Navigating the Scriptures for new believers and seasoned saints alike can be a daunting task. How do we unpack the historical and cultural context? How do we apply what was written to a specific group of people in the past to ourselves in our present day and circumstances?

What does it mean to get an actual, in-depth look into the inspired Word of God?

Over the course of the next three days, our aim is to deposit practical and insightful methods that will help you move from reading to studying scripture.

In Psalm 119, the psalmist asks God to help him understand the Word and to teach him the decrees. In Luke 24:24, we see that Jesus “opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” Let’s follow the same posture as we prepare to open scripture and start with prayer. 

Father, thank you for the gift of your Word. Thank you that you have given us your Word, and that it is true, completely reliable, and trustworthy to speak to us about who you are. Father, we love you, we trust you, and we ask for your help in understanding your word. Amen. 

Now that we’ve prayed, spend a moment to create a game plan for your daily time in God’s Word. Look ahead at your calendar and pick a consistent time and place to spend time in the Scripture. Be careful to remove any distractions that may get in your way! Make use of the “Do Not Disturb” function on your devices, grab your physical copy of the Scripture, and settle in!

To understand the Holy Word of God that we are holding in our hands, we get to take up the job of a detective and ask five key questions: who, what, what, how, and why?

Who? 

• Who is writing this text? And who are they writing to?

What?

• What is happening? What are the verbs? What is being done?

What? 

• What is the object of what’s being done? 

How?

• How is the action being done? Pay attention to the prepositions!

Today, you have uncovered the who, what, what, and how of our passage together. As we look ahead to tomorrow, we will prepare to answer the most important question of the five: why?

Context is the key to understanding. When we approach a passage of scripture, it’s important to gain a deeper look into what we are reading. How do we do this? We ask questions! 

• What do you observe about this text? Look back to your notes from Day One.
• What other verses in scripture help me understand this one? Use scripture to interpret scripture!
• Who is the author writing to?
• Who is who? Look at words like “them,” “you,” and “I”

We have found that Context + Observation = Interpretation.

As you look to interpret the Scripture you read, review these three steps:

• Pray. Ask God, “Am I understanding this right? Can you help me understand this text?”
• Study scripture in community. Diamonds are best seen in the light and from different angles. The same is true about scripture. When we gather around the word of God together, looking from different angles at who he is and what he’s done, we’re gonna be built up and equipped for every good work.
• Use a resource. Use a study bible or a commentary for a deeper look into what you read. 

When we move from what we saw to what it means, it changes how we move. The goal is not to gain more information for information’s sake but to be changed and challenged by the inspired Word of God.

 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

Matthew 7: 24-27

Jesus is telling the multitudes then a truth that still rings true for us now: it’s not enough to know. We need to enact. 

As it says in James,

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

James 1:22-25

To be doers of the word, as James tells us,  we need to find the application of what scripture says. To do that, we can use the acronym SPECS.

As you read your passage of scripture, ask:

• S – Is there a sin to avoid?
• P – Is there a prayer to repeat?
• E – Is there an example to follow?
• C – Is there a command to obey?
• S – Is there a scripture to memorize?

As we look to what we see and look toward the text, we are asking “What is the singular thing that God is primarily trying to speak to his intended audience?” While there is only one primary meaning rooted in the text, there are over a thousand different ways to apply the text in your individual context. 

The more accurately we understand what God was saying to the intended audience, the more accurately we can apply it in our own context.

As we conclude this track, that is our hope: that as you sink into the scripture and study it with a new fervor, that you will apply what you have learned to your own life. 

Do what the Word says, find freedom, continue on in it, and be blessed in what you do.