The Bible is the world’s bestselling book, and yet it is also one of the most intimidating, controversial, and misunderstood books. Not surprisingly, many people are afraid to dive too deeply into it and some don’t even know where to start. For such people, it isn’t simply “What’s the best way to read the Bible?,” but rather…
“How can I read the Bible and understand the Bible?”
Those choosing to read the Bible, whether for the first time or hundredth time, can benefit from these suggested rules:
Rule #1: Understand The Nature of the Bible
Before reading the Bible, it’s important to know the answer to the following question: What is the Bible?
In his letter to the church at Ephesus, the Apostle Paul assured his readers that they were as much a part of the Christian faith as those who had been converted in Jerusalem. Paul wrote: “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone…” (Ephesians 2:19-20, NKJV).
Paul described the Christian faith as having been “built on the foundation” of divinely-inspired teachings, given by the apostles and the prophets – and by Jesus Christ himself, who is the “chief cornerstone” of the faith.
Today, Christians have a written record of those teachings in the Bible. The Old Testament constitutes the teachings of the prophets, while the New Testament contains the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as well as “the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42).
Simply put, the Bible is the written record of God’s revelation to the prophets (Old Testament), through Jesus Christ (the Gospels), and to Jesus’ appointed apostles (the New Testament).
Rule #2: The Fear of God is the Beginning of Wisdom and Knowledge
Without a healthy, reverential fear of God, the quest for wisdom and knowledge will be thwarted. That’s one of the core themes of the book of Proverbs, and it’s emphasized in several of its passages, including:
- “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7, NKJV)
- “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10, NKJV)
- “The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility.” (Proverbs 15:33, NKJV)
Having a reverential attitude toward God means that such readers will approach the Scriptures with humility and a readiness to submit.
They won’t come at the Bible with chips on their shoulders or with a determination to twist its meaning to serve their own agendas and purposes.
To properly understand the Bible, one must have a heart of worship, obedience, humility, and reverence toward its Author.
Rule #3: Recognize the Bible Takes Work
While there are certain doctrines or themes within Christianity that can be easily grasped by even a child, there are many other aspects of Christianity and passages in the Bible that take patience, discipline, focus, and work to decipher and fully appreciate.
It is for this reason that Paul urged Timothy to “[s]tudy to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV).
Let me assure you that God didn’t dictate the Bible to ancient scribes with the aim of making it complicated to modern readers. In fact, only a few, very small portions of the Bible were formally dictated by God.
As Christian scholars Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe explain, the writers of the Bible “were not secretaries of the Holy Spirit.” Though inspired by God, they were nevertheless “human composers, employing their own literary styles and idiosyncracies.” (Geisler, Norman and Thomas Howe. When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004).
Not only were the writers human writing according to their style and personality, their writing was also influenced by the culture in which they lived as well as their level of education.
What’s more, readers of the Bible must also take into account the translation they are reading. The classic and ever popular King James Version, for example, contains words that have changed their meaning over time.
For example, in Philippians, Paul tells his readers to “be careful for nothing” (Philippians 4:6, KJV), yet people say “Be careful” to each other all the time today. The reason for this linguistic confusion is that, in 1611 (when the KJV was originally published), the word “careful” meant “full of care” as in “full of worry.” Today, it simply means to exercise due caution.
For all these reasons (genre, context, translation, etc.), one must take the time to study the words of the Bible, understanding not simply their meaning to a modern audience, but rather their meaning in the original language and culture of the day they were written.
This takes time, and it takes work. That’s okay. Those things of great value often do.
Rule #4: Just Do It!
Procrastination won’t help anyone read or study the Bible. At some point, you need to just do it.
Pick a book and start reading. And as you read, take notes. You can jot down thoughts that come to your mind and questions that you have. And then you can seek out commentaries or experts (like, perhaps your pastor) who can help you with some of your questions.
If you would like some advice on where to start, I recommend the following approach:
- Genesis 1-3 (the Creation story and how humanity fell into sin)
- John 1 and 3 (who Christ is and why He came)
- Gospel of Luke (the life of Christ)
- Acts of the Apostles (the birth and very early history of the church)
- The Book of Romans (Paul lays out basic Christian theology)
- The Book of Proverbs (the greatest collection of wisdom ever written!)
- The Book of Psalms (no better guide to prayer and worship)
- And then go back to Genesis and read the whole thing straight through (or grab a chronological Bible and read that straight through)
There are plenty of reading plans out there to choose from. The important thing is to just pick one – and start reading!
By understanding the nature of the Bible, fearing God, and investing the time and effort into the Bible which it requires (and deserves), one can begin to read the Bible with understanding and unlock the blessings it has to offer.
