The Bible can be challenging to understand without taking the proper time to learn how to study it. Here are just a few reasons why:

1. The Bible is thousands of years old.  
2. It was written across approximately 1600 years.
3. We recognize dozens of different authors.
4. The Bible claims its inspiration.
5. The Bible contains prose, narrative, poetic, and legal writings.
6. The Bible was written in three different languages.

The list of reasons why the Bible is difficult to understand could go on for pages.

I'm sure you are thinking of several I failed to mention.

Fortunately, this article is not designed as an experiment in listing all the reasons why studying the Bible is difficult.

Instead, the goal is to suggest four resources that will help you learn to study the Bible well and apply it to your life.

So, let's get started.

Resource #1: Grasping God's Word

Grasping God's Word: A Hands-on Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible was the assigned textbook for the first class I took on biblical interpretation.

The authors, J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays do a fantastic job explaining the basic skills necessary for studying the Bible.

The book methodically leads the reader along an interpretive journey that starts with detailed observations about a biblical passage and ends with personal application.

If you want a book that offers clear steps for studying the Bible without bogging you down in too many theories of interpretation, then Grasping God's Word is the book for you.

Each chapter presents the material clearly and concludes with simple assignments designed to get you to take action on your new-found knowledge.

Resource #2: How to Read the Bible for All its Worth

Gordon Fee's and Douglas Stuart's classic How to Read the Bible for All its Worth is the second book I recommend.

They cover similar material as Duvall and Hays but focus more specifically on helping the reader understand the various biblical genres.

Fee and Stuart do an excellent job of offering tips for studying portions of Scripture like the gospels, the law, and the epistles.

Unlike Grasping God's Word, Fee's and Stuart's book on studying the Bible spends a good deal more time explaining the difficulties each biblical genre presents.

They help the reader navigate these difficulties by suggesting helpful questions for each of the various biblical genres.

Additionally, they provide useful examples along the way so the reader can see these questions at work in interpretation.

Resource #3: 21 Days to Better Bible Study

I could recommend several other books that would help you dive deeper into biblical interpretation, but for a third resource, I'd like to suggest you take my email course: 21 Days to Better Bible Study.

You can sign up here.

Over the course of three weeks, I will send you a series of emails filled with practical lessons and exercises to help you use what you are learning.

By the end of the class, you'll have a strong foundation for studying God's word the rest of your life.

Summary

That's it for this week.

I would recommend picking one of these resources and working through it.

After doing that you will be much more confident about studying God's word.

Thanks for reading,

Tyler Fulcher

P.S. If you purchase one of these books through Amazon, mybibleschool receives a small commission. This is one simple way to support what mybibleschool is doing.