What’s worse than making Bible study mistakes? Easy. Making Bible study mistakes you don’t know about, or simply overlook. Though there are a lot of these to consider, you can overcome them very easily.
Growing up in ice-covered Colorado taught me that some slippery slopes are hard to see. Yet, I also know (through my cartoon watching expertise) that others are entirely obvious. Take the classic banana slip, for example:
Falling is definitely a problem, but the easy solution is to remove the banana. (Highlight to tweet)
In the same way, there are the Bible study mistakes you’re very aware of. Not studying at all, ignoring the importance of Bible study, or deliberately choosing to do something else when you know you have the time for it are all examples of obvious Bible study mistakes.
But what about the mistakes that aren’t so obvious?
Here are 17 Bible study mistakes you don’t know you’re making, and how to solve them.
1. You think you’re a bad person when you skip a day of Bible study.
Here’s a quote, taken directly from 520 Hours: Making Time for Habitual Bible Study:
What if, right now, God zapped you and gave you the super-powered ability to never miss a day of Bible study, but it was up to you to study for however long you wanted. Would you be satisfied at studying every day for 15 minutes? Or, would you only be satisfied if you studied every day for 60 minutes?
Quite simply, if you forget to study your Bible today (or fail to make time for it), make tomorrow’s plan better. These resources will get you started.
2. You don’t know what Bible study is for.
True Bible study incorporates reading into the process, but reading alone is not studying. Likewise, Bible study is more than just sitting in Bible class. It’s more than just passively listening to a Bible lesson. It’s even more than just looking up passages while you listen. It’s more than just hearing without maturity.
True Bible study needs to be applied in order to make your study relevant, but application alone isn’t what Bible study is all about.
True Bible study looks at what Scripture says and then aligns life according to what that Scripture says.
True Bible study is for creating action in the prescribed way.
3. You study the wrong way.
You can easily forget:
- That the Bible is from God
- That the Bible is inspired by God
You can easily ignore:
- The Bible’s context
- The Bible’s harmony
You can easily study:
- With a closed mind
- With bias
- With the lens of tradition
All of these paths lead away from the truth, and there are others like them. The only way to “remove the banana” is to ask yourself if you are affecting God’s word or if God’s word is affecting you.
4. You start without prayer.
Since the Bible was inspired by God himself, you must consult its author. Paul says that “the things of God . . . are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
No amount of resources or quality Bible study methods will replace God’s guidance. Make it a habit to begin every Bible study session with a prayer.
5. You study alone.
While there’s a time and place for personal Bible study, Paul told Timothy to give attention to the public reading of Scripture (1 Timothy 4:13). This individualistic culture you live in is partly to blame for this oversight.
While you don’t want to elevate opinions over truth, don’t let yourself miss out on the insights, wisdom, and applicable ideas that other people share.
You can learn more about facilitating a Bible class through the influence category on this blog.
6. You bring preconceptions and misconceptions into the text.
It’s easy to say that you don’t bring preconceptions into the text. Yet somehow, you always manage to wind up believing in the same doctrine you held when you started. Just the same, you often come away with a strengthened belief in something that you only managed to examine from one angle.
It’s true that you must let the text speak for itself, but you haven’t avoided preconceptions and misconceptions if you end up misinterpreting what the text “clearly” said.
One way I take a look at multiple angles is to question what people from several denominations say. You can easily do this by looking at old Christian debate books. The key is to examine every angle. There’s the interpretive angle, the observational angle, the correlation angle, and even the applicable angle.
When you take on the role of a journalist reporter (of sorts) and get to the bottom of things (like religious leaders’ motives and fears), you’ll wind up distilling the meat from the grease.
7. You take in only one perspective.
Similar to number six, is using the resources you already agree with. This is a big danger that comes from commentaries, and is one of the reasons I suggest you get rid of most of them.
One thing I respect about Logos Bible Software is that they selected contributors of various views for the Faithlife Study Bible. Although this has its risks, it beautifully encourages you to not get stuck in one particular viewpoint on your way to the truth.
While at some point you’ll have to clearly identify the boundaries of the truth, looking at multiple perspectives ensures that you have considered all possibilities.
8. You use one translation, and one translation only.
I’ve talked about translations before, and it’s a popular topic on other well-known blogs as well. Still, it’s worth repeating here.
Translations follow different philosophies. Some are more literal while others are very loose paraphrases. All at once, you have access to those that deliberately seek word-for-word accuracy, others that focus on though-for-thought accuracy, and others that basically rewrite the overall message.
At the same time, the dynamics of language is such that you can’t always translate everything in precisely the same way. Every language has its limitations, and that’s especially true with Greek and Hebrew versus English. While English has more words in its vocabulary than other modern languages, it still can’t match how precise the original Greek language was.
Looking at multiple translations will help you compensate for all the translations’ weaknesses. You can learn more about the translations I recommend in this ebook series.
