If we want students to “grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18), then we need to take them to the source God uses to teach and equip people, the Scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16-17). However, we need to get beyond merely telling people what the Word says to how to study the Bible on their own.
Do model how to study the Bible.
How you use the Bible in the classroom can serve as a template for students in their personal study. And, that experience will also serve to either motivate or de-motivate them from wanting to learn on their own. If studying the Bible seems boring and not all that relevant to their lives, why should they want to do it on their own. If, however, they enjoy the class and find what they’re learning to be beneficial, they should have a greater tendency toward opening their Bibles at home.
Don’t make studying the Word merely about acquiring head knowledge.
The ultimate goal in studying the Bible should be two-fold — 1) to get to know God better, 2) for it to make a difference in our lives. That obviously begins with head knowledge for in Scripture we learn about who God is and what He wants to do in and through our lives. Gaining that knowledge, however, should lead to a greater purpose as seen in the Apostle Paul’s prayer for the Colossians.
We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God … (Col. 1:9-10)
From these verses we see a cycle that begins with head knowledge (“knowledge of his will”) which then moves to grasping the implications of that truth for our lives (“through all wisdom and understanding”), and its application (“live a life worthy of the Lord”). As we see how God uses His Word (“bearing fruit”), we gain a greater appreciation and awareness of who God is (“growing in the knowledge of God”). That provides the impetus to want to learn more, so we continue to study the Word going through this same cycle again and again, each time getting to know and love our great God better and better.
Bible teachers should therefore teach students to ask two important questions when they study God’s Word.
- What does it teach me about God? – React.
- What should I do as a result? – Respond.
Teacher Training Resource: Discipling Students in the Word of God Worksheet
Other Training & Resources: How to Teach Students to Value, Study, Know & Apply the Bible