How to Study The Bible: An In-Depth Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Are you wanting to learn how to study the Bible, but don’t know where to start? I’ve written a comprehensive guide for beginners so you can learn to study the Bible for yourself!

But first, let’s get some background information.

What is the Bible? 

The Bible is a cohesive set of books, stories, poems, prophecies, historical narratives, and letters inspired by God and written by humans for humans. 

Put very simply, the Bible is the Word of God. The Bible is God speaking directly to His creation.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that,

“all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

The Bible is God’s way of teaching us about who He is and how He wants us to live. 

God’s Word is God himself. 

John 1:1-5 (emphasis mine) tells us this. 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Even though the Bible we have today was written over a span of 1500 years by more than 40 different authors, it has always existed because the Word was with God and the Word was God. 

Why Do We Need to Know How to Study The Bible?

Why is studying the Bible so important?

The first compelling reason to study the Bible is that Scripture itself commands it. 

Deuteronomy 6: 4-9 says, 

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

These words were written to people in a different time, but they are just as relevant for us today. 

We must study God’s word so deeply that it becomes etched on our hearts. We are called to surround ourselves with it, to saturate our lives with His Word.

Secondly, personal Bible study is foundational to becoming a disciple of Jesus because Scripture tells us who He is. We cannot follow Him without knowing Him, and we cannot fully know Him without knowing Scripture. 

“The heart cannot love what the mind does not know.” -Jen Wilkin

Scripture reminds us of what is true and dispels the lies of the world. Scripture reminds us of God’s heart for His children and equips us to do the good works God has planned for us. 

In order for us to be adequately equipped as disciples, we must be diligent in our study of the Bible. We must dive in deeper than the devotionals on our nightstands or the sermons we hear on Sunday mornings. 

Those are wonderful tools, but they cannot replace the richness of drinking deeply from the word of God for yourself. 

As. R.C. Sproul says in his book Knowing Scripture, “the Christian who is not diligently involved in a serious study of scripture is simply inadequate as a disciple of Christ.”

As Christians, it is our duty to know God’s word and teach it to others (Matthew 28:19-20). We do not have to be experts overnight, but regular Bible study should be a discipline for every Christian. 

Thirdly, the Bible is a gift. 

The scriptures are a precious reminder of God’s love for us, His mercy on us, and His grace for us. The pages are full of encouragement and promises that we can cling to in dark times. 

But we cannot obtain the promises within Scripture if we are not intimately familiar with what it says. 

Now that we have covered why it is so essential to study the Bible, let’s move into how. 

Before You Begin: Gather Your Bible Study Tools

A Bible

The first thing you’ll need in order to study the Bible is a Bible!

The blessing and the curse of this is that there are so many different Bibles for you to choose from.

There are Bibles to suit any interest, from different translations to different styles and features. You can also access many translations of the Bible online for free. However, I would encourage all Christians to have at least one physical Bible that they use for personal study.

The first step in choosing a Bible is to choose a translation. The translation of your main Bible matters a lot more than the color or style. Check out my in-depth post on Bible translations to help you make an informed choice.

Study Bible

The next tool I recommend is a reputable study Bible in another translation. I highly encourage you to study your Bible in multiple translations. It is beneficial to have a main Bible in one and a study Bible in another.

For example, I use an ESV Single Column Journaling Bible as my main Bible, along with a Life Application Study Bible in the NIV translation. The ESV Study Bible is another great option for a study Bible.

Study Bibles will put helpful contextual notes right on the pages and also offer outlines of each book at the beginning. They include maps, character notes, language notes, and cross-references, making Bible study more efficient when you would otherwise need to search for this information.

Journal or Notebook

While I write notes directly in my journaling Bible, I tend to run out of room or need more space to dig into my thoughts.

Having an additional notebook or guided journal allows you to record extra study notes or insights God is teaching you through His Word.

You can use a blank journal but a great guided option is the Give Me Jesus Journal from Well Watered Women or the Abide Journal from The Daily Grace, Co.

Pens and Highligthers

If you’re going to write in a journal or directly in your Bible, you need something to write with. 🙂

I recommend Sharpie or Micron pens for the delicate pages of your Bible because they tend to bleed less, but use any pens you love for regular notebooks and journals.

For highlighters, I recommend the gel Bible highlighters from The Daily Grace, Co. I’ve had mine for years and they are still going strong. Plus, the set is often on sale for $5!

Bible Dictionary

In order to find much of the information we discuss in this guide to studying the Bible, you will need outside help.

Of course, you will find a lot in the Bible itself but to go deeper into history and culture, and language, a good Bible dictionary will be invaluable.

These resources include language and translation notes, as well as definitions of common Biblical terms such as currencies, along with maps, charts, and cross-references. Dictionaries will also have information about characters, authors, locations, and cultures.

Bible dictionaries are similar to study Bibles, but do not include Scripture and generally have fewer “teaching” notes. These dictionaries or encyclopedias will focus on more objective information rather than commentary or insight.

Here are three great options:

The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge by Thomas Nelson
Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible by David Noel Freedman
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary by Chad Brand & Eric Mitchell

Solid Bible Commentary

Bible commentaries are resources where another Bible scholar has done the work of observing and interpreting Scripture. Just like a sermon, they seek to teach the meaning to a layperson or student.

These are wonderful resources for clearing up confusion or showing other insights you may not have seen yourself.

But because they are works of teaching, you must be careful not to consult them until after you have done the work of good study for yourself.

Bible commentaries come in various forms, but the most common types are all-in-one resources or book-specific resources. You can find comprehensive commentaries that include every book of the Bible or you can find more in-depth stand-alone commentaries for individual books.

How to Read The Bible Book-by-Book by Fee & Stuart is a great example of an all-in-one commentary.

Before you Begin: Pray

To have a solid Bible study session, prayer is essential. 

Reading your Bible is reading God’s Word. He is speaking through Scripture and prayer postures your heart to hear from Him as you read. 

Pray for your heart to receive what God has for you to learn. Pray for understanding as you read and for conviction as you understand. 

Ask God to speak very clearly to you as you study. Be open, humble, and ready to receive whatever He has for you.

Set Up Your Bible Study

Choose A Book

While there are many different methods of Bible study (i.e., chronological, character, book, topical, verse-mapping, etc.) the best way to read for comprehension and understanding is to choose a book and study it from beginning to end. 

This type of Bible study is especially helpful for beginners because it allows you to fully comprehend an entire book and prevents taking verses out of context. 

Studying a book from beginning to end allows you to see themes that are present as well as connections to other passages in the Bible as you study. Other methods of study often isolate passages or single verses, which can cripple the depth of your comprehension. 

If you are new to studying the Bible I recommend starting with one of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) and then one of the epistles like Ephesians.

Read The Envelope

Reading the envelope refers to what you would do when you receive a letter in the mail. Before you open the mail piece to read it, you gather as much information about its contents as you can from the outside. 

We need to do the same with Scripture. Before beginning a book study, gather as much information about the book as you can. 

• Who wrote it?
• To whom was it written?
• When was it written?
• What type of book is it? (Ex. Historical narrative? Poetry? Gospel? Epistle? Law?)
• What are the central themes? 

Most of this information will be readily available for you if you have a solid study Bible, as mentioned above.

At the beginning of each chapter, read through the summary including the author, characters, location, time period, themes, and more. 

Study The Bible

Now, you are ready to start digging into your passage!

The method I will be teaching you to study your Bible with is called the inductive method. This Bible study method follows 3 basic steps:

Observe, Interpret, and Apply.

You can follow these steps to study any passage in the Bible, but I recommend studying individual books from beginning to end. Once you understand how to study a book in its entirety, you can utilize other methods such as character studies or topical studies.

Read through the entire chapter at least once, ideally twice, before you begin doing any digging or marking. You may not get through all of the verses in the chapter with this method, but it is important to read it once before you start working through the text.

