To study the Bible we must distinguish between that which is superior and that which is inferior. Hebrews 5:14 says, "But solid food is for the full-grown, who because of practice have their faculties exercised for discriminating between both good and evil." The context of that section of scripture is growing in the divine life, and the meaning of "good and evil" is "superior" versus "inferior." To have the proper discernment of what is superior ("good") and what is inferior ("evil") we must grow to maturity in the divine life. As Hebrews 5:12-14 clearly asserts, growth is a matter of proper eating. To grow mature we need to progress from milk to solid food. Solid food is consumed by those who have practiced eating to the point that they can ingest and digest the richer foods. Solid food is for spiritual adults.

It is the same with Bible study. We must practice the proper eating to gain the necessary nourishment in order to grow to maturity and acquire the discernment in the Word. Ephesians 4:14 says, "That we may be no longer little children tossed by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching in the sleight of men, in craftiness with a view to a system of error." To remain a child is a serious matter especially when it comes to the Word of God. Children are easily misguided, distracted and usurped because they have not gained the discernment in life. Thus, children easily "veer off the path." This is true of brothers and sisters in Christ who do not grow properly in the divine life. They become tossed by waves of teaching and winds of doctrine rather than live by their constitution in life based on a healthy spiritual diet. This explains why so many doctrines, teachings, practices and rituals exist in today's church as banners which distract, confuse and even divide God's unique people. Most believers in these so-called churches never grow up to discern the Word of God as God intended. They remain children in their understanding and therefore are easily misguided by unhealthy matters.

With this in mind, we need to realize the need of proper Bible study. There are four basic aspects to Bible study and these aspects are progressive, building on one another. The aspects in order are: (1) facts, (2) inspirations, (3) truth and (4) revelation. We need to begin with the foundation (facts) and advance progressively through inspirations, truth and revelation which are the "peak of the mountain." Our study cannot be haphazard. To look at a mountain, we usually notice the peaks, but the base of the mountain is so much larger than the peak and without the base, there would be no mountain. Likewise, to study God's Word we must establish and build the base of the mountain before progressing gradually to the peak of the mountain. Many students of the Word have opened themselves to deviations and even heresies because they lacked such an approach to God's Holy Word. Let's discuss them one by one.

In order to gather the facts adequately we need to read and study the Word until we recognize the main thought. Often there are key verses or key phrases that identify the main thought in a paragraph or section of the Word. So how can we identify these key verses or key phrases? Let me suggest several means to accomplish this important aspect of Bible study.

We begin by praying to the Lord for a seeking attitude to obtain fresh revelation. Then, we should read a section of the Word several times without any presumptions or biases to what we already know concerning that section. Reading can wash us from the old things and past knowledge that is no longer living and operative within us (Heb. 4:12). Reading can calm us from all the activities racing through our mind. Reading can open us to the Lord in a fresh, new way to allow Him to speak something practical to us.

Jeremiah 15:16 says, "Your Words were found and I did eat them and Your Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart." This verse shows that the Word is meant to nourish us and enlighten us and organically strengthen us just as physical food does to our physical bodies. We should pay attention to our spirit, our inner sense, as we read the section of verses over and over. Some word or phrase or verse may stand out. Then we go back to that word or phrase or section and pray that to the Lord in a simple way. This is like eating our food. Sometimes we have to "cut" the food to make it edible. Sometimes we mix different items together for flavor. Sometimes we take a drink with the food. This is the same as mingling prayer with your reading of various words, verses or phrases. Just enjoy the Word rather than get overly mental, trying to understand everything.

Outlining the specific portion of the Word is one of the best ways to gather facts. Our outlining can be versatile and flexible. In other words, some people like certain ways of outlining better than other ways. Here are some ways to outline: (1) section the passage - according to main thoughts of each paragraph. In Revelation 2-3 there are seven churches mentioned and all seven epistles to these churches can be set in seven sections. (2) contrast - compare the positive thought with the parallel negative thought in a passage of scripture. For instance, in Revelation 2-3 all the seven churches mentioned have positive and negative aspects. (3) categorize - making charts or grouping of different items based on their meaning, classification or form. The seven churches in Revelation 2-3 can be categorized according to their immediate time frame, their place in church history, and their fulfillment in the future. (4) listing - to enumerate items, to catalog according to specific likenesses, to register or index. Again, using Revelation 2-3, the seven churches can be listed in order of time, in order of wording (the Spirit speaking to the churches and the call to overcome varies among the seven churches), etc. (5) paraphrasing - telling the story as the Bible does using your own words. Often, this is very benficial because it brings out our understanding of the passage.

