Lesson 24: How to Study the Bible Without Twisting It
God’s Word must be handled honestly.
A verse should not be separated from its meaning and used to support whatever a person already wants to believe. A passage should not be treated as though it were raw material that we are free to reshape.
Paul told Timothy:
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God,
a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.”
— 2 Timothy 2:15, KJV
Paul described the student of Scripture as a workman.
A faithful workman pays attention.
He does not handle valuable material carelessly.
He wants his work to withstand examination.
The goal of Bible study is not to discover the most unusual interpretation or to appear spiritually impressive. It is to understand and handle God’s Word faithfully.
Scripture Can Be Twisted
Peter wrote about some of Paul’s teachings:
“…in which are some things hard to be understood,
which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest,
as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”
— 2 Peter 3:16, KJV
Some portions of Scripture are difficult.
God acknowledges that.
The proper response to difficulty is patience and humility—not invention.
The word wrest speaks of twisting or distorting. A person may twist Scripture because he is careless, proud, eager to defend a belief, unwilling to abandon a sin, or determined to prove another person wrong.
He may begin with his preferred conclusion and search until he finds words that appear to support it.
He may repeat an interpretation because a respected teacher said it without examining the passage himself.
He may confuse something he imagined with something God revealed.
It is better to say, “I do not yet understand this passage,” than to force a meaning upon it.
Study to Be Approved Unto God
Paul did not tell Timothy to study so that people would admire his knowledge.
He said:
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God…”
God sees how His Word is handled.
He sees whether we are seeking truth or seeking support for ourselves.
He sees whether we have read the surrounding passage.
He sees whether we are speaking confidently about something we barely examined.
A person may impress listeners and still mishandle Scripture.
Another person may speak simply and remain faithful to the text.
When you study, remember:
“I am handling the Word of God.”
That should produce reverence.
You are not studying merely to win an argument, complete a lesson, prepare a social-media post, or prove that your tradition is right.
Study first to know what God has spoken.
Begin With Humility
The proud student approaches Scripture as though he stands above it.
He assumes that his first interpretation must be right.
He becomes defensive when someone asks a reasonable question.
He searches for evidence supporting his view while ignoring anything that challenges it.
The humble student prays:
“Open thou mine eyes,
that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.”
— Psalm 119:18, KJV
Humility says:
“Lord, teach me.”
“My understanding is limited.”
“I may have believed something incorrectly.”
“Help me see what is written rather than what I want to find.”
“I am willing to change my view when Scripture requires it.”
Prayer does not remove the need for careful study. Careful study does not remove the need for prayer.
We need both dependence and attention.
Observe Before You Interpret
One of the most useful rules of Bible study is simple:
First notice what the passage says.
Do not rush immediately to:
“What does this mean for my life?”
“What hidden message is here?”
“How can I use this in a discussion?”
Begin by observing.
Read the passage more than once.
Notice:
- who is speaking;
- who is being addressed;
- what has happened;
- what subject is being discussed;
- what words or ideas are repeated;
- whether there is a command, promise, warning, question, explanation, or example;
- and how the passage develops from beginning to end.
Observation slows the reader down.
It allows the actual words of Scripture to lead the study rather than allowing assumptions to lead it.
Before deciding what the passage means, be sure you have noticed what is there.
Read the Context
A verse does not stand alone.
It belongs to a sentence.
The sentence belongs to a paragraph.
The paragraph belongs to a chapter and book.
That book belongs within the complete revelation of Scripture.
Nehemiah 8:8 says:
“So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly,
and gave the sense,
and caused them to understand the reading.”
— Nehemiah 8:8, KJV
The people needed the sense of what had been read.
Context helps reveal that sense.
Before using a verse, read what comes before and after it.
Ask:
“What question is being answered?”
“What problem is being addressed?”
“Is the writer giving instruction, describing an event, correcting error, offering comfort, or issuing a warning?”
“How does this statement connect with the surrounding sentences?”
Many mistaken interpretations would be prevented if readers simply examined the paragraph around the verse.
Identify the Main Point
A passage normally has a central concern.
Individual details contribute to that concern.
If you become fascinated with a small detail while ignoring the main point, you may lead the passage in a direction it never intended to go.
Ask:
“What is the writer mainly teaching here?”
Try to explain the main point in one or two sentences.
For example, a parable may contain several details, but those details serve the lesson Jesus was teaching. A historical event may contain many people and actions, but the passage may be emphasizing God’s faithfulness, human unbelief, judgment, mercy, or obedience.
Do not make the passage mainly about a subject it mentions only incidentally.
Do not chase speculation while overlooking the clear message.
A faithful interpretation begins by respecting the direction of the passage.
Recognize the Kind of Writing
The Bible contains different kinds of writing.
It includes:
- historical accounts;
- laws;
- poetry;
- wisdom;
- prophecy;
- Gospels;
- parables;
- letters;
- and visions.
All Scripture is inspired by God, but every passage is not written in the same form.
Poetry often uses imagery.
A proverb expresses wisdom in a concise form.
A historical account records real events.
