What to Look for In a Bible Study
One of the things that I'm constantly being messaged about is what to look for in a Bible study.
“Hey Meg, have you heard anything about this new Bible study author?”
“Do you know of any Bible studies on anxiety?”
“Are there any Bible studies I need to avoid?”
I LOVE getting questions like this. And I generally have answers to these questions. But it does seem as though every time I turn around, I find another new Bible study author, and they don’t always have credentials I’m comfortable with. But I digress.
What I initially look for in my study now may surprise most people.
Classic Authors
I tend to grab the authors who’ve come and gone before me. Oswald Chambers. C.S. Lewis. Frances Ridley Havergal. These people have lived long and faithful lives for Jesus and have gobs of wisdom. Oswald has short and sweet devotions (My Utmost for His Highest) that take less than 5 minutes to read (and honestly, his are so heartfelt that I am always moved by the Holy Spirit). He asks a good amount of questions that dig deep quickly.
C.S. Lewis not only wrote the beloved Chronicles of Narnia, but he also spent time writing Reflections on the Psalms. Some of his works have also been compiled into devotionals, with his learning on the faith walk woven in.
I recently learned about Frances Ridley Havergal when I found one of her poems in my Grandma’s Bible. Amidst the beautiful scrawl of Doris Elmore’s handwriting, France’s poem answered a prayer for me. I researched “Who wrote this poem?” and found Frances. She was an avid writer and wrote several hymns. Frances was an amazing woman who used the gifts God gave her without apology.
2. Swedish Study Method
When I really want to dig into a book of the Bible with another woman or by myself, I tend to grab the Swedish Study Method (click the link to be directed to it). It’s easy and becomes second nature once you’ve memorized it. With this method, you read a passage repeatedly for an entire week. Then, at the end of the week, you through five questions to ask yourself (and one another if you’re in a discipleship group). The questions are consistently the same, so after a while, you won’t even need the guide anymore, and reading, questioning, and interpreting Scripture will become second nature to you.
For Mainstream Bible Studies
1. Preview them before you buy
Too many people buy studies based on a popular author’s name, and there’s nothing really wrong with that concept. If you know and trust an author, then go for it. But previewing it can always be a good thing. You may get halfway into a study and realize, “Oh wait, this author doesn’t agree with mine or my church’s theology on this subject,” and it can get tricky.
2. Don’t just buy an author you recognize
This might surprise you, and I’m not trying to tell you not to buy your favorite Bible study author’s next study. But don’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone to find a different author. We need to constantly surround ourselves with others who are passionate about God’s Word. So, if you need a new study on Ephesians, and your fave author doesn’t have one out, don’t give up the search. Ask around at your church, to your teaching pastor or a wise friend, to see if they know of any good studies on that book.
3. 80/20 Rule on Questions
Make sure most of the study's questions relate to the Bible. Now, this may seem too obvious. But, actually, it happens much more than you’d think. Make sure the study makes you dig into the Bible more than 80% of the time. The rest of the 20% questions can be reflective of you and what you think or feel. If a study focuses too much on the “ME” and less on the “HIM” or the “WORD,” then you’ve got a problem. Find a study that forces you to have your Bible with you or asks you tough questions you’ve never thought of before. Find a study that has questions YOU CAN’T ANSWER. This will push you to seek out the answers, or better yet, ask for help from someone in your church you trust who has more biblical knowledge than you. Studies that force you to foster relationships in the church are always fantastic.
4. Less than 30% Commentary
A huge problem that’s been leaking into our Bible studies is the amount of commentary from the author that is added. I mean, you want to study the Bible, right? Not someone’s take on it?
Commentary found in Bible studies has a couple of issues: 1- It keeps you from interpreting Scripture for yourself. 2- It distracts from the ACTUAL Biblical text. We have a major problem when we hear others say, “Oh, I loved So-And-So’s Bible study on Revelation. She had this quote that just SPOKE to me.” And really- that should rub us a little wrong. It’s okay to take someone else’s wisdom and reflect on it. Let it settle. (Know this: I’m not saying that the Lord will never use something someone has said for His glory. Because He does… all the time.) But when we constantly quote the Bible study authors and NOT the Bible? Thennnnnn…. we’ve got a problem.
So, find a Bible study that forces you into the text. That only has 30% commentary to help explain something (like the cultural or historical background) and 70% questions. Any “chit-chat” that doesn’t point back to the Bible could, in a sense, be left out of a “Bible” study. I completely understand an author trying to personalize themselves to you as the reader. This is needed, as we are all human and are not perfect. But if the study’s commentary is solely based on their own experiences and never returns back to Jesus, His Word, the Father, or the Spirit, perhaps you should look into another study.
5. Historical, Cultural, and Original Languages Woven In
Now that linguistics is almost completely digitalized, it’s so much easier to understand the original languages found in our Bible. If you find a study with this and any historical and cultural backgrounds added in, you’ve found a winner. At the very least, we need to remove ourselves from our American mindset (Western outlook or presuppositions) and discover what the author was trying to tell his/her audience at that specific time, in that specific place. (And I can tell you right now- that the original audience wasn’t from the 21st century!) For a deeper understanding of this, check out our blog post entitled, “How Can I Understand the Bible: The Importance of the Author’s Intended Meaning.”
At the end of the day, there are a ton of good Bible studies out there. And now, churches are beginning to create their own Biblical curriculums as people realize that God has given them these gifts for a reason. (Yay!)
So, keep your eyes open. And be ready to let the Word of God change you.