Once we have satisfactorily gathered the facts as described above, we should identify and study in detail the key verses or key phrases that the Lord has emphasized in our spirit while reading, praying or outlining. Now, fellowship becomes very important. We should have other believers we can fellowship with concerning the basic meaning and significance of all the key words, verses or phrases. In our fellowship and study we should ALWAYS try to define the Bible with the Bible itself, not with secular sources or personal opinions based on our background, our culture or our preference. To practically define the Bible by the Bible we need to considering the surrounding verses, surrounding chapters, the overall context of the book we are studying, the New Testament scope and the entire Bible. In other words, the Bible does not contradict itself nor does it mix immisible items together; only fallen, natural human beings do that. Lastly, we can use cross-references, study aids, word-study tools, footnotes, commentaries to help us in our study, but we should not be overly biased by them. We must let God's Word be the central standard.

To determine the facts in the Bible is the most fundamental step in Bible study. To properly study the facts we need to understand the matter of scope. We can consider the scope of the facts from two angles: (1) Every word of the Bible needs study, but we must remember that every word is in a phrase, every phrase is in a sentence, every sentence is in a paragraph, eventually every paragraph is part of a thought, every thought joins together to form a book in the Bible. (2) Another way to look at the scope is that every word or phrase or sentence is found in a verse. Every verse is in a section. Every section is in a chapter. Every chapter is in a book. Every book is in the New or Old Testament. And the entire Bible must be taken into consideration as conclusions are made based on facts in the Word.

Many passages of scripture are interrelated and need to be combined in order to gain a proper assessment of the basic facts. This is seen repeatedly between books of the New Testament or books of the Old Testament. We also find many Old Testament passages that are interpreted by New Testament passages. If we do not have a proper understanding of scope then we will easily think the Bible contradicts itself over and over. Many people make such claims because they do not read nor study the Bible in a sound way. Christians also are stumped by irrelevant questions from those who are too shallow to seek answers for themselves. "Who was Cain's wife? Why did God slaughter so many innocent people in the Old Testament? Why is God such a chauvinist?" These questions are outside the scope of sound Biblical exegesis. Unless a person studies the context of a writing, they cannot even ask sound questions for research. Instead they divert to minor teachings and get trapped by the "small" things, missing the overall picture. This is like building a jigsaw puzzle. Some people are so preoccupied with individual pieces that they can never put the entire puzzle together. When it comes to God's Word, we must realize that God has His will, His intention, His plan and His purpose for man and this is written out in Sixty-six books of the divine revelation. We should not get stuck on any "individual piece" of scripture without seeking to reconcile with the "whole picture of the puzzle."

Denominations and all kinds of independent so-called churches are founded on teachings that do not comply with God's Word in a thorough way. Why? Because scholars often follow tradition, preference, cultural understanding, politically correct views, etc. rather than the plain, simple facts. For instance, John 14:2-6 is a famous passage used by most Christians to prove that men go to heaven when they die. The interesting fact is that the passage never mentions heaven or men dying. It only mentions Jesus going away and coming to receive His believers to Himself where He is. Everyone for some reason assumes that He is going to heaven, but the verses do not say that. They DO say that Jesus is going to the Father and that He will come again with the Father to live inside His believers, but you have to read verses 7-23 to know that. So few Christians even know what John 14 is about other than their false understanding of heaven. If we read the context of John 14 it is clear. However, tradition handed down for centuries defies the facts. Let's be honest, where in John 14 is the mention or implication of believers in Jesus dying and going to heaven? Okay, let's broaden the scope: Where in the book of John is the mention or implication of believers in Jesus dying and going to heaven? Let's go one final step: Where in the entire Bible is the mention or implication of believers in Jesus dying and going to heaven? This thought was passed down over the centuries based on tradition, not based on fact. If you do not believe me, I challenge you to find just one verse.

Another example showing the broader scope needed to collect facts and put them together to comprise a proper thought is seen in the book of Leviticus, chapter 11. This chapter lays out the dietary regulations of the Mosaic law concerning which animals are clean to eat and which animals are unclean and prohibited to eat. Many Christians misuse this passage to support improper understanding of present day eating. They think that the dietary regulations in Leviticus apply to them today. However, if we read Acts 10-11, we realize that Peter also was told to slay and eat "four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth and birds of heaven." He was told by God to violate the Mosaic dietary regulations! But what is the context in Acts 11? It is not a matter of eating animals, but of contacting people. God wanted Peter to associate with Cornelius, a Gentile. To a Jew, Gentiles were "unclean" and therefore, Jews were not to associate with Gentiles. However, in the New Testament age there is no longer Jew nor Greek (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:10). The facts in Acts 11 coupled with the facts in Leviticus 11 show that the dietary regulations of the Old Testament correspond to our contact with people in the New Testament. The definition for "clean" and "unclean" also changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Those people sent by God are not unclean, but those against God are unclean. The animals mentioned in Acts 11 were all considered "unclean" according to the Levitical regulations (Leviticus 11). However, God told Peter to slay and eat them. Then, Peter was led to fellowship with a Gentile. According to the facts we can see a relationship between the animals and Cornelius and the Gentiles with him.

