How to Study The Bible
Lesson Overview
How to Study the Bible with Brannon Howse
This standalone message teaches a practical method for studying Scripture in context. Howse argues that most bad theology comes from verses ripped out of context by people who are often well-meaning but poorly trained, and that a believer who does not know how to study the Bible has no way to recognize when they are being taught error. He gives eight rules. Use this overview to review the key points after watching the full video.
Rule One: Read the Text Repeatedly, and Read Around It
Read the passage many times, and always read what comes before and after it. Howse points out that while Scripture is inspired, the chapter and verse divisions are not. They are useful for finding a passage, but they sometimes fall in awkward places. His example is the stoning of Stephen at the end of Acts 7, where the story clearly continues into Acts 8 with the scattering of the church.
He also recommends reading an entire short book, such as 1 John, every day for thirty days, or dividing a longer book like John into thirds and doing the same. By the end you know the book thoroughly, and its structure begins to make sense.
Rule Two: Ask Who, When, Where, and Why
Determine who wrote the book, when, where, and for what purpose. Some books state their author plainly; others, like Hebrews, do not.
His extended example is Philippians. Paul wrote it, the same man formerly known as Saul who persecuted the church and at whose feet the witnesses laid their coats while Stephen was stoned. He wrote it from prison. That context transforms Philippians 4:13, commonly quoted as “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” and applied to ambitions and achievements. Howse notes the sense in the original is closer to “I can endure all things,” and what Paul is enduring is imprisonment and persecution.
He adds that every book has a theme, often stated within the book itself. John 20:31 says the Gospel was written that you may believe Jesus is the Christ and have life in His name. First John 5:13 says that letter was written to those who already believe, so that they may know they have eternal life. One book is written that you may believe; the other, that you may know you believe.
Rule Three: Study the Cultural and Historical Background
Do not read modern assumptions back into an ancient text. Howse warns against “Americanizing” Scripture, and gives the example of Jesus telling Nicodemus he must be born of water and the Spirit, which is best understood against Jewish ceremonial washing rather than natural birth.
His main illustration is John 10, where Jesus says, “I am the door of the sheep.” Howse describes researching what a first-century sheepfold in Israel actually looked like: a high stone enclosure with sharp stones set along the top to deter predators, and a single narrow opening with no physical gate. At night the shepherd or an under-shepherd would lie down in that opening, becoming the door himself. Nothing could get in or out except past him.
Once the setting is understood, the saying comes alive. Jesus is not merely using a metaphor; He is claiming to be the only entrance, which connects directly to John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” Howse adds a further contrast: a shepherd would leave an under-shepherd and go to bed, but Jesus says He is the good shepherd who never sleeps and lays down His own life for the sheep.
He also mentions watching video of sheep ignoring strangers who imitate the shepherd’s call, then responding immediately to the shepherd’s actual voice, which illuminates Jesus’ statement that His sheep know His voice and will not follow a stranger. And he notes that the “other sheep not of this fold” refers to Gentiles, not to different Christian denominations as some ecumenical readings suggest.
Rule Four: Outline the Text
Work through the passage verse by verse and outline it, but do not force a separate point onto every verse. Several verses may belong under a single point. The outline should follow the text rather than the text being bent to fit the outline.
Rule Five: Let Scripture Interpret Scripture
Cross-reference the passage with other Scripture, which is the heart of sound hermeneutics. Howse deliberately places this before consulting commentaries, and explains why: he does not want another person’s conclusions to overshadow his own study before he has done it.
He gives an example. Studying John 10, he concluded that Jesus is speaking about Himself from verse 1 onward, since verse 6 says the hearers did not understand and Jesus then restates the same thing more plainly. Afterward he found one commentator arguing that verses 1 through 6 describe pastors rather than Christ. Because he had studied first, he was able to weigh that claim rather than absorb it, and on checking further found most commentators agreed with his reading.
