There are two ways to learn something: firsthand experience or secondhand knowledge. You can either watch an expert do it, or you can learn it through practice.
I can watch a YouTube video about how to make a great deep-dish pizza. Or I can order a cookbook, buy the ingredients, and practice. Both methods teach me the proper techniques, the order of steps, the process, the pitfalls. But the learning experience isn’t the same. When I choose to try it on my own, it’s messier. It’s harder and longer. But it’s better! I get to taste the ingredients as I go. I smell the freshly chopped basil. I feel the heat from the oven. And best of all, I get to taste the finished product. Firsthand experience is the best form of learning.
For many of us, we’re relying on secondhand knowledge when it comes to our Bibles. We’re reading books, commentaries, watching sermons, and YouTube videos—and now, quizzing AI as well. We’re relying on someone else’s work to help us understand. This isn’t bad; it’s a gift to have so many resources. The problem is when we only rely on secondhand knowledge.
When we abandon firsthand experience of the Bible, something is lost. There’s something different that happens when you take up God’s Word and wrestle with it yourself: You read Exodus 25–26 and wonder why God put such detailed instructions about the tabernacle in Scripture. Or you pick up Nahum and consider how God can be both slow to anger and avenging and wrathful. Or you read Jesus’ response to the crowds in John 6 and try to follow His wild-sounding logic.
You might argue, “Isn’t it better to have the best answers from the best experts out there?” Maybe. But what if data transfer is not all God is up to? What if He wants to form us, not just inform us?
Here are three indispensable ways we’re formed by firsthand experience of Scripture.
Personal Bible Study Prompts Prayerfulness
When you study the Bible for yourself, confusion, unanswered questions, and discomfort are sure to follow. And all of that is meant to move you to prayer. Our time in the Bible should be full of conversation with the Author of the Bible. There is communion and fellowship to be had with God as we dig in for ourselves.
It Leads to Deeper Understanding
If you ask my daughter how she’d prefer to learn algebra, she’d say, “Just let Mom do it, and I’ll watch.” But as her parent, I know the kind of learning she needs is the kind she does herself. It’s slower. It’s messier. It takes more work, but it’s unequivocally better. She will learn and understand the principles of algebra, not just the answer to one particular problem.
This is the kind of Bible knowledge we need—not just one particular answer, but a deeper understanding of the principles and truths that permeate every passage. Studying God’s Word for ourselves leads us beyond a surface understanding into something deeper.
Personal Bible Study Gives Us Confidence to Share with Others
When we study the Bible for ourselves, we’re more confident to share with others. When a neighbor or friend asks us about the Bible, we have something to say. We have experience to share. If an opportunity to share the gospel comes up, we can pull out God’s Word and talk about what it says. It gives us the confidence we need to navigate the Scriptures with others as we walk out the Great Commission.
As we meditate on God’s Word and wrestle and pray for Him to help us understand, we are being formed in more places than just our brains. Patience is growing. Prayerfulness. Focus. Hunger. Confidence. “Firsthand experience of the Bible changes us in ways secondhand knowledge never can.”
Do you want to learn how to study the Bible on your own?
Join Jimmy and Kelly Needham for See for Yourself, a new 10‑session Bible study with editions for men and women, designed to tackle many of the obstacles facing Bible readers. With instruction and interactive tools, you’ll be equipped to explore Scripture with confidence and see the Bible for what it truly is—a gateway to knowing the living God. This hands-on learning method is accessible for all levels of Bible readers. Come and see for yourself!
Check out an excerpt from See For Yourself here.
About Jimmy and Kelly Needham
Jimmy and Kelly Needham love creating content that makes Jesus famous. Jimmy is a songwriter, author, and pastor. Kelly is an author and Bible teacher. Together they host the Clearly podcast and live in the Dallas area with their 5 children.
