Post 2 Study Tools

For this study you will need the authorized King James Version of the Bible (1611). I've heard it said and read that "the best way to study scripture is to compare scripture with scripture". Verses found in one place which are not fully explained may be understood by finding the same subject (further explained) in other verses. An example is the clarity given to the prophecies in Daniel by the book of Revelation. Another example is Psalm 22 which gives a vivid picture of crucifixion which came into use during the Roman era and specifically describes the death of Christ.

To make these connections a good Bible concordance will help find scripture verses on the same or similiar subjects. Further, to help with difficult words or those where the meaning of a word is different today from when it was written in the Bible, a good Bible dictionary is valuable. Next, there are lots of commentaries on the Bible. Various Bible scholars and teachers have gone verse by verse in the Bible and explained the meaning and references. There are differences of opinion and different degrees of insight between the different authors but they are nevertheless very helpful.

Finally, but also the most important, I refer to the beginning of this post. The Bible is the first tool to get. Your study should start with a quick read through the entire Bible but that can also be done by reading a few chapters a day which should allow you to read the entire Bible in a year. I'd say get a Bible that is comfortable to hold and easy to read. You may want a larger one than what you carry to church. I have a Topical Reference Bible by Dugan which has the Bible in traditional format, by subject, a dictionary and a concordance all under one cover.

Now that we have our plan laid out, I will try to get together our first lesson on something exciting in the Bible.