These few items are from a outreach Bible study on “How to Read Your English Bible”.

1. Read and study to hear the text not reading into the text. This readily becomes the barometer of your treasuring and pursuing of Christ. A Spirit-filled believer is a Word-filled believer (Ephesians 5:18-19; Colossians 3:16).
2. Verify word meanings. As you gain an increased treasury of biblical definition, the spadework becomes more fluid. Root out weeds of personal thought that are contrary to God’s mind. Over time you will begin to think God’s thoughts after Him. Look up Old Testament quotations for additional study and insight.
3. Connect phrases and context. Make enough notations in your Bible in order that your study can be “re-lived” and remembered at any moment. Preaching, teaching, and confession are nothing more than “re-lived” study illumination.
4. Ask questions to further break open the ore out of God’s mine (Who? What? Where? How? Why? When?). Especially look for words that indicate the reason for a statement (because; for).
5. Meditate on that section throughout the day to gleam the nourishment of its milk and meat. Make applications to yourself and other areas of responsibility that are consistent with the context.
6. Further augment your study by good sound commentaries. In general, an off-based interpretation is probably off-based!

Learn to love your Bible. Love it for Christ’s sake, not for argumentative reasons. Love it in order to be transformed. Love it because the Living Word and the Written Word are one!