13 Best Acronyms For Bible Study (Study With Purpose)

A Bible study is one of the best ways to worship God. It can be done alone or with a group. It’s an important devotional time for a Christian, providing an opportunity to learn and share thoughts on the word of God.

An acronym for Bible study can help you or your group focus on what’s important!

Although the core intents of a Bible study are similar (to build knowledge, strength, and community as believers), each individual or group will have its own objectives.

You may be studying alone or starting a study for new mothers, athletes, or teenagers. 

Regardless of its membership, it’s important to establish the direction and focus of your Bible study.

A Bible study acronym is a great way to steer you or your group in the right direction.  In the list below, I’ve compiled 13 acronyms for Bible study. They include BIBLE, LEAD, TEACH, LEARN, GAIN, ONE, HOPE, TRAIN, SEE, STEER, GRASP.

These are concise words that provide meaning and guidance to a Bible study. Feel free to adapt the acronyms to better serve the mission of your study.

Another option is to create your own acronym at your first Bible study meeting. Members often enjoy being a part of the acronym-making process.

Let’s take a closer look at the best acronyms for Bible study (click here to also read the PRAY acronym for purposeful prayer).

13 Awesome Bible Study Acronyms

1. BIBLE

  • B: Bow your head and pray. Pray over the group, the study, and the direction. Ask for guidance during the Bible study.
  • I: Inspect the Word of God. Read and gather information. Take notes.
  • B: Broach the topic. Discuss what has been read and share meaning of the Scripture. How can the opportunity in one’s life.
  • L: Live it! Live meaningfully and ask God to help you employ what you’ve done
  • E: Evaluate. At the end of the week (and end of the study) circle back and reevaluate what was learned. What have you or your group gained from this Bible study lesson?

>>read about the SOAP Bible study method

2. LEAD

  • L: Listen to God’s message and share. Listen first to God, and listen to Bible study members to learn from their thoughts and experiences. Pray about what you’ve studied and be open to God’s message.
  • E: Employ God’s teaching to work in our everyday life. How can you put to work what you’ve learned? Put the group’s knowledge to work to better serve others.
  • A: Adhere to the teaching of God’s word. Focus on putting His word into practice and being a better Christian. How can we stay true to what we’ve learned?
  • D: Decide to live according to God’s will. Decide to improve upon your life. Decide to make a change for the better and grow upon past experiences. Why decide to live according to the work of God?

3. TEACH

  • T: Train each other in the word of God. A Bible study is the perfect situation that allows us all to become teachers under God. How can you teach others what you’ve learned?
  • E: Engage with each other. Feed off each other to become more Christ-like. Discuss the Bible with enthusiasm.
  • A: Achieve the goals of the Bible study. Finish what you start.
  • C: Communicate with others. How will you share what you’ve learned? You can communicate the scripture with friends, family, and coworkers.
  • H: Heed the lessons in your Bible study. Pay close attention to God’s word. Read between the lines and interpret God’s intention.

>> read my article on Reading The Bible For Beginners

4. HEAR

  • H: Help each other better understand the word of God. Use your Bible study to help others grow. Build up one another to become stronger men and women.
  • E: Encourage each other to read and to understand. Encourage one another to commit to the Bible study and to grow in God’s image.
  • A: Ask questions to God. Inquire about each other’s thoughts and opinions. Ask God for wisdom based on his scripture.
  • R: Relate to others in your Bible study. Try to understand the point of view of someone else. Consider other’s opinions, and how their opinions apply to you!

5. LEARN

  • L: Live according to God’s message. Apply the study to your daily routine.
  • E: Energetically accept God’s word. This can be done with a Bible study activity (get people moving and laughing).
  • A: Ask questions. Challenge each other’s opinions. Get to the bottom of God’s meaning.
  • R: Review the scripture. Look for subtle aspects of God’s writings that may be overlooked. Pay attention to the details.
  • N: Neighborhood outreach. Share what you’ve learned with a neighbor. Make a point to share with one neighbor each week and document the conversation. Share in subtle ways to show others that God thrives in you.

6. GAIN

  • G: Grow in the word of Christ. Allow the Bible study to teach you and build a better wife, husband, father, and mother.
  • A: Acquire knowledge. A strong Christian is a knowledgeable Christian. Knowledge helps better serve our church, family, and friends.
  • I: Insight. Look for insight where others may have overlooked. The Bible is full of truth that can guide us. One passage may influence someone different than another. Gain insight from reading and studying the word of God.
  • N: Need God’s word. As you develop a habit, you will learn to need God’s word. You will look forward to Bible study and what he has in store for you.

