Do you freeze up when someone asks you to lead a Bible study? When you consider studying the Bible on your own, do you feel confused or lost as to where to start?
Bible study should not feel scary or impossible. It is, rather, quite possible with the application of a few simple tools. When you study anything, you come to the subject with questions, and I’d like to share some questions which can illuminate any Bible text.
Bible study goes deeper than Bible reading. I read several chapters of the Bible every morning, and it takes me around 20 minutes on average. But studying a chapter of the Bible can take hours, even days or weeks, depending on how deep you want to dive.
I want to share some entry-level questions which every Bible student should have ready. These questions will help you get started, and they will launch a whole new range of questions as you discover the answers.
Perhaps you have heard of the five Ws and one H: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. These six words will be your flexible and intimate friends—flexible because they will begin many lines of inquiry, and intimate because they will become second nature as you use them.
Let’s say tomorrow someone asks you to lead a Bible study on Mark 1. If you have these questions in mind, you could walk blindly in and lead a great discussion, learning with the group on the fly. Even better, though, you could prepare in advance, reading the chapter and listing a series of questions you know will bring out some meat.
Factual Questions about the Book
- Who wrote this book and to whom was it written?
- When was it written?
- What are the basic contents / themes of the book? Why was it written?
You don’t have to ask questions about the book every time you study, but you should set the table before the meal. Each bite will be better understood in light of the whole.
Factual Questions about the Contents of the Text
- Who is this text about?
- When did these events happen? (Connect it to what comes before and after.)
- Where did these events take place? (Bible maps are wonderful helps.)
- What do we know about their culture? How was it different than ours?
- What do the characters say? What do they do? (This helps us attend to the details.)
- What words or phrases do we not understand or need to understand better?
You will find the answers to the basic first questions lead you to naturally telescope downwards into follow-up questions. For instance, you ask “Who is Mark 1.1 about?” It’s about Jesus. “What does it say about Jesus?” It says this book is about the gospel of Jesus, and Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. “What does gospel mean? What does Christ mean? How is He the Son of God?” You will find your time filled with some excellent and useful questions and answers.
The questions “What do the characters say and do?” lead to a retelling of the story and greater attention to the details of the story. You will want to train yourself and those in your Bible study to look closely at the words on the page. Too often, we start with thought questions when we really should start with factual questions. What does the text say? When we focus on the words God wrote, we learn from His Holy Spirit. We learn from the things God revealed, not by speculating on what He has not.
Compare and contrast. How is this similar to that? How is this different than that?
How is John similar to Jesus? They both teach the same gospel: “Repent and believe in the gospel.” They both love the Lord. They both come into the world through miraculous births.
How are they different? Jesus performs miracles; John does not. Jesus is baptized by John, but John says Jesus is much greater than he. John proclaims the arrival of the Lord; Jesus is the Lord!
Application Questions
- How would the first readers of this text have understood it?
- What commands, prohibitions, challenges do you see?
- What promises do you see?
- What faith-builders do you see?
- What timeless principles are in this text? What does it teach for us today?
The goal of Bible study is not just to know what the text says but to apply it, to be changed by it, to be led by the Spirit through God’s word, and these application questions help us consider how to respond to God.
That first question about how the first readers would have understood it is vitally important! It’s virtually impossible to apply the text to ourselves today if we don’t know what it meant to the original recipients. You will avoid many errors if you get a good handle on this one.
Pray before and after. Ask God to guide the study and the conversation.
Enjoy the journey!