How To Read the Bible

A Spiritual “How to…” Series, (Part 1)

Acts 17:10-11, Deut. 6:6-9

This teaching started a new series that will help to equip us all with the spiritual tools we need in our toolbelt if we are to grow as followers of Christ.

The first tool we will consider is how to read the Bible, but before we look at how, we need to ask, “Why do we need to read the Bible?”

• If we want to know our place in God’s plan, then we need to understand his plan. Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? (Matthew 21:42)
• If we are going to understand God’s plan then we need an accurate perspective of the Triune God as he has revealed himself in the Scriptures.
• If we are going to have an accurate view of God, and he has revealed himself to us in the Scriptures, then we need to read the Scriptures to know him better! But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. (Matthew 22:29)

A “more noble” example encountered in Berea (Acts 17:1-12)

Despite my efforts to move away from the book of Acts this week, this next passage fits very well with our study on reading the Bible. Paul and Silas were rejected at Thessalonica in the first part of Acts 17, having been described as “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also…” (v.6). But when they moved on to Berea (about 40 miles away) they received a different response.

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea,

               and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.

 Now these Jews were more noble