Looking for ways to keep your Bible study fresh and meaningful? Maybe you enjoy reading the Bible but aren’t sure how to structure your study. These simple Bible study tips can help you get more out of the Christian Science Bible Lesson, which serves as a ready-made Bible study guide each week.
Each Lesson explores a spiritual theme like Love, Truth, or Christ Jesus—through selected passages from the Bible and related insights from the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
The Bible reminds us:
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
II Timothy 2:15 (KJV)
There’s no one “right” way to study the Bible Lesson—it’s important to make it your own! Let these five Bible study tips be a springboard for inspired study this week.
1. Approach each Lesson as a guide for daily life.
The Bible Lesson isn’t just about learning verses—it’s about living them. One of the most powerful things about the Lesson is how relevant it can feel to your life and world events. So often, we come across just the right passage to help us see a challenge in a new light. Try looking at the Lesson not only as a Bible study guide, but as a guide for daily living, designed to bring healing insights and support your spiritual growth.
2. Find a routine that works for you.
As we shared in our prayer tips, it’s important to make spiritual study part of your daily routine. You can read the Lesson at any time of day—in the morning, as a way to ground your day in fresh spiritual ideas—or in the evening, as a way to reflect on and pray about the day’s events.
Some read the Lesson all the way through each day, while others focus on one section per day, digging deeper into passages and researching Bible stories.
No matter your approach, taking time to read the Lesson and commune with God will have a meaningful impact on your day. With a consistent habit, your Bible study guide can feel like a steady companion, preparing you to handle life’s challenges.
3. Let passages spark deeper thought.
Everyone connects with the Bible Lesson in their own way. A simple approach is to highlight quotes that stand out and write down why they resonate. For Bible stories, you can note the main ideas and why they matter today. Let your insights inspire deeper prayer or journaling.
Another approach is to summarize the message of each section in a sentence or two and consider how it connects to the Lesson’s overall theme. For instance, if the subject is Love and the section focuses on Jesus raising Lazarus, you might ask: How is this act an expression of divine Love? Was Jesus’ love for Lazarus the source of this healing, or was he drawing on a deeper, spiritual Love?
These insights can inform your prayers about your life and the world, like seeing how you express this same divine Love in your own relationships.
4. Share inspiration with friends.
What’s amazing about the Bible Lesson is that Christian Scientists around the world are studying the very same subject each week! That makes it easy to share your inspiration with friends and church members, and ask how they’re thinking about the ideas and stories. To go a step further, you could start a weekly Lesson discussion group with friends, in person or online. Hearing how others are applying the Lesson can bring fresh perspective and deepen your own Bible study.
You are also invited to listen to the Bible Lesson each Sunday at Christian Science Churches in SoCal and worldwide—in person or online. As you’re listening to the Lesson on Sunday, you can reflect on all the inspiration you’ve gained over the week and the people you’ve shared it with.
5. Explore other Bible Study resources.
To support your Bible study guide experience, you can look up unfamiliar words in the HarperCollins Bible Dictionary or use tools like Concord to explore citations from the Bible and Science and Health in a wider context.
If you want to go deeper into the Bible stories, your local Christian Science Reading Room likely has other translations, like the New Living Translation, which can help clarify the meaning of certain passages and stories. The Bible Lens offers historical and cultural background for each week’s stories. And for regular inspiration, check out our Bible Lessons blog and follow our social channels, where we post highlights from the weekly Lesson.
When asked how we can progress most rapidly in our understanding of Christian Science, its Founder, Mary Baker Eddy, replied:
Study thoroughly the letter and imbibe the spirit.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 495:25–28
By trying just one or two of these Bible study tips, you might find new meaning in the Bible Lesson—and new ways to let its spiritual messages shape your week. Let it meet you where you are, and see how it can guide you forward.
