I would encourage anyone to study the Bible.  The Bible is not just another book—it is the inspired Word of God.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV)
¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Studying the Bible is the best way to grow in faith (Romans 10:17), and it is the only way to learn the will of God, something made significant by the fact that only doers of God’s will will enter into His eternal kingdom (Matthew 7:21).

There are a few dangers, however, when it comes to studying the Word of God.  It can actually be harmful to a person who studies it incorrectly.  For example, when a person adds his own doctrinal bias to a text when studying a passage, it can cause him to embrace a false teaching that he is never able to escape.

It is important to know the difference between exegesis and eisegesis.  The word exegesis means “to lead out of.”  It takes place when one draws out from a passage what the original writer wanted to say.  The word eisegesis means, “to lead into.”  It takes place when one brings to a passage his own ideas, usually formed by the theological teachings of the denomination with which he associates.

An example of eisegesis is given by those who believe that we are saved by faith alone.  They read faith alone into every passage that deals with salvation, even though the Bible never teaches the doctrine.  This leads to a corruption of the text.  The danger of doing this is obvious.  It causes one to go outside the doctrine of Christ, putting his soul in jeopardy (2 John 1:9).  It also reinforces the false doctrine in the teacher’s mind, making it very difficult for him to change course.

Another danger in studying the Bible is to fail to rightly handle it.  Paul wrote, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

How does one fail to rightly handle the Word of God?  This takes place when one does not consider the whole context of a passage before coming to a conclusion about it.  Another way is by failing to determine when a passage is written, by whom it is written, and why it was written.  A lot of false doctrine is taught because many do not know what law of God is in force today.  For example, many preachers in denominational churches bind tithing on members of their churches because they fail to understand that tithing was a command given to the Jews under the Law of Moses.  In doing this they fail to abide in the doctrine of Christ.

Bible study is important.  We should all study the Bible regularly.  But, we must make sure we study it the right way if we hope to benefit from it.  Paul called the Word of God the “sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17), and just like its physical counterpart, you can’t just pick it up and start swinging it around.  If you do, someone is going to get hurt.  God’s Word is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).  It can be very dangerous in the wrong hands.                

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.