Character Bible Study: Why It Matters and What We Can Learn
Have you ever wondered why you could just spend so much time studying just one person from the Bible? I mean, there are some Biblical characters I could spend my whole life studying and learning from. There is so much value and benefit in doing a character Bible study.
In general, studying characters in the Bible provides an opportunity to grow both personally and spiritually. By studying Biblical figures one can develop virtues and morals that lead to Christlikeness, as well as gain a better understanding of human nature and God’s plan and providence.
In short, doing a character Bible study can teach us many lessons about life, ourselves, and God. So, let’s dig in to see not only why we should study BIble characters, but what we can learn from them as well.
Character Bible Study Overview
A character Bible study is a method of studying the Bible that looks at the life of a particular person in the Bible and seeks to find life lessons and principles that we can apply to our lives and our own relationship with God today.
In short, a character Bible study looks at the life of a person in the Bible as an example for our own lives. Doing a character Bible study is simple and can be done in a few steps,
- Choose a character
- Study the Scripture Passages About that Character
- Discover Life Lessons and Principles
- Apply to Your Life
It’s really that simple. Anyone can do a character Bible study and it’s a great way to get started in Bible study for the first time. Check out this article, if you want detailed steps on how to do a character Bible study.
Now that you have a basic idea of what a character Bible study is, let’s explore why we should study Bible characters in the first place.
Why Study Bible Characters?
Overall, there are many different reasons why you may want to study a Biblical character. Here are six reasons why study people from the Bible is so important.
Understanding Historical Context
One of the first reasons why studying a Biblical character is important is that it helps us understand the historical context of the Bible. The more we study a specific person in the Bible the more understanding we’ll gain of the cultural and societal aspects of the Biblical world.
When we have a better grasp of the historical context behind a passage we are better able to interpret it and apply it to our lives. So, studying Biblical characters helps us better interpret and apply Scripture to our lives.
In 1 Corinthians, Paul writes to the church in Corinth about staying away from doing evil. He uses ancient Israel’s wandering in the wilderness as an example. He writes,
“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.”
1 Corinthians 10:11
Because Paul understood the historical context of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, he was able to take the intricacies of that story, and turn it into a spiritual warning and message that was applicable to the church in Corinth.
Likewise, the author of Hebrews, lists many Old Testament saints as examples of faith (Hebrews 11). It was the historical context that enabled the author to see the universal truths of faith in their lives.
Learning Moral and Ethical Principles
Second, it is important that we study Biblical characters so that we can learn moral and ethical principles from their lives. The Biblical characters were real people. They had real stories, real dilemmas, real strengths and real weaknesses. The Bible does not shy away from any of that.
So, we can look at moments in their lives (the good ones and the bad ones) and learn from them. Here is just an example of seven people from the Bible and the principles we can learn from them.
| Biblical Character | Moral Principle Exemplified |
|---|---|
| Joseph (Son of Jacob) | Forgiveness and Integrity |
| Ruth | Loyalty and Selflessness |
| David | Repentance and Humility |
| Esther | Courage and Obedience to God |
| Moses | Leadership and Obedience |
| Mary (Mother of Jesus) | Faith and Submission to God’s Will |
| Paul | Perseverance and Joy in Adversity |
These morals and ethics can show us how to live biblically. We can live a Bible-based lifestyle today. It’s a Bible-based lifestyle that has the best solutions to the problems we face as a society today.
Learning moral and ethical principles from the people of the Bible can help us address those problems and live Biblically.
Curious what a Bible-based lifestyle really is? Then check out this article. It defines what exactly a Bible-based lifestyle is and what it is not. It even helps you get started.
Building Character and Virtue
The third benefit of studying characters from the Bible is that they help us build character and virtue. Biblical characters can serve as both negative and positive role models for personal growth.
Recent studies have shown that people who are pursuing a desirable outcome are most impacted by positive role models. While those who are seeking of avoiding an undesirable outcome prefer a negative role model.
In other words, if we are seeking to add a positive behavior we look for positive role models. But if we seek to avoid a bad behavior, then we look for a negative role model. Thankfully, the Bible offers both. And often times the same character can prove to be both a positive and negative role model.
For example, Abraham. We can look to Abraham as a positive role model in faith and surrender to God. Things we would want to add to our own lives. In that sense, he is a positive role model.
But he can also be a negative role model for vices that we want to avoid in life. For instance, multiple times Abraham convinced and encourage his wife to lie about their relationship to protect his own skin. That’s something we ought to seek to avoid. So, in this instance, Abraham’s a negative role model.
By analyzing and studying the virtues and character traits of Biblical figures we can find role models to look up to for our own personal and spiritual growth.
Gaining Insight into Human Nature
Fourth, we can study Biblical characters to gain insight into our own human nature. It’s important to emphasize again that the Biblical characters are real people. Thus, their stories contain all the complexities of human nature.
Even though the culture and societal norms were vastly different then what they are today, human nature is the same. So, when we study the people in the Bible, we can gain insight into universal truths about human nature.
