How Do I Read the Bible?
by Erin Baumgaertal
QUESTION: How do I read the Bible?
ANSWER:
It is vitally important for Christians to know how to read the Bible. Only through God’s Word can we know the way to salvation and learn how to live a life pleasing to Him. God revealed Himself to us through human means of communication: the written Word. Since the Bible is in our language, it should be read like any other book—in a literal and normal sense. When the text plainly states something, it should be taken at face. When the text uses a figure of speech, we take it as such and recognize that the figure of speech teaches a literal truth.* We learn best when we discover truth for ourselves, so it is important to have personal time in God’s word.
Practical tools to get started:
1. Pray: Believers should always pray before reading the Scripture to ask God’s help in understanding and applying His truth. Pray also throughout and at the end of your study.
2. Choose where to start: the Bible should be read in context. Pick a book and read it beginning to end, passage, or chapter at a time. This will help you see the big picture. Ideally, you should read every day, but if you miss some days, don’t let that keep you from starting where you left off. If you have never read the Bible before, a good place to start is Genesis (which means “in the beginning”). Another place to start may be Mark or John, which will give you the clear gospel message. Pray about what book to read and ask a Christian leader for input if you cannot decide.
3. Read purposefully: All Scripture is for us, but not all of it is to us. Each book has a specific author, audience, and purpose. Discovering what these are will help you better understand what you are reading. As you read, ask the 5 W’s and H: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. Questions like Who is speaking? To whom are they speaking? What is happening? When or where is it taking place? How will it happen? Also, identify any key repeated phrases. To deepen your understanding, make lists using words from the text of what is said about God, key people, and key words. Also, write down questions that arise and insights you discover.
4. After carefully studying the text on your own, refer to helpful resources. Look at cross-references (found in most study Bibles), use word studies and refer to a good commentary.** These will help deepen your understanding of the historical and cultural settings of the text. Keep in mind that any tool outside scripture is written by people who can make errors. However, it is still wise to learn from those who are wiser than us. The Bible should be your primary source of study and all other teaching should be tested by it (1 Thes.5:21).
5. Apply the passage to your life. Typically, the first thing we want to know when reading the Bible is how it applies to our lives. However, this should be the last step since proper application comes from careful study. According to 2 Timothy 3:16-17, the whole Bible gives what we need to live a life of obedience to God:
Even when you don’t feel like a passage applies to you, Bible study will always have a practical application of knowing and worshipping God. It will take time to see how each passage and book fits into God’s message, so patiently seek answers and be okay with not finding them right away (question are part of learning). Even if you feel inadequate, start reading. Begin in prayer, read thoroughly, and trust that the Lord will lead you in His truth as you study His word one day at a time. And remember, the Bible is about God, so read with the goal to know Him and live for Him.
*A literal approach does not eliminate spiritual application, figures of speech, types, symbols and allegories, but it recognized that there is an objective meaning in the text and that even figures of speech have a literal meaning.
**A good commentary to start with is The Believer’s Bible Commentary by William McDonald.
A word study helps understand the meaning of the word translated into our English Bibles. To do a word study, go to blueletterbible.org. In the upper right select the version Bible you are using. Then type in the search bar the word you want to look up. It will give you a list of different meanings a word has. The Lexicon will give more specific meanings of a word in specific contexts and will be more precise.