How To Read The Bible For Better Understanding

The Bible is its own best teacher. The Bible however is not arranged like an
encyclopedia. You cannot go to chapter 1 and read everything about God and go to
chapter 2 to read everything about Jesus, etc. Remember when reading the Bible the
verses and chapter breaks are placed in the scriptures by man. It is better to read by
paragraph, these too are man-made but they do conform better to the original language
than verses. Some ground rules need to be set up first:

Pray first before opening God's word. Ask for guidance and to be able to
accept what is written and to be able to apply His will to your life.
Never, never read the Bible trying to proof your belief on any subject. It is
only human nature to take ideas out of context.
When you are reading and come across something that does not make sense,
reread the paragraph or chapter again. If you still do not understand, write
down the problem area and continue onward. You may discover the answers
later in your reading.
Do not read large amounts of the Bible in one setting. Take breaks often. Or
stay with about 4-6 chapters a day. A good reading schedule is here.
Start with the New Testament, people who start with the Old Testament almost
never read the Bible all the way through. The New Testament is what is
binding on us today not the Old. We need to follow God's will for us today not
what was intended for the Jews.
Forget everything you have ever heard about Jesus, God and the Bible before
you start reading the Bible. Don't take what you want it to say with you first.
Always use a 'literal' translation like the KJV, ASV, YLT, NKJV, KJIII, MLV
(the best one). (Other translations not listed should be avoided.)
If you don't have a cheap Bible, buy one. Write on it, highlight it, make notes,
if later you want to retire it for better, do so. NEVER buy a 'study bible.' They
are full of peoples opinions which you don't need clouding your mind! The
MLV with 2" wide margin is here. ($6.50)

Now with those in mind, let's lay out the way to read the Bible to let it build on itself:

1. Read "Mark." (It is written in chronological order.)

2. Read "Matthew." (It goes into better detail of some events and adds more
about Jesus.)
3. Read "John." (It contains a lot of the life of Jesus not read before, especially
his last two weeks before his crucifixion.)
 4. Read "Luke" then "Acts." (Both written by Apostle Paul's traveling
companion Luke. Acts is a continuation of Luke. It describes the early church
and contains the examples of New Testament conversions.)
5. Read "Galatians." (It deals with the reasons why we do not follow the Old
Testament Laws in a more simplified way than does Romans or Hebrews.)
6. Then read the rest of the New Testament starting at Romans and going to
Revelation.

Your voyage through God's Word will take about 6 weeks. It will be the best
traveling you can ever take. You will laugh and you will cry. It has everything that
makes a very good book, and lots more, but all true. It can teach you the most
important things for this life and the one to come.

Overview of Bible Translations for Better

Understanding
The Holy Bible is inspired by God and originally written by inspired men
moved by the Holy Spirit. No Bible translator or any particular translation was
ever inspired directly by God.
The Bible is naturally split into two parts: The New Testament and The Old
Testament. (Testament is also another word for "will" or "covenant." The New
Testament is Jesus' Last Will and Testament.)
The Old Testament is translated from Hebrew Texts. The New Testament is
translated from Greek manuscripts.
The Greek was originally written in all capitals and in "scripto continuum"
(continuous writing). Because words in Greek end in only a few letters of the
alphabet, anyone who knows Bible Greek (Koine or Common) can read the
manuscripts with no problem. The text had little if any markings or punctuation
except for lines that told a word is in abbreviated form.
CHAPTERS AND VERSE NUMBERS ARE PLACED IN THE BIBLE BY
MAN NOT GOD. Because of really bad spiting of Greek sentences and
phrases many people quote 'out of context' and many false teachings do arise.
Then to compound an already bad situation even worst some Bibles are put in
'Verse Format'. It is always best to study and especially to read the Bible in
'Paragraph Format' even then try to mentally ignore all verse numbers and
chapter splits. Here is one example of what I just described:
o Many people claim that the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the day of
Pentecost was poured out on the whole church (120 people). But lets
 look at Bible. In the original, Acts chapter one and two did not exist so it
reads:

1:26 And they gave them their lots and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he
was numbered with the eleven apostles. And while the day of Pentecost
was being fulfilled, they were all together in the same place. And
suddenly there became a noise from heaven like from the rushing of a
violent wind and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there
appeared to them, divided tongues, like fire, and it sat upon each one of
them. 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to
speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave to them to speak-out.
Who are the "they" in verse 2:1? The apostles or the hundred and twenty who
were spoken about before this section of scripture dealing with the election of
an apostle to fill Judas' office.

