How to Read the Bible and Why It is Important
In this section we will talk about how to read the Holy Bible. First off, reading the Bible is not only for the Bible Elite also known as the Bible Scholar. It was written to be a love letter to you as a Christian and all you have to do is pick it up and read it.
As a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit within you that will help you understand all that is written inside the Word which sounds like foolishness to the rest of the world. God uses the Bible to talk to us and to communicate to us His plan and desires for our lives, as well as answer questions we bring to Him.
Reading the word is something that you should do on a daily basis and my suggestion would be to pray and ask the Lord to open up the Word to you and reveal Himself to you in the scriptures. The more you read the more you will understand and the deeper your relationship with Christ will become.
Memorizing scriptures as well as whole chapters is a great way to bury the
Word deep in your heart. Psalm 119:9-11 “9How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. 10I seek you with all my heart, do not let me stray from your commands. 11I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” You will find that when the devil comes to tempt you these verses will be a great weapon against his attacks. If you resist the devil he must flee. This is qualified in James 4:7 where it says “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Resisting the devil by quoting scripture is how Jesus fought him off in the wilderness. Read Luke 4:1-13 and Matthew 4:1-11 to see that fight. It is amazing. You see, Jesus memorized scripture because He knew that it would be a tremendous help to Him concerning the devil, as well as to make an example to us on how to deal with the enemy. If it is good enough for the Son of God it is good enough for us. I promise that memorization will enrich your Christian walk and enable you to be a more effective Christian.
The Bible has 66 Books from the beginning of the Old Testament with the Book of Genesis all the way through the Book of Revelation, which ends the story. Within the 66 books are numerous chapters and verses. In today’s society, there are hundreds of variations and interpretations of the Holy Bible and it is up to you to choose which you want to read. Be careful not to pick a translation that is so free in its interpretation that it loses some of the meaning. A good Bible to start with may be the New King James version or The Amplified bible. I have found these to be very true to the original script, yet still easy to understand.
There are a great deal of books outside of the Bible which teaches a Christian how to read it. Most Bibles have a section, usually at the beginning that gives you examples on how to read it and how to interpret what it is that you are reading. Christians read the Bible through Daily Devotionals. Daily Devotionals are small writings with scripture embedded in them to support the devotional. Most bibles outline how to complete a Daily Devotional. The Bible can actually be read in its entirety in the 365 day structure of a year. (See our Bible Study (link) section for website information on reading the Bible in one year). Is this enough to understand the Bible? This is up to you. Can you understand it after one year of reading? Probably not, but again, this depends on your understanding and your interpretation. What is truly important when reading the Bible is that it should enhance greatly your belief in God and help you to understand that the Bible was written by man, inspired fully by God the Father Himself.
The following are questions and scripture to help you along with what the Bible means and why it is important to read it:
Why Should I Read the Bible?
“How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.” (Psalm 119:9)
Why Should I Trust The Bible?
(Psalm 33:4): “For the word of the LORD is right, And all His work is done in truth.”;
(Proverbs 16:22): “Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly.”
(2 Peter 1:16-21): “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
Why is the Bible Called God’s Word?
And
How is the Bible Different from Other Religious Literature?
(2 Timothy 3:16-17): “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
This is an extremely brief introduction into understanding the Bible and there is a great deal more to be learned. What you need to realize is that the Bible is the word of God and the more you read it the more sense it will make. Also, the Holy Spirit will guide you and reveal its truths to you. A good suggestion would be to go to your local Christian bookstore and speak with the attendant about a study book or devotional that will help you learn and make sense of the Word. Your pastor or other Christian friend, or family may also be able to recommend a book or website. Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us by sending an email with your question at the Contact Us (link) and we will be more than happy to answer the question for you and recommend some literature.
So to wrap this up we will say that studying the Word of God is extremely important to your walk with God and spiritual development. You can’t be an effective Christian without studying the word of God. So how do you do that? Well there are so many resources on the net and at the Christian book store that finding one will not be the problem, but choosing one will.
Here again we recommend that you pray and ask God to show you the right study for you. It is better for you, in our opinion, that you use a study guide when starting. It will be in a form that may help you make sense of what your reading and also help you apply it to your life. If you’re not sure of which on to choose, ask a Christian friend, family member or your pastor for assistance. You can also go to your local Christian bookstore and ask for help there. They are always willing to help.
Below are a few websites that we have found to help you get started. At these sites you’ll find many devotionals and studies that you’re sure to enjoy. Please take the time to go through all of them and choose a study that interests you. Start with something, anything, but just get started. Don’t let the devil trick you into thinking that you don’t need to study or do a daily devotional. You do need it and he knows it. He does not want you to learn about the things of God because he knows that it will make you a more effective Christian and that makes you dangerous to him. You can’t afford to be idle and sit by as yours spiritual life withers away. Get involved; ask questions to your pastor or family and friends, or even us. Learn and learn as much as you can.
You’ll never regret it.
Sincerely
Alex Aleman & David Brown
Mission Lighthouse Ministry
Websites to visit
Online Bible
www.biblegateway.org
Bible in One Year (read the Bible all the way thru in one year)
http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/
Online Research Aids and Apologetics
http://gregscouch.homestead.com/apologetics.html
http://www.equip.org
Bible Studies and Devotionals
http://www.rbc.org
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