Bible Study for the Jaded

This post comes from vast (ha) experience and watching other people get fired up over a project---only to slowly, but surely, lose any ground that they've gained. A good sermon can leave many people eager to jump into Bible study feet first. They've read the books, bought the highlighters, the coloured pencils, the study Bible, the wide margin Bible, the "through the Bible in one year" Bible, they've dragged out the commentaries, downloaded the software. They are ready to go.

And yet in a few weeks, they're back to their usual snatching method of reading the Bible. They snatch a Proverb, snag a Psalm, or simply reread their favorite books and leave alone anything else.

Then, they read a book about Bible study. Wow, they think, I did it all wrong. With this new method, I can really dig into the Bible!

A few weeks later, their Bible is full of colored pencil markings (thank you, Kay Arthur) and they can't even pick it up anymore. Their failure stares them in the face.

Frustrated, angry, they hear another sermon, read another book, attend a seminar.

"Now, I really am going to study the Bible!"

A few weeks later....

They are jaded. They've tried the Bible study for the smart, they've tried the never-fail methods, they've promised that this time, they'll stick with it.

Many books tacitly acknowledge this by assuring you that "It's not that hard" "Anyone can do this" "Read a chapter a day, anyone can do that!" "Read a verse a day, anyone can do that!" "Hundreds of people, including the Apostle Paul, used this method---and you can, too!"

Well, I'm going to turn all this on its head.

1. Bible study is hard. It takes work. If you want to learn the Bible, it will take work. If you come to the Bible expecting to scoop gold off the ground, you're going to get discouraged very quickly.

2. Don't read a chapter a day. Don't read a verse a day. Sit down and read an entire book. Instead of doing something that anyone can do, do something that people rarely do: read the Bible the way it was meant to be read. This applies especially to epistles.

3. Stop look at your Bible as a repository of commands and promises. Yes, they are there. But you'd actually benefit more from circling all the verbs with your coloured pencil (thank you, Kay Arthur)

4. Pick a book that you don't like. For instance, I've always liked the gospel of Luke. He's my type of guy. Details, details, and he's just writes beautifully. But I'm not studying Luke. I'm studying John. Distance yourself from your faves. Don't worry---they'll still be there, waiting for you.

5. If you want to read through the Bible in one year, don't start in Genesis. If you've tried and failed before, you have probably already read Genesis more times than you can remember. If you are like me, it takes time for you to grasp the "gist" of a book, so don't alternate or mix NT and OT readings. You lose the overall perspective. Pick a book, and stick with it.

6. Avoid the Psalms like a holy plague. You've read them enough. Starving yourself of Psalms will give you a new appreciation for them. Here's an idea, mix your Psalm reading with a book of contemporary poetry. Compare them to other ancient poetry. Quit dragging the Psalms into your world and superimposing them onto your culture.

7. Avoid Proverbs like the holy plague. See above.

8. Kiss your schedule goodbye. That's right. Give yourself time to dwell on one book. Jesus doesn't hate you if you don't read your Bible through in one year. In fact, he doesn't love you more if you do.

9. Read a book backwards, preferably in one sitting. Read the Bible backwards. Both force you to get a grasp on what's really going on.

10. Whatever you do, stick with it. I don't want this post to be one of many that you read and become more jaded when you fail. It's better to feel totally unexcited and bored and to consistently do XYZ than to get very excited, sharpen your coloured pencils (thank you, Kay Arthur) and stop. If you can only study the Bible once a week, fine. Just make sure that you do it once a week.

And that's it. If you can only find one thing that suits your personality, than keep going. Don't neglect your ability, just because you can't out-scribble Kay Arthur. Be a boring---and consistent---plodder.

All sarcasm towards Kay Arthur and the Inductive Study method are purely the results of someone who could never sharpen a pencil without breaking the tip. Kay, core of my heart, forgive me.