Translations fall into two types of translation principles:

o PARAPHRASE: Many use other fancy wording like 'dynamic
equivalence, free style, better than word for word, etc.' but they are all
still 'Paraphrase.' Some are even further from the truth and are a
'Paraphrase' of an already existing English Bible. The 'Living Bible' was
the first of these and with modern computers in the past 15 years I have
seen a lot more of these pop up. In this style of translation a person reads
the Greek sentence or phrase and puts it all into English format. You are
then reading an opinion not the 'Word of God.'
o LITERAL or WORD FOR WORD Take first Greek word translate it,
go to next, translate it, and so on. Then rearrange to be English
format. Always use this type-- your soul might depend on it.
o All Bibles have both methods to some extent. It is really hard to translate
John 11:35 any other way than literally "Jesus wept." The question is
which is the majority and which translation principle was the intention of
the translator(s) from the beginning to use? The Preface generally
always states. I have created an "Acid Test" if you wish to find out how
good your current translation is.
In recent times there has been so much talk about which Greek Text is best. All
kinds of theories have evolved. Many who wanted to get the King James
version out of the hands of the majority of the people (really just to make
money) have come up with some really good ones, better than Darwinism in
some cases. I have and will discuss this much further but to the first time reader
all these discussions only hurts your faith so ignore them. You need to worry
 about your salvation in Christ Jesus and later, if so desired, you can study this
in depth.
Another one that plagues modern religion is "the Greek word here..." This is
pseudo knowledge used to impress too often. This absolutely drives me nuts! If
you don't know Greek do NOT quote it! An Elder said this once and it makes
perfect sense, "If God would have wanted us to know Greek, he would have
given it to us." Speaking foreign languages (tongue speaking) was given to
first century Christians so they could evangelize the world in a short period of
time. If divine tongue speaking really existed today we would have no need for
translations of the Bible. One would read the Greek, one would translate and
one would write down word for word. (This is foolishness and there is no such
thing regardless of how many Pentecostals are out there!)

How to Read the Bible

How to Read the Bible First Things First
Any study on how to read the Bible, must first discuss the reasons for why reading the Bible is
important. First Timothy 3:16 says that the Bible is God breathed, which means that it is Gods
words to us.

The Bible is reliable and inerrant. Unlike other holy books, the Bible gives us numerous ways to
check its accuracy through the numerous prophecies, scientific facts, and historical details it
contains. The Bible is also relevant to our lives today. It answers the big questions of life: why am I
here, what is my purpose, how can I find meaning, is there life after death, why is the world full of
evil? The Bible also gives us a measuring stick to identify false teaching and error.

The Bible is not simply a book to be read. We are called to study it and allow it to influence our lives.
Keep on being obedient to the word, and not merely being hearers who deceive themselves. For if
anyone hears the word but is not obedient to it, he is like a man who looks at himself in a mirror and
studies himself carefully, and then goes off and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the one
who looks at the perfect law of freedom and remains committed to itthereby demonstrating that he
is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of what that law requireswill be blessed in what he does
(James 1:22-25).

How to Read the Bible Basic Steps

There are some basic steps to take when learning how to read the Bible. It is a unique book!

1. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand. John 16:13 says, Yet when the Spirit of
Truth comes, hell guide you into all truth. He wont speak on his own accord, but hell speak
whatever he hears and will declare to you the things that are to come.
2. Read the context of the verse. The context (the verses surrounding the verse you are
studying) is very important. In it, you will find to whom the verse is written, why it was written,
who wrote it, and the issue the author was addressing.
3. Understand cultural differences. Depending on what section you are reading, the Bible was
written 3400 to 1900 years ago. Try to remove your 21st-century lenses and remember the
culture of that time.
 4. Recognize the type of literature you are studying. There are portions of the Bible that contain
history, law, songs, prophecy, letters, poetry, and so on. If you read poetry the same way you
read history, you will become confused.
5. Discover the application. How do the verses you are studying apply to your daily life? What
did you learn about God or Jesus? What questions did it raise?

How to Read the Bible Where should I start?

