What makes us successful (or not) in Bible study?

Attitudes

Defeated / Won’t be able to understand so why try
Negative / Not likely that anything I discover would be any good or even correct
Closed Heart / Why study a book thousands of years old? It can’t be relevant today.
Lazy / Most of it seems dull or difficult. Why put the effort into studying it?
Positive / Though it may be difficult, the H.S. will give insight and understanding
Receptive / I won’t understand it all, but God only asks for an open heart & mind
Expectant / Come to let God speak, try to eliminate presuppositions, pray over it
Faithful / Invest disciplined time and energy into study of God’s Word

Approach

Hit and Miss / No logical pattern to your studying or reading, surface reading
Application / Quick read, spend most time thinking of applications to your life
Commentary / Read passage, immediately read commentary letting it be your teacher
Holy Spirit / Quick read, spend most time in prayer hoping the H.S. will reveal truth
Methodical / Follow orderly approach to study: observe, interpret, evaluate, apply,
Actualize. Rely on H.S. to enable us to do each step well

Tools for Bible Study

Here is the class web site: where you will find the class handouts and exercises, as well as resources

Study Bible

NIV Study Bible (also available from publisher in other translations)

Life Application Bible (NIV, NLT and others)

Alternate Translations

Formal Equivalent (More Literal)

King James & New King James, New American Standard

Essentially Literal

English Standard Version, Holman Christian Standard

More Dynamic

New International Version, New Living Translation

Paraphrase

The Living Bible, The Message

Concordance

NIV Compact Concordance

Strongs Exhaustive Concordance (for various translations)

Bible Dictionary

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary

Commentary and Atlas

Expositor’s Commentary –abridged

The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Walvoord, John and Roy B. Zuck.

The Bible Exposition Commentary, Wiersbe, Warren W.

Willmington's Bible Handbook,Willmington, Harold L.

Holman Bible Atlas: A Complete Guide to the Expansive Geography of Biblical History.Brisco, Thomas C.

The IVP Atlas of Bible History.Lawrence, Paul.

The Zondervan NIV Atlas of the Bible.Rasmuseen, Carl G.

Software & Internet

QuickVerse – this comes in several versions at differing prices, here is the main web site: Don’t buy it from them or from a book store, but search the web for the best price

E-Sword – free Bible software with a nice collection of add on Bibles, Commentaries, Dictionaries, maps and other helps. Click the link on the College and Career page of my web site

The NET Bible. You can download this excellent Bible with its 60,932 translators' footnotes at: HYPERLINK (make sure you reboot your computer after downloading before you begin to use the Bible)

Holman Bible Dictionary -- you can use this online: HYPERLINK Once you look up a word, it would give you links
in other dictionaries as well. This has concordances and
other tools as well.

Apologetics Index – HYPERLINK

Bible Places – HYPERLINK

The Biblical Studies Foundation – HYPERLINK

Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry – HYPERLINK

Dr. Thomas Constable's Online Study Notes – HYPERLINK

Institute for Creation Research – HYPERLINK