Why Aren’t We Teaching People How to Study the Bible?

“Read your Bible. Read your Bible. Read your Bible.”

We hear it all the time in church. Pastors, small group leaders, Sunday school teachers—everyone tells us to read our Bibles. And while, truthfully, many Christians don’t even do that, an even bigger issue is that most of us were never taught how to read and study Scripture in the first place.

Over the years, I’ve become increasingly disappointed by the lack of guidance in this area. It’s one thing to tell people to read the Bible; it’s another to equip them with the tools they need to actually understand it. Studying the Bible isn’t just about opening it up and picking a verse of the day—it’s about knowing the context, the historical background, and how to properly interpret what you’re reading. And yet, outside of seminary or formal theological training, there are very few resources readily available in churches that help believers do this well.

My Own Struggle with Studying the Bible

When I started seriously reading the Bible, I struggled—a lot. I wanted to understand what I was reading, but I had no idea where to start. Even picking a translation felt overwhelming. Should I go with the King James Version because it’s what I grew up hearing? Should I use the NIV because it’s more common? What about the ESV, CSB, or NLT? I had no clue.

On top of that, I had to do my own research on how to even study the Bible. What methods worked? What resources were reliable? There are a ton of devotionals and topical studies out there by people like Beth Moore and Max Lucado, and while those can be great for encouragement, they don’t actually teach you how to study Scripture. They guide you through pre-selected passages and themes, but they don’t equip you to open the Bible on your own and dig deep.

The Importance of Teaching Biblical Study Methods

In this day and age, we have more resources available than ever before. Many of them are free, or at least easily accessible. Yet churches often fail to point people toward these tools. Instead, we’re left to figure it out on our own—or worse, we settle for secondhand interpretations from pastors, devotionals, or social media without ever verifying things for ourselves.

This is dangerous because not every Bible commentary, sermon, or teaching is biblically sound. There are countless interpretations out there, and some are straight-up misleading. If we don’t know how to study the Bible properly, we can easily be swayed by bad theology.

That’s why churches should be teaching:

•How to choose a good Bible translation

•How to use tools like concordances, lexicons, and Bible dictionaries

•How to identify trustworthy commentaries and discern what’s accurate

•How to understand literary context, historical background, and proper interpretation

•How to apply Scripture while keeping it in context

Making Biblical Study Accessible

I don’t think biblical study should be reserved for scholars and seminary students. Understanding the Word of God is essential for every believer. If we truly believe the Bible is God’s truth, we should want to know it deeply—not just skim it.

I would love to see churches start offering workshops or classes on this. Teach people how to navigate the wealth of information that’s out there. Help them build a Bible study routine that actually works for them. Because when people truly learn how to study Scripture for themselves, they grow in faith, discernment, and confidence in God’s Word.

Telling people to “just read their Bible” isn’t enough. It’s time we actually show them how.