A letter may explain doctrine or correct a church.
A parable teaches through a story or comparison.
A vision may communicate through symbols.
Recognizing the kind of writing helps you understand how the words function.
When the Psalms speak of trees clapping their hands, the language is poetic. When an epistle gives a direct command to believers, it should not be reduced to imagery.
Careful interpretation does not weaken Scripture.
It respects the way God chose to communicate it.
Description Is Not Always Command
The Bible honestly records the conduct of human beings—including their failures.
It describes deception, violence, fear, compromise, revenge, polygamy, drunkenness, unbelief, and many other sins.
The fact that Scripture records an action does not mean Scripture approves it.
A Bible character may do something that should never be imitated.
Ask:
“Is this passage telling me what happened or commanding what should happen?”
“Does the passage approve the conduct?”
“What consequences followed?”
“What does the rest of Scripture say about it?”
Paul wrote:
“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning…”
— Romans 15:4, KJV
Sometimes we learn from a faithful example.
Sometimes we learn from a tragic failure.
Do not reason, “A person in the Bible did this, so it must be acceptable.”
The Bible tells the truth about people. That includes the truth about their sins.
Distinguish Scripture From Imagination
Imagination may help you picture a scene, but it must not become interpretation.
You may wonder:
“What was this person thinking?”
“What happened during the years the passage does not describe?”
“Could this object have a hidden symbolic meaning?”
Those may be interesting questions, but interest is not revelation.
Proverbs warns:
“Add thou not unto his words,
lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”
— Proverbs 30:6, KJV
Be clear about the difference between:
“The Bible says…”
and:
“I wonder whether…”
It may be acceptable to say that something is possible.
It is not acceptable to speak as though God revealed something He did not reveal.
Where Scripture is clear, speak clearly.
Where Scripture is silent, speak humbly.
Do Not Read Yourself Into Every Passage
Every passage has value for believers, but every passage is not directly about you.
A promise given to a particular person in a particular historical situation does not automatically become a personal promise that the same event will happen to you.
A battle, mountain, river, doorway, number, or journey should not automatically be treated as a secret code about your present circumstances.
Begin with:
“What did this passage mean in its setting?”
“What was God revealing?”
“What did the original hearers need to understand?”
Only after establishing the meaning should you ask:
“How does this truth apply to me?”
Application is necessary.
But application must grow from meaning.
Do not make yourself the central subject of every passage.
Let God, His works, His truth, and His purposes remain central.
Let Clear Scripture Help With Difficult Scripture
Some passages are clearer than others.
When you encounter a difficult verse, do not build a major belief upon your first impression while ignoring passages that speak more plainly.
Jesus said:
“…the scripture cannot be broken;”
— John 10:35, KJV
God’s Word is not divided against itself.
When two passages appear to conflict, the problem is not that God became confused. The problem may be that we have misunderstood one passage, overlooked its setting, or failed to see how the truths fit together.
When a passage is difficult:
- read it repeatedly;
- examine the surrounding context;
- identify what is clear;
- look for other passages addressing the same subject;
- and remain willing to say, “I do not understand this yet.”
Do not use a difficult verse to overthrow something Scripture teaches clearly and repeatedly.
Let all Scripture stand.
Compare Related Passages Carefully
One passage may provide information that helps explain another.
A command in one place may be illustrated elsewhere.
An Old Testament promise may be explained or fulfilled in the New Testament.
A Gospel writer may include details another Gospel writer did not include.
Comparing passages can produce a fuller understanding.
However, comparison must be honest.
Do not gather every verse containing the same English word and assume they all teach exactly the same subject.
The surrounding context still matters.
Ask:
“Are these passages truly addressing the same issue?”
“How does each passage contribute?”
“Am I allowing one passage to correct an unbalanced reading of another?”
The goal is not to build a pile of verses.
The goal is to understand the whole counsel of God faithfully.
Do Not Build a Major Teaching on a Fragment
A phrase separated from the rest of its sentence may sound powerful while communicating something different from the complete passage.
Before forming a major conclusion:
Read the whole verse.
Read the paragraph.
Examine other clear passages on the subject.
Ask whether your conclusion depends upon one unusual interpretation.
The more important the teaching, the more carefully it should be established.
Lesson 26 will explain why doctrine matters, and Lesson 27 will address false teaching.
The present safeguard is basic:
Do not ask one half-verse to carry a meaning that its context does not support.
Use Study Helps Without Making Them Your Authority
Cross-references, Bible dictionaries, maps, historical information, commentaries, and faithful teachers can be useful.
They may explain unfamiliar customs, locations, words, or historical settings.
But study tools are written by people.
They can help you understand Scripture, but they do not possess Scripture’s authority.
The Bereans listened to Paul and Silas, yet they:
“…searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
— Acts 17:11, KJV
Use help humbly.
Do not assume that every commentary is correct.
Do not accept an interpretation merely because it sounds scholarly.
Do not reject faithful learning because you want to appear independent.
Listen.
Examine.
Return to the text.
A good teacher should help you see what is in Scripture—not make Scripture unnecessary.
