Fast Food or Feast
Rethinking Your Bible Study Approach
We live in a fast-paced world. Fast food, fast news, fast results, and often, fast faith. Quick Bible studies are everywhere: a verse a day, a five-minute devotional, or a one-year reading plan that races from Genesis to Revelation. Methods like SOAP (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer) offer structure and consistency, and there’s certainly value in that. For many, these approaches build a healthy habit of spending daily time in God’s Word.
But here’s the question:
Are we nourishing our souls or just checking a box?
This isn’t a guilt trip. It’s an invitation. Because while the Bible can be read quickly, it was never meant to be skimmed. God didn’t just give us a book to read; He gave us a revelation to understand.
The Quick Approach: Good Intentions, Shallow Roots
Let’s be honest: SOAP studies and Bible-in-a-Year plans are popular for a reason. They’re simple, accessible, and fit into busy schedules. They often answer the question, “What does this mean to me today?”
But that’s part of the problem.
When we prioritize speed, we risk interpreting Scripture through a modern lens of convenience and emotion. We read a passage and jump straight to application, often bypassing the context, the original audience, or the intent of the author.
In short, we settle for a snack when God is offering a feast.
God wants us to take our time. There are days when a quick protein shake on your way out the door will have to suffice, but we need to find time to sit, ponder, and chew upon God’s Word.
The author of Hebrews (not made clear, but personally I think it’s Paul) warns his readers to not fall away from the truth of God’s Word.
“Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” - Hebrews 13-14
We have to train ourselves to know right from wrong by constantly and consistently reading the Word. Not just passing by it with our eyes, but wrestling with the text.
The Hermeneutical Approach: Slower, Deeper, Transformational
Hermeneutics is the art and science of interpretation. It slows us down so we can study Scripture the way it was meant to be studied: deeply, carefully, and faithfully.
Instead of asking, “What does this mean to me?” we ask:
“What did this mean to them—and what truth does it still carry for us today?”
This approach involves:
Contextual reading – grasping the historical and cultural setting
Literary analysis – understanding genre, grammar, and structure
Theological insight – identifying God’s purpose across Scripture
Application rooted in truth – not just relevance, but right interpretation
It’s not instant, but it’s lasting. It builds the kind of faith that holds fast in storms not because we had a quick devotional insight but because we’ve built on the solid foundation of truth.
Quick vs. Slow: A Comparison
• Time Commitment
Quick Study: 5–15 minutes
Hermeneutical: 30–60+ minutes
• Focus
Quick Study: Personal takeaway
Hermeneutical: Authorial intent + sound theology
• Depth
Quick Study: Surface-level encouragement
Hermeneutical: Deep, contextual understanding
• Risk
Quick Study: Misinterpretation, isolation
Hermeneutical: Clarity, accuracy, and insight
• Benefit
Quick Study: Consistency, habit-forming
Hermeneutical: Transformation, strong foundation
A Word of Grace
If quick studies are all you can manage right now, praise God that you’re in the Word. Don’t despise small beginnings. But also…don’t settle there forever.
God’s Word is living and active. It’s worth lingering over. It’s worth digging into.
Not because we have something to prove, but because we want to know Him more.
An Invitation
What would happen if you slowed down?
If you read a single chapter for a week, not a day?
If you studied Ephesians, Romans, or the Gospels with hermeneutical tools: genre, grammar, audience, theology…
You might not “finish the Bible in a year,” but you’ll start to be formed by the Word.
Jesus emphasized these Old Testament words when answering the devil in the wilderness:
Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. - Matthew 4:4
Every word that comes from the mouth of God…the whole Bible is the inspired word of God. Slow down and enjoy every bite. God is serving you a five-star meal.
Let’s feast!