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One of my greatest concerns as a Christian blogger is to accurately communicate the truth of God’s word through my writing.

I want to “correctly handle the word of truth.”

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Sometimes, I’m afraid I’ll unintentionally misinterpret a verse by reading it out of context and understanding it wrong.

I was excited to read Chuck Swindoll’s Searching the Scriptures: Find The Nourishment Your Soul Needs, because I wanted to learn his methods of studying and teaching the Bible for over 50 years.

The book focused on helping the reader learn how to search the scriptures in order to gain sufficient spiritual nourishment.

Each section and chapter of the book centers around the metaphor of meal preparation. You are the chef and you’re going to learn how to prepare a spiritual feast. 

“When it comes to cooking, it’s not enough to read about it or watch someone else do it; you have to actually get in the kitchen, roll up your sleeves, and give it your best effort! The same is true when it comes to studying the Bible.”

Searching the Scriptures: Find the Nourishment Your Soul Needs

In Searching the Scriptures, Chuck Swindoll shows how to dig deep into Scripture in order to understand, apply and communicate God's Word effectively.

 The book is divided into three main sections:

Stage One: Finding the Food

 1. Surveying the Shelves: Understanding the Basic Story of the Bible

 2. Considering True Nourishment: Discovering the Transforming Nature of the Bible

Stage Two: Preparing the Meal

 3. Choosing the Recipe: Pursuing the Treasures of Scripture

 4. Reading the Ingredients: Observing the Text

 5. Understanding the Nutrients: Interpreting the Text

6. Comparing the Flavors: Correlating the Text

7. Adding the Spices: Applying the Text

Stage Three: Serving the Feast

8. Setting the Table: Preparing to Dig into God’s Word

9. Tasting a Sample: Learning Where We Fit in the Story

10. Feeding the Hungry: Presenting the Truth

We must search the Scriptures deliberately, consistently, and intensely. Click To Tweet

Swindoll begins the book by giving a helpful overview of the Bible and its history. 

Then he teaches through application called, “Your Turn in the Kitchen” how to observe, interpret, correlate and apply the text.

You’ll learn about:

observation

“To inspect or take not of Scripture, to look carefully, with attention to detail”

interpretation

 “Coming to an understanding of what the Bible means.”

correlation

“Comparing one Scripture with other Scriptures, precept upon precept and line upon line, to amplify our understanding of what the Bible is teaching.”

application

“Allowing the truths of God’s Word to grip us in areas that need attention and to call us to action.”

I loved the application section because it felt like Swindoll was personally passing along his wisdom and experience.

He outlines the principles of Bible Study in a way that will help you understand, apply and communicate God’s word effectively.

If you’re looking to understand the Bible on a deep and meaningful level, then this book would be a great resource. 

Searching The Scriptures

My Favorite Bible Study Resources

I received this book for free from Tyndale Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

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