9. You rely too much on commentaries.
I alluded to this in number seven, but it’s worth repeating here. Likewise, the same could even be said with debate books. On one extreme, some people put so much weight into what other people say that they ultimately excuse personal study altogether.
Some people are that way towards preachers.
The solution is to not put people up on a pedestal; you must remember that they are human. Listening to them is one thing, but elevating one guy over the truth of God’s word is quite another.
10. You avoid the few good commentaries.
On the other hand, there are a (very) few (extremely limited) cases where commentaries are helpful. In this ebook series, I give you my personal recommendations for which commentaries to use, and more importantly, why.
The better commentaries are better than the vast majority of commentaries, simply because they describe how they came to a particular interpretation using the text itself. They meticulously show how the facts on the page created the interpretation, and not how they created an interpretation using what’s on the page.
11. You miss the historical setting.
Don’t forget that the original audience was alive long before the 21st century Christian. You have to go back in time.
You have to examine the specific author of each book. Likewise, you have to know those to whom he wrote. You have to learn about the culture they were under, the time the book was written to them, and even the purpose the author had in mind.
If you miss these details, you are likely to misinterpret God’s truth.
Some of the best historical background information can be found in the right resources.
12. You assume modern definitions of Biblical words.
Even in English, you have words whose definitions have changed throughout history. The word “gay,” certainly doesn’t mean what it used to. Neither does the word “cat” have quite the same “hip” edge to it as it once did.
In the same way, few English words fully articulate the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek meanings.
Since not every translation provides an exact representation of the original manuscripts, you can’t assume that today’s definitions are always adequate replacements for the words in Scripture. Plus, even if they are adequate replacements, you don’t want to confuse the modern definition with the ancient definition.
One of the best ways to examine ancient word definitions is through a word study. As a shortcut, however, you can look into what a lexicon is, and how to use one.
13. You fail to understand genre.
While the Bible is one book, it is made up of several different types of writing. These literary types are known as literary genre.
You know that the Bible is made up of poems, narratives, letters, and apocalyptic literature, but you may be making the mistake of forgetting it. You may be forgetting that each style colors the meaning of the text in its own way.
One good resource to help you make sense of them all is How to Read the Bible Book by Book. It thoroughly discusses the important details of each Bible book—including the genre of each.
14. You ignore Biblical context.
You wouldn’t pick up a Harry Potter novel and start reading the middle of chapter eight, would you? Then why would you do the same with a Bible verse?
While it doesn’t make sense to just start studying the Bible by looking at a single verse all alone, it happens all the time. (That’s not to say a Bible verse study isn’t possible. It just means you have to do it in the right way and without ignoring the larger picture.)
The point here is to make sure that whatever conclusion you reach follows the context in the most logical way.
One good example is Jeremiah 29:11.
You can’t use this verse, quite frankly, to tell people what God’s specific plans are for them. That is, you can’t tell them that God has specific plans for them unless you’re speaking to the Israelites. The context shows that God was speaking to the nation of Israel during Jeremiah’s time. God “had plans” to bring them out of exile at a certain time, not a plan for you and I to know what we’re all gonna be when we grow up.
15. You study for the wrong reasons.
Acquiring information about the Bible is not the end, but a means to the better end. You need to acquire information about the Bible, and more so the information in the Bible, in order to build upon that awareness.
You are to study in order to “be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17). If our studies do not equip us for everything that is good and right in God’s sight, then they’re worthless. As you read the Bible, you must ultimately apply it to your life as God intends.
16. You study in a distracting environment.
It seems like such a “slap on the forehead” idea, but you’d be amazed at how many people try to “study” on their way to work, in the lunchroom, or in the living room with people talking and volumes turned high.
While you can pay the bills, talk on the phone, or play an intense game of chess in environments like that, they make it close to impossible to really know the Scriptures.
The same goes (kids), by the way, for your homework. (This, I attest upon personal experience.)
Eliminating distractions begins with a time and place for Bible study. Check out this resource for more on how to set up a good environment for learning.
17. You limit the ways you absorb the Bible.
There are so many ways you can absorb the Bible, and most of them go well beyond just reading the text. In today’s technological age, your options expand almost innumerably. When you vary the ways you absorb the Bible, you provide a break from routine, add some excitement, and help yourself feel less intimidated by the sheer volume of Scripture.
A lot of Bible apps now come with an audio feature built right in. This is definitely true with the YouVersion and Olive Tree apps. When you’re at home, you can also use online services like Bible.is or BibleGateway’s audio Bibles. I’ve also heard (although I haven’t used it myself) that the Tecarta Bible app is also good.
Conclusion
Don’t allow yourself to hamper your Bible study effectiveness just because you overlook some minor details. Most of the time, it’s just a matter of being aware of what’s going on, and taking the time to address each issue one at a time.
Discussion Question: What other recommendations can you give that have helped you overcome these Bible study mistakes?
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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