How to study the Bible

Studying the Bible is easy!  One simple way to study the Bible is described in the following paragraphs.

The "S" in the word study stands for the word "see."  Learn to "see" the entirety of a Bible passage.

The "T" in the word study refers to testing your knowledge. Do you know who is being described or who the author of the passage is?  Learn about when this passage was write, where it was written from, and why it was written.  It is also important to know a little something about who received the passage you are studying.

The "U" in the word study stands for "understanding the context" of a passage.  What is said immediately prior to the text you are studying? What is said immediately after this passage?  What does the rest of the Bible say about the topic under consideration?

The "D" in the word study stands for "dissecting the text."  Study the words used in the original text (Greek and Hebrew) to the best of your ability.

The "Y" in the word study represents "yoking everything together."  Tie everything together, draw the appropriate conclusions, and then apply what you have learned from God's word.

If you would like to study the Bible with a free outline, get the FREE Bible study from www.lordletmegrow.com today!

Bible commentary on John 19

1st Movement: Pilate's Dilemma. Pilate was a man of great authority. He had the power of life & death. Yet, he couldn't extricate himself from this very difficult situation: What to do with Jesus? He ran the risk of executing an innocent man vs. losing his job (& possibly his life) if he did the right thing. He knows what he should do, but ends up doing the opposite, all b/c he was too weak not to try to save himself.

Read John 19:1-16

Hymns: O Sacred Head/The Old Rugged Cross


2nd Movement: The King Is Crucified. The titulus over the condemned man's head was customary, as a warning to others not to commit the same crime (hence it's being written in Aramaic, Latin, & Greek, so that everyone who could read would be able to know what Jesus had done). But this one took on even greater significance b/c it was a declaration of the truth -- a truth Pilate didn't believe (even though he wrote it), & one the Jews resented. Still, it was the truth, & it remained. At the foot of the cross there was a striking contrast taking place between the soldiers' heartless gambling for Jesus' clothing & the touching love of a Son for his mother, & of a Savior for His disciple.

Read John 19:17-27

Hymns: When My Love to Christ Grows Weak/Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed?


3rd Movement: "It Is Finished!" Jesus' struggle to utter His last cry shows how important it was for Him to say it: "It is finished!" But why? What was finished? His earthly life? In one sense, yes, but He would rise again soon. The suffering of the cross & the sorry spectacle of cruelty & injustice? Yes, but there seems to be more to it than that. The plan of God, & Jesus' fulfilling it by His death for us all? Yes! The plan of God. Hadn't Jesus been saying all through the Gospel, "My hour has not yet come?" And later, "Now has the hour come?" And now, "It is finished!"


Read John 19:28-30


Hymns: Why Did My Savior Come to Earth?/Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross


4th Movement: After Death. Even in death Jesus was abused, as a spear was thrust into His lifeless body, just to be sure. And even in death He continued to fulfill the Scriptures written so long before. Also, His death gave courage to some who previously had followed at a distance, but who now came out of the shadows & placed themselves at risk so they might honor Him with a decent burial.


But even as they placed Him in the tomb, there was a clear sense that this wasn't His "final resting place," that the story was not yet finished, & that God still had plans that must come to fruition. This is the hope in which we live today. The grave is certain, but death isn't the end of our story with God!


Read John 19:31-42


Hymns: There Is a Fountain/Nailed to the Cross/One Day!


