I know there are rare instances of people who are simply born with brilliant minds, but on average, most of us are well… average. But that’s okay. There’s lots of “average” people who can become experts in their particular field of study. Most brain surgeons aren’t born as child prodigies. They become experts by putting in long hours of hard work. It doesn’t happen over night either. It usually takes years of study and practice for someone to be considered an expert. Perseverance is the key.

It’s the same way with Bible study. Proficiency in the Bible is about perseverance, not intellect. Those Christians who know their Bibles really well grew to their level of knowledge through continual repetition. Studying the Bible isn’t difficult. It’s as easy as reading, taking notes, asking questions, and thinking critically about what you discover. It just takes time and perseverance.

Age is no obstacle either. A 17 year old who studies his Bible continually throughout a year can gain a year’s worth of knowledge just the same as if a 42 year old did the same thing. An 80 year old who has never seriously studied their Bible can study every day for a year, and gain a years worth of knowledge just the same as if a college student did the same thing.

The key is actually doing it. So even if you’ve gone years without ever getting into Scripture in a way that moves beyond occasionally reading your Bible, it’s never too late to start. Next year at this time you will be a year older. Whether or not you gain an additional year’s worth of Bible knowledge depends on what you do between now and then. So don’t put off getting into Scripture.

When it’s time to listen to a sermon, open your Bible. When the preacher is referring to a particular text, read the surrounding context. Look up cross references. Even if the preacher has the scripture on a powerpoint, you should still open your Bible.

I also recommend taking notes. When the preacher raises a good point from the text, write it down. Jot down questions that come to mind. If you think the preacher says something that isn’t exactly right, write down why you think the preacher has missed the point. If you take notes during a sermon, you have already moved beyond passive listening.

Listening to a sermon is not a substitute for studying our Bibles, but it can be a time that prepares us for better Bible study. Of course, some preachers are better speakers than others, and some sermons have better content than others. If we’re in the habit of simply listening for the preacher’s opinions about the text, there’s a good chance we’ll find ourselves either confused (because we don’t understand how he reached his conclusions) or bored (because we’ve already heard that person’s opinions numerous times before). But if we listen to the sermon with the goal of learning God’s word better, it can be a good time to grow more familiar with the Bible, regardless of the skill level of the preacher.

I’ll be honest. I just don’t have a much time to study by Bible as I wish I did. I’m a busy guy. I work full time. I stay involved in the church. There’s always chores that need doing. I have a family, and they deserve my time and attention as well. I understand what it means to be pressed for time.

But that’s not the only reason I don’t have enough time to study. I also waste too much time. It’s easy to spend too much time on Facebook. Plus, I like to relax every now and then. I like to watch tv shows and movies to unwind at the end of a long day. If I really wanted to find more time to study my Bible, I’m sure I could find it. But sometimes, I would just prefer to chill out on the couch and turn my brain off.

I know I’m not alone in the continual struggle of time management. With this in mind, here’s one tip for better Bible study that doesn’t take much time. If you only have five minutes, use it.

If you get ready for work in the morning and have five extra minutes before it’s time to leave, open your Bible. If you are sitting in a waiting room at the doctor’s office, open up your kindle app and read a few paragraphs of that book you are working on. If you are sitting in a Domino’s parking lot waiting to pick up supper, read something. Carry a book in your car, just in case you find five minutes. Next time you have enough time to just browse Facebook, make the conscious decision to open your Bible app instead.

First of all, you won’t feel that guilty, depressed feeling that you get when you know you’ve wasted too much time on social media (you know what I’m talking about). Secondly, you will be surprised to see how much you can learn in five minutes. Nobody becomes a Bible expert over night. Our knowledge of the Bible grows as the cumulative result of thousands of incremental sessions. Thirdly, when we study for five minutes, sometimes we study just enough to make us hungry to come back for more. Maybe we read one or two interesting paragraphs, but don’t have enough time to finish the whole section. Five minutes is enough time to motivate us to study again at the first opportunity. Finally, five minutes of study can be enough time to plant some new thought or question into our minds that we can continue to meditate on as we go about our other activities.

Of course we should still be intentional about setting aside larger blocks of time for Bible study. But since we all have such busy lives, when we have five minutes, we should use it.

Some Christians have been trained to be suspicious of scholarship. Throughout history, the Christian faith has been attacked in numerous ways from the writings of “Christian” scholars. “Christian” scholars have been known to undermine the authority of scripture, challenge the historicity of biblical events, and completely recharacterize well-known biblical figures. It makes sense why some would be suspicious.