Reading through the entire chapter before you study gives you a base understanding of what is happening, allowing you to go deeper as you study back through it a second time. 

Step One: Observe

Make Observations of the Text

Most people overcomplicate their Bible study. This step brings simplicity and clarity as well as anchoring you in what the text is saying rather than jumping straight to what it means. 

Very simply, what is in the passage you are reading?

Answer these questions as you read:

• Who is in the passage? Who is speaking or narrating? How are they described?
• Where are they? What is their location? Are they traveling?
• What are they doing? 
• When? Make a note of the timeframe.
• Why? Is there a reason these events are happening? A reason why the person is speaking on that topic?

As you read, note any words that you cannot define in your own words and look them up. Be sure you understand the meaning of the words you are reading. 

This is where you can utilize one of the Bible dictionaries listed in the tools section above.

As you are reading, look out for:

• sentence structure
• verb tense
• repetition of words or phrases
• instances where God speaks audibly

What is a Cross-Reference?

A cross-reference is somewhere in Scripture that is related to the passage or verse you are reading

Make note of these as they come up while you are reading. If you are using a study Bible, these should be noted right on the pages. Don’t ignore those. Take the time to look them up and read them to see the connections within Scripture.

Annotate The Text

This is where a journaling Bible or a printed, double-spaced copy of the text will come in handy.

If you do not want to write in the pages of your Bible, use a free online Bible like biblegateway.com and copy/paste your passage into Word or Google Docs. Double-space the page and print!

It is well-documented that interacting in some way with what you are learning will make it more likely to “stick” in your memory.

As you are making observations, physically make those notes on the page. Highlight, circle, underline, draw boxes, etc. as you note these things:

• Repeated words or phrases
• Themes
• People
• Locations
• Transition words (ex. therefore, then, because, if, etc.)
• Lists
• Comparisons
• Commands
• Words you don’t know
• Questions that come up

Ask Questions

Don’t be afraid to ask God questions as you are studying. Be honest about the things that don’t make sense. Write them down, note them in your Bible, pray, and meditate on them as you go about your day.

All your questions may not be answered during your study, but answers may come later with further study or during a conversation with others.

Answers will likely come when you consult your study Bible and commentaries at the end of your study time, but if you are left with unanswered questions that is okay. These questions are great to bring up with mentors, small group leaders, or your pastor if you need further guidance.

Step Two: Interpret

Good Bible study requires two things: humility and curiosity. 

We should not open our Bibles determined to prove our own points. We open the Bible to learn what God has to say. 

Because the Bible was originally written in ancient languages (Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic) to people hundreds of years ago. Just like a historian or a literary scholar, students of Scripture are tasked with uncovering the author’s intended original meaning.

This is the task of interpretation.

Good study of Scripture requires us to be careful not to step into interpretation too early. You should spend the majority of your Bible study time on the observation step.

Once we have done diligent work to know what the text says in plain words, we can dive into what those words mean.

You may be asking, why do I need to do all this work, can’t I just read the plain text? Absolutely you can. But reading at the surface level will give you only surface-level understanding. Shallow understanding can create a shallow-rooted faith that can be easily uprooted by the storms of this life. 

To go deeper in your study of Scripture is to go deeper in your relationship with Jesus.

A great way to practice your interpretation skills is to paraphrase the passage you are reading. Rewrite what you have read in your own words and check it against your resources when you get to that step.

Put It In Context

There are two important types of context we need to understand in order to grasp the meaning of any passage. 

Historical/Cultural Context

The historical context refers to what was happening in and around the time a particular book was written. 

Context varies from book to book and it is imperative for us to know what was happening within the author’s culture and their audience.

What was happening that prompted that book to be written? What was the purpose? 

It certainly makes a difference for us to know what was happening in the city of Ephesus during the 1st century when we dive into the book of Ephesians. 

Literary Context 

Just like today, literature has many different genres that change how you read a book. What type of literature is the book your a reading? 

In the Old Testament, we have narrative, law, poetry, prophecy, and wisdom books. 

In the New Testament, we have the gospels, history, letters, and apocalyptic literature. 

