Now that we’ve looked at how to study, we will add a few useful tips on keeping your studies alive

Remembering What You Forgot

          Did you ever hear someone say: “I used to know that!”  It can be really frustrating to know something and then forget it.  Unfortunately, most of us are like that.  That is why I would encourage anyone who takes up studying the Bible to keep notes in a notebook or on a computer file.

          There are several advantages to doing this, besides forgetting what you once knew.

• As your studies pile up, you will often find that they connect in some way.  You can reference your notes and start a parallel study to the ones that interconnect.  Or you could just go back and annotate your old study and add notes to your new one.
• If you both read your Bible frequently and study, you will find that as you read you will see things that you missed in some of your old studies.  With well-kept notes, you can add these verses along with a brief explanation to your old or new study.
• If you use a computer program (or this can be done by hand), you can make tables and line verses side by side to compare them.  An example from my own studies looks like this:

Day of the LORD	Day of the Lord	Day of the Lord Jesus	Day of Jesus Christ	Day of Christ
Isaiah 2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: Isaiah 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Isaiah 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. Ezekiel 13:5 Ye have	Jeremiah 46:10 For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates Acts 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 1 Thessalonians 5:2.	1 Corinthians 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 2 Corinthians 1:14 As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.	1 Corinthians 1:8, “Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” Philippians 1:10, “That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;”	Philippians 2:16, “Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” 2 Thessalonians 2:2, “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.”

Obviously the chart was much larger with many more verses, but   you can get the general idea.

• Topical studies will always branch out in ways you do not expect, so by using notebooks or computer files you can add to one topic while you are studying another.

Prove Yourself

          Often when delving deeply into Biblical matters, you will come up with an idea that you’ve never heard of before, but that seems right to you.  You may even develop a good argument for your new thesis.  Amazingly, you may even be right.  Good for you.

          Unfortunately, that happens all too often and the student is actually wrong.  Just look at all of the denominations and consider how they started – many with flawed ideas of what the Word of God was communicating.

          So here’s my tip to any serious Bible student:  when you have a breakthrough or an insight into a Biblical subject, try to disprove it.  Treat it like a scientific discovery.  Look hard for reasons that it is wrong.  Often if it isn’t wrong, you will actually find evidence to strengthen your case.  If it is wrong, hopefully you will soon see your folly.  However, if your evidence is looking good, put it through the peer review process.  Take it to other well-grounded grace believers and ask them what they think.  Sometimes they will be able to show you a verse that you missed and shoot your theory down.  Sometimes they’ll say: “Wow, I never thought of that!”

          The most distressing way that you’ll find that you are right will be that some brothers and sisters will disagree with you without any counter-evidence, then simply get angry and shun you if they feel that strongly about the subject.  Sadly this happens even in Grace churches, when believers are so stuck to their traditions that they won’t consider rediscovered truths.  Even so, be graceful and soldier on for Christ.

Write a Commentary

          That’s right, put down in words, not just notes, what you are studying.  Even if you aren’t a good writer, writing things down and making them make sense will focus your mind like nothing else.  When your mind is focused on Biblical things, you will find yourself becoming more immersed in God’s Word than ever before.

Writing you studies out will also help you identify errors in your thinking.  It will consume your idle time with something worthwhile, and it will leave a legacy of truths for your sons, daughters, spouse, grandchildren and so on.

          One quick note about that – you don’t have to write it commentary-style.  You could keep it as a journal or a Biblical diary, whatever you’re comfortable with.

          Now a word about published commentaries: approach them with extreme caution.  Most commentaries are written by folks who do not understand right division, so they will often try to fit square Biblical pegs into their preconceived round holes.  However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t find a few nuggets of pure golden truth in some of them.  Some commentaries are written by devout saved people who are often very intuitive, but just cannot or will not grasp the idea of right division.

         I have read some commentaries that were very wrong on most things, but had nuggets of truth that I had never seen before.

          Example:  When we were studying the end times, I found some very valuable information from a covenant theology website.  When I was studying how to harmonize 2 Kings 8:26 with 2 Chronicles 22:2, I found a book written by a Southern Baptist that illuminated that and many more numbers problems that I had difficulty understanding.

          My advice on commentaries is read them if you think it will spur you on in your studies, but be wary and handle them with care.  They can be useful, but also dangerous.

          And finally:

Get Ready To Work

• 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
  • We often use this verse for the right division phrase and overlook the workman part.
  • Studying the Bible is hard work.  It exercises your mind and challenges you like nothing else.  But it is the most rewarding work you will ever do.
• If your desire is to study the Bible, make appointments for yourself to do it or you will continue to put it off.  If you treat it like a job with heavenly rewards and set aside time periods to devote to it, you will find that you will enjoy “your job.”
• DO NOT use study time as an excuse to forsaking reading time.  If you set aside a time each day for reading the Word, keep that up.  Study time will be different – it will be “job time”.
• Don’t set unattainable goals.
  • If you want to study, but can only set aside one hour a week for it – don’t try to study two hours a day.  You will be setting yourself up for failure.
• Make it a habit.