But it would be a serious error to ignore scholarship. Ignorance is not a virtue. As a Christian, we should care deeply that people want to learn more about scripture. No one earns a PhD without putting in a tremendous amount of work and learning a great deal in the process. Christian scholars aren’t always right in the points they argue, but they are usually very skilled in crafting strong arguments. It would be foolish to simply ignore what someone has to say simply because they are a scholar.

On the other hand, some Christians seem to develop the habit of idolizing scholarship. It would also be a serious error to simply support whatever the latest scholarship says without carefully examining the merits of their arguments. In the same vein, it would be a mistake to ignore or dismiss the arguments made by non-scholars simply because they do not have degrees. Arguments should be weighed on their own merits, not on the accolades of those making the arguments.

Christians should not bow to everything scholars have to say. Scholars are still human. They can make mistakes. They can have agendas. They can be unintentionally influenced by their own presuppositions. They can mistakenly overemphasize certain pieces of data, and underemphasize others. Having a degree doesn’t necessarily make one right. Respect scholarship, but no not idolize it.

The way to respond to scholarship is not ignore it or pretend like ignorance is a virtue. If we really believe it is important to learn everything we can about the Bible, we should develop the habit of responding to scholars by putting in the hard work of thinking deeply about their arguments, and then confirming or critiquing what the scholar says based on the strengths or weaknesses of those arguments.

I consider myself blessed to have been surrounded by some really good influences when I was a teenager. Like many kids that age, the kids in our youth group were able to come up with lots of good questions. If we came across a difficult, or strange sounding scripture, we would ask what it meant. If we came across a scripture that seemed to challenge what we had been taught, we would ask about it. Sometimes we would play devil’s advocate, and argue for a different point of view, just to see if the beliefs we had been taught could withstand the scrutiny. We weren’t trying to be difficult or rebellious. We just wanted to figure things out on our own.

I can remember quite vividly a time when we were asking some challenging questions, and our Bible class teacher just kind of threw his hands up and very honestly admitted “I don’t know. I just don’t know. That is a really good question. Let’s just keep studying, and maybe in time we can figure it out.”

That stuck with me. There are times when humbly admitting “I don’t know” and “just keep studying” are some of the very best answers we can give. With that answer, he both admitted his own lack of omniscience, and pointed us back to the Bible for our answers.

As I grew older and began talking with others about their experiences growing up in the church, I learned that not all kids were blessed with that kind of humility. For many, when they asked questions about difficult passages, their Bible class teachers would just tell them that the passage was too difficult, and it wasn’t really that important anyway. Or if they asked a question that challenge a deeply held belief, the Bible class teacher would simply look up a cookie-cutter answer in a commentary, and then dismiss the question. Although these teachers were probably just trying to protect their students from drawing erroneous conclusions, the students walked away feeling like certain questions about the Bible were simply off limits.

There are many knowledgeable teachers, preachers, and commentary writers out there, and we can certainly learn a lot from other people’s perspectives. But the true object of Bible study is the biblical text itself. “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him” (Prov. 30:5). The Bible will often provoke questions, but the Bible will not mislead us. We need to be dedicated to understanding the text, all the text, no matter what questions it may raise, or what conclusions it may lead us to. Don’t allow anybody to protect you from the Bible.

Read books by people you don’t entirely agree with. Listen to their arguments in their own words. By doing this you will see their arguments presented in their most believable form. If you are only familiar with the arguments of others as they are presented to you by your own teachers, you might only be familiar with watered-down or straw men representations of someone else’s position. Who knows? Maybe you are actually wrong about something every now and then? Don’t be afraid of truth. Don’t be afraid to be mistaken. If we’re wrong, we want to know it. If we’re right, we want to know how to explain our opponent’s error in the most powerful way possible. We can only do this by wrestling with their arguments presented in their most strongest form.

We should also make a habit of reading books by people we do agree with, but we should read those books just as (if not more) critically. There is obvious benefit to understanding our own positions better. But even the best uninspired books are uninspired. It is good to learn from good people. But even good people make mistakes. Don’t let your guard down just because you trust a particular author.

Most books don’t fit neatly into a categories of “books I agree with” and “books I don’t agree with.” Most books will be mixed bags. If you develop the habit of reading books critically, you will find that you can learn things from almost anybody, but at the same time, it will be very rare that you find yourself agreeing with anybody entirely. “Chew up the meat and spit out the bones” is good advice.

Finally, as you develop the habit of reading books, remember to read the Bible more. Reading books written by men is very beneficial, but nothing is as important as filling your mind with Scripture. Reading uninspired books can give you new things to think about as your read Scripture, and continually filling your mind with Scripture helps you to think critically about the other books you read. Read books, read them critically, and read Scripture even more.

We’ve seen it happen dozens of times. Someone says something online. Someone else chimes in to disagree. Both sides become defensive. Tempers flare. Harsh words are used. It doesn’t take long for online debates to descend into virtual shouting matches. In the end, no one changes their mind, and everyone just feels frustrated with each other.

