How to read and study the Bible

by George H. Guthrie on Thursday, August 25, 2011

The Bible is unique among the books of the world. Its "release date" is centuries old, yet it still dominates the best-seller lists, confronting moderns with messages as fresh as today's news headlines. At times the Bible is so crystal clear that a child can understand it, yet its difficulties can humble the most learned of scholars. Diverse in theme and literary genres, it conveys a unified story, a message that climaxes in the person and work of Jesus Christ. It was delivered through human writers, yet it truly is God's Word. The Bible can seem as familiar as a walk next door, or as foreign as a distant country.

This article aims to help you hear from God through daily interaction with the Bible. Hearing God in the pages of the Bible takes time and effort; spiritual listening is a skill that we continue to develop all of our lives. Hearing someone well can be challenging when we move across cultural lines, and, in fact, reading the Bible is very much a cross-cultural conversation, since God gave His Word in places, times, and circumstances very much removed from our own.

Perhaps your past has been marked by starts and stops in reading the Bible, and you are wondering whether you have the discipline to engage the Bible consistently. Well, join the club. Most of us have struggled with the discipline of Bible reading and study. So is it worth giving consistent Bible reading and study another try, or a first try? Most believers know intuitively that it is.

This is God's Word. The God who spoke the world into being has spoken His truth about life through the Bible, so that we might know what He intends for this world and how we might live for His fame. He calls us to be "Word people," people who are countercultural in the ways we approach life. Thus the Bible serves as the foundation for understanding who we are and what we should be doing in this world.

Here are some suggestions you can start applying daily in less time than it takes you to watch a sitcom on TV.

In the parable of the seeds and soils (Mk 4:3-20), Jesus used a word picture to describe the different levels of receptivity people have toward God's Word. He tells of a farmer broadcasting seed along the edge of a field. Some seeds fall on the hard-packed path beside the field; some fall on rocky ground that has little topsoil; some fall in the weeds; and some fall in fertile soil that offers a good environment for growth. The various places they fall provide images of the human heart as it is confronted with God's Word.

Some people have hearts that are hard-packed, like a frequented footpath. God's Word does not get through to these hearts. Others have shallow hearts that seem open to God's Word. The Word comes and they respond, but the moment things get tough, the pressures of life override the principles of God's Word, and the spiritual life withers. A third type of person engages God's Word at a deeper level, but worries and desire for worldly things squeeze out the Word, choking it from the person's life. Finally, there are those who receive the Word with a heart like a well-tilled field. This is the picture of a person fully receptive to God's Word, and God's Word brings exponential growth to their spiritual life.

Which pattern of response describes the condition of your heart today? Perhaps you have never committed to following Christ as Lord of your life. I encourage you to talk to a Christian or a minister whom you trust and ask them about following Christ as Lord. First Corinthians 2:14 tells us that a person who is not a Christ-follower cannot engage spiritual truth in a way that is life-changing, so this would be the beginning place for you. Turn to Christ, asking Him to bring His good news to life in you.

Or, perhaps you have committed your life to follow Christ, but your heart is not very receptive to God's Word at this time. You may be plagued by a heart that is consumed with worry or material things. Sin and self-absorption can eat the heart out of your Bible study. Begin your path back to healthy relationship with God by crying out to Him right now, asking Him to forgive you for your hard-heartedness, expressing your desire to hear and live His Word.

Once our hearts are receptive to the Word, we can hear the motivations offered us in Scripture. Among other motives, we read the Bible to

We want to approach our reading of the Bible in a way that will lead to a fulfilling, faithful, and fruitful pattern of life. Below are a dozen suggestions to make your Bible reading more effective and fulfilling.

Engaging the Bible regularly is a spiritual exercise, and you need spiritual power and discernment to do it well. As you begin your Bible reading, ask God for a receptive and disciplined heart, ask Him to speak to you through the Word, and use the passages you read as providing you with thoughts and words you can use as you pray to God.

As you pray over your Bible reading, also read it expecting to hear from God, being joyful and thankful for what you find in the Scriptures. Allow the "music" of the Word to give you joy in your walk with God.

To meditate means to mentally "chew" on what we are reading, to think about what the passage means as well as its implications for belief and practice. Just as food chewed and swallowed too quickly gives indigestion, so we will not be able to digest our Bible readings unless we slow down and consider the "meat" we find there.

The Bible is not meant merely to inform; is meant to transform us in accordance with God's truth (Ro 12:1-2). Therefore, read with expectation that you will hear from the Lord. Be thinking about ways to apply God's truth to your life as you read.

Commit yourself to being consistent for the next 10 to 12 weeks, which is about how long it takes to form a long-term habit. As you are faithful with your Bible reading and begin to see it make a difference in your life, you will begin to hunger for your time in the Word.

If you take just 20 to 30 minutes per day, you can read through the whole Bible in a year. In just 10 to 15 minutes per day, you can read through the whole Bible in two years. The key is not volume but consistency and a clear plan.

Make it a time and place that guards you from distractions and allows you to be consistent, missing no more than a handful of times per month. When you do miss a day, just pick back up the next day.

Along with this study Bible, have a good Bible dictionary on hand. These typically provide outlines and message summaries of each book of the Bible, plus quick entries on theological, historical, and cultural elements.

Underline key passages and make notes in the margins as you read. As the saying goes, the lightest ink is stronger than the strongest memory. If you prefer a keyboard to an ink pen, store your notes on your computer.

Not only do we need the "big picture" of the Bible's overarching story, we also need the "little picture" of the immediate context. So read with an awareness of where you are in the development of a particular book.

It helps if you have family or friends who also are reading the Bible, for they can encourage you and discuss the Bible with you. Become part of a community of Christians, a church, so you can have a place to celebrate what you are learning, to pose questions that come up in your study, and to use your spiritual gifts in ministering to others.

Reading the Bible is much more meaningful if you read it in light of its overarching story. As you read, notice great interwoven themes such as how creation in Genesis 1-2 relates to creation themes in Psalm 8, Isaiah 65:17-25, John 1, Romans 8:19-22, and Revelation 21. Read book introductions in your study Bible, noting where each book fits in the overall development of God's story. That story can be outlined in three great Acts.

Act 1: God's Plan for All People (Genesis 1-11)

Act 2: God's Covenant People (Genesis 12 - Malachi 4:6) (2081 - 420? b.c.)

Act 3: God's New Covenant People (Matthew - Revelation) (5 b.c. - ?)