Study a Book of the Bible in Depth (no commentary required)

As we enter a new year, many Christians make a New Year's resolution to get back into the habit of reading their Bible.  Often, people make it a goal of reading through the entire Bible in a year, which is a wonderful goal and can be a real blessing to those who are able to keep the daily commitment.

Another option Christians sometimes take with the new year is to have a word for that year...or a verse of Scripture.

Let me propose another option.  How about picking one book of the Bible and really getting to know it in depth?

Many Christians say that they long for an in depth study of God's Word, but they aren't sure how to go about it or where to start.

One option is to buy a commentary and use that along side your study.  Commentaries can be helpful resources, but they are also expensive and often times people rely more on the commentary than simply reading what the Bible says.

So let me give you a simple (cheap) way to do an in depth study of a book of the Bible that will help you to get to know a book of the Bible quite thoroughly.

1. Pick a book of the Bible to study.

2. Listen to a recording of the entire book several times.  You can download an app or listen online to several different translations being read.  Why listen?

• "Faith comes by hearing" and Scripture is meant to be heard.
• Many of the books of the Bible (especially in the New Testament) were meant to be heard all at once.
• By listening to the whole book, you begin to get a sense for the major themes in the book and are not as distracted by the meaning of a given word or that phrase.  You see the forest, not just the trees. 

3. Read the entire book in one sitting.  Do this at least twice before moving on to the next step.  If you've chosen a very large book, you can break it up a bit, but the more of the book you can read in one sitting the better. As you read through, lightly pencil in a question mark next to any words or phrases that you don't really understand.

4. Now, read the book chapter by chapter, adding the use of cross reference verses. Cross references verses are listed in the middle of many Bibles and if your Bible doesn't have such a cross reference, you really should get a Bible that does.

As you read through the book again, 

• look up one cross reference verse for each verse.  Lightly mark the cross references you've looked up so that next time you read through the book you can look up the next cross references.  
• circle any cross references that you found particularly helpful or that helped to answer any questions you had.
• read through the book chapter by chapter, then start again and read through it checking the next set of cross reference verses until you've used checked all of the cross references.  
• Underline any phrases, verses, or sentences that seem to sum up the main point being made.
• If you're really dedicated, then put those phrases, verses, or sentences to memory. 

Now, after all of this, you should have a very good understanding of that book of the Bible. You'll know the main themes and the small details of the book.  And if you still have questions, then maybe it's time to consult to explanatory notes (if you're using a study Bible), a commentary...or even better, your pastor!

God bless your time in His Word in the New Year!

P.S.
If you choose to take up this approach, I'd love to hear from you.