But it would be a mistake to think of debates as synonymous with hostility. There is such a thing as a healthy debate. When debates are held within the confines of humility, self-control, and kindness, they can be extremely productive and enjoyable by all the parties involved.

One of the greatest benefits of a healthy debate is the way it challenges critical thinking. As you find yourself confronted with another position, you will be challenged to make well thought out and well reasoned arguments for why you believe something. It helps you to reflect on the potential weaknesses of your position. It even helps you grow more humble. If you get into debates, you will soon realize that you aren’t right 100% of the time!

Debates help you to improve articulation. Have you ever had the feeling that you just can’t get the words out of your mouth, that you can’t get them out quick enough, or that you can’t explain yourself without rambling on and on? The practice of getting into debates helps you grow in your ability to communicate complex ideas in a succinct and effective manner.

Debates help you to nuance your positions appropriately. They help you to avoid illogical extremes. Your ability to express truth effectively will be enhanced by confrontation with error. At other times, you may actually exchange error for truth in your own life. So regardless of whether you win or lose the debate, you win!

Of course, we all need to avoid pointless online shouting matches. One way to do this is to be wise in who you choose to debate. Usually debates with close, respected friends will be more productive than debates with strangers. Private debates tend to be more effective than public debates, where pride can make it more difficult to admit when we are wrong. Be careful to avoid personal insults, and ignore insults when they come your way. Have an exit plan. Know when to walk away. Be willing to lose. Conduct yourself in a way so that you can leave feeling guilt free.

But don’t avoid debates entirely. We live in a polarized world, where people tend to talk past one another. We need to strike a balance. The Bible is too important not to debate. Let’s dig into the inspired words. Let’s figure out where we stand, and let’s grow, together closer to the God who stands above us all. We are to be conformed to Christ, not to our own limited understanding.

Most of us are creatures of habit. It’s easy to find a routine that we like, and then stick to it. But when it comes to Bible study, it can be really helpful to mix up our routine every now and then.

There’s lots of different Bible study methods we could use. One of the most basic is the verse-by-verse study, where we slowly move through a paragraph, examining each phrase, paying close attention to each conjunction so see how each phrase relates to others, and figuring out what each sentence means in part of the larger unit.

Similar to the verse-by-verse study is a chapter-by-chapter, or “big picture” study. Instead of closely examining each individual phrase, we could read through an entire book, paying attention to the overall flow of the book, structure, and repeated themes.

There’s also topical studies, where we pick out a particular topic and pay attention to everything written on that topic throughout the whole Bible. For example, if we wanted to study baptism, we might start by flipping through the Old Testament, paying attention to every time that God saved people through water. Then we might look up all the examples of baptism and compare them to each other. Then we might look up everything that is written about the significance and meaning of baptism.

There’s also character studies, where we focus on a single character, and look up every passage where he or she appears, with the goal of building a profile about what that person was like. What kind of situations did they face? How did they respond? How did they grow? What led to their downfall? etc.

There’s other study methods out there as well. Take some time and ask some of your Christian friends what study methods they use. You might try their approach. Mixing up our study methods challenges our thinking. Try it. You might learn something new.

Besides your Bible, there is no more important Bible study tool than a pen and a notebook.

What should the pen be used for? Practically anything you want. That’s the beauty of it. If you have a thought from the text, write it down. If you have a question about the text, write it down. If you want to sketch out an outline of the text, do it. If you simply want to make note of a key word, write it down. If you are having a hard time focusing, use your pen to list your distractions. If you want to rephrase a scripture if your own words, do it. If you want to write down all the possible interpretations of a text, do it. If you think of a tentative conclusion to a question, write it out, along with the supporting ideas that led you to that conclusion. And later, if you decide your conclusion is not a very strong one, just scribble it out. Draw arrows, symbols, circles, squares, or anything else that helps you capture your thoughts. Even if you choose not to write anything at all, always study with a pen in hand and a notebook near by. That way if you have a passing thought you want to capture, you will have the ability to do so.

To put pen to paper is to think. The process of figuring out what to write down requires observation, reflection, and analysis, even if on a very simple, almost subconscious level. But it is impossible to choose what to put on paper without thinking. It’s really that simple.

Unlike typing on a computer, when you are using a pen and paper, formatting is never an issue. Is your handwriting messy? Who cares? You aren’t writing for anybody for yourself.

Sometimes you will sit down to study, but a distraction happens. But if you are in the habit of writing down your thoughts, it can be easy to pick up right where you left off without losing your train of thought. You may not ever reference your notes again, but then again, you might.

Always study with a pen in hand.