How you find meaning in each of those books is going to be different based on the type of literature used. Poetry is very different from narrative. Law books are very different from apocalyptic literature. 

The Bible is full of metaphors and symbolism, especially in prophecy and apocalyptic literature. The use of metaphor versus a literal command can radically change the understanding of a passage.

Literary context also refers to how a verse or passage relates to the chapter or book as a whole. Most issues with the interpretation and teaching of Scripture arise when verses or passages are taken out of context.

Scriptures are not meant to be read in isolation but with the surrounding Scriptures and the Bible as a whole.

Exercises for Interpretation

Paraphrasing the Text

Try rewriting the verse or passage you are interpreting in your own words. What does it say to you? Even if you don’t get it quite right, you will still exercise the muscles of extrapolating meaning from Scripture.

Ask Why/What/How Questions of the Text

As you read, ask these types of questions:

Tips For Sound Interpretation

#1 Scripture Interprets Scripture

In areas where Scripture is unclear or vague, we defer to where Scripture is clear. Our interpretation of a vague Scripture never supersedes or trumps Scripture where there is clarity.

#2 We interpret Scripture within the scope of the WHOLE Bible.

One Scripture does not negator nullify overarching themes of the entire Bible. Many of the letters and passages in the Bible were written to a specific church or place that had specific problems. We should interpret those instances in relation to all of Scripture and not in isolation.

Consult Your Resources

The last step in interpretation is to consult your resources. This is where you should begin looking at commentaries and notes from other Bible teachers. 

Now that you have gathered all of the necessary information and made your own observations and interpretations of the text, you may seek out additional resources on your passage. This can be blogs, podcasts, commentaries, sermons, etc.

The reason it is so important to leave this step for last is to be sure that the meaning you uncover for yourself is not muddied by the opinion of someone else.

Step Three: Apply

Application of Scripture is the very last step in personal Bible study. Many jump to this step too early before garnering a deep understanding of the what and why of their passage. 

The purpose of Bible study is ultimately to know God deeply. It is not about us, it is about Him. 

That being said, Scripture is “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Applying scripture is what shapes us into who God has called us to be. Now that we have a solid grasp of the meaning of our text, we can ask questions that help us understand what it means to us and how it impacts our lives. 

Here are some questions to ask when applying Scripture: 

• What is God saying to me through this passage?
• What has this passage taught me about God’s character?
• How does this passage call me to live?
• Is there any command or direction here I need to obey?
• Are there any promises here for me to cling to?
• How does this passage change how I am living now?
• How does this passage change my relationships with others? (marriage, friendships, family, etc.)
• Is there an action or attitude in this passage I need to emulate in my own life?
• Is there something here I need to pray? For myself or someone else?

Step Four: Share

When God teaches you something through your Bible study, sharing it with others adds another deep layer to your learning.

To share, you have to paraphrase and put what you are learning in your own Words. Sharing is teaching the Bible to others. And teaching is where it really sinks in for us.

When someone asks you what God is doing in your life, share. When your small group leader asks for people to discuss what they are learning, share. When you feel prompted to post on social about what you’ve learned, DO IT.

You never know how someone else might be blessed by what God has helped you to understand about the Bible.

Establish a Consistent Bible Study Routine

Now that you know how to study the Bible, you can begin to incorporate a consistent study routine into your life.

Daily Bible study is ideal, but not everyone’s life allows for this deep kind of study to happen every day. That is okay.

I teach a system of creating a Bible study routine that works for all lifestyles and you can dive deeper into that in this blog post.

I pray this guide blesses you and ignites a passion for Bible study in your heart. Go open those Bibles!

Your Sister In Christ,

P.S. If this post blessed you, would you share it with a friend?

Resources for Deeper Bible Study Learning

Knowing Scripture by R.C. Sproul
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Fee & Stuart
Women Of The Word by Jen Wilkin
The Drama of Scripture by Craig Bartholomew & Michael Goheen
Search The Word Bible Study Workbook by The Daily Grace, Co.