To determine the facts in the Word of God is crucial and fundamental to Bible study. Facts annul personal opinion. Facts kill irrational thinking. Facts confirm reasonable thought and logic. Yet, when so many Christians have neighborhood Bible studies they are loaded with opinions, lack of insight, false connections of facts and just plain ignorance. Sorry, but isn't this true? We must learn to discipline ourselves to study the Word for what it says, and this process begins with the facts.

Facts are basic and important, but they do not give us life. 2 Corinthians 3:6 says, "The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." The term "inspiration" denotes the matter of the Spirit based on the prefix, "inspire" or breath. John 6:63 says, "It is the Spirit who gives life." To have proper inspiration we need the Spirit of God to breath life into the Word. 2 Timothy 3:16 says it best, "All Scripture is God-breathed" or "God-inspired." What is inspiration? It is getting life from the Word. Inspiration causes the Word of God to come alive. Inspiration causes the Word to be exciting. Inspiration causes the Word to be meaningful. Inspiration causes the Word to be necessary in our daily personal life and in our daily church life. Once we touch inspiration, we are like a person sitting on the edge of his/her seat waiting to pounce on something or stand up to speak. It's as if someone puts an electric shock on our seat and we get lifted off our chair to share what the Lord has given to us!

I'm quite sure that many of you thought that inspiration is to think of something new and inspiring based on our imagination. This is not at all what Biblical inspiration means. First of all, inspiration MUST be based on facts. Without proper factual understanding of a verse or passage of scripture, our inspiration is off! Let me give one of missing the mark that is so common among Christians today. Revelation 3:20 says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me." For the first thirty years I was a believer in Jesus I never heard one message from this verse that matched the facts and context of Revelation 3. I was always taught that this was the Lord offering salvation to people and people's hearts were the door. However, if we look at the context, the facts, of that section of Revelation we will see quite a different picture. Firstly, Revelation 3:17 begins, "And to the messenger of the church in Laodicea write." The apostle John is writing to the church in Laodicea, not to any individual believer. Revelation 3:22 confirms this same fact, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." So, according to the context, the Lord is speaking to the saints comprising the church. It is the church that the Lord is knocking outside the door. This message is not to unbelievers, but to believers!

Proper inspiration takes the facts as God wrote them and joins them in a way that inspires us, gives life to us, and turns us to seek the Lord in a fresh, new way. Inspiration brings application of God's Word into our personal and corporate life in Christ. For instance, Genesis 14:16-17 speak of the appearance of Melchisedek to Abraham. "And Melchisedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: And he [was] the priest of the most high God. 19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed [be] Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth." Abraham had just defeated five kings and their kingdoms to rescue his brother (nephew) Lot. Prior to this time, God had only been referred to as the God of heaven, but here He is called the "Possessor of heaven and earth." This is very inspiring! Once God had a man, Abraham, to do His will and carry out His economy on the earth, now God is called the Possessor of heaven and earth. God already possesses heaven, but He desires to possess the earth for His expression and representation (Genesis 1:26-27). Don't you want to be a man or woman who affords God a way to possess the earth? This also matches the thought in Matthew 6:10 where the Lord taught His disciples to pray, "Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth." Why do men need to pray? So that God can do ON EARTH what He already has done in heaven! This gives meaning for my existence! My whole life is for Christ to gain something on the earth for His interest! "Lord, I give my life to You so You can possess me on the earth." Isn't this inspiring?

To come to the truth requires that we first have a firm grasp of the facts and have much inspiration in our study of the Word. Without the foundation of the facts, there can be no sustained or effective growth in Christ. Therefore, we must be able to assemble and disassemble the Word of God by using our renewed mind (Romans 12:1-2) when handling the Word. Then in our prayer, in our meditation, in our enjoyment of the word we get so inspired because we find the Word applies to us personally and as members of the Body of Christ. We find that we must share what we have enjoyed with someone else. If we can "study" the Bible and walk away without any feeling or without something bubbling up within us (John 4:14), then we did not study properly.

