What Are the Essential Elements of In-Depth Bible Study?

Bible study begins with reading, and there is so much that we can gain simply by reading in context. Portia Collins describes steps to follow in our in-depth Bible study.

Religion Aug 17, 2025 0 8 Add to Reading List

What Are the Essential Elements of In-Depth Bible Study?

August 15, 2025 by: Portia Collins

Read, Examine, Apply

I think the first place that you want to start is reading the text. There is so much that we can gain just by reading in context. As a new believer, I remember the days of opening my Bible and if I was stressed, I was looking for all the verses that were going to help me not feel stressed. Or if I was trying to figure out how to navigate relationships, I was looking for verses on that.

But my life and my understanding of the Bible began to change when I started reading books from the beginning of the book to the end of the book. Then, I graduated to starting in Genesis and going straight through and reading to Revelation. And so I think that’s the first place you always want to start is just making a habit of reading over and over and over.

And then from there you can start to dig into chunks of Scripture and examine them. This involves learning more about the literary context. Where is this book written? Is it an actual letter or is this a historical recounting? Then also examine the historical context. Who is this person talking to? Were these people Jews? Were they Gentiles? We are trying to frame our minds and immerse ourselves in the Ancient Near East culture to have the mind of the original audience. And so examining would be the second step—really digging in to understand the whole of what’s going on in the text.

The last thing would be to ask questions of personal application. How do I take these truths that I’ve examined in context—which means I’m considering what the original author said in the Scriptures and what he intended to convey to his audience—how do I take that now and apply that to my life?

Portia Collins is the author of Finding Freedom in Christ: An 8-Week Study of Galatians.

Portia Collins is a Bible teacher and the founder of She Shall Be Called, a nonprofit women’s ministry focused on Bible literacy. She also serves as the partner development specialist at Revive Our Hearts, where she connects with monthly donors to advance the ministry’s mission. Portia and her husband, Mikhail, have a daughter and currently live in the Mississippi Delta.

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