Studying The Books Of The Bible

When it comes to studying the bible, you need to take into consideration that the bible, in fact, is not just one book, but rather, a collection of them.  Therefore, you're not just studying one bible book, but you are studying the books of the bible.

And of course, the Holy Bible also contains both the Old Testament and the New Testament.  Each testament contains its own set of books that should be studied.  Collectively there are 66 books contained in the King James Bible.  Of these 66 books, 39 of them are gathered into the Old Testament and the remaining 27 make up the New Testament.

If you are following along in my bible study blog than I'm sure you were expecting to see a new post about another useful method of studying the bible.  However, instead of moving on into new territory, I'd like to elaborate a bit on my previous entry, Bible Study Everyday.

If you'll recall, I suggested using a notebook for keeping track of your bible notes and only your bible notes.  I said that you should use headers denoting the time, date, and session of study along with the chapter and verse.  But what if we expand upon this idea a bit and instead of using just one notebook for the entire bible, we use a seperate notebook for each book of the bible.

This would enable you to keep better track of where your studies are taking you and ensure that won't have to jump around through one or several notebooks looking for specific notes on the books you want to further research.

This is not to say that you have to do it this way as it can get rather costly if you buy all 66 notebooks at once.  But if you only concentrate on studying a few bible books at a time, then you can get by with only purchasing the notebooks as you need them.

Another good idea is to use two seperate colored notebooks, one for your Old Testament studies and one for your New Testament studies.  For instance, let's say you've chosen blue and yellow.  In the blue book you could put all the books of the Old Testament and in the yellow, all the books of the New Testament.  Get yourself a permanent marker and mark each one right on the colored cover.  For your reference, I'll list the books of the bible right here.


Old Testament Books Of The Bible

1. Genesis
   
2. Exodus
   
3. Leviticus
   
4. Numbers
   
5. Deuteronomy
6. Joshua
7. Judges
8. Ruth
9. 1 Samuel
10. 2 Samuel
11. 1 Kings
12. 2 Kings
13. 1 Chronicles
14. 2 Chronicles
15. Ezra
16. Nehemiah
17. Esther
18. Job
19. Psalm
20. Proverbs
21. Ecclesiastes
22. Song of Solomon
23. Isaiah
24. Jeremiah
25. Lamentations
26. Ezekiel
27. Daniel
28. Hosea
29. Joel
30. Amos
31. Obadiah
32. Jonah
33. Micah
34. Nahum
35. Habakkuk
36. Zephaniah
37. Haggai
38. Zechariah
39. Malachi

New Testament Books Of The Bible

1. Matthew
2. Mark
3. Luke
4. John
5. Acts
6. Romans
7. 1 Corinthians
8. 2 Corinthians
9. Galatians
10. Ephesians
11. Philippians
12. Colossians
13. 1 Thessalonians
14. 2 Thessalonians
15. 1 Timothy
16. 2 Timothy
17. Titus
18. Philemon
19. Hebrews
20. James
21. 1 Peter
22. 2 Peter
23. 1 John
24. 2 John
25. 3 John
26. Jude
27. Revelation

Whether you choose to use only a few notebooks for the entire bible or you choose to section off each book their own seperate notes is up to you.  But I strongly urge you consider using seperate research notes for your bible studies.  I think that studying the Books of the Bible this way will help you keep motivated and focused on your religious studies.

Studying The Holy Bible

Okay, with our last few posts I've talked about studying the Holy Bible.  However, since I tend to be a little bit long winded at times, we never got around to actually learning how to study the bible.  I gave you a few tips at the end of my Bible Study Everyday post to give you a little taste of some of the things you can begin doing to get the most out of your bible time, but a few tips aren't going to get you very far.

Therefore, in this article, I'm going to take one of those tips and expand upon it in the hopes that you'll actually be able to use what I'm trying to teach to make your bible studies more productive.  But before we delve into the first method, let's recap.

(In addition to the above link, you might want to read my other article,  Holy Bible Study, before reading on.  Ready?  Okay, let's go.)

How much time do I need to study the bible?

In a way, this is a loaded question.  Why?  Because it's not how much time you spend with the bible, it's how much "quality" time you spend "studying the bible".  And I'm here to say that from my own extensive experience in studying not just the bible but many other things as well that if you budget your time just right and use it wisely then all you need is fifteen minutes to study the bible.

You may think that I'm absurd and off my rocker, but trust me, it's all you need if you do it right.  And that's my plan:  to show you a few ways on how to study the bible.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that my methods are the only ones you should use, not at all.  I'm all for using any method, mine or someone else's, that gets more Christians to learn from and retain what they learn from their bible studies.  In point of fact, my way is just one way.  But it's also one of the best ways to study the bible that I've found, and that's why I'm so eager to share it with you.