Tommy South

The Greatest Conservative Generation

I have borrowed the title for this week's article from an editorial appearing in The Weekly Standard, January 7, 2013. The author, William Kristol, draws our attention to what has more recently come to be called, "The Greatest Conservative Generation." This particular accolade - "The Greatest Conservative Generation" - is well deserved, for it was that generation that demonstrated genuine American principles that grew out of their deep respect for the Bible as well as conservative principles that serve as the very fabric of this great nation. It was that generation that volunteered to go "over there" and defeat the powers that were ravaging Europe. With no thought for their own well being, a love for country, and an even greater love for freedom and liberty, they unselfishly left family, friends, and businesses behind and carried the torch of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to distant lands. From that great generation we were blessed with truly conservative leaders whose names are quickly fading into history: Bill Buckley, James Wilson, Milton Friedman, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Ronald Regan and Jack Kemp, to name but a few. These were what the author called "the greatest conservative generation." Quoting from the author of The Weekly Standard editorial: "It's been almost 60 years since Bill Buckley and his colleagues founded the National Review, standing 'athwart history, yelling STOP, at a time when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so urge it.'" How desperately we need another generation that will follow in the footsteps of those men such as Reagan, Buckley and Bork; a generation that will feel the passion of freedom and liberty; a generation that will accept responsibility, reason clearly, and lead courageously. One more observation from Kristol's editorial, and then some application for our consideration. In answer to the question as to why the trend in history is for each succeeding generation to drift from their roots, the author makes reference to a speech by Abraham Lincoln, delivered on January 27, 1838. In that speech Lincoln addressed the question of "the perpetuation of our political institutions." Lincoln was convinced that the great America experiment could be passed on to the next generation, and even beyond "for fifty times as long." Lincoln noted that the danger every generation faces is that of allowing the memory of the cause for which the previous generation made such great sacrifices to "grow more and more dim by the lapse of time." Then Lincoln made this astute observation: "In history, we hope, they will be read of, and recounted, so long as the Bible shall be read; but even granted that they will, their influence cannot be what it heretofore has been. Even then, they cannot be so universally known, nor so vividly felt, as they were by the generation just gone to rest." The point Lincoln made was that with each generation that passes, the personal involvement in the original movement or cause, fades proportionately. The "great generation" - those living during the time just prior to the Great Depression, and who are rapidly fading into history - will soon be only a memory to those of us who have taken up the mantle of leadership. Quoting again from Lincoln's speech on that cold January day in 1838, "Unless we, their descendents, supply their places with other pillars, hewn from the solid quarry of sober reason, we will lack the materials for our future support and defense." As I read this editorial I was struck with the point the author was trying to make as it applies to our spiritual roots. What has come to be referred to as "the restoration movement" has now spanned more than two centuries. That "great generation" consisting of such men as Thomas Campbell, Alexander Campbell, Barton Stone, and 'Raccoon' John Smith, successfully passed the torch to the next generation. David Lipscomb, Tolbert Fanning, and J.W. McGarvey took up the vision and blessed that generation with the kind of leadership essential to the on-going effort to restore simple New Testament Christianity. Through the period of the Civil War, these men led the church here in America through troubled waters as they struggled with issues arising from the war itself, and confronted the liberal element that eventually culminated in the division over the instrumental music and missionary society. As that generation faded into history, others rose to follow in their train: N.B. Hardeman, Guy N. Woods, B.C. Goodpasture, G.K. Wallace, and Foy Wallace, to name but a few. Now the torch has been passed to my generation. And in the words of Lincoln, "Unless we, their descendants, supply their places with other pillars, hewn from the solid quarry of sober reason, we will lack the material for our future support and defense." But time stands still for no one, and the next generation must soon take up the torch we now carry. I am encouraged by young men who are now graduating from solid preacher training schools; men who have "hewn from the solid quarry of sober reason" a vision akin to that of previous generations; a vision of the restoration of primitive Christianity; a vision of faithful Christian living, moral responsibility, and courageous leadership. When we fade into history, and we lay our armor at the feet of Jesus, may it be said that ours was "The Greatest Conservative Generation." To that end we labor; to that end we strive! ~~~~~~ On a side note: Jon Kyl is one of those politicians whose career in Washington has been out of the ordinary. Kyl, who has served in the House of Representatives for eight years, and as Senator for eighteen years, is what we might call a "statesman" rather than a politician. Early in his political career Mr. Kyl formulated five rules by which he was determined to serve, and according to his contemporaries, he has managed to maintain an even keel in his life, while successfully serving those whom he represented. The five rules? Rule one: Know more! In his words, "If you know a lot about a subject, people will listen." Rule two: Don't seek credit! Quoting Ronald Reagan, "There's no limit to what a man can do or where he can do if he doesn't mind who gets the credit!" Rule three: Don't get a big head! Humility always makes the best servant. Rule four: Treat everybody decently! People tend to respond more favorably when you treat them like you would want to be treated. Rule five: Keep your principles! No wonder Jon Kyl was successful as a servant of the people. Every one of those rules in his life is Biblical in its basis, and has proven to be successful in any endeavor of life. Maybe some of us could learn a few lessons from a man whose conservative life style made him so influential a leader in Washington!

Tom Wacaster

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes comes to the Father but by me John 14:6

In reference to the above verse, the key word in it that is relative to today's lesson is - "life." As in - "eternal life." What got me to thinking about this subject is some words of a modern song heard the other day on the radio. I can't cite to you the name of the song, as I don't know it, but one line of this song kicked my editorial juices into motion. I'll do my best to take this "line" and connect it to my thoughts on "life" and "eternal life."

The line of the song consisted of these words: "Everyone dies, but not everyone lives." I'm pretty sure that the song writer's motives in penning the lyrics of the song wasn't centered on Christ or our soul's eternal resting place nor even that it had anything at all to do with religion. It's me that's making that connection by the use of some of the words of his/her song.

