Studying the Scriptures

Give each student a copy of the following survey. Invite students to consider the statements and mark their responses on the continuum. Assure students that you will not ask them to report their responses.

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handout, survey

After students complete the survey, invite them to ponder during the lesson how they might improve their scripture study.

Invite a student to read aloud the following statement by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

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Elder David A. Bednar

“The scriptures contain the words of Christ and are a reservoir of living water to which we have ready access and from which we can drink deeply and long. …

“Through normal activity each day, you and I lose a substantial amount of the water that constitutes so much of our physical bodies. Thirst is a demand by the cells of the body for water, and the water in our bodies must be replenished daily. It frankly does not make sense to occasionally ‘fill up’ with water, with long periods of dehydration in between. The same thing is true spiritually. Spiritual thirst is a need for living water. A constant flow of living water is far superior to sporadic sipping” (“A Reservoir of Living Water” [Church Educational System fireside, Feb. 4, 2007], 1, 7, broadcast.lds.org).

• What principle can we learn from Elder Bednar about what we can receive from daily scripture study? (Students should identify a principle similar to the following: As we study the scriptures daily, we receive the “living water” we need. Write this principle on the board.)

If you do not show the video, invite four students to come to the front of the class and read the following portions of a talk given by Elder Christofferson.

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Elder D. Todd Christofferson.

1. “On October 6, in the year 1536, a pitiful figure was led from a dungeon in Vilvorde Castle near Brussels, Belgium. For nearly a year and a half, the man had suffered isolation in a dark, damp cell. Now outside the castle wall, the prisoner was fastened to a post. He had time to utter aloud his final prayer, ‘Lord! open the king of England’s eyes,’ and then he was strangled. Immediately, his body was burned at the stake. Who was this man, and what was the offense … ?” (“The Blessing of Scripture,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 32).

2. “His name was William Tyndale, and his crime was to have translated and published the Bible in English.

“… In a heated exchange with a cleric who argued against putting scripture in the hands of the common man, Tyndale vowed, ‘If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plough, shall know more of the Scripture than thou dost!’ …

“William Tyndale was not the first, nor the last, of those who in many countries and languages have sacrificed, even to the point of death, to bring the word of God out of obscurity. … What did they know about the importance of scriptures that we also need to know? What did people in 16th-century England, who paid enormous sums and ran grave personal risks for access to a Bible, understand that we should also understand?” (“The Blessing of Scripture,” 32).

Ask the class:

• Why do you think people made such great sacrifices to have access to the scriptures?

Ask the third reader to continue reading Elder Christofferson’s statement.

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Elder D. Todd Christofferson.

3. “In Tyndale’s day, scriptural ignorance abounded because people lacked access to the Bible, especially in a language they could understand. Today the Bible and other scripture are readily at hand, yet there is a growing scriptural illiteracy because people will not open the books. Consequently they have forgotten things their grandparents knew” (“The Blessing of Scripture,” 33).

Ask the class:

• Why do you think some people in our day are not reading the scriptures as they should?

Ask the fourth reader to continue reading Elder Christofferson’s statement.

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Elder D. Todd Christofferson.

4. “Consider the magnitude of our blessing to have the Holy Bible and some 900 additional pages of scripture, including the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. … Surely with this blessing the Lord is telling us that our need for constant recourse to the scriptures is greater than in any previous time” (“The Blessing of Scripture,” 35).

After the video (or after the fourth reader has finished reading Elder Christofferson’s statement), invite students to explain what they believe Elder Christofferson is saying about our need to study the scriptures. After students have responded, write the following truth on the board: Our need for the scriptures is greater today than in any previous time.

• Why do you think that our need for the scriptures is greater today than in any previous time?

To help students understand how studying the scriptures can benefit us in our day, explain that the Apostle Paul wrote a letter in which he described some conditions of the world in the last days. Invite a student to read 2 Timothy 3:1–5, 13 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for some of the sins and attitudes that would be common in our day. (You may want to refer students to the footnotes for help in defining difficult words and phrases in these verses.)

• What are some of the sins and attitudes listed in these verses that you have witnessed in our society today?

Invite a student to read 2 Timothy 3:14–17 aloud. Ask the class to look for how we can find safety in these perilous times.

• How can we find safety in these perilous times?

Write the following incomplete statement on the board: As we study the scriptures, we can receive …

• According to 2 Timothy 3:15–17, what blessings are available to us as we study the scriptures and live their teachings? (After students respond, complete the statement on the board so it reads as follows: As we study the scriptures, we can receive wisdom, correction, and instruction that will lead us to salvation.)

Explain that the statement on the board is an example of a principle. Principles and doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ are fundamental, unchanging truths that provide guidance for our lives. One of the central purposes of the scriptures is to teach doctrines and principles of the gospel. We can make our personal scripture study more meaningful by searching for doctrines and principles, pondering their meaning, and applying them in our lives.

Refer again to the principle you wrote on the board.

• What do you think it means that we can receive wisdom, correction, and instruction as we study the scriptures?

• When have you felt that you received wisdom, correction, or instruction as a result of studying the scriptures? (You may want to share an experience as well.)

Explain that one of the expectations for this seminary course of study is that students read the entire New Testament. This is a requirement to receive a seminary diploma.

Explain that reading the entire New Testament will take consistent determination but is worth the effort. To illustrate this, display two transparent glasses filled with water (or a soft drink). Invite two students to each stand next to a glass. Give one student a straw. Give the other student seven straws taped together in a bundle. Instruct them to drink all of the water as quickly as they can using the straw or straws. (The student using one straw should be able to steadily drink the water and finish first; the other student should struggle to get all of the water up the straws.) Invite the two students to be seated, and ask the class:

• How would you relate this activity to our goal of reading the entire New Testament during this course of study? (The student with seven straws is like someone who tries to read large portions of the scriptures all at once. The student with one straw is like someone who reads a smaller amount daily.)

To help students see how they can read the entire New Testament by reading small portions consistently, invite them to divide the number of pages in the New Testament (404 pages in the Latter-day Saint edition of the King James Version of the Bible) by the number of total days until the end of the course. For example, if the course were to be taught in a school year of 280 days, students would need to read about 1.5 pages per day to finish the New Testament by the end of the course.

Testify of the blessings that can come to students as they diligently study the New Testament. Students will receive wisdom, correction, and instruction from the scriptures and be blessed with the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

Refer again to the principles on the board, and testify that by studying the scriptures daily, students will experience the blessings described by Paul in 2 Timothy 3:15–17. Encourage students to make goals to set aside time every day for personal scripture study and to read the entire New Testament. Invite students to write their goals in their scripture study journals.