Digging Deeper
In the post on “What is the Real Goal of Bible Study?” we talked a little about why we study the Bible – to know God and how God works in and through the world, and a fancy academic word popped up: theology.
In this post, we’re going to dig a little deeper into what it means to study the Bible more formally, discuss whether it needs to be “fancy” or if you need a special degree (spoiler alert, you don’t!), and anyone can actually do it.
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Studying the Bible Formally - Some Terms
If we wanted to study the Bible formally, it would be called “Biblical Studies.” Biblical studies is our source for Theology, and theology is the way we talk about God. (I bet you thought it was something fancier,
didn’t you? 
)
Biblical studies is looking at the Bible through an investigative and interpretive process. In that process, we are examining cultural and historical backgrounds, genres, language, transmission processes (how the Bible comes to us through time), and reception processes (how we have received and interpreted the Bible through time).
Biblical studies doesn’t always do all of those methods in each study, but some combination of them is usually found in most formal studies – the type of work that make up commentaries, Bible Survey textbooks, and even the notes in your Study Bible! It’s also an important part of the translation process – which is not just for translating into English, but also into languages that don’t have God’s word yet.
Why Should I worry about Theology & Biblical Studies? I'm not a Pastor or a Professor!
C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity,
“Everyone reads, everyone hears things discussed. Consequently, if you do not listen to Theology, that will not mean you have no ideas about God. It will mean you have a lot of wrong ones – bad, muddled, out-of-date ideas.”
Sometimes we think that we don’t need theology – that it’s “just for scholars” or “only for ministers,” but that’s not true!
Anyone who talks about God is doing theology – the question is, what kind of theology are they doing?
Is it well-informed, biblically-based theology?
Or is it opinion-based, rooted in things we’ve heard or been told but never fully investigated for ourselves?
To “do theology” well, we have to take our ideas about God and investigate them – compare them to the biblical text and determine if they are faithful representations of who God is and how God works.
Anyone who talks about God is doing Theology - the question is, what kind of theology are they doing?
Without the Bible, we can’t do theology well – we can’t speak faithfully and reliably about God. Without theology – deliberately investigating our ideas about God and comparing them to the Bible, we miss depth of knowledge and interaction with the truths of God’s word.
So, how does Bible study Help us?
Bible study helps us to grow in our relationship with God when we take time to
- read the text carefully,
- examine our own preconceived ideas about God, faith, the world, and the Bible, and
- prayerfully consider our ideas based on what the Bible’s text tells us about who God is and how God works and wants us to reflect Him to the world around us.
Organized, engaged, and directed interpretation of God’s word can help us to capture new understandings of familiar passages so we can apply them to our lives in ways that help us to be better followers of Jesus.
When we take the time to study the text deeply, using new-to-us tools and methods, we learn that sometimes our focus has been on the wrong parts of a verse. This isn’t because we are “bad” or because someone has intentionally misled us, but it is a root of a deeper issue in Christian faith. As an example,
Did You Know That In Matthew 28:19 (The “Great Commission”), The Focus Of The Verse Is Not On “Go” But On “Making Disciples”?
How do we know this? Because of biblical studies! When we take time to explore the text and dig into the original context and structure of the verse, we discover that in the original language, the only verb in the whole sentence is “make” – even though in English it looks like there are 4! Because we focus on the first verb in a string in English, we’ve focused a lot on the “go” of that verse. And while missionary work is vitally important (I have many missionary friends!), the way the text originally reads would be better translated something like, “As you are going, make disciples…”
Wait a minute.
That sounds like something everyone should be doing …
… not just preachers and missionaries.
YUP.
Biblical studies – organized, engaged, directed interpretation of God’s word – can help us to capture new understandings of familiar passages so we can apply them to our lives in ways that help us to be better followers of Jesus.
So, Bible study needs to be fancy?
Not at all! But it does need to be intentional, organized, directed, and when possible, you should use available tools to help dig deeper into the layers of the text that separate us from the original audience.
Tools? That sounds... intimidating.
Imagine you’re starting a new hobby, and you walk into a craft store (or hardware store, or … whatever kind of hobby store your hobby requires!) and head over to the section that houses your particular craft/hobby.
Where do you start? What do you need?
If you’re just starting out, the basics will usually do, along with maybe an instruction manual or guide.
If you’re an experienced hobbyist, you might be ready for more advanced tools/techniques.
Wherever you are, I like to apply the “Easy +1” method. (It’s something I learned from our homeschooling community!)
Here’s what it looks like:
Let’s say you are pretty confident in your basic understanding of the Bible, but you want to dig a little deeper into the background context.
Easy: what you already know how to do
+1: one new tool/technique to help you grow in your study time
Once you’re comfortable with your new “+1” you can add another one. Soon you’ll have a whole toolbox to access that will help you examine Scripture in new ways!
Check out our Post on Highlighting to take your Bible Study to the next level!
Grace-Filled Discipleship is supported by our readers. When you make a purchase through a link on our site, we may earn an …
This book has some great “getting started” tips for digging deeper into Bible study. It’s one of my top recommendations! I’ve used it to teach students (and adults) for many years, and it helps to develop a consistent approach to understanding and interpreting Scripture faithfully.
This is my favorite study Bible – the notes in it are so helpful for getting info on the background elements of the culture and history of the Bible – the things that most of us miss or “fill in” with our own preunderstanding. (Plus, the fabulous Dr. Craig Keener did the notes for the New Testament commentary section!)
How Do I know what Kind of Tools to Use?
Great question! I have some recommendations for getting started in this video teaching I did for PenFlorida Women’s Ministries, and some resources I recommend here.
I’m also offering a Deeper Dive Course in early 2024 where I will walk you through some steps of how to interpret the Bible faithfully and add in some new techniques to help you dig deeper in your understanding, and I hope you’ll join me! Be sure to get your name on the waiting list!
So, I don't need a degree to study the Bible formally?
Nope!
I’m all for people pursuing higher learning (hello, college professor!), but I also know that it’s not for everyone – for various reasons. That doesn’t mean you’re “cut off” from learning how to study the Bible well. It just means you will do it in a different approach than you would in a classroom (and without the stress of a grade hanging over your head!).
To study the Bible in-depth, you just need a willingness to dig deep, investigate, and be challenged to grow in your understanding of God’s word. You also need some of those tools I mentioned above, but these three characteristics are the most important part of being able to study the Bible in-depth!
Add Your name to The Deeper Dive Course Waiting List!