The words of the song that I cited in the above paragraph are so true when you consider them in light of a spiritual sense even though probably not intended as such. Actually, there are many things said or written that were not meant as spiritual lessons, but somehow, in the innermost lobes of my mind, they get mated up with some scriptural passages that I recall and, with a little thought time, they become one. Such is the case today.

As another example of taking something written and applying it to an editorial lesson, here's a little funny story that I'll try and fit with my lesson here. It seems that one of our elderly sisters returned home one evening from a Bible study and surprised a burglar in the process of ransacking her house. When the burglar turned towards her she cried out, "Stop! Acts 2:38!"

The burglar froze in his tracks and was still there when the police arrived on the scene. As they took him into custody, one of them asked him why he hadn't tried to run, or even move. He replied, "Are your kidding? She said that she had an ax and two .38's."

I guess that if we really wanted to stretch the point, we could say that the Gospel saved her life by keeping the crook from attacking her but, like the song writer, the joke teller didn't have that motive in mind when they told the joke. However, it does provide me an intro, so to speak, into some thoughts on the Gospel saving lives. Again, as in "eternal lives."

There's a passage from the book of Proverbs for which I have a particular fondness. It's found in chapter 4, verse 23 and reads: "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Of course we understand this refers to our "mind," our "spiritual heart." It's that part of us that directs everything we do in life. But, I see the phrase "issues of life" having more meaning than just the things of our temporal lives. That the most important "issues" of our life is the saving of our eternal soul in heaven.

Having said that, we'll spend the rest of my time and space here on learning how to do just that. In order to accomplish that, let me provide some scriptural equations for you to consider with the aim being the saving of our soul's "life." Sadly, we'll also see that "not everyone lives."

In our inaugural scripture we see the words of Jesus Himself when he pointed out that there is only one route "to the Father" and that is through Him. That, not only is He the "truth," He is "the life," as in "eternal life." In John 1:1-4 we read that Christ is also the "Word" and "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."  Paul verifies where "life" is found in 2Tim. 1:1, "which is in Christ Jesus."

The words of the song says that "not everyone lives" and, in the context of our lesson, we see how true those words are as Acts 13:48 tells us that the ones "ordained to eternal life" are "believers." The inference there is that "unbelievers" are not eligible for "eternal life." We can safely say that they are "ordained to eternal death."

An absolute great lesson in what I just said is found in Romans the 6^th chapter, verses 20-23. For space reasons, I'll parse these verses to the salient points, but please read them and check my parsing. We see there that when we're "servants of sin" we are not "righteous." In that state, we did "shameful" things and the end result of those things is "death."

But, then we see the contrast side of this equation: when we are "free" from sin, no longer "servants" to it, we become "servants of God" and become "holy" with the end result being "everlasting life." Then note the last verse (23): "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Another scriptural confirmation of where "eternal life" resides is seen in Romans 8:2 "For the law or the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."

James 1:12 provides me with my next scriptural equation as he says there: "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." Key followup to this verse is Christ's words in John 14:15, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Those are the "believers." The ones obedient to His Word.

James said those who "endure" (remain faithful) receive the promised "crown of life." John tells us in Rev. 2:10 that, after facing all the trials and tribulations of secular life, "be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life."

The book of Revelation speaks about the "Book of Life" and that is simply the roster of those who have loved and obeyed the law of Christ and have remained "faithful unto death." It is those whose name appears in that Book. The ones given access to the "Tree of Life" which is in the "midst of the paradise of God." (Rev. 2:7 & 22:14)

Yes, in a metaphorical sense, the Gospel saved the elderly sisters' life. In the literal sense, it saves everyone's life "eternally" if we believe it and abide faithfully in it. But, as we saw in Paul's inspired words in Romans, "not everyone lives" - eternally.

Ron Covey

Vittorio Vitalone is a medical doctor in Rome, Italy

Vittorio Vitalone is a medical doctor in Rome, Italy who became a Christian years ago after learning the truth of the Gospel from Charles Moore, a missionary from the U.S., who was preaching there at the time.  Vittorio is now the regular preacher for the Viale Jonio Church of Christ, in addition to continuing his medical practice at a large hospital in Rome.  He recently sent an e-mail message to Charles (now living in Frisco, Texas), telling a thrilling story of the power of the Word of God.

