How to Read the Bible

Newsletter article for August 1997

© 1997 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

Regular Bible study, or just plain reading Holy Scripture is an important part of the life of any Christian. Here are some steps which I hope can give you some guidance and encouragement to help you grow spiritually in your study of Scripture.

Begin with Prayer

Since you intend to “Listen” to God’s Word, by reading the Bible, it only makes sense that you would speak to Him first. One helpful prayer might ask God to help you understand what you read, and that through your study your faith may be strengthened.

Read the Bible.

I apologize for stating what should be obvious, but many times we overlook what is obvious. In order to grow in our faith, and grow in our knowledge of Scripture we need to read the Bible. Books and articles about the Bible can help us in our study and understanding, but only after we have read the Bible in the first place, and have accumulated a list of questions about things we didn’t understand, or issues which need further explanation. Other devotional material and books about the Bible should never replace studying the Bible itself, but may be used along with regular Bible study to aid in our understanding.

Use a Version that You can Understand.

It is important to remember that the Holy Bible is a translation of languages which are foreign to us. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and the New Testament was written in Greek, and even the best translation can be hard to understand when it talks about things which are foreign to us. The King James Version (KJV) has been the standard English translation of the Bible for hundreds of years. It is very faithful to the Hebrew and Greek texts. It is also very poetic and beautiful to read. The trouble with the KJV is that it was presented to King James I of England in 1611. The English language has changed somewhat during the past 386 years. It hasn’t changed so much that we can’t understand the KJV (or other contemporary English works, such as William Shakespeare’s works), but the language has changed enough to make it a struggle to understand the KJV.

I believe that many people who find it difficult to understand the Bible will be less likely to spend time studying it. This is not to say that struggling to understand the Bible is bad. Actually, any study of Holy Scripture will involve some struggling to understand what the text is talking about, no matter what translation you use. However, my goal is to encourage you to read the Bible more, and if one translation is a barrier to Bible study, then you are better off using a different translation.

The New International Version (NIV) is the version we use in Worship at St. Timothy. It is relatively easy to read, and is a reasonably accurate translation. However there are a number of other translations which are fine also, (including one called the New King James Version).

I would caution against using versions such as the Living Bible, the New World Bible, and any version which is “Gender Neutral”. These are not really translations of any known ancient Biblical manuscripts, but are paraphrases of English translations. These may be acceptable for some personal devotions, but for serious study I would avoid them. Since they are not translations they are not always faithful to the original text, and the authors may have their own agenda which in some instances contradicts what the Holy Spirit gave the Biblical writers to write.

Listen to the Bible on Tape.

You can purchase the Bible on cassette tape. This way you can listen to it in your car on your way to and from work, or at home when you are washing the dishes, or doing housework. The Bible on tape is particularly helpful if you have trouble reading (if you know someone like this you may have to tell them about this article), or have vision problems.

The Bible is about Jesus.

This may also seem to be obvious, but it is important. It was this point (and all of its implications) which led Martin Luther to begin the Reformation in 1517. The whole Bible (including the Old Testament) points to Jesus Christ as our only savior from sin. This is what the Bible is about, nothing more, nothing less. This is important because how you approach Scripture affects how you understand it. The only way the Bible makes any sense is if you see it as being about Jesus Christ and what He has done to save you and me from our sins.

If you were to view the Bible as just a book of rules to show you how to live a decent life, then some passages make no sense: “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10) and “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) More importantly if you view the Bible this way, Jesus’ death makes no sense because he kept the Law perfectly and didn’t deserve to die.

There are Two Main Teachings in the Bible.

This point is related to the previous point. In order to understand what the Bible is teaching us we need to know that there are only two main teachings in the Bible. Every passage in Scripture falls into one of these two categories (although some passages are harder to distinguish than others). Those teachings are Law and Gospel. The Law tells us what we ought to do and not do, shows us that we haven’t done what we ought to do, and condemns us for being sinners. Now, this sounds as if the law were a terrible thing, and if the Bible were just a book of laws, then we would have no hope. But the Law is part of God’s Word, and it is good and useful because it shows us that we need a savior. This leads us to the Gospel. The Gospel tells us what God has done to save us from the condemnation of our sins. The Gospel is about Jesus Christ, alone. The Gospel shows us that the only way we can be saved from our sin is by God’s grace through Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Gospel also tells us that God offers this salvation to all people for free. We don’t have to do anything to earn it (that would be Law). Both Law and Gospel are found throughout the Old and New Testaments, sometimes within the same verse (see Romans 6:23). We need both the Law and the Gospel, and they work together to bring us the salvation of Christ. As we read the Bible, we should distinguish between Law and Gospel, and not confuse them.

Ask Questions, then Seek the Answer.

As you read the Bible you are bound to find some passages which you don’t understand, or which seem to contradict another passage in scripture, or which contradicts something you thought Scripture said. This is unavoidable, and it can be somewhat troubling for a new Christian, or for someone who isn’t used to studying Scripture. The first thing to do when this happens is to pray. Ask God to help you understand His Word. Then see if you can find another passage in Scripture which answers or explains your question. A helpful tool for interpreting the Bible is the maxim: “Let Scripture interpret Scripture”. The Bible is God’s Word, and he wants us to know him and understand what He has done for our Salvation, although he does make us struggle to understand from time to time.

It is also helpful to use other Christians as resources. Ask someone else if they can answer your question. Other Christians may have struggled over that question before, and found an explanation or answer. Also, don’t be discouraged if you go to the pastor first, and he can’t answer the question. He doesn’t know everything (even if he has spent many years in the ministry), and some questions just can’t be answered by anyone.

Make Bible Study a Habit.

There are good habits, and there are bad habits. Habitual Bible study is a good habit, unless you use it as an excuse to neglect your family obligations, or your own personal care. Regular Bible study is a hard habit to get into because the devil tries very hard to keep you away from it. Satan works hard to give you distractions, and to make other time-consuming activities seem more important, so that you don’t feel as if you have time for Bible study. It is hard work to resist these temptations and to make time for Bible study, but the rewards are a greater understanding and appreciation for God’s love, and for all that Jesus has done to save you.

May God bless you and help you grow through your study of Holy Scripture.