A common question we receive from those who are just learning how to read the Bible is, Where
should I start reading? As I said earlier, the Bible is a unique book. It doesnt read smoothly from
cover to cover without a basic knowledge of its message. Instead, it is a collection of books that
were written by several authors. If this is your first time reading the Bible, we encourage you to start
in the GospelsMatthew, Mark, Luke, or John. If you choose Mark, youll find a fast-paced book
about the life of Jesus and what He did. In John, you will find out what Jesus said and who He is.
Any of the Gospels will help you understand Jesus life and ministry.

When you are finished with the Gospels, read some of the EpistlesRomans, Ephesians,
Philippians. Youll find helpful direction on how to live a life that honors God. Next, consider reading
Genesis, where youll learn how God created the world and the impact of sin on the world.

Some students of Gods Word prefer to read from a chronological Bible or a yearly reading plan:

Chronological Bible Some new Bible students are surprised that the Bible isnt organized
in chronological order. A Chronological Bible puts the contents in chronological order, which
helps the new student understand the order of events.
A Reading Plan Several reading plans are available to help students of Gods Word
complete their reading in a certain time framea one-year plan, three-year plan, etc.
Oftentimes, the plan includes a Psalm and Proverb along with each days reading. These
plans can be downloaded from the internet or purchased as a One Year Bible in a printed
version.

Bible Reading Plan

Bible Reading Plan - Its Importance
A Bible reading plan is critical to your development as a Christian. It may not always seem like it in
this time-pressured world we live in, but spending time with God and reading His Word is the most
important part of your day. If you want to know God's will for your life, the Bible is one of the primary
ways God speaks to us. That's why the Bible is often called "God's Word" or "The Word of God."
Because God created the world and everything in it, reading the Bible is the best way to learn about
ourselves and the world around us. The Bible is our complete source of truth. There are numerous
books written about the Bible, but none can take the place of the Bible itself.

New believers, as well as those who have been Christians for many years, cannot spend too much
time reading the Bible. But for targeted growth, it's important to find a plan that works well for you.
Once you've identified that plan, you need to be faithful to follow it.

Bible Reading Plan - God's Design for Communication

Having a Bible reading plan is important because God's Word is seed for your growth, as well as for
your personal evaluation and discernment. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and
active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints
and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
God has always communicated through His people. Before the Bible was written, God instructed the
children of Israel through the priests and prophets, who passed His Word on through each
generation. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 says, "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon
your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you
walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands
and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."
This passage describes God's desire for His people throughout all time to make His Word a priority.

Bible Reading Plan - Getting Started

Each Bible reading plan is different. They are as varied as each individual, so you have many to
choose from. Consider the following options, but remember to choose one. For the effective
Christian disciple, regular reading in God's Word is not optional. It's a necessity!

The Chronological Plan: Read the events of the Bible in the order they occurred. There are
several Chronological Bibles available online and in Christian bookstores. For a 61-day
chronological plan, visit this online resource.
The Historical Plan: Read the books of the Bible in the order in which they were written in
the original languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek
The Old and New Testament Combined: Read portions from both Testaments each day to
see the continuing thread of Truth from Genesis to Revelation.
Variety Plan: Read a portion each week from the Law, History, Psalms, Poetry, Prophecy,
Gospels, and Epistles. Learn more here.
From Beginning to End: Reading through the Bible from Genesis 1:1 straight through to the
last page of Revelation. Stop and start as if you were reading a novel.
The Yearly Plan: Many Bibles are available that are divided into 365 sections, allowing you
to finish the Bible in one year. The 1,189 chapters in the Bible can be read in a year at a rate
of 3 1/4 chapters per day. Here is an online plan.
You will find a variety of Bible translations and languages available online, as well as study
helps. Some of these sources are:

Read the Bible online and search the site for other helpful information

Listen to the Bible online!

Bible Reading Plan - Implementation

Do you have a Bible reading plan? If you already do, stay with it! If this concept is new to
you, then pick a Bible reading plan that looks interesting and jump in! You may want to
experiment with several different plans. What matters most is that you're pursuing God
through His Word every day! God will bless you and your daily time with Him will help you
grow. God is an awesome God, and His Word is your life!

Joshua 1:8 says, "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day
and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be
prosperous and successful."