"A lady came to the door of the auditorium at church and asked, 'May I come in to worship?'"  Vittorio responded, "Of course!  You are always welcome in the Church of Christ."  Vittorio continued his account to Charles: "She told me an interesting story that I want to share with you.  She said, 'In about 1970 I used to come to the services of the church here.  I studied the Bible with Bill Burton and Charles Moore for a long time.  I will never forget those studies.  Carolyn, the wife of Charles, gave me my first Bible.  I still have it and treasure it.  I attended the worship services of the church on Sunday, and Bible study on Wednesday night for a long time and we all became good friends."  Then the lady, whose name is Ina, showed Vittorio some pictures from those earlier years of several missionaries and their wives whom she had known.

Then Ina told Vittorio, "Unfortunately, I drifted away from some reason or other.  Almost fifty years have passed, and I am back again.  I want to study the Bible again and worship with you."

"I am studying with her now each week and she is attending all the services of the church.  I pray that she will obey the Gospel soon.  It seems like she is picking up where she left off 45 years ago."

On February 5, 2013, Charles Moore sent out an e-mail containing "Some Special News from Rome": "I received an e-mail yesterday from Vittorio Vitaloni in Rome, telling me that the sweet lady named Ina, the lady we contacted about 45 years ago, and studied with for two months, was baptized Sunday at Viale Jonio.  We are so happy.  MAY GOD BE PRAISED."

In light of this wonderful news, Charles Moore wrote, "I have lived by faith all these years, believing that 'good seed planted in good soil will produce good fruit.'  [Ina's] baptism is "living proof"  that this is true."

It IS true!  The Good News – "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) – continues to transform lives.  "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." – Romans 1:16.

The BAD NEWS is that sin – of which we are ALL guilty – condemns us to eternal destruction (Romans 3:23; 6:23).  The GOOD NEWS is that God loves us so much that He gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins so that we might have forgiveness and eternal life (John 3:16). 

We accept His offer of salvation on His terms by obeying the Gospel: placing our faith and trust in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turning from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confessing Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized (immersed) INTO Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  Then, as we continue to walk in the light of His word, the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse us from all of our sin (1 John 1:7).

Even if it takes 45 YEARS to produce fruit, the Gospel STILL works....when we receive it into good soil (good, honest hearts) and accept it through our trusting obedience.

And remember... No matter how far you may "drift away" from God, He is always only ONE STEP back!

Won't YOU allow the Gospel to change your life, too?

Glenn and David Sargent, Ministers

Genesis 2:18

Genesis 2:18 "And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him."

Genesis, chapter one, is an account of the creation of this earth including the man we know as Adam.  As we go into chapter two, we find that God determines it is not good for man to be alone so he creates woman to be his companion. Thus the first union of man and woman takes place in the garden of Eden.

The union of a man and woman in marriage is one of the most important steps ever taken in this life. Marriage is not a casual affair and should never be entered into lightly. It is a union of two lives, two hearts that beat as one. Two individuals walking together, hand in hand down this pathway of life as one, not two. It is a union in which two people agree to cleave to each other in a bond that is beyond understanding. The marriage vow is a most solemn, most serious convenant. It is a covenant in which a man and a woman agree to live together as husband and wife until the day they die—THAT IS A SERIOUS COMMITMENT! (Matt. 19:3-9).

Unfortunately, we are living in a time when so many marriages are ending in divorce and many that do not end in divorce are void of the harmony and happiness that should be in marriage. There is a great need for much teaching on this union of marriage. A pattern of life must be taught that will be conducive to an enduring marriage. That pattern of life should begin with a firm commitment to making God an integral part of the marriage (Mark 12:30, Eph. 5:21-25, Col. 3:18-21).

Love that brings a man and woman to the marriage altar is only in its infancy. After they have lived together for many years, sharing everything, two hearts beating as one, walking side by side, hand in hand, planning and dreaming together, jointly sharing the good times as well as the trying times, it is then that they will know the depths of a love that truly binds two souls together. Every marriage needs a love between  a man and a woman for each other and their God that will never fail, never falter but grow stronger with each passing day.

Someone once said, "the glamour of the wedding and honeymoon may be precious and memorable but this amounts to about one percent of the marriage. The remaining ninety-nine percent is yet to come." Hence, the need for a love that will be dependable, responsible, strong, enduring (1 Cor. 13:4-7). A love that will stick, stay and win!!

Charles Hicks

Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God

Two things that I recently read serves as a catalyst for my thoughts today. One of them is the title of a lesson recently published by Bro. Lawson that I've appropriated and adapted to fit some thoughts of mine. The other reading was of an illustration used in an editorial I recently came across. Both writings were of a different subject than mine but, like I said, they just seemed to fit with my subject so I thank those writers for providing me with my "catalyst."