Yet, we still need to go deeper to gain the benefits the Lord intended from our Bible study. In our personal, daily life, we must practice to allow the Word to operate within us. Hebrews 4:12 says, "The Word of God is living and operative..." The Word becomes operative when it is truth to us. How does this happen? By practice. But what kind of practice? We need to practice abiding in the Lord's presence especially concerning the inspirations, the truth and the revelations the Lord gives to us in our study of His Word. We set aside definite slots of time just to consider before the Lord. We allow Him through His operative Word to deal with us as a father deals with his sons, to shine on us concerning improper deeds or motives, to nourish us in areas of weakness or need, and to strengthen our inner faith. The Word becomes like a living Person within us and it effects our entire being! We can't help but speak out what the Lord has spoken to us! Again, speaking is an issue of the real study of God's Word. You just can't contain the operation of God's Word when it becomes so real and practical in our daily lives!

On one hand, truth is our realization, our apprehension, of God's Word in our experience. On the other hand, we can contrast this to the matter of doctrine or doctrinal teaching. Doctrine may be correct but it is not our personal experience. Truth, however, is the experience of God's Word based on a practical and personal realization of God's Word. Doctrine can never build the Body of Christ as God's organism to carry out His economy. Truth, however, can. The apostle Paul mentioned this in Ephesians 4:15-16, "But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, 16 Out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love." Truth is the element that eventually builds the Body of Christ, not doctrine.

So what is truth? Pontius Pilate asked this question of Jesus just before sentencing Him to the cruel death of crucifixion. John 18:36-38a, "Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My attendants would be struggling so that I would not be delivered to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not from here. 37 Pilate said therefore to Him, So then You are a king? Jesus answered, You say that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, that I would testify to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears My voice. 38 Pilate said to Him, What is truth?" This passage defines truth practically. Truth is seeing the unseen, realizing the real, confirming and defending what is true. Pilate couldn't understand Jesus in His Person or His work, but that did not make the Lord's Person or work null and void. Actually the Lord Himself is truth (John 14:6b). Pilate sentenced Jesus to death because he did not know truth. He was influenced by the crowd. He was pressured by the religious leaders. He was worried about his political position. Truth stood firm right in front of him. Truth claimed His kingdom in a "world" unseen.

To believers truth is Jesus Himself. Practically, truth is our personal realization of Christ in our daily life that causes us to believe and act on what others don't see or believe. Truth is our experience of what Christ and His Word spoke. Truth becomes our person because it is our experience, not some outward doctrine or teaching which can only temporarily effect behavior. Truth changes our vision. Truth changes our thinking. Truth changes our understanding and realization. Eventually, truth changes our behavior permanently because our person has changed.

The "peak" of the mountain in studying the Bible is revelation. Revelation of God's Word governs us. Revelation of God's Word controls us. When we "see" something divine it completely undoes our former manner of life. Revelation is unmistakable and irreversible! Sorry to say that many brothers and sisters in Christ lack this aspect of the Word after so many years of being in Christ. All believers have some revelation; otherwise they could not be regenerated, born-again. However, so many Christians remain infants in their faith because they do not know how to properly handle the Word of God in order to gain the facts, inspirations, truths and most importantly, revelations.

The apostle Paul is a vivid example of a man who lived according to revelation. In Galatians 1:11-12, Paul wrote, "For I make known to you, brothers, concerning the gospel announced by me, that it is not according to man. 12 For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation by Jesus Christ." Revelation is by Jesus Christ, not according to man or man's teaching. Wow! How we love to follow men and their philosophy or teaching. Yet, Biblical revelation is absolutely a matter issuing from, in and by Jesus Christ. The apostle John in his revelation wrote, "The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to Him to show to His slaves the things that must quickly take place." (Rev. 1:1) Actually, we call the entire Bible the divine revelation of God. Or we can also say that the Bible is the complete divine revelation of Jesus Christ to man.

How do we gain divine revelation? First, we gain revelation in only one way. Revelation comes through Jesus Christ. Revelation is in Jesus Christ. Revelation is concerning Jesus Christ. Second, we gain revelation practically by studying God's Word properly. Revelation is built up or grown upon facts, inspirations and truth. The broader the base of facts, and the more inspirations and truths we experience, the greater our capacity for revelations. Consider a big pyramid with facts as the base, inspirations upon facts, truth upon inspirations and revelation as the peak. The broader the base of the pyramid, the higher the pyramid can go.

The apostle Paul said, "I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord." He had many visions and revelations of Jesus Christ. Even he mentioned, "the transcendence of the revelations" given to him by Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 12:1, 7). It was Paul whom the Lord commissioned to become "a minister according to the stewardship of God, which was given to me for you, to complete the word of God" (Col. 1:24). Paul was asked by God to complete the divine revelation of God's Word! He was truly a man rich in revelation. Paul was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, a Pharisee as to law and 'blameless' in the law according to Philippians 3:4-6. This shows his base of factual study in God's Word. He knew the scriptures well from the time of his childhood. Then, Paul was a man of inspiration. He spoke more concerning the Spirit, man's spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the bountiful supply of Spirit of Jesus Christ, walking by the Spirit, living in the Spirit, etc. than any other Biblical author. He constantly breathed life into the saints he served and his writings breath life into us as we enjoy them in our spirit. Then, Paul had countless experience of Christ. Eventually, everything he taught, everything he spoke, everything he preached, everything he wrote was just his experience of Christ. This became his base of truth. Finally, all these elements supported the marvelous revelations that he could convey to believers throughout the centuries by his writings.

A basic understanding of revelation in the Bible is that revelation is progressive. The book of Job was probably the first book of the bible chronologically. The revelation contained in Job is quite limited and "immature" compared with the writings of Genesis which was written centuries later. For example, in Job's time, the main revelation was based on the fear of God and outward blessing. If you did right, God blessed you. If you did wrong, God punished you. Job was known for his righteousness so how could God allow him to be so mistreated? This was exactly the argument used by Job's so-called friends. They accused him of sin because God was mad at him. Job stood his ground to tell them that he was suffering because of another reason that he himself did not even know. When you come to the book of Genesis, the revelation advances a lot. God speaks of redemption through the blood, judgment based on living apart from God, God's calling to man, God's blessing towards man, man's transformation and reigning in life and much more. What an advancement compared to the book of Job.

Book by book the Bible unveils more and more to men for their spiritual vision. This just shows God's wisdom. He gradually unveiled His economy to men, not like a huge dump truck dumping its load in one spot. No one could have benefitted from such a thing. Instead, God revealed His Word in a progressive way. Because of this we need our concepts changed and adjusted. As we proceed from Genesis to Malachi we must realize that God has something to tell us and He tells us in a progressive way. Genesis cannot stand on its own. God needed men to write Exodus and then Leviticus and then, etc. Once we have the foundation of the Old Testament as a base, then the revelation of the New Testament makes sense. But the New Testament also progresses from Matthew to Revelation.

Jesus went to the synagogues week after week, but this does not mean he wanted us to go to synagogues. At that time, He needed to go to the synagogues for His purpose. Today, the revelation has advanced. The temple was destroyed by God in A.D. 70 showing that God is no longer with the Jews in Judaism. Jesus spoke of this destruction in the gospels and Paul and Peter also wrote of this destruction after their time. The apostle John lived through the destruction of Jerusalem and then wrote his gospel, his epistle and his revelation. None of those three books is Judaistic in nature at all! He wrote to genuine believers in Christ. He was completely free of Judaism and the Jewish influences. The revelation from Paul's writings, Peter's writings and finally John's writings are far advanced from that of Matthew's although the underlying message is not changed; they all wrote concerning the revelation of Jesus Christ.

As I mentioned earlier revelation of God's Word governs us. Revelation of God's Word controls us. When we "see" something divine it completely undoes our former manner of life. Revelation is unmistakable. This is more than practical. The bottom line is: If we have revelation, we will never be the same. Someone gave this example once: If we put our finger into a light socket, we cannot remain unaffected. Likewise, if we truly receive revelation, we cannot remain the same. Peter, a professional fisherman, dropped his occupation, left his father and followed Jesus for the rest of his life. Why? Outwardly it was because Jesus called him directly to follow Him. Inwardly, Peter received revelation from the Lord and of the Lord.

Peter later received a profound revelation concerning Christ's body. He knew Christ physically, but not spiritually. The Lord reveals to Peter that Jesus Christ desires to have a Body which is called the church. So in Matthew 16:16-18, the Lord Jesus spoke to Peter. "And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in the heavens. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church." Later in Acts 10 and 11, Peter receives further revelation along the same line as we discussed earlier. Peter was sent by God to the Gentiles, confirming that Gentiles and Jews alike are all part of the one Body of Christ.

The point I'm making is the change that revelation makes within a person. Peter's entire life was radically and permanently changed. After receiving revelation he could never be the same again. And the revelation kept progressing. Eventually Peter was clear that Judaism was over and even condemned by God. His two epistles clearly show that God's economy no longer recognized Judaism and the Old Covenant form of worship or following God. The Lord Jesus ushered in a New Covenant with men. Hallelujah! We all can receive this same revelation based on the Word of God! Yet, this assumes that we study the Bible properly.