People in the Bible had marriage problems, friendships, enemies, bosses, etc. All the complexity of human relationships can be found in the Bible. And then some. These people can reveal to us the best and sometimes the worst ways to deal with relationships and interpersonal struggles that we face today.
Through them we can learn compassion, empathy, and understanding. We can learn how to deal with bad bosses or how to reconcile after a fight.
But what these characters in the Bible reveal most about human nature is that we are all sinners and in need of a savior. There are no heroes in the Bible (apart from Jesus). The Bible does not shy away from displaying the greatest sins of its greatest people. Romans 3:23 reads,
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:23
Even after we become a Christian the struggle is real. Paul writes later in Romans,
“For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”
Romans 7:18-19
Studying Biblical characters reveals humanities sinful nature and desperate need for a Savior. It also reveals our complete inability to do what is good apart from the strength of the Holy Spirit. This brings us to the next point.
Unveiling God’s Plan and Providence
Not only does studying people in the Bible reveal human nature, it also unveils God’s plan and providence. This includes many different things regarding God’s sovereignty and provision over the world. But it is most clearly summed up in the gospel.
The gospel is the good news that Jesus came and died on the cross for our sinful nature. He died to face the consequences of our sins. He rose again, so that when we place our faith and trust in Him, we can live forever and have a personal and unique relationship with God.
Throughout the Bible we can see God’s hand at work in the lives of these characters working for His plan, the gospel. We can see how He uses people to further His purposes, and how their stories reveal God’s sovereignty and grace.
For example, Esther. Esther was a young Jewish girl who became Queen of the world’s leading superpower of her time – the Persian Empire. Through her faith, God used her to save her people from extinction. Without her, and God using her in that moment, Jesus wouldn’t have been born.
For more on Esther and lessons we can learn from her relationship with God check out this article. It reveals how God puts people in specific times for specific reasons.
Seeing God’s big picture through the lives and stories of individual people in the Bible can foster faith in our lives and trust in His promises as we navigate life’s challenges, which brings us to the last point.
Strengthening Faith and Spirituality
Lastly, studying Biblical characters can and does strengthen our faith and spirituality. Looking at these Biblical people can make not only the Bible come alive, but our faith as well. We can grow spiritually by finding inspiration and encouragement through the journeys of Biblical figures.
They almost become our friends, and smile when we think of them. At least that’s been my experience. In college, I spent some time looking at the life of Abraham, trying to see what all he knew about God and when he knew it. Using only Genesis and Abraham’s story.
It was quite interesting, but now I look back at Abraham fondly when he comes up in a sermon or something I’m reading.
I guess, what I’m saying is that my faith has connected to Abraham’s faith in a unique and personal way. Through studying characters in the Bible, we can come across some who may have had similar circumstances that we’ve gone through. We can be inspired by their faith. And, thus, our faith grows.
What We Can Learn From Bible Characters
Now that we’ve seen why we should study the people in the Bible, let’s explore what exactly we can learn from them. In general, we can learn many different virtues and principles that help shape us into more Christlike people. Some of these general lessons could be,
- Faith and Trust
- Obedience
- Repentance and Restoration
- Forgiveness
- Perseverance
- Humility
- Courage
- Compassion and Kindness
- Leadership
- Wisdom
- Surrender to God’s Will
- Preperation and Readiness
- Selflessness
- Love
- Gratitude
- and so much more!
Below is an example of some popular Bible characters and just one thing we can learn from their story. Of course, there is much more we can learn from each story. And each story is just a chapter in the larger story of God’s desire to have a relationship with us.
| Bible Character | Lessons We Can Learn |
|---|---|
| Adam and Eve | Obedience and consequences of sin |
| Noah | Faithfulness and obedience to God, even in the face of ridicule |
| Abraham | Trusting in God’s promises and faithfulness |
| Sarah | Patience and trusting in God’s timing |
| Moses | Leadership, humility, and obedience to God’s commands |
| David | Repentance, reliance on God, and overcoming adversity |
| Solomon | Wisdom and the consequences of straying from God’s path |
| Esther | Courage and trusting in God’s providence |
| Job | Perseverance and faith in times of suffering |
| Ruth | Loyalty, selflessness, and the importance of family |
| Daniel | Faithfulness, prayer, and standing firm in one’s beliefs |
| Mary (Mother of Jesus) | Surrendering to God’s plan with humility and obedience |
| Joseph (Son of Jacob) | Forgiveness, resilience, and trusting in God’s sovereignty |
| John the Baptist | Boldness in proclaiming the truth and preparing the way for Christ |
| Peter | Learning from failures, repentance, and leadership |
| Paul | Transformation, perseverance, and spreading the Gospel |
But the key to all of these and the number one thing we can learn from all the Bible characters is the gospel. In some way, all stories reflect and share the story of the gospel. The reality that Jesus came to earth, born of a virgin, died on a cross for our sins, and rose again.
All the stories point to the gospel. We can see God, His nature, and His work of salvation in and through all the characters in the Bible. And is these glimpses that ought to have the greatest impact in our lives. So, that’s the number one reason why we should study the character in the Bible – to experience God.
