How to Study the Bible Like a Theologian

{I’m excited to have Alyssa J. Howard on the blog today! I met Alyssa when she joined the HelloMornings Bible study writing team. Her insight, knowledge, and heart for serving the Lord truly bless me. It’s been a joy to co-write with her and I’m thrilled that she’s sharing something with us at DoNotDepart!  -Ali}

I have studied the Bible my whole life. I grew up in a Christian home and attended a Christian school for most of my childhood. So when God put it on my heart to attend seminary, I assumed I knew what to expect. Obviously, I would study the Bible more thoroughly than ever before, but nothing could have prepared me for how I would be challenged both mentally and spiritually.

During my two years in graduate school, I studied the Bible in a whole new way. Up until that point, my study times consisted of prayer, Bible reading, journaling, and occasionally browsing commentaries for further insight. And there is nothing wrong with this type of study. In fact, it is my primary way of studying today. But here are some of the things I learned along the way that challenged me to dive deeper.

• Translation matters. Before seminary, I was aware that some translations were more literal than others. But I had no idea how important translation was to Bible study.  Did you know that there are actually hundreds of English translations of the Bible? While I firmly believe that the Bible is the perfect Word of God, I do know that our translations aren’t perfect. We do the best we can, but in the end, we have to understand how translation affects what we’re reading. In my personal study, I try to look at several translations when diving into a particular passage – some more literal and others that are thought-for-thought.

• Context is more than simply reading the verses around a particular passage. We speak a lot about “reading in context” when it comes to Scripture. Otherwise, we run the risk of misinterpreting a verse. But it’s not enough to read the entire chapter. We need to understand the author’s original intention as well as how the original reader would have interpreted their words. 

A professor once told me that a text cannot mean something it would have never meant to the original audience. In other words, we need to put ourselves in the mindset of the first-century believers to fully understand what the New Testament is saying. Yes, God’s Word is alive and active. It is still relevant and speaks to us today. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that most of the New Testament is made up of letters written to first-century churches addressing specific issues within their churches. The Bible was relevant and alive for them too. If we know nothing about first-century culture, how can we expect to fully understand everything Paul and the other New Testament writers were trying to convey?

With that in mind, we also need to remember that the Bible wasn’t written with chapter and verse numbers. Paul’s letter to the Romans wasn’t divided up into nice and neat divisions with headings like we find in our modern Bibles. It was a letter, meant to be read in its entirety from start to finish. So when we strive to read the Bible in context, we need to keep this in mind. The whole book matters.

• Theology isn’t just for theologians. Some would argue that Paul was the first Christian theologian. His letters are full of extraordinarily deep theology! Yet he wasn’t speaking to world-renowned scholars or writing a thesis paper. He was writing personal letters to everyday church folk like you and me. He expected his readers to have the desire to grow… to learn more about God and who He is each and every day.

I’ve met many theologians in my life, and the majority had one important thing in common – a passion and love for God’s Word. They longed to move beyond the surface and dive deeper into the Bible.

You want to go deeper, ask more questions, and rely on the Holy Spirit more to guide you. You study His Word with passion and strive to know everything you can about your heavenly Father because in the end… He is your everything.

Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity… – Hebrews 6:1a (ESV)

Alyssa J Howard is a wife and stay-at-home mom to two young girls. She lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest where she loves to bake, run, drink coffee, and play with her two young daughters. Alyssa first fell in love with writing while earning her Master of Arts degree in theological studies through Liberty Theological Seminary, and she has been writing about Jesus and the Christian life for the past three years at alyssajhoward.com.

Connect with Alyssa on  Facebook,    Twitter,   or   Pinterest.

You can also check out Alyssa’s work in New Beginnings: Lessons on New Mercies and God’s Goodness and At My Savior’s Feet: Life-changing Lessons from the Master Storyteller, both available in print and Kindle formats on Amazon.