How to Study the Bible and Find Truth

Lorraine Day, M.D.

The Bible is the one and only Book God has given us to reveal: who God is, the essence of His character, His relationship to and with us, His great love for us, His ability to heal us AND the requirements necessary for healing.

The Bible explains how the world came into being and how it keeps going. It is the only Book which tells us how we may understand the world. It tells us where we came from, what our purpose is for being here, where we go when we die (it's not what most people think) and the future resurrection of the dead. It tells us the origin of sin which susbsequently led to disease and death and how Jesus conquered sin, disease and death for us by His death on the Cross. The Bible reveals that by His death, Jesus became the Saviour of ALL mankind (1 Tim 4:10).

The Bible not only explains God, it explains the entire world in which we live, it explains not only things that are right, but things that are wrong.

The Bible discusses, in Psalm 53:1, those who don't believe in God at present: "The fool has said in his heart, There is no God."

The Bible is the ONLY Book that has the solution for EVERY problem in life!

When we pray, we talk to God. When we study the Bible, it is God talking to us. You must come to the Bible with a totally different attitude from the attitude with which you read other books. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned (understood). You cannot "reason out" the Bible. God must open your eyes and your heart so you can SEE (understand) Truth.

So begin reading and ask God to be with you. It doesn't matter whether or not you understand every word. As you read the Bible more and more, it will become clearer and more understandable to you.


1) To begin with, which Bible should I use?

There are many different translations of the Bible, but virtually ALL contain errors in translation.

2) Isn't the King James Version the "purest" translation?

No, not necessarily. The King James Version contains errors just as all the other popular translations contain errors. In fact, some of the specific passages in the Revised Standard Version (RSV) and the New International Version (NIV), which are thought to be translated incorrectly by most Christians, are actually corrections of mistranslated passages in the King James Version. L.D. talk about manuscripts. Only 1% - 2% is in contention.

3) If virtually ALL of the Bible versions contain errors in translation, how can we know what is right? If the Bible is the Word of God, wouldn't God protect His Word?

God certainly would, and God certainly has protected His Word. But the protection is NOT in the various popular translated versions available today. The pure Word of God is found in the original text, the original Scriptures written in Hebrew and Greek. It is those manuscripts that have been magnificently and Divinely protected.

For example, in 1947 the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in a series of caves in Qumran in the area of the Dead Sea in Palestine, the area that is now called Israel. These scrolls comprise, among other things, the oldest copies of the Bible in existence and include a well-preserved copy of the entire book of Isaiah -- the oldest copy of an Old Testament book ever to be discovered. Fragments of every Biblical book except the book of Esther were found among the scrolls, as well as many other non-Biblical texts. These manuscripts, at the time of their discovery, were at least a thousand years older than the then-oldest-known Hebrew texts of the Bible.

Until the discoveries at Qumran, the oldest manuscripts of the Hebrew Scriptures were copies from the 9th and 10th centuries AD by a group of Jewish scribes called the Massoretes. Now we have manuscripts around a thousand years older than those. The amazing truth is that these very old manuscripts are almost identical to the manuscripts from the 9th and 10th centuries AD, showing God's care in watching over His Word.

It is the original Scriptures to which we must return for a study of God's Word in truth.

4) But I'm not a Greek or Hebrew scholar. How could I possibly make use of the original Greek and Hebrew texts?

You don't have to be a Greek or Hebrew scholar to study the original Scriptures. We live in the golden age of resources for Bible study. Remember, the Bible says that in the last days ". . . knowledge will be increased. . . " (Dan 12:4) and so it is. Interlinear translations are readily available which contain the Bible written in the original Hebrew and Greek, with the English words directly under the Hebrew or Greek words. Furthermore, each word is numbered so its definition can be obtained by looking up that number in a Concordance such as Strong's Concordance or Young's Concordance, books that are available through every Christian book store.

WARNING: Please note that the definitions in the various Concordances, such as Young's or Strong's, are based on the usage of the individual words in the King's James Version of the Bible. Therefore, if the translators of the King James Version of the Bible were incorrect in their usage of a particular word, that error will be continued in the definitions given in the Concordances.

The BEST Bible translation I have found is the Concordant Translation. (This is a literal translation of the Bible, different from the Concordances spoken of in the previous paragraph, which are alphabetical listings of the words used in the Bible, with their definitions.)