We'll start with one of my favorite and possibly easiest ways of studying.

Taking Notes From The Bible

This method should be an obvious one for a lot of people, but sadly, it seems to slip by many.  My belief is that since this is something you learn way back in grade school and are encouraged to use throughout your education that by the time you've graduated high school or college you're either sick of taking notes or you think that it's too simplistic a way of studying that it won't help you much when it comes to studying the big, complex mountain of words that the bible can be sometimes.

Hogwash, I say.

This is the easiest way to study both in terms of equipment needed and effort expended.  I think that's why teachers teach grade schoolers to do it this way, because it's easy an it works!

The first thing you need, and it should go without saying, is a notebook and something to write with, either a pen or a pencil, whichever you prefer.  Now before you go out and purchase and expensive, leather bound notebook and executive writing implement, let me tell you that you don't need anything fancy.  This is not to say that you can't use anything fancy, just that you don't need to.  I would prefer that you go ahead and pickup a new notebook and pen of some time, however.  That way, all of your bible notes are in one place and you don't have to worry about using the notepad to take down messages or shopping lists.

Once you have the prerequisites (bible, notebook, pen) set aside fifteen minutes or so as soon as you can (and the sooner the better!).  You don't need a timer or a stopwatch at this point, but just be sure you use at least the allotted time and try not to overdue it by using too much, either.

Open the bible to any place that interests you.  Some people like to start at the beginning of Genesis and work their way forward; others prefer starting Revelations and working backward; still some people start somewhere in the middle, say Jonah, and then  bounce around to wherever their heart and intuition takes them.  You could stay with only the Old Testament or the New Testament or mix them up as you please.  It does not matter where you begin, only that you do begin.

Now pick a passage and mark it down on your notepad.  You can also write down any other information you like as well, such as the date, the time of day, and where you chose to study.  I'll give you a quick example:

Dec. 9, 2008 - 7:30pm - Bible Study Desk
Isaiah [64:6]

Great!  Now you know what you're studying at that particular point in time.  Under this header, all you need to do now is jot down any questions or comments on Isaiah [64:6] that you may have.  For instance:

Why are we all as an unclean thing?  Why is our righteousness as rags?  If we fade as a leaf and our iniquities take as away like the wind, then does this mean we are all equal?  That at the end of the day everyone is treated the same in the eyes of God?  I think it does, but perhaps a little more research is in order...

As you can see, it's quite an easy thing to do.  I think that noting questions to yourself is a great way to get your subconscious going.  And once your subconscious is really involved, the material you're studying will work its way into you will stay with you much longer than if you just read it.

Of course, this doesn't mean that you can't work on more than one section at any given study period.  All you would do in this case is either mark all the verses that you're studying in the header, or make each one a sub-header so that you'll know which notes go to which verse.

Once you've several sessions of notes taken, set aside a little time one day to review them.  You'll probably find you have new insights and answers to some of your questions and likewise have even more questions to others.  This is natural, this is nothing to fear, this is how you learn.  Either make new notes about these new ideas or annotate your old ones.  And don't forget to keep going back to your previous notes to see what else you've come up with while they simmered in your subconscious.

Over the next few posts, we'll take a look at a few more easy, inexpensive ways to maximize your bible studies.  Once we've done that, we'll either go over online bible studies or group bible studies.  If you have a preference as to which one you'd like to see first, please email me (my contact information is in the sidebar) as I'm very curious to see where your preferences lie when it comes to studying the Holy Bible.

Bible Study Everyday

What's one of the best ways to learn the good word? By doing Bible study everyday of course!

Now wait a minute, just wait a minute, I hear you thinking. How do you expect me to study the Bible everyday when I have work and family and school and bills and so and so many other responsibilities as it is? And wait a minute, I already go to church as it is, so what's the deal?

Well I'll tell you what the deal is. The deal is that if you think all of your other "responsibilites," which, let's face it, are probably nothing more than half-baked excuses when you get right down to it, outweigh your true responsibility to uphold your duty to God and His Word, then I pray that you'll stick around awhile to see just how easy and rewarding it can be to devote just a little bit of time amidst all of your other responsibilities to studying the Holy Bible.

That's right, just a little bit of time is all it really takes. You just have to do it everyday to reap the big rewards.

How Much Bible Study Is Enough Everyday?

Fifteen minutes. I kid you not. You only need to set aside just fifteen minutes of your time once a day to studying the Good Book.