In 1741, a preacher by the name of Jonathon Edwards preached one of the most famous sermons ever: "Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God." It was, and still is, a tremendous sermon. It's probably the epitome of what we used to hear referred to as a "fire and brimstone" lesson. I'm going to cite to you just a few points from that sermon and tie them into my thoughts here today.

One profound statement from the sermon was this one: "There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God." That brings to me a greater understanding of Peter's warning in 2Pet. 3:9 about God's "longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance." We have time due to God's benevolence (pleasure).

Edwards also drew a word picture in his sermon of Satan and his angels eagerly waiting to pull the souls of the wicked into the open mouth of hell. They're just waiting to devour the souls of those condemned there. Another picture regarding the condition of the wicked is described in this manner: they "hang by a slender thread" over the open fires of hell. Ready at any moment for the "thread" to break and once it does, nothing can save them.

Let me leave Jonathon's sermon now and go to the title I borrowed from Bro. Lawson's lesson. He called it "Three Inches From God." That title just fits right in with my previously "jotted" lesson topic regarding our nearness to the judgment of God all the time we're here in this life.

Even the Bible describes our lives in ways that depict it's brevity, it's "slender thread," so to speak. James says that it's like a "vapor," here and then gone. (4:14) Several times our lives are seen as "grass" (Psa. 103:15 & 1Pet. 1:24). The purpose of these descriptions is to make us aware of how transient our lives are. How easily the "silver cord" can be "loosed." (Eccl. 12:6)

Let me ask you this: how many close calls to death have you had in your life? Probably most of us have at least one occasion that could have spelled the end of us here on earth. Just for clarification, a "close call" is defined as something that almost happened, usually in a bad way. I'm going to cite a few examples of "close calls" that I believe will help illustrate my lesson.

One of my buddies on the Police Dept. was the first one to purchase a brand new piece of equipment called a "bullet proof vest." (Interestingly, the commercial name for that vest was "Second Chance.) Two days after buying it, he was shot by a person he was attempting to arrest with the bullet striking the vest right over his heart. He survived with just a bruise there, however he did have other wounds. By my estimation there was, at the most, 1 inch of material between my fellow officer and eternity.

You history buffs may be familiar with a man named Oliver Cromwell. He was a British General back in the mid-1600's and was a devout "Puritan." When given command of the British army, he ordered that every soldier was to carry a Bible on his person. (The King James Bible was still fairly new at the time.)

Upon returning to camp following a major battle, a young soldier was undressing and when he took his Bible out of his coat pocket, he noticed there was a hole in it. Upon examination, he found a bullet had penetrated the front of the Bible and was lodged next to verse 9, chapter 11 of Ecclesiastes. Let me cite that passage to you: "Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment."

The writer there, of course, is Solomon and what he's basically saying is: go ahead, walk in the ways of your own heart/mind. Do it all. Enjoy the pleasures of life. But, understand and know of a certainty, there will be a day of reckoning. Don't you think that Solomon could be talking there to everyone regardless of age?

When you study the book of Ecclesiastes you find that Solomon says that he had the same desires when he was young. That he wanted to know and experience it all. Everything that his heart desired. And, according to the Biblical record, he pretty much did exactly that. But, you also see what his final analysis is: that "all is vanity" (worthless).

Here's my personal "close call." Several years ago I was driving West on I-70 through the state of Utah. It was early in the morning, before sunup and I was driving through a dense fog. I-70 is a major freeway and divided by about a 30 yard median between the Eastbound and Westbound lanes. All of a sudden, coming at me out of the fog was an Eastbound semi truck that passed by me in the lane to my left. I had absolutely no time to swerve and had he been in the same lane as myself, I'm sure that my personal "vapor" would have "vanished." I was separated from God by about 3 feet.

On the French island of Dominica is a cemetery. Upon the death of one of the inhabitants, the leaders would evaluate the life of that person and if it was determined that the deceased was an ungodly person, they would have inscribed on their tomb: "VOUS AVEZ TRAVAILLE POUR RIEN." Translated into English, that reads: "YOU HAVE WORKED FOR NOTHING."

Isn't that pretty much what Solomon told us in Ecclesiastes? That if we live a wicked and ungodly life, in the end it's "worthless?" And the point of the lesson here is, our lives are hanging by a thread that can be broken at any time. When our "vapor vanishes" or our "grass withers" there is nothing separating us from God. So, the question is, do we want to face a happy God, or an angry God? Here's a couple of closing verses to keep in mind.

"God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day." Psa. 7:11

            "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Heb. 10:31

Ron Covey