What even is Bible Study?

Christians often talk about ‘Bible study’, but this phrase can be misleading. If we are not careful we can end up thinking of the Bible like a textbook we need to read for an exam. But we should not approach the Bible academically, simply to increase our knowledge. We read and study the Bible because in its pages God reveals himself to us; through Scripture we encounter him. So it is vital that we seek the Lord, asking what his will is and how it applies to us. Otherwise, answering a question can become an end in itself and instead of a joyful meeting with our God, our Bible study will become either a boring duty or nothing more than an intellectual exercise.

While we must use our minds as we read the Bible, our greatest need is not intellectual but spiritual. The Bible itself declares:

‘The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him,
and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned’ (1 Cor. 2:14).

Similarly, the Lord Jesus taught that the things of God are often hidden from those we think are ‘wise and understanding’, and revealed to those he calls ‘little children’ (Matt. 11:25, 26). So as we come to God’s Word, we must do so without pride or confidence in our own ability. We should begin with a humble acknowledgement of our dependence on God, and pray with the psalmist:

‘Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law’ (Psalm 119:18).

We need the Holy Spirit to open our blind eyes and give us spiritual discernment and understanding.

At the same time, God chose to reveal his truth in particular times and places, and this truth has been handed down to us in texts written in ancient languages. So to discover all that God has to say to us through his word needs careful study with patience and persistence. We should not take Bible study lightly, but should apply ourselves wholeheartedly to mining its glorious truths.

The ESV Search the Scriptures Bible was one of our June 2021 Releases. As an alternative to the standalone Search the Scriptures Reading plan for the NIV, it offers a time-honoured Bible Study method that hundreds of thousands of Christians have found to enrich their walk with Jesus.