Only fifteen minutes? you may be thinking, How can that short amount of time accomplish anything worthwhile?

Well let me tell you: It's not the quantity of time spent doing Bible studies, rather, it's the quality of the time used and how you use it. Perhaps this concept is a bit confusing, so please, let me elaborate a bit.

When you open the Holy Bible to study it, that's exactly what you must do:  study.   Reading it for a quarter of an hour won't accomplish much.  In fact, "reading" it for five hours won't do much of anything.  Sure, it will pass the time and entertain you.  You might even remember a few choice verses or little quotes here and there.

The problem is that you won't retain anything.  Why?  Because when you read for pleasure, you read the passage once and then move on.  Unless something specific strikes your fancy, how can you expect to retain anything that way?

Ah, but if you study scripture, then you can begin your journey to learning the Holy Bible which will eventually allow you the tools to apply what you learn to life.  Therefore:

When You Read The Bible, You Study The Bible

I don't know how to make it much clearer than that, really.  Of course, now that you know what to do, how, exactly do you go about actually studying the bible?

There are several methods that I would like to get into, but this post is already getting a little bit long.  But I don't want to leave you empty-handed, either.  While I'll go over several methods in future posts, I'll give you just a quick look at a couple of those now so you can get started or at least get an idea of what you might need to do to implement your Study Bible Regimen.

1. When you study your bible, keep a notepad and pen or pencil beside you at all times.  Take notes of passages that interest you so you can go back to them on your next study session.
2. Dedicate a space (or even a whole room if you have on available!) to only you and your bible.  Do not use this space for anything else.  When you are in this space--study your bible!
3. Set a timer and when it goes off, stop right where you are and make a note of it:  Do Not Finish the verse or even the sentence.  This will help to keep the passage you were on fresh in your mind.  And that's a good thing!

Until next we meet, I hope you can find a way to implement these methods into your fifteen minute routine.  I'll delve into these practices deeper in the coming posts, but until then, remember:  Do Your Bible Study Everyday!

Holy Bible Study

Like many Christians, I believe that if we could just devote more time to our Holy Bible studies then we would be in a much better world.  How much crime could there be if we all followed the written word of the Bible?  How much hate could fill the Earth and the hearts of our fellow man if only everybody studied the Bible and God's word and learned from what the apostles and scribes of the biblical era set out to teach us?  How many would pass judgement on another being or chastise them or do other hurtful things to them if those people first devoted their energies not at one another in misguided will but instead turned their attentions to the Good Book and the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ?

I'll tell you what I think:  I believe there would be so few people like that in our society that to run across one would be an extreme rarity.  Almost like it's nearly impossible to find some one these days in our current times who not only reads, but also studies the Holy Bible and then, lo and behold, actually applies what they've learned to their way of life.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if believers, followers, and most importantly doers actually outnumbered the sinners and non-believers?  I think so.  I hope you do, too.

Holy Bible Study

This is why propose that not only must we go to church and listen to our ministers (no falling asleep in the pews!) but we also must study the Bible in our own time.  Sure, Bible study during Sundays and Wednesdays is nice, but is it enough?  I really don't think so.  In fact, I don't believe you can do too much (or even enough) studying in a whole lifetime of church days to really glean what should be learned from the written word.

Don't get me wrong here, though.  While it would be a great learning experience and religious endeavor to commit one's life to a monastery as either a monk or a nun, I'm not advocating that that is what you have to do.  Not at all.  But if you do so choose, then by all means you have my utmost support!

No, what I am saying is that I think we need spend not just one or two days a week studying the Books of the Bible, but rather spend everyday studying them.

How Much Time Do You Really Need To Spend Studying The Bible?

Before you think that I'm telling you to work all day long and then go home to your family and read from the Bible till bedtime only stopping long enough to eat dinner, I'd like to say that you really only need to spend a good fifteen minutes studying verses.  But those fifteen minutes have to be quality minutes, hence the stress on the word studying and not reading.

This is not to say that you can't spend more than fifteen minutes on scripture, but if you use your time wisely, then it's all you really need.

While I'm not perfect and am far from knowing but just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to scripture, I hope that you'll join me in my online journey to better Bible Study.

Bible Studies

Welcome to Study The Bible. I hope to have the opportunity to explore with you as many different versions of the bible as we can, and seeing as no one can ever know all there is to know about any subject I believe the both of us can learn a great deal in the process. If you'd like to see something in particular covered, then please do not hesitate to ask. In fact, as long it's bible related, I'd love to hear from you!

My email is: bibles@ymail.com

I hope you'll like what you find here. Now let's crack open those study bibles and get to learnin'!

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