In this article, we will consider simple methods for digging deeper into a verse of the bible. This concept of bible study allows us to spend a study period meditating solely on a single verse that we’ve selected. The selection of the verse may stem from many things: from a scripture read during a recent sermon or class; from a bible class that we’re preparing for; from our own personal bible reading or study of a book or chapter; or maybe a verse that we’ve always loved and want to spend more time with. However the verse is selected, we […]

In the last article, we considered a simple and effective method for studying a whole book of the bible. The goal was to gain an understanding of the overall message and purpose of the book, the big picture. But if we want a deeper understanding of the book, we should turn to chapter studies and single-verse studies on verses of significance, or verses we are having a difficult time understanding. We will deal with verse studies next time, but first, we should know at least one effective method for studying a chapter and its paragraphs. Below is one such method. […]

When it comes to bible study, there are topical studies and expository/textual studies such as a book, chapter, or verse studies. Today we will consider a method of studying a book of the bible. There is no one right method of study, but the method I’ve chosen to detail is very simple, effective, and requires no other resource but a bible. It is a study method that can be done by believers from middle-school age through adulthood. I started practicing this method as a freshman in high school, and I can attest to its effectiveness. While this is not an […]

I think many people will say that the difference between bible reading and study is the time involved. But this is inaccurate, for neither one must take longer than the other. The difference is not in time but in purpose. Bible reading takes you further through the text, while bible study takes you deeper into the text. A 30-minute reading will take you through the entire book of 1st John, while a 30-minute study may only take you through a few verses of the book. This exemplifies how the two methods complement each other, and how each is lacking without […]

This article is a result of my own reading of the book “On the Other Side of the Garden.” This book has been used among women of the church and is being used as ladies bible class material in some congregations. Virginia Fugate, is the wife of author Richard Fugate. They are very strong Calvinists and this is evident in all their books. As I read the book “On the Other Side of the Garden” I saw so many references to Calvinistic doctrine that the book, in my judgment, is rendered useless. The book’s point-of-view is built on the foundation […]

More than any other book of the bible, the book of Job dives into the world of physical science and how God has fixed laws of nature, a cycle of growth and decay, destruction and restoration. The book is filled with the answers to so many matters of science, the vast majority of which were not discovered by scientists until the previous century. This means that God told us things in the book of Job that prideful man did not discover until 4,000 years after God informed us of these things. The book of Job recognizes the second law of […]

It can be very difficult to properly describe feelings and emotions, and fear often fits into that category. If you turn to a dictionary to define “fear”, you will read something like this: a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, or pain. Fear is certainly that feeling that everyone has experienced at times in this world, and when it is present, it affects every aspect of our life in a truly unpleasant way. On the good side, we know that a lot of our fears do not last long. However, what about a fear that will last forever? In […]

Doubt is a part of human nature, it can often keep us safe and secure, but if we let it have too much control over our actions, then it can also keep us from a lot of good things too. I imagine that the majority of people who become Christians will have doubts at some point and time, but is it wrong, i.e. is it a sin to have doubts? First, doubting is not the same as disbelief; although it could eventually lead to unbelief. Nor is it the same as faithlessness; though it does demonstrate a lack within one’s […]

There are plenty of ideas out there about where Jesus was for the three days that His body lay in the grave. Some of these ideas seemed to have been pulled straight out of the imaginations of men with little to no scriptural support. Other ideas have been primarily founded on scriptures that have been taken out of context, thus inventing more false stories. All of this is totally uncalled for when considering that the Bible does provide sufficient information on this subject. It may not be the easiest subject to investigate in the scriptures, but the truth is certainly […]

Consider the man Moses for a moment. Only a man with great courage could have brought God’s people out of the land of Egypt. But where did his courage come from? Was he a skilled military leader? How about a trained expert in communication and gifted in motivational speaking? Certainly that was not the case for Moses. So what was it that fueled such an amazing display of courage? The Hebrew writer answers this question in only a few words, Moses “endured as seeing Him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27). The reason for Moses’ perseverance is because he knew that […]