12-Week Study & Discussion Guide

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth

by Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart·96 discussion questions

Lead your group with the discussion already prepared: a reading plan, thoughtful questions, and printable handouts for everyone.

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Week 1 — FreeRead the Authors' Preface and Chapter 1 of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Key Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:16–17.

Discussion question your group will work through:

1.Fee and Stuart open with the claim that 'the Bible is not a single book but a library of books.' Why does this metaphor matter for how we approach reading Scripture, and how does it challenge a 'flat Bible' reading where every verse carries identical weight?

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About This Study Guide

At a glance: this is a 12-week study and discussion guide for How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart, with 96 questions organized by reading assignment. Week 1 is free to read, with no card required.

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart is one of the most widely used introductions to biblical interpretation ever written — more than three-quarters of a million copies sold worldwide. Its central thesis is simple but transformative: the Bible can be read and understood by ordinary people, not just scholars, provided they learn to ask two foundational questions of every passage — "What did it mean to its original audience?" (exegesis) and "What does it mean for us today?" (hermeneutics). Fee and Stuart argue that the single most important interpretive skill is recognizing the literary genre of the text you are reading, because God chose to speak through history, letters, poetry, apocalyptic visions, and law — and each genre has its own rules for responsible reading. By working through each major biblical genre, the book equips readers to move confidently from the ancient text to contemporary application without either flattening Scripture into a flat rulebook or letting it say whatever they want it to say.

This study guide is designed for individuals or small groups who want to read the book carefully over twelve weeks. Each week, read the assigned chapter before your group meets, pausing to journal any questions or "aha" moments as you go. Then use the discussion questions to dig deeper together. Some questions are comprehension-based — to make sure the group grasped Fee and Stuart's argument — while others push toward personal application and theological reflection. You do not need any prior theological training; curiosity and an open Bible are enough. By the end, you will have a reliable framework for reading every major section of Scripture on its own terms, and a renewed confidence that God's Word is genuinely accessible to you.

This guide covers the Preface/Introduction, all ten substantive chapters (Chapters 1–10), and closes with a Review and Reflection week. Because the book's goal is deeply practical, the final week asks you not only to look back at what you have learned but to commit to specific habits that will change how you read your Bible from this day forward. Expect your reading of Scripture to slow down, deepen, and become far more rewarding as a result.

Week 1: Preface & Introduction — The Need for Interpretation

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Read the Authors' Preface and Chapter 1 of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Key Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:16–17.

Before we can read the Bible well, we need to understand why interpretation is both necessary and unavoidable — and why that is good news, not bad.

1.Fee and Stuart open with the claim that 'the Bible is not a single book but a library of books.' Why does this metaphor matter for how we approach reading Scripture, and how does it challenge a 'flat Bible' reading where every verse carries identical weight?

2.The authors make a crucial distinction between exegesis and hermeneutics. In your own words, what is the difference between these two tasks, and why must exegesis always come before application?

3.Fee and Stuart argue that all readers already interpret the Bible — the only question is whether they do so well or poorly. Does this idea surprise you or make you uncomfortable? Why or why not?

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Group handout: How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth

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12-Week Schedule

  1. Week 1Preface & Introduction — The Need for Interpretation8 questions
  2. Week 2Chapter 2 — The Basic Tool: A Good Translation8 questions
  3. Week 3Chapter 3 — The Epistles: Learning to Think Contextually8 questions
  4. Week 4Chapter 4 — The Epistles: The Hermeneutical Question8 questions
  5. Week 5Chapter 5 — The Old Testament Narratives: Their Proper Use8 questions
  6. Week 6Chapter 6 — Acts: The Question of Historical Precedent8 questions
  7. Week 7Chapter 7 — The Gospels: One Story, Many Dimensions8 questions
  8. Week 8Chapter 8 — The Parables: Do You Have Ears to Hear?8 questions
  9. Week 9Chapter 9 — The Law(s): Covenant Stipulations for Israel8 questions
  10. Week 10Chapter 10 — The Prophets: Forthtellers and Foretellers8 questions
  11. Week 11Chapter 11 — Psalms, Wisdom, and Song of Songs8 questions
  12. Week 12Review & Reflection — Putting It All Together8 questions

Week 2: Chapter 2 — The Basic Tool: A Good Translation

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Read Chapter 2 of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth.

1.Fee and Stuart explain that all translations involve choices between formal equivalence (word-for-word) and functional equivalence (thought-for-thought). What are the strengths and weaknesses of each approach? Which do you tend to use, and why?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 3: Chapter 3 — The Epistles: Learning to Think Contextually

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Read Chapter 3 of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Key texts: 1 Corinthians 7; Philemon.

