Believing Bible Study 1 Thes 2: 13 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

Believing Bible study involves the following:

Believing the words of God – 1 Thes 2:13 – God’s words have been preserved for us in the King James Bible [Ps 12:6-7].  Because they are God’s words, as you study, God will teach you [Is 50:4; Jn 8:28; Prov 22:17-21].

Humbling your mind – 1 Cor 8:1 – pride in scholarship will ruin you.  The Pharisees looked down upon Jesus and the disciples [Jn 7:15-16; Acts 4:13].  But in their pride and arrogance, they missed the truth [Matt 22:29, 41-46; Jn 5:38-39].  Pride can take you out after years and years of believing the Bible; so be careful.

Getting help from the right men – Acts 8:30-31; Eph 4:11-12 – these are men who humbly believe the words of God and teach them just the way they are without changing them or altering them in anyway [2 Pet 3:15-16].  They teach like Ezra and the Levites in Neh 8:6-8, distinctly [presenting the truth clearly and unmistakably], sensibly [what they say makes perfect sense] and understandably [you get it]. Philip asked the Ethiopian, “Understandest…?”

Studying the Bible – 2 Tim 2:15 – there is no way around this.  You must study and study is work.  “… much study is a weariness of the flesh,” [Ecc 12:12].  Studying involves rightly dividing the word of truth.  Generally, there are verses that apply to the Old Testament, to the church in the New Testament, to the Tribulation and to the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ.  It is important, doctrinally, to recognize to which of these a verse applies.  Matt 24:13, for example, [see Matt 24:21] applies to the tribulation and is, therefore, not a verse that proves you can lose your salvation in the church age.

Cross-referencing scriptures – 1 Cor 2:13 – cross referencing scripture allows you to see the whole picture.  It ties verses together so that you can understand them better.  “The Bible is the best commentary on itself.”  Moses, for instance, died in Deut 34:5-6, yet showed up with Jesus in Matt 17:3.  How is this possible?  Jude 9 has the answer.  And, thus, he is the second witness in Rev 11.  This is also known as comparing and contrasting scriptures.  For instance, Matt 24:30-31 and 1 Thes 4:16-17 are not the same.  One is the rapture of the church.  You see these saints in Rev 5:8-10.  And the other is connected with the rapture of the tribulation saints.  You see these saints in Rev 7:9-14.

Using a dictionary to look up the definitions of words – you’re going to have a hard time understanding something if you don’t look up the words that you don’t understand.  If you pay attention, you will often see the definition in the Bible [Num 16:30, 33].  Whatever you do, never go to Greek or Hebrew to try to figure a verse out.  You will stumble over your brain and wind up in a mess.

Taking notes – Jer 23:18 – you will never remember all that you are studying and all that you are being taught.  So, keep good notes.  A wide margin Bible provides plenty of extra space to make notes right in your Bible.