HotSermons: Topical Bible Studies

Why Bother With Topical Studies?

Studying the Bible topically is a great way to explore specific subjects. God's Word is so powerful and it contains so much information that is relevant to everyday life. Unfortunately, as you may already know, when the Bible was originally written all those thousands of years ago, it didn't come with an index. Nor were the individual books of the Bible written topically, even though some may have a dominant theme (like the book of Proverbs which is very much about wisdom).

This being the case, we need to sift through the Bible looking for information on its various themes. But at the same time, we need to be careful not to take verses out of context, because that's a great way to make them say something they really don't mean.

But as long as we avoid that common pitfall, thematic studies can be very rewarding.

How To Choose A Study Topic

Well, the most obvious way is to select it randomly, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. You could begin at the first HotSermons Topical Bible Study on anger and just simply work your way through the list. The advantage of this approach is that you may well end up covering a lot of ground that you may not normally cover, and it may keep you away from your pet topics.

A variation on this approach would be to begin as I just suggested, and then follow the links in each page to the other Bible Studies as your curiosity is aroused.

However, while that method may have its merits, there are two better ways to navigate these studies. The first is to try and pinpoint areas that are specifically relevant to you at your stage of growth. Topics you choose would then be based on an area of your life where you are struggling (for instance, fear), or an area where you need to grow in understanding (for example, evangelism or the power of the blood of Jesus.

The second method is to use these studies in conjunction with the Expository Bible Studies. You will notice that the expository studies all have links back to Topical Bible Studies. So, with this in mind, you may be studying the book of James, and decide to follow the links in the first study in that series to the studies on trials, victorious living, faith, endurance, and sin.

Doing that would definitely enrich your understanding. Sure, it will take a lot longer to complete each study, but who's in a hurry? Remember, the goal isn't just the accumulation of knowledge. It's personal growth, and taking your time to absorb eternal truths and meditate on them is a good thing.

How To Use The Studies

All the studies are basic, and designed for personal use or group work. If you are working alone, just take your time. Read the question, read the passage of Scripture, then try to answer the question, using the Scripture as a basis for your opinion. Once you've done your best, read the answer that's given. It's as simple as that.

If you're leading a group, unless you're an experienced group leader, I suggest you check out our Bible Study instructions for more detailed information on how to lead a group successfully.

Since the Topical Bible Studies listed below are not meant to exhaust their subjects completely, I hope that they will inspire you to take a deeper look into the amazing depths of the Word of God.

After all, the Bible is the best book in the world.

As with most of the resources on HotSermons, these Bible Studies can be downloaded free. Just click on the icon to download them as a PDF file.

If you like these Topical Bible Studies, don't forget to check out our Expository Bible Studies too.

The following Topical Bible Studies are available: