The Bible: the fact is

The fact is, with the Bible you need to conquer it; and to do that you need any resource you can find that will help you, and a good systematic theology is one of the main resources that will help you. Actually reading the Bible complete continually comes first, then systematic theologies and commentaries and related resources.

The goal has to be clear though: to conquer the Bible itself. God doesn't take offence at such a goal. God likes that you would attempt and even succeed to conquer the Bible. That's why the Bible is available to man. (He might wrestle you along the way, so to speak, but that is to be expected. Real effort is rewarded though.)

For the real elite warriors, though, or knights, it is known that to really be able to conquer the Bible you need to increase level of being too. Knowledge plus being equals understanding.

So, use the towering, magisterial influences (Calvin, Augustine, Turretin, Bavinck, Berkhof, Gill, etc.) whichever you choose, use it, get all you can from it; and read the Bible itself to download the real thing, the living language, into you; and increase level of being using school knowledge. It all works together.

Just as coming into a real understanding of Homer's two epics separates you from the crowd in a real way the same is true to a much greater magnitude regarding the Bible. You simply can't understand more of the Bible without it involving increase of level of being. The Bible is a strange book in this sense: it is an ultimate source for understanding and an ultimate standard for development of real understanding. Seeing the parts in relation to the whole. Just like that 'fear God, don't fear man' teaching and how powerful a realization it is and how powerful a mark of being, of essence, it is. Coming into understanding of just that one aspect of the Biblical teaching shows the power the Bible contains for infusing real understanding into you. Forming you. Literally forming you and developing you back into the full image of God.