Do you want to hear from God? Then you must learn to study and read the Bible for yourself. Don’t worry, you can do this!
I know the Bible can be intimidating. It can be hard to know where to start.
Reading the Bible is not just for scholars and Ph.D.’s, but that doesn’t mean it won’t take a little effort.
But if we can know with confidence we are hearing the voice of God, then isn’t it worth the effort?
Reading the Bible is Worth the Effort!
The Apostle Paul reminds us of this important truth when he was writing to his young protege Timothy:
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” – 2 Timothy 2:15
This passage is helpful because it lets us know up front that reading and understanding takes work. We need to be like a craftsman who gets better at our craft.
We also need to handle God’s Word accurately. Note: This assumes that the Bible can be handled inaccurately.
Now more than ever in our post-truth culture it is important to recognize that the Bible can be misinterpreted.
Let’s look at a few tips together that will help unlock the meaning of God’s Word.
Four Principles That Will Help You Accurately Read the Bible
(1) A text cannot mean today, what it never meant to the original audience.
The main point to grasp here is that I am trying to understand how the recipients of this book or letter would have understood this. That is where meaning starts.
As the biblical story advances, greater light is available to see things more clearly (this is known as “progressive revelation” as redemptive history unfolds). For example, something I discover in the book of Genesis may become clearer by the time I get to the book of Revelation, but the trajectory is set in Genesis. Start with the original audience.
(2) Interpretation is one but application is many.
How many times have you been in a small group or conversation and someone said, this is what the Bible means to me?
This is a principle I teach our students at Impact 360 Institute. If our goal is to hear accurately from God, then I am convinced that “what does the Bible mean to me?” is the worst question you can ask.
The best question is “what does the Bible mean?”
Hard stop.
Period.
I can’t express this any better than Howard “Prof” Hendricks, the man who taught me how to study the Bible (and countless others):
“There is only one ultimate interpretation of a passage of Scripture. The text doesn’t mean one thing today and something else tomorrow. Whatever it means, it means forever. But you will never cease the process of applying that truth to your life.”
Then the natural follow up question, is how does this passage or principle in the Bible apply to me and my life situation?
This one principle keeps us from relativizing the Bible.
(3) Context is king when reading the Bible.
Actually, this is true when reading any form of communication. Whether it’s a text message, a tweet, ESPN, the evening news, or Shakespeare.
But this is especially true when we come to the Bible and are trying to hear from God. We really want to get that right!
Two quick tips here. When you read the Bible you need to understand the historical backdrop of the text. For example, the Old Testament needs to be understood in light of the Ancient Near East. And the New Testament needs to be understood in light of a largely Jewish mindset emerging in a world heavily influenced by Greco-Roman Culture.
Second, verse numbers and chapters as we have them in our Bibles today were inserted later as a help (and they can be). But they can also hurt too.
Don’t just read one verse.
Read the paragraph before and after, or the whole narrative (like Joseph in the book of Genesis) or the whole teaching (like Jesus’ parables).
So how do you better understand the context? That leads me to my final tip.
(4) Asking the right questions leads to greater understanding.
Be an active reader! Dig into God’s word. Be curious. Think of yourself as a detective or investigator.
Some good questions to ask:
- Who wrote this?
- Who was it written to?
- What was going on in history then?
- What are the main ideas and events?
- What are the repeated words?
- When was it written?
- Why is this here?
- How is this being communicated?
That’s just to get you started, make your own list. There are tons of questions! Go crazy! You can never ask too many questions of the Bible if your goal is better understanding.
Just Start Reading the Bible
I am convinced–by evidence and experience–that Christianity is true and God has spoken in the Bible.
If that is the case, then we can know what God wants us to do, why we are here, and how to live. Discovering that is worth the effort don’t you think? Just start and ask God to join you on your journey!
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