Word Studies Must Serve the Passage
Studying a biblical word can be helpful, but it can also be misused.
A word may have several possible meanings. Its meaning in a particular verse is shaped by the sentence and subject in which it appears.
Do not choose the definition you prefer simply because it supports your conclusion.
Ask:
“How is this word being used here?”
“How does it fit the sentence?”
“What would the passage mean if I had never seen a list of possible definitions?”
A word study should clarify the passage.
It should not replace the passage.
Be especially cautious about building a large teaching upon a rare or possible definition while ignoring the ordinary meaning of the sentence.
Respect What God Has Not Revealed
Scripture does not answer every question human curiosity can ask.
Moses said:
“The secret things belong unto the LORD our God:
but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever…”
— Deuteronomy 29:29, KJV
Some matters belong to God.
Faithful Bible study includes knowing when to stop.
It is acceptable to say:
“I do not know.”
“The Bible does not clearly reveal that.”
“I need more time to study.”
“We should not be dogmatic about this point.”
Humility is not spiritual weakness.
It is far safer than speaking confidently where God has remained silent.
Meaning Comes Before Application
After you understand the passage, ask how you should respond.
Application may involve:
- believing something true about God;
- obeying a command;
- heeding a warning;
- trusting a promise that rightly applies;
- rejecting a false belief;
- thanking God for His work;
- or following or avoiding an example.
But application must remain connected to the meaning.
Do not ask, “What does this verse mean to me?” as though every person can assign a different truth to the same passage.
The meaning comes from what God communicated.
Applications may differ according to circumstances, but they must agree with that meaning.
Lesson 25 will teach more fully how Scripture governs decisions. Lesson 29 will teach the broader life of doing the Word.
Here, remember the order:
Understand first. Apply second.
A Simple Bible-Study Pattern
Use this process with one manageable paragraph or event.
1. Pray for Understanding
Ask God for humility, attention, and honesty.
2. Read the Whole Passage
Read it at least twice.
Do not isolate the verse that first caught your attention.
3. Observe What Is Written
Identify the speaker, audience, subject, repeated words, commands, promises, warnings, and important connections.
4. Examine the Context
Read enough before and after the passage to follow the writer’s thought.
5. Identify the Kind of Writing
Is it history, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, a parable, a Gospel account, or a letter?
6. State the Main Point
Explain the passage in one or two simple sentences.
7. Compare Related Scripture
Use clear, genuinely related passages to confirm or clarify your understanding.
8. Separate Meaning From Imagination
Write down what the text actually says. Mark speculation as speculation.
9. Form an Honest Application
Ask what belief, response, warning, or action flows from the passage’s meaning.
10. Remain Humble
Where the passage remains difficult, continue studying without forcing an answer.
Discipleship Questions
- Why is it dangerous to begin Bible study with the conclusion you already want to prove?
- How does reading the surrounding context protect the meaning of a verse?
- Why must we distinguish between what Scripture describes and what it commands?
- What is the difference between interpretation and imagination?
- What passage will you study using the ten-step pattern in this lesson?
Closing Exhortation
Handle the Word of God carefully.
Do not use verses as pieces that can be moved wherever you want.
Do not begin with your preferred conclusion.
Begin with humility.
Observe what is written.
Read the context.
Identify the main point.
Recognize the kind of writing.
Distinguish description from command.
Let clear Scripture help with difficult Scripture.
Use study tools without surrendering Scripture’s authority.
Respect what God has not revealed.
Understand before you apply.
You do not need to produce a clever interpretation.
You need to be a faithful workman.
Study so that you will not need to be ashamed.
Rightly divide the Word of truth.
A Prayer for Faithful Bible Study
Father,
Thank You for giving me Your written Word.
Help me handle it with reverence, humility, and honesty.
Forgive me for the times I have searched for support for what I already wanted to believe.
Keep me from twisting Scripture to defend my desires, traditions, opinions, or pride.
Open my eyes so that I may understand what You have written.
Teach me to read the context, follow the writer’s thought, recognize the kind of passage, and identify its main point.
Protect me from confusing imagination with revelation.
Help me speak clearly where Your Word is clear and humbly where I do not yet understand.
Give me wisdom when using teachers and study tools. Let them help me see Scripture rather than replace it.
Keep me from adding to Your words or taking away from them.
Make me a workman who handles the Word of truth faithfully and seeks Your approval above human admiration.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Next Step
Choose one paragraph from the Gospel of John or one section from a New Testament letter.
Write down:
- Who is speaking or writing?
- Who is being addressed?
- What subject is being discussed?
- What comes immediately before and after?
- What type of writing is this?
- What is the passage’s main point?
- What does it reveal about God or Jesus Christ?
- What response flows honestly from its meaning?
- What questions remain?
- What must you avoid adding to the passage?
Do not rush to complete the study.
Remain with the passage until you can explain its central meaning simply and honestly.
Previous Lesson: Lesson 23 — How to Use Scripture When You Are Tempted
Next Lesson: Lesson 25 — How to Build Your Decisions on the Word of God