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Lesson 10: Growing in Christ: Study

Lesson 10 from A Transformed Life by Rhodes Davis.

Lesson Resources:
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Lesson Overview

Daily Reading Schedule:

  • Thursday: James 1:2-8
  • Friday: 2 Timothy 2:14-19
  • Saturday: Hebrews 5:12-6:3
  • Sunday: 1 Peter 1:22-2:2
  • Monday: 2 Timothy 3:10-17
  • Tuesday: Romans 10:8-21

Lead Scripture:
2 Timothy 3:15-17: “ and that from childhood

you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correc tion, for instruction in righteousness, that th e man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Prayer and study are two important ways we grow closer to God and become more like Jesus. In prayer, we humbly come before God and bring ou r praise and supplications to Him. In study, we humbly receive His word that was revealed by His Son and the writers inspired by the Holy Spirit. We learn principles for living by reading and meditating on God’s word. Paul gave Timothy some advice that we should heed: give ti me to reading, exhortation and doctrine, 1 Timothy 4:13. ♦ Reading is simply reading the wo rd of God to know what it t eaches. We read and reread the Bible to plant the word of God in our hearts . We may not always re member what we read, but our mind is better for havi ng the pure thoughts of God goi ng through it in stead of the base things of the world. ♦ Exhortation is the comfort and consolation taught by the word of God and motivation to do God’s commands. We must meditate on what we read to determine how to bring our thoughts and actions under God’s rule. We shoul d be encouraged by what we read and endure all things for the heavenly reward. ♦ Doctrine is the instruction and teaching about what we believe. We must be able to defend our beliefs and refute false teaching. We can only do this if we know what is commanded. We must study doctrine to know what we must practice. No one can study for us. We will be accountable before God for our preparation while on earth. We must not hide from this priv ilege and responsibility. The mo re we study the more we will appreciate the wonderful book and will want its company often. Preparing to Study Before we open God’s word, we must first prepare to study. The following principles will enhance our study: ♦ Make time to study. Study time will not “just happen.” There are too many things that can help us waste time. We must set aside time every day to focus on God’s word. ♦ Have a place to study. An ideal place will have adequate lighting, minimal interruptions, and study resources available (discussed later). ♦ Have a plan for study. The plan should be realistic and flexible. It may be the study of an issue or a section of scripture. This will help us focus your study. ♦ Get help when needed. Don’t be afraid to ask someone for help in understanding a passage. Check the answer with other scriptures to make sure that it is true. ♦ Pray to God for wisdom, James 1:2-8. We are told to pray to God for wisdom for He gives liberally and without reproach. Knowledge come s from study, wisdom is the ability to use what is studied. We cannot hope for wisdom if we do not study. When we study we should not neglect to ask our benevolent God for wisdom. ♦ Study with an open mind. We must be willing to do what God commands. We must have a

“speak Lord, Thy servant hear s” attitude. James likens it to a man l ooking in a mirror, examining what is pleasing and what must be changed. ♦ Use common sense. The Bible is written in logical language and was written to the common man. We can understand it. Approaching the Text ♦ Rightly divide the word. Realize the difference between the Old and New Testaments, the physical and the spiritual, etc. The context will help determine the difference. ♦ Read, re-read, ponder, and read again. Take time to just read the scriptures and absorb the ideas. Think about what is being said. Some pass ages will become clearer later in the day, in a sermon or class where the text is discussed, or much later through increased knowledge. ♦ Be patient. Some passages are difficult to understand th e first couple of tim es they are read. Be patient with yourself. As you know more you will understand more. ♦ Look at the context of the passage. Examine the previous paragraphs and sentences to get the gist of the message. Ask the probing quest ions: Who, to whom, what, where, why, how. Some things are not applicable to us today (i.e., build an ark) but teach important principles. ♦ Notice the “little” words and connecting words. Little words like “if (then),” “so,” “for,”

“and,” “but,” etc. are significant for understand ing a passage. Some words like “except,”

“therefore,” and “because” link thoughts and arguments. Th e omission of these words can drastically affect the meaning. Th is part of study cannot be overe mphasized. It is critical to understanding the word of God.

Study Helps

You can purchase many study helps fo r the Bible. However, use study helps carefully since they are the product of man’s effort and wisdom. Any interpretation of a scripture using outside helps must be in harmony with the totality of scripture. ♦ A good version of the Bible. You must start with a reliable and readable translation of the Bible, one translated by a group of scholars who were true to the ancien t texts. My personal preference is the English Sta ndard Bible. Other re liable translations include King James Version (though not as readable ), the New King James, the Ho lman Christian Standard, the American Standard Versi on, and the New American Standard Version. The New International Version is readable and is ba sically accurate. There are some places, most notably in the book of Romans, where some passage s are interpreted instead of translated. If you use the NIV, compare it to a more reliabl e translation during your study. Avoid one-man translations such as The Living Bible and Today’s English Version or poorer translations like the Revised Standard Version. I access these electronically using the Olive Tree Bible App. ♦ Bible Dictionary. A Bible dictionary can help us understand what a word meant in the original language. We are not concerned with the modern us age of the word. We need to know what it meant in the mind of the writer and the original audience. You may want a few of these on hand. Be mindful that some definitions can include some interpretation that might be wrong. ♦ Concordance. Lists each occurrence of a word in Scripture. Some concordances, like Strong’s, will also list the original meaning of the word. ♦ Bible Atlas. Shows the places where Bible events took place. ♦ Bible Customs Book. These can help us understand how people lived in Bible times. They can also help us understand certain Bible passages. ♦ Commentaries. Be especially careful with these. They are the men’s interpretations of the scriptures. There can be false teaching by well meaning individuals. We must remember that we are accountable for what we have studied and what we teach. Example of Study Help usage: Baptism If you wanted to know about baptism, a regular dictionary would define it as immersion, sprinkling or pouring. A Bible dictionary would properly define it as immersion, submersion, and dipping. It did not mean, in Bible times, to sprinkle or pour. Go to a concordance and find every use of “baptism” and discover: • John the Baptist baptized in Salim bec ause there was much water there, John 3:23. • When Philip baptized the eunuch, they stopped when they came to water, they both went into the water and Philip baptized him, Acts 8:36. • You would find that baptism saves us, 1 Peter 3:10. • You would find that it was for re mission of sins, Acts 2:38, 22:16. • You would find that one must be bapt ized for salvation, Mark 16:16. • And so on. You would get a Bible definition that is not like the modern definition. ♦ Make use of the Bible teaching in the church. We do not usually think of this as a study help but taking notes on sermons and Bible cl asses can provide resources for studying and reexamining issues and passages. We can build on sermons that we have heard to gain greater knowledge of a subjec t or scripture. We can buy Bi ble study class books and study them on our own. Ask the elders or the preacher to study a particular topic or question with you. Study on your own and write down questions to ask the elders, the preacher, or someone who is knowledgeable Your dedication to study must be a long-term commitment—a life -long dedication. In Scripture, you will find warning, comfort, exhortation, and re buke. All of it will benefit you in this life and the life to come. It is worth the effort and its rewards are great. Teac h others what you have learned, especially your family. As you teach, you will learn more.

Questions for Discussion & Study

  1. Why do you think some Christians do not study as they should?

  2. What can we do to improve our study habits and the time spent in study?

  3. How can we have prejudice when approaching the scriptures?

  4. What is the danger in using commentaries?

  5. How does teaching others help our study?