1.Fee and Stuart describe the epistles as 'occasional documents' — written to address particular occasions and crises in specific churches. Why does this description matter so much for interpretation? What happens when we forget that Paul was writing to Corinth, not directly to us?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 4: Chapter 4 — The Epistles: The Hermeneutical Question

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Read Chapter 4 of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Key texts: 1 Corinthians 11:2–16; 1 Timothy 2:8–15.

1.Fee and Stuart acknowledge that this chapter addresses the most difficult question in epistle interpretation: how do we distinguish between what was culturally relative in Paul's day and what is transcultural and binding for all time? Why is this question unavoidable for every serious reader?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 5: Chapter 5 — The Old Testament Narratives: Their Proper Use

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Read Chapter 5 of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Key texts: Judges 11 (Jephthah); 1 Kings 17–18 (Elijah).

1.Fee and Stuart open with a striking claim: the Old Testament narratives were not written primarily to give us moral examples to imitate or avoid — they were written to tell the story of God's redemptive activity. How does this reframe the purpose of stories like David and Goliath or Gideon's fleece?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 6: Chapter 6 — Acts: The Question of Historical Precedent

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Read Chapter 6 of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Key texts: Acts 2:1–4; Acts 8:14–17; Acts 19:1–7.

1.Fee and Stuart describe Acts as a 'unique genre' — it is primarily historical narrative, but it has been used by many Christians as a source of normative prescriptions for church life and practice. What is the difference between a historical precedent and a theological norm, and why does the difference matter?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 7: Chapter 7 — The Gospels: One Story, Many Dimensions

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Read Chapter 7 of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Key texts: Matthew 5–7 (Sermon on the Mount); compare Matthew 5:1–12 and Luke 6:20–26.

1.Fee and Stuart explain that the Gospels present Jesus's life and teaching through the unique theological perspective of each evangelist. Why did the early church preserve four Gospels rather than harmonizing them into one? What is gained by having four distinct accounts?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 8: Chapter 8 — The Parables: Do You Have Ears to Hear?

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Read Chapter 8 of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Key texts: Luke 15 (Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Prodigal Son); Mark 4:1–20.

1.Fee and Stuart explain that for much of Christian history, parables were read as extended allegories — where every detail has a hidden spiritual meaning. What went wrong with this approach, and what classic examples of allegorizing do they point to as cautionary tales?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 9: Chapter 9 — The Law(s): Covenant Stipulations for Israel

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Read Chapter 9 of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Key texts: Exodus 19–24; Leviticus 19; Matthew 5:17–20.

1.Fee and Stuart argue that the Old Testament Law was a covenant document — a formal agreement between God and Israel at a specific historical moment. It was never intended as a universal moral code for all peoples in all times. How does this covenant framework change everything about how we approach the Law?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 10: Chapter 10 — The Prophets: Forthtellers and Foretellers

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Read Chapter 10 of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Key texts: Isaiah 7:14; Amos 5:21–24; Isaiah 52:13–53:12.

1.Fee and Stuart challenge the popular assumption that the prophets were mainly concerned with predicting the future. What was the prophets' primary role, and how does recognizing their role as 'forthtellers' (covenant prosecutors) rather than exclusively 'foretellers' reshape our reading of the prophetic books?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 11: Chapter 11 — Psalms, Wisdom, and Song of Songs

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Read Chapter 11 of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Key texts: Psalm 22; Psalm 88; Proverbs 1:1–7; Song of Songs 1.

1.Fee and Stuart describe the Psalms as 'Israel's hymnbook and prayer book' — texts written to be sung and prayed, not primarily to be analyzed for doctrinal content. How does this description change how you read (and use) the Psalms?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 12: Review & Reflection — Putting It All Together

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Review your notes and highlights from all chapters of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. No new reading assigned this week.

1.Looking back across the whole book, what is the single most important insight you are taking away from Fee and Stuart's approach? How has your understanding of what the Bible is — and how to read it — changed since Week 1?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide
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About the How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth guide

How many weeks is the How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth study guide?

This study guide covers How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth in 12 weeks, with week-by-week discussion questions, reading references, and closing prayers for each session.

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The complete guide includes 96 discussion questions across 12 weeks — an average of 8 questions per week, designed for group conversation.

Can I use this guide for a book club?

Yes — the questions are written for group discussion and work well for small groups, book clubs, church studies, and couples reading together.

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