Articles about Bible Study

GodWords readers ask a LOT of questions. That's good! Unfortunately, many of the questions (and arguments) betray a certain level of ignorance about what the Bible says, and what it means. They show that many don't know how to study theology.

Shema is a very interesting word. It's commonly thought to mean "obey," but that's not the whole story. There's no Hebrew word for "obey," and there's no English equivalent for shema. It's far richer than that, so it's good to see how the writers of Scripture use it. The name Simon is related, coming from the Hebrew Shim'on. Video, 3:25.

Moses is believed to have written the Pentateuch... that is, the first five books of the Old Testament. Would that include the account of his death and burial found in Deuteronomy 34? Some suggest that Moses prophesied his own death.

Christians need to read the Bible. More than that, we need to study the Bible. It should be our primary source for information about God, and about how we should live. Below is a list of articles to help you read, and study, the Bible.

Dr. Doug Groothuis offers some help in choosing a quality study Bible.

Jerusalem is under siege by the Babylonians and Jeremiah is imprisoned by King Zedekiah yet, according to God's instructions, he buys land from a relative. This suggested a hopeful future for Israel (and may have symbolized the redemption offered by Jesus).

The Bible speaks of imitation: imitating Christ, imitating Paul as he imitates Christ, and - by implication - imitating the life and faith of those who have gone before us. Read about imitation, and the dangers to be avoided.

Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica about a man he called 'the lawless one.' Who was he? What do we know about him, and what does this teach us about spiritual counterfeits?

In Leviticus 16 we read of the scapegoat ritual, where the sins of the people are transferred onto an animal and it is sent away. The biblical ritual has parallels in ancient Eblaite, Hittite, Ugaritic, and Neo-Assyrian rituals and include bulls, mice, frogs, and more.

Too often, the Holy Spirit is all but ignored by modern Christians. The Father and the Son seem to get all of our attention, but the Spirit isn't a spiritual afterthought. What is His role in the life of a follower of Jesus?

This article won't keep you from stumbling over the names of Old Testament people and places in your Sunday School class. It will, however, help you understand the variety in the linguistic history of written Hebrew.

The Bible teaches that we are born in sin, and will not seek God on our own... yet all are called to repent. How is this possible? The answer is known as 'prevenient grace,' which bridges the gap between what we are able to do and what God calls us to to.