Studying the Bible -- A Simple Approach to Bible Study

Paul gave Timothy some advice that we should heed: give time to reading, exhortation and doctrine, 1 Timothy 4:13.

• Reading is simply reading the word of God to know what it teaches. We read and reread the Bible to plant the word of God in our hearts. We may not always remember what we read, but our mind is better for having the pure thoughts of God going through it instead 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 should 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. This duty must not be shirked. The more we study the more we will appreciate the wonderful book and will desire its company often.