Introduction
God gave His word to ALL people, not only to Hebrew or Greek scholars or those with a theological degree. And do not let anyone - not your pastor, not the elders in the church, not anyone - ever tell you that you cannot understand the Bible unless someone explains it to you because you did not graduate from one or the other seminary/Bible school and have no formal training in theology.
Apparently all too many people would rather rely on someone else to do the studying for them. Why should they put in the work when they can pay someone to do it for them?
And by this I do not mean we cannot learn from those who have spent their lives in the study of the Scriptures and can teach us a great deal and help us gain insight. What I do mean is you cannot unquestioningly accept anyone’s interpretation of any part of the Scriptures.
Paying a professional to spoon-feed us one or more times a week is simply taking the easy way out and, in far too many cases, has had devastating consequences. Wolves and false teachers abound in the church. (See Doctrines of Demons).
In fact, the first most dangerous mistake any Christian can make is to believe that we ourselves cannot be fooled and our pastor/spiritual leader/favorite author cannot be a false teacher or wolf in sheep's clothing. HERE
Also remember that although obtaining Scriptural knowledge often seems like a daunting task, it happens by degrees. It is only reasonable to believe that God will give understanding to anyone who honestly seeks the truth which is one reason He gave us the Holy Spirit:
Besides which when you read your Bible You have to remember that it is not a narrative about other people from another time and culture. It is your story - your history. You are as much a descendent of Abraham as anyone in the Scriptures. Because you are an insider you have to take Scripture’s outlook as your own and view the world through the lens of the Word - not the other way around.
HISTORY
OVERVIEW
OVERVIEW OF THE BIBLE
A one page overview of both new and old Testaments.
OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY - PART 1
A detailed look at the Old Testament from before Abraham to Samuel and Saul
OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY - PART 2
A detailed look at the New Testament from David and Solomon to “The Coming One”
RELIABILITY
A REMARKABLE BOOK
What makes the Bible the only book we can accept as divinely inspired since it does not glow in the dark, levitate or exhibit any physical qualities that might be seen as supernatural. How can we know beyond a shadow of doubt that the Bible is and always was the only Word of God? How is it possible to determine the validity and the authenticity of the claims made by these Scriptures. (Several Articles)
DIFFERENCES AND DISCREPANCIES IN THE
OLD TESTAMENT / NEW TESTAMENT
Does the Bible contradict itself? That charge is frequently made by skeptics. A careful consideration of the "law of contradiction" will however, demonstrate otherwise.
BIBLE STUDY - WHAT TO DO AND WHAT NOT TO DO
USEFUL (AND VERY IMPORTANT) GUIDELINES
Helpful Hints and Golden Rules. Things you should do and what to avoid like the plague
 CONTEXT IS CRUCIAL
No Biblical author simply strung together a number of lofty sounding phrases disconnected from one another. Since each verse is an integral part of a particular point the author was trying to make, no one should read, much less base their beliefs on stand alone verses. The reader can only be accurately informed by God's Word the way it is written… in its context. Understanding what the author meant comes not only from the words he wrote, but also by what the overall message of the chapter is intended to convey
NEVER READ A BIBLE VERSE
The numbers in front of the sentences give the illusion the verses stand alone in their meaning. They were not in the originals but added hundreds of years later. Chapter and verse breaks sometimes pop up in unfortunate places, separating relevant material that should be grouped together.
RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH
A Few Commonly Misused or Misunderstood Verses.
INTERPRETING SCRIPTURE
Two of the most ridiculous claims I have ever heard is what the Bible teaches depends on how it is interpreted, and one person's interpretation of Scripture is just as legitimate as anyone else's. The meaning of every single Biblical passage was determined by the original author. Therefore, "interpretation" has to be strictly limited to the meaning that the writer intended to convey. It is our responsibility as readers to discover what that meaning is. We have a responsibility to understand God's words correctly - for our own sakes. Because the God of the universe was the ultimate author - His thoughts, plans, commands etc. conveyed by His written word. Not a good idea to treat His words recklessly or irresponsibly.
EXTERNAL AIDS
USING BIBLE COMMENTARIES
A Word of Caution
REMEMBER
EXPOSITION MUST HAVE APPLICATION
Theology is a set of facts concerning God, man and the world. These facts are valueless in themselves. Biblical teaching is not only supposed to make believers better Bible students, but to help them apply God's precepts and lessons to their lives. Christian teachers do not function as classroom professors but as shepherds who are supposed to unpack the text so that fellow pilgrims can understand what God would have us do with the knowledge
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