king of the unknown
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2015
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- 76
- Age
- 35
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- Inside my house
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- Male
- Religious Affiliation
- Pentecostal
- Marital Status
- Married
Unlike the topic on God (which by the way I am still working on for you who are interested) this one will be much shorter. The one is more about giving hints about how to read your bible to new and old readers alike because of this the information is much more opinion then facts. If you have hints or just information about reading the bible make sure to let everyone know. This is about helping anyone and everyone who wants hints about reading the bible. So more ideas on the table the better.
Here are some basic hints for first time readers or readers who want to get more out of the bible:
1) Where to start? When you pick up a book most of the time it makes since to start at the beginning but if you do decide to start at the beginning of the Bible there are somethings you may want to know. The Bible is written by many people over the course of a long time. The first five books are written by Moses. I would say if you have a hard time getting into or finishing complicated books you will probably have a hard time with Moses writings. The books have a lot of information and can be very overwhelming. The books also a repeat words and phrases that may bore a new reader. I do think that reading that information is really good especially when you already know a lot about Bible already or Jewish culture in general but if you feel like your ability to read through it to be more of a chore then a learning experience then I suggest starting somewhere else and coming back to it later. Many people would suggest starting with a gospel or two (Mathew, Mark, Luke, or John) and then work your way to the end of the new testament. If you decide to do that I suggest adding a couple of old testament books into the mix. If you want to learn about the prophecies Isaiah has a lot of information concerning Jesus and Daniel has information about Revelations. If you want so history read Joshua, Judges, 1/2 Samuel and 1/2 Kings. If you want word of encouragement Psalms and words of wisdom Proverbs. In fact many people begin their day with Psalms or Proverbs. At some point it is a really good idea to read the bible from the beginning to end.
2) Know what you are reading. When reading through the bible you may find yourself confused about the setting, time, and reason behind each book. That why it is important to learn about the book before reading it. Many Bibles have a brief explanation of what each book is about and all the basic information about the book in general. This is good information that will help you better understand what is going on. This is especially important because many of the books are not in chronological order, some are even happening at the same time. Many of the book are completely separated from other book, giving you no indication of where the book fits in terms of the over all story of the bible.
3) Take your time. The bible is full of information. Most likely you will miss information especially if you are rushing through. Nobody is going to look down on you for taking more then a year or 10 to finish it. It is more important that you understand and putting the information to heart then speeding through. If your not getting anything out of it take a break or find choose a different part of the bible to read. There is no shame in having trouble reading the bible. If you need to get an audible version go ahead.
The next two go hand in hand. It is important to have both if possible.
4) Do it yourself. When reading the Bible, it is important to form your own opinions on it. Thinking critical is important to truly understanding God's word and simply copy/pasting another person's believes is going to stunt your relationship with God. With that being said it is also just as important to make sure the opinions and ideas you are creating are the right ones, based on biblical principles.
5) Reevaluate what you belief. It is important that you continually get feed back about what you read when ever possible. The idea of creating your own opinions is to help you understand how the biblical principles build on top of each other but it also means checking with others to make sure your ideas are Godly. This is about changing your opinions and/or re-enforcing your opinion. Remember learning is a process. The most important thing to note, don't be afraid to be wrong sometimes.
A good way of doing both 4 and 5 is to join a bible study but read the section ahead of time.
6) Write notes. Some people learn better from writing information down. Even if you aren't that kind of person I still suggest writing notes. Being critical about the bible means see parallels and asking question. Looking at the bible as a puzzle that may help you to look at it much closer then you would otherwise.
7)Ask question. If you have a question ask someone for help. The Bible is 66 books by different writes, in different time, with different culture, more likely then not you will have a question or two. There is no shame in asking questions.
8)Research. I know not everyone has the time to research everything about the bible but taking the time to learn those extra details will give you a greater understanding of what is being said.
Also a few things to watch out for:
1)single verses. Many pastors throw single verses around. It makes since because they just want to show the piece of information to support your point but sometimes a single verses can easily be taken out of context. Word of warning if a verse someone uses sound odd or the point they are saying sounds fishy look it up.
