Bible Study

2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

I was listening to a sermon from Paul Washer, and he was going through some tips on Bible study.  He mentioned that he uses this verse for Bible study in 2 Timothy 3:16 for his own life, and for correcting his family. He made the point that we often will just read or lay the Bible out in front of us, but not actually do anything with the Word of God. The goal for Bible study is godliness and to have the Word of God impact us in our daily lives. I want to lay out what this looks like; I guess it’s the TRCT method.

Teaching: The first step is to teach yourself from the Scriptures. What is being said in a certain verse? What doctrine is being presented before me? What do I need to do as a result? I pray and meditate on what I have read.

Reproof: The second step is to reprove yourself from the Scriptures. This word reproof has the idea of a prosecuting attorney that amasses all the evidence necessary to convict the criminal. This is what we should when we study the Bible. Gather all the evidence until conviction occurs in our hearts.

Correction: The third step is to correct yourself from the Scriptures. The Scriptures are not just a prosecuting attorney that works for our condemnation, but also like a surgeon to correct the problem. The word here for correction has the idea of someone who’s been knocked over and he’s been set back up on his feet. The Scriptures point us to the way we should be, it corrects us.

Training: The last step is to train yourself from the Scriptures. As a result of all that I have learned, what am I going to do to train myself to correct the problem? What texts do I need to memorize? What texts do I need to meditate on? If I screw up again, I confess my sin, I go back and go through the same process, I may ask someone to hold me accountable to help me, to assist me to go through this training process.