The Concordant Translation, in my opinion, is the truest to the Original Scriptures. Rather than the translators "interpreting" the various passages for the readers, which is what has been done in ALL the other Versions, the translators instead translate the Bible "as it reads" in the Original, and allow the Spirit of God to teach the individual reader its meaning.

"The word Concordant means 'agreeing, correspondent, harmonious, consonant' (Webster's Third International Dictionary). It was the purpose of the compiler to make a translation that agreed as closely as possible to the original language of the Scriptures, and yet also one that was presented in readable English. . . Though absolute consistency cannot be achieved in the making of a readable English translation, the Concordant Literal New Testament, by being "harmonious" with the Original, keeps to a minimum the confusion resulting from translating different Greek words with the same English word.

"An example of distinguishing scriptural words in translation is the way in which the word love has been used in English versions. Often the verb love stands for two different Greek verbs, phileo and agapao. Concordantly, however, phileo is rendered be fond (with the idiomatic variants -- kiss and friend), and agapao is rendered love (with the alternate -- beloved).

This Version is also literal in the sense that it follows the word order and sentence structure of the early Greek manuscripts more than do most other translations." (Concordant Literal Testament, Concordant Publishing Concern 1983, Introduction)

The entire New Testament and many books of the Old Testament are available in the Concordant Translation from the Concordant Publishing Concern, 15570 Knochaven, Santa Clarita, CA 91350, Phone: 661-252-2112 or visit www.concordant.org

5) Now I'm thoroughly confused. What version of the Bible should I use?

I use several versions of the Bible. The two I use the most are the King James Version and the Concordant Version. I also keep close at hand, my Interlinear version. This allows me to read first in the commonly accepted version, the King James, then affirm or modify the specific words by checking with the Concordant and the Interlinear versions.

If you are a beginner, you may wish to start with the New International Version (NIV) as it is written in easier-to-read English. However, never lose sight of the fact that there are many errors in this version. Use the Concordant Version along with the NIV to check the translation of the passage you are reading so you will not be misled.

When you pray before you begin to study God's Word, which is ALWAYS necessary as God is the ONLY One who can open your mind so you can understand His Word, He "will lead you into ALL truth" (text) as He has promised. We all might wander around a little before we find the Truth, but God is just teaching us patience. If we persevere in our study, we will ALWAYS ultimately arrive at Truth!

But whatever you do, DON'T buy a Bible with "Study Helps" in it. Those "Study Helps" are notes written by a human being telling YOU what to believe about what the Bible says! You wan t GOD to interpret the Bible for you, through His Spirit impressing you as you read, study and pray. You DON'T want the interpretations of another human being.

It's good to get together with others to study the Bible. But your final beliefs should be decided in your study ALONE with God!

Where Should I begin Studying the Bible?
At the beginning in Genesis?

No. My advice is to start in the book of John, the fourth book in the New Testament. The book of John was written by the disciple that was probably the closest to Jesus and understood Him the best of any of His followers. All four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, tell about the life of Christ from four different perspectives. Study them carefully.

As you read, concentrate on the character of Jesus: How did He treat sinners, such as the adulterous woman? How did He treat His enemies when they crucified Him? How did He treat women? How did He treat the outcasts?

Look closely at the healings He performed. What was the main requirement necessary for a person to be healed?

Also note that Jesus was never worried, never hurried, never anxious, and never confused. He was always at peace because He came to reveal the EXACT character of God, the Father. Jesus said, "I and My Father are One." (John 10:30) "If you've seen Me, you've seen the Father."(John 14:9)
Jesus was God in human form. The character Jesus exhibited on earth is EXACTLY the character of God. How many people did Jesus kill when He was on earth? How many people did He hurt? These are VERY important questions to ponder.

Jesus came NOT to do His OWN will, but His Father's will. (John 6:38) It must be the same with us. We must give up our right to ourselves and let God make ALL our decisions. Give Him your troubles, your sorrow and your pain. He has promised to be your Plan-maker, your Problem-solver, your Physician and your Saviour.

An excellent daily devotional book in addition to the Bible, is "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers can be ordered through our online bookstore or through Spencer Publishing, P.O. Box 1396, Palm Desert, CA 9226l.

© Lorraine Day, M.D. 2006. All Rights Reserved.
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