2)Odd versions of the bible. Most of the time you wont run into this problem but there are a few versions you should watch out for. The biggest hint I can give you is watch out for a version that is a focused or created for a single denomination. Also watch out for bible that don't tell you the version. Mostly like going to the store to buy a bible you won't have to worry about buying a "bad version" but if you are really concerned ask someone for help.
that is all I can think of for now. If I think of any more I will add them. If you have any advice go ahead and let us know. Have a great day!
Here are some basic hints for first time readers or readers who want to get more out of the bible:
1) Where to start? When you pick up a book most of the time it makes since to start at the beginning but if you do decide to start at the beginning of the Bible there are somethings you may want to know. The Bible is written by many people over the course of a long time. The first five books are written by Moses. I would say if you have a hard time getting into or finishing complicated books you will probably have a hard time with Moses writings. The books have a lot of information and can be very overwhelming. The books also a repeat words and phrases that may bore a new reader. I do think that reading that information is really good especially when you already know a lot about Bible already or Jewish culture in general but if you feel like your ability to read through it to be more of a chore then a learning experience then I suggest starting somewhere else and coming back to it later. Many people would suggest starting with a gospel or two (Mathew, Mark, Luke, or John) and then work your way to the end of the new testament. If you decide to do that I suggest adding a couple of old testament books into the mix. If you want to learn about the prophecies Isaiah has a lot of information concerning Jesus and Daniel has information about Revelations. If you want so history read Joshua, Judges, 1/2 Samuel and 1/2 Kings. If you want word of encouragement Psalms and words of wisdom Proverbs. In fact many people begin their day with Psalms or Proverbs. At some point it is a really good idea to read the bible from the beginning to end.
2) Know what you are reading. When reading through the bible you may find yourself confused about the setting, time, and reason behind each book. That why it is important to learn about the book before reading it. Many Bibles have a brief explanation of what each book is about and all the basic information about the book in general. This is good information that will help you better understand what is going on. This is especially important because many of the books are not in chronological order, some are even happening at the same time. Many of the book are completely separated from other book, giving you no indication of where the book fits in terms of the over all story of the bible.
3) Take your time. The bible is full of information. Most likely you will miss information especially if you are rushing through. Nobody is going to look down on you for taking more then a year or 10 to finish it. It is more important that you understand and putting the information to heart then speeding through. If your not getting anything out of it take a break or find choose a different part of the bible to read. There is no shame in having trouble reading the bible. If you need to get an audible version go ahead.
The next two go hand in hand. It is important to have both if possible.
4) Do it yourself. When reading the Bible, it is important to form your own opinions on it. Thinking critical is important to truly understanding God's word and simply copy/pasting another person's believes is going to stunt your relationship with God. With that being said it is also just as important to make sure the opinions and ideas you are creating are the right ones, based on biblical principles.
5) Reevaluate what you belief. It is important that you continually get feed back about what you read when ever possible. The idea of creating your own opinions is to help you understand how the biblical principles build on top of each other but it also means checking with others to make sure your ideas are Godly. This is about changing your opinions and/or re-enforcing your opinion. Remember learning is a process. The most important thing to note, don't be afraid to be wrong sometimes.
A good way of doing both 4 and 5 is to join a bible study but read the section ahead of time.
6) Write notes. Some people learn better from writing information down. Even if you aren't that kind of person I still suggest writing notes. Being critical about the bible means see parallels and asking question. Looking at the bible as a puzzle that may help you to look at it much closer then you would otherwise.
7)Ask question. If you have a question ask someone for help. The Bible is 66 books by different writes, in different time, with different culture, more likely then not you will have a question or two. There is no shame in asking questions.
8)Research. I know not everyone has the time to research everything about the bible but taking the time to learn those extra details will give you a greater understanding of what is being said.
Also a few things to watch out for:
1)single verses. Many pastors throw single verses around. It makes since because they just want to show the piece of information to support your point but sometimes a single verses can easily be taken out of context. Word of warning if a verse someone uses sound odd or the point they are saying sounds fishy look it up.
2)Odd versions of the bible. Most of the time you wont run into this problem but there are a few versions you should watch out for. The biggest hint I can give you is watch out for a version that is a focused or created for a single denomination. Also watch out for bible that don't tell you the version. Mostly like going to the store to buy a bible you won't have to worry about buying a "bad version" but if you are really concerned ask someone for help.
that is all I can think of for now. If I think of any more I will add them. If you have any advice go ahead and let us know. Have a great day!
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