Yes — Les Feldick consistently teaches that believers must study the Bible rather than merely read it, because the Bible requires careful, active engagement to be understood.
The Bible was not laid out in "8th grade reading form"; important details are buried throughout its pages and must be discovered by comparing Scripture with Scripture (Clip 0). Les emphasizes 2 Timothy 2:15, noting that Scripture commands believers to "study," not merely "read" (Clips 5, 6). Careful study — taking notes, underlining, using cross-references — is the only way to truly get involved in the Word (Clips 0, 6).
2 Timothy 2:15 — This is the verse Les Feldick repeatedly cites as the biblical basis for studying rather than merely reading the Bible — it commands believers to be approved unto God by rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
Acts 17:11 — Les echoes this verse when he urges believers to "search the Scriptures and see if these things are so," showing that careful, daily searching is the biblical pattern.
The Bible commands believers to study God's Word rather than merely read it. In 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul writes, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." The verse uses the word "study" and describes the believer as a workman who is to rightly divide the word of truth. Scripture also sets forth an example of how the Word is to be received. Acts 17:11 says of the Bereans, "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Here the Bible commends daily searching of the Scriptures to verify what is taught.
Les Feldick's constant refrain is that believers must learn to study the Bible, not merely read it. He tells his audience to "grab your Bible and a notepad and take notes, underline in your Bible," because that is "the only way to really get involved in Bible study" (Clip 0). He explains that the Lord structured Scripture the way He did — not in "8th grade reading form" — with "little tidbits" buried throughout, so that readers must "compare Scripture with Scripture" to find them (Clip 0). For Les, this careful, verse-by-verse approach is what makes Bible study genuinely meaningful.
For Les Feldick, studying the Bible is a much more active exercise than reading it. He tells his audience to "grab your Bible and a notepad and take notes, underline in your Bible," calling that the only way to really get involved in Bible study (Clip 0). He also recommends buying a good cross-reference Bible or study Bible with footnotes (Clip 6). Study means reading carefully and slowly — he takes chapters like Romans 8 "slowly and carefully" — rather than rushing through just to say "well, I've read my Bible today" (Clip 2). At its heart, study means comparing Scripture with Scripture to find the buried details of the Word (Clips 0, 7).
Les explains that the Lord deliberately did not lay out the Bible "in 8th grade reading form." Instead, "all these little tidbits are buried" throughout Scripture, and the reader must compare Scripture with Scripture to find and understand them (Clip 0). Study is also necessary because of what is not in the Bible: Les says most people have been "brainwashed" into thinking certain things are in Scripture that are not there, and studying reveals these gaps (Clip 1).
No. Les says plainly, "You don't have to be highly educated, you don't have to have a great theological education to comprehend the Scriptures" (Clip 5). He points back to the Dark Ages, when the church pulled the Scriptures away from the common man into the monasteries, believing only monks and the educated could discern the Word — but that is not what God intends. God wants every believer to become a student of the Word (Clip 5).
Les's goal in teaching is simply to get people into the Book. He recalls a woman who promised to start studying her Bible, and he says, "That's all I ask... if I can get folk to just simply get into the book and study it, they'll soon realize that it's exciting, it's interesting, and it's not as closed a book as most people think" (Clip 4). He also promises, "The Lord will give you wisdom" to those who study and pray (Clip 7). Les adds that studying is "so much better time well spent than watching television" (Clip 6).
Les grounds the whole emphasis on 2 Timothy 2:15: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." He calls this one of his "benchmarks of living," noting that it "doesn't say read your Bible, it says study it" (Clips 5, 6). Les also echoes the language of Acts 17:11 when he urges people to "search the Scriptures and see if these things are so" (Clip 3).
The Only Way to Really Get Involved
Les instructs viewers to keep a Bible and notepad, take notes, and underline because that is the only way to truly get involved in Bible study — and he emphasizes that believers must learn to study, not just read.
Study Reveals What Is and Isn't in Scripture
Les explains that studying matters because most believers have been brainwashed into thinking certain things are in the Bible (or belong in certain places) when they are not — studying corrects those false assumptions.
Read the Bible Carefully
Les teaches that Bible study means reading carefully and slowly; simply checking off "I've read my Bible today" is not the way, and even familiar passages must be read with care.
Search the Scriptures Yourself
Les's stock answer is "What does your Bible say?" — believers must search the Scriptures for themselves to verify what is true, and if a teaching cannot be found there, they should run from it.
Getting People Into the Book
Les says the reason he teaches is to get people into the Book itself; those who begin studying discover that the Bible is exciting, interesting, and not a closed book.
Study to Show Yourself Approved
Les cites 2 Timothy 2:15 — the believer is to study, not just read, and God wants every believer, not only the educated, to become a student of the Word; he contrasts this with the Dark Ages when Scripture was withheld from common people.
Scripture Says 'Study,' Not 'Read'
Les calls 2 Timothy 2:15 a benchmark of living: it does not say read your Bible, it says study it — so he recommends a good cross-reference study Bible with footnotes and learning how to study.
Compare Scripture With Scripture
Les urges believers to learn to study the Bible by comparing Scripture with Scripture, promising that the Lord gives wisdom to those who study and pray, and that God communes with His people through His Word.
2 Timothy 2:15: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
This is the verse Les repeatedly cites as the biblical mandate to study rather than merely read the Bible.
Acts 17:11: These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
This describes the pattern Les urges believers to follow — searching the Scriptures to verify what is taught.
According to Les Feldick, reading the Bible is merely moving through the words — "well, I've read my Bible today" — while studying is active and careful (Clip 2). Studying involves taking notes, underlining, using cross-references, and comparing Scripture with Scripture to find the buried details of the Word (Clips 0, 6).
Les recommends keeping a Bible and notepad, taking notes, and underlining key points in your Bible (Clip 0). He also advises buying a good cross-reference Bible or study Bible with footnotes to aid the study (Clip 6).
No. Les emphasizes that you do not need a high level of education or theological training to comprehend Scripture. God wants every believer to become a student of the Word — the Dark Ages happened when the church wrongly pulled the Scriptures away from the common man (Clip 5).
2 Timothy 2:15 says, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Les calls this a benchmark of living — the Scripture says to study, not merely to read, and those who study are approved unto God (Clips 5, 6).
Les uses this as his stock answer because the Bible is the only authority believers have to go by. If someone cannot find a teaching in the Bible, Les says they should run from it — God will judge us by His Word (Clip 3).
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