Why Most Christians Feel Intimidated Studying the Bible (And What Actually Helps) - Part 1

Many Christians love God deeply. They genuinely seek to follow Him in obedience and want to live to do His will. And of course, the primary way to know God's will is by studying and meditating on His Word. It's here that many quietly feel intimidated when it comes to studying the Bible. Perhaps, you can relate.

They sit down and open the pages of Scripture with good intentions, but after a few minutes of reading they begin to wonder: Am I understanding this correctly? Am I missing something important? How do people actually study the Bible well?

Discouraged, they may close the Bible - not because they don't love God's Word, but because they feel unequipped to truly understand it. And this struggle is far more common than most people realize or care to admit. Seminary can be a great blessing, but not everyone is afforded the opportunity for such training. But be encouraged; a seminary education nor fluency in Hebrew and Greek are prerequisites for studying the Bible well.

The Bible was Never Meant to Feel Out of Reach

Scripture was not written only for scholars or pastors. It was written for theologians - those who desire to study theology. Get this: if you have a desire to study and understand God's Word and grow in your faith and knowledge of God, then you are a theologian. You may have never considered yourself to be a theologian, but if you love God and love to know and understand His Word, you are one! 

The Bible was written for ordinary believers. Farmers. Shepherds. Mothers. Fathers. Teachers. God's Word was meant to be read, understood, and treasured by everyday people.

"The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple." Psalm 119:130

God never intended His Word to feel like a locked book. We know that because He has chosen to reveal Himself to us through its pages. The Holy Spirit inspired the Bible to be written not for us to decode and decipher, but rather, for us to mine and meditate on. It takes hard work to dig out its nuggets of truth, but we can know that each page contains life-changing and transforming truth.

Time spent in God's Word is never wasted. In fact, God says that His Word never returns void, but it always accomplishes what it is purposed to accomplish. (Isaiah 55:11) The fact is, many believers have never been shown how to slow down and study the Bible well - to look for words, phrases, tenses, contrasts and context, which is why marking the Word as you study can be very helpful.

If you’d like help learning how to do this in a clear and practical way, Bonnie Marlowe of Teachers in the Word teaches a simple approach called Mark the Word that walks you through how to slow down and engage with Scripture as you read. Instead of feeling unsure where to begin, you’ll learn what to look for in a passage and how to mark key words, phrases, and themes so the meaning of the text becomes clearer over time. If you’re ready to grow in confidence as you study the Bible, you can learn more about the Mark the Word class here.