because of all these truths, I’m excited to be with Jesus! I always pray everyday, “COME TODAY, JESUS.” Before finding C&R, I was always praying for delays, “NOT TODAY OH GOD. I AM NOT READY.” I just need to share more, talk more bout this truth, so everybody will be excited for Jesus.

J C Shin

Testimony 74

Thank you so much for opening my eyes. I’ve been through a lot of ministries that just didn’t show the love of God that I felt he was. You have helped me to begin the process of true healing. I thought I was “too far gone,” now I know there’s hope in Jesus, because he loves us beyond what we can comprehend. Thank you again for all you do. I truly appreciate it and pray more people find you (physical at your studio and through this website).

Dalio M.

Testimony 24

I wanted to thank you very much for presenting your understanding of God. I’ve always been troubled by this question: Why did Jesus have to die? Since my conversion I understood that The Father & Jesus are one, I did not have issues with that. But was there not any other way to save us than for Jesus to die? I guess I actually had a question about God – if He is so wise, how come He did not find another way? I did not see the real ‘beauty’  in the cross. Only when you explained the picture in the medical context, Jesus providing medicine for my selfishness, have I started to finally ‘see the light’. Thank you so much. Your seminar, “Healing the Mind,” are absolutely marvelous & have shared them with my family and many other people, including colleagues at work. Thanks, thanks, thanks. May God bless you abundantly in your ministry.

M. W., Australia

 

Testimony 43

Two years ago I stumbled upon your book, “Could It Be This Simple,” and then found “The God-Shaped Brain” videos on YouTube, your bible study class, and the ‘Come And Reason’ mobile app. I shared your book with a friend and after nine months of showing love, patience, and kindness this person has been changed by the love of God, too. The same love that healed me, I now express to other women in tangible ways, such as to a Baptist woman with high anxiety and childhood trauma. She was extremely happy and relieved when I shared about the so-called “judgment of God” and burning in hell. She had no desire to serve a God that was so harsh. I have repeated the phrase dozens of times to her. “What we believe has power over us, but we have power over what we believe…”

This message that you are sharing has changed my life. I will continue to serve other women and bring this message of God’s healing love to their lives by sharing your books, YouTube videos, and The Remedy Bible app. Keep up the good work. Don’t be discouraged. God is doing a mighty work in and through this ministry!

Jill L., Midwest, USA

 

Testimony 38

Since November 2015, when I started studying Gods word from this God Is Love point of view, my life has been transformed. My troubled marriage of 15 years has been healed and my husband and I are truly happy for the first time in 15 years. Now When I read the word of God I understand it so much better and I can’t help but see Gods love radiating through the pages to humanity. Gods word is living and active and I am blessed beyond measure to be having this amazing experience. God has given me a beautiful understanding of Jn 3:16 that amazes me more and more each day. Thank you again for your ministry.

Helen D., London, England

 

Testimony 76

Warm greetings from Tanzania! I just wanted to take a moment to thank you and your team at Come And Reason Ministries for the amazing work you do. Your teachings have opened my eyes to deep biblical truths and how to live them out in real life. I started following the ministry back in 2018, and ever since, my walk with God has grown so much stronger. I’ve found freedom from fear-based faith and now live with more peace and trust in Him. I’ve also been sharing what I’ve learned, especially through Bible School discussions. Your lessons are so insightful and well-explained that I try not to miss a single one. May God continue to bless the work you’re doing.
Elisha M., Tanzania, Africa

Testimony 45

I have been confused for years about what [christianity] calls [its] most disgusting teaching. It has never made much sense to me and for that reason has been evermore empty. I have listened to your class off and on and have struggled determining what is truth, because of the resistance design law encounters in the church. So, I thank God for your ministry. What you teach makes sense. It’s logical and backed up by the power of love. I have never seen that in Christ until now. I am astounded by the insight that is found when we look at God’s ministry through design law. All strength to this message, as I believe it to be the power of God.

Brendon S.

 

Testimony 15

I have been sharing Come And Reason Ministries Bible study lessons with several folk. You have such a beautiful view of the plan of salvation. If we had this message preached when I was young, my generation would still all be in church.

H. R., New Zealand

Testimony 5

We listen to your bible studies lessons in our class in Montana. You actually were the main reason I decided to get a laptop, so I can go to your site and listen, read, learn, and print the class notes. I am so grateful to learn the correct view of God and his character. Now, to just have others have an interest in knowing, so I can share it with them. Good thoughts your way.

R. N., MT, USA

 

Testimony 41

I have been blessed by your ministry. I have experienced personally, and deeply resonate with, the God of love and the beautiful picture of God’s character that you present. I have seen your seminar series on YouTube, read ‘The Journal of the Watcher’ book, used your mobile app, and also listen/study the bible study lesson with you each week. I concur with many of the thoughts and perspectives that you share. I understand your conclusions on natural laws vs imposed law and the legal/penal substitution (incorrect diagnosis). This makes perfect sense to me.

Bless you for all you do.

Melissa L.

 

Testimony 8

Thank you for the ministry you are sharing with us, it is a real blessing to us and especially to my husband and myself! You are encouraging us to think for ourselves and not just to except everything, without thinking it through, with God’s word!

M.K., USA

 

Testimony 51

I Love This Ministry!!!!!!! I see first hand how this message is desperately needed, how erroneous beliefs about God and His Character negatively affect humanity at every level. I thank God for your ministry, as I was searching on my own and was discovering some of your same beliefs and was blown away when I found your ministry. I know you hear it all the time, but it is truly life changing. May God continue to reveal His Will to you and Bless you!

Eric S., Sanford, FL, USA

 

Testimony 63

I’ve been very blessed by “The God Shaped Brain” and this ministry, through video and podcast, over the last few years. It’s truly opened up my eyes more to the truth about God and the importance of that truth in the present world. The message is so inviting, freeing and enlightening and MORE people need to know about it. I believe it is the last message that can truly, not only prepare a people for salvation and translation, but vindicate the character of God.

Michael V., Yonkers, NY, USA