>>read 30 ways to spend time with God

7. ONE

  • O: Observe the word of God and understand His message. Ask yourself, what is he saying? How should this be applied to my life?
  • N: Notepad. Use a notepad to write notes about what you’re studying. Review your notes, and highlight the points that you feel are most important.
  • E: Educate others. If you’re in a Bible study group, share with group members. If you’re alone, share with a Christian friend to get feedback. It’s important to hear other thoughts and insight to complement your own.

8. HOPE

  • H: Heed the word of God and focus on your Bible study. Maintaining focus is a tough task in a group (especially if everyone is friends). You need a certain mindset when studying the Bible.
  • O: Observe the word of God. It’s His word that is essential to a Bible study. Read and discuss the passages.
  • P: Participate in discussion. If you’re alone, think about the various points of view people may have of a particular passage. If you’re in a group, ask members about their thoughts and meaning for the scripture and how it can be applied to their life.
  • E: Employ God’s teaching into your week. Find ways to share what you’ve learned with your family or friends.

9. TRAIN

  • T: Together we learn more. Group Bible studies can
  • R: Reason. Find understanding and reason for each Bible study. Dive deeper into the word of God and study with purpose
  • A: Ask. God said “ask and you shall receive”. Ask for understanding and wisdom to put into practice what you’ve learned.
  • I: Interpret the scripture as God intended. Search for meaning in each Bible study and interpret the lessons to guide you in your everyday life.
  • N: New. Start fresh each study. Read and learn with an open mind. Seek understanding with new eyes and with clarity.

10. SEE

  • S: Serve others in your Bible study or seek to serve others as a result of your study. Serve the people in your Bible study group and serve those you meet during the week. In your Bible study you’ll build yourself to make service a greater part of your life.
  • E: Educate yourself first.  Then educate others about what you’ve learned in your Bible study.
  • E: Execute the lessons you’ve learned. Whether in your thoughts or actions, improve on your Christ-like walk with God. Don’t just learn it, live it!

11. STEER

  • S: See it. Be a witness and active participant in what you’re learning. See other members of your Bible study and help them to build their faith.
  • T: Train yourself and others in your Bible study. Train each other to become stronger in faith and better versions of ourselves. Train yourself to be a better mother, husband, and leader.
  • E: Education never stops. Strive to learn through repetition and memorization. Take impactful verses and use your education to teach others.
  • E: Engage with the study, with your peers, and with others whom you could positively impact. Engage by asking questions, seeking answers, and
  • R: Raise

Also read: 40+ ways to do Church Outreach

12. GRASP

  • G: Give attention to God. Focus on your study and give time for yourself to comprehend God’s message. Give time to others in your group to share. Give time to reflect on the message.
  • R: Relate with the message. How does God’s message relate to your life? How can the message be applied to improve God’s work in you.
  • A: Answers. Find God’s answers to prayer, God’s answers to challenges in your life. Help others discover answers in their study of scripture.
  • S: Seek truth. Seek to help others in your study group. Seek righteousness in all that you do.
  • P: Proclaim what you’ve learned. Shout it from the rooftops. Share with others. Your study of the Bible shouldn’t be kept within. Share with others what you’ve learned.

13. PRAY Is Likely The Most Popular Bible Study Acronym

The opportunities for an acronym for Bible study are endless. The acronym you use can help guide your Bible study in the right direct. It can also provide you a step-by-step process to guide points of study.

One Bible study acronym we didn’t mention is “PRAY”. It’s a popular option because Bible studies often focus on prayer.  Here is a option for PRAY:

P: Pray for God’s direction

R: Read God’s word

A: Ask for input and insight

Y: Yell from the rooftops

This acronym might be the perfect option for every Bible study. Open your Bible study with Prayer, then Read God’s word.

Next, Ask Bible study participants for insight and observations. Finally, go forth and shout what you’ve learned from the rooftops.

Conclusion

In this article I shared 13 of the best Bible study acronyms. Feel free to adapt these options and make your own.  Better yet, meet with your study group and decide on your own acronym.

Your Bible study will have a similar “big picture” objective for studying God’s word, but an emphasis might be placed on a particular book of the Bible or topic. Create an acronym to best serve your purpose!