Rule Six: Ask Who Is Being Corrected, Condemned, Encouraged, or Equipped
Work out what the passage is doing. Is someone being corrected, and why? Condemned? Encouraged and edified? Equipped for ministry and sound doctrine? Identifying the function of the passage clarifies its purpose.
Rule Seven: Consult Trusted Commentaries and Concordances
Only now bring in the reference tools, both for background and for the meaning of the original Hebrew and Greek.
Howse insists you do not need to be a trained Greek scholar to benefit from the original languages. Free tools online provide definitions and even audio pronunciation. His example is the Greek word for believe, which does not mean bare intellectual agreement, since Scripture says even demons believe in that sense. It means to be convinced of and to place trust in, a belief that produces change.
His clearest example is Acts 2:38, “be baptized for the remission of sins,” which in English can sound like baptism produces forgiveness. The Greek preposition can carry the sense of “because of” or “on the occasion of,” so the meaning is to be baptized because sins have been forgiven. He supports this with the principle that Scripture cannot contradict Scripture: since Ephesians 2:8-9 says salvation is by grace through faith and not of works, any interpretation making baptism a saving work must be a faulty interpretation rather than a faulty Bible.
He gives a second example from Acts 2:17-21, on sons and daughters prophesying and young men seeing visions. Reading the surrounding verses shows this occurs before the great and awesome day of the Lord, with the sun darkened and the moon like blood, which places it at the end of the tribulation rather than in the present. Reading further shows the “sons and daughters” are Israel’s, not the church’s.
Rule Eight: Summarize and Apply
Finally, summarize what the passage teaches and draw appropriate application. Howse argues application matters not only for obedience but for humility. Theological knowledge alone can produce pride, but application exposes our shortcomings and drives us back to dependence on Christ.
He warns against reading yourself into a passage where you do not belong, distinguishing exegesis (drawing meaning out of the text) from the error of importing your own assumptions into it, and from the further error of making yourself the subject of every passage. Acts 2 is his example: there is application for us in understanding future events, but we are not the “sons and daughters” being described.
From the Question Time
Asked whether the gospel should be preached before repentance, Howse answers that the two cannot be separated, since repentance is part of the gospel. He addresses the objection that requiring repentance makes salvation a work by noting that Scripture presents repentance as something God grants, and cites godly sorrow producing repentance unto salvation.
Asked for commentary recommendations, he names John MacArthur’s New Testament commentaries, Matthew Henry’s concise commentary, and the Moody Handbook of Theology. He then models his own advice by noting a place where he disagrees with MacArthur’s reading of Revelation 17, distinguishing the woman on many waters (the false church) from the woman riding the scarlet beast (Babylon). His broader point is that commentaries are not inspired, no theologian is flawless, and disagreement on a non-salvation issue is no reason to discard an otherwise valuable teacher.
Key Terms
Context: what surrounds a passage, including the verses before and after, the book’s purpose, and its historical setting.
Hermeneutics: the discipline of biblical interpretation, including using Scripture to interpret Scripture.
Exegesis: drawing the meaning out of the text, as opposed to reading one’s own ideas into it.
Concordance: a reference tool for locating words and studying their meaning in the original languages.
Application: the step of asking how a rightly interpreted text should shape belief and conduct.
Verses to Know
Philippians 4:13, read in the context of Paul’s imprisonment. John 20:30-31, the stated purpose of the Gospel of John. 1 John 5:13, the stated purpose of First John. John 10:7-11, “I am the door” and the good shepherd. John 14:6, the way, the truth, and the life. Acts 2:38 with Ephesians 2:8-9, on baptism and salvation by grace. Acts 2:17-21, read in its full context.
Takeaway
Most bad theology comes from good verses read in isolation, so a believer who learns to read what surrounds a passage, ask who wrote it and why, understand its original setting, let Scripture interpret Scripture, and only then consult the commentaries will be equipped to recognize error and apply the truth.