How Can Kids Study The Bible?
Answer: Studying the Bible is not as difficult as it may sound. In fact, it can be fun! First, start out by just reading the Bible. Read short portions – a paragraph or story- and read it in a translation you understand.
Second, ask a parent to explain big words to you that you don’t understand. Third, memorize verses that tell you what you should do. As you read and study, you will have questions about what the Bible means.
Save your questions and find someone to answer them, like a parent, teacher, or pastor. It’s good to read the Bible every day. Make it a habit. And if you get really ambitious, you can use a Bible dictionary and atlas; a dictionary tells what Bible words mean, and an atlas shows where Bible places are.
Key verse: “Always remind the people about these laws. You yourself must think about them every day and every night. That way you will be sure to obey all of them. For only then will you succeed” (Joshua 1:8)
Related verses: Deuteronomy 6:6-9; Joshua 1:6-8; Psalm 119:1-176; Proverbs 1:1-9.
Related questions: Should we study the Bible every day? Why does God want us to do homework? What’s a running reference?
Note to parents: A child asking this question may provide a good opportunity to introduce him or her to study. Get out a Bible and start a study together. Some Bible books that many kids will find interesting include Genesis, Mark, Romans, and James. If you are unfamiliar with the Bible, you can use this book to help you get an overview.
What’s A Concordance?
Answer: A concordance is an index of words in the Bible. It lists the words that appear in the Bible and all the verses where those words appear. Many study Bibles include a concordance in the back.
If you know part of a verse but don’t know where to find it in the Bible, you can look up one of the verse’s words in the concordance, and it’ll tell you where the word is used.
For example, if you want to find the verse, “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but have eternal life,” you could look up the word believes in the concordance.
It would tell you all the places where believes is used, and you could see if any of them is the one you’re looking for. For practice, see if you can find it now!
Key verse: Work hard so God can say to you, “Well done.” Be a good workman. Then you won’t be ashamed when God examines your work. Know what his Word says and means. (2 Timothy 2:15)
Related question: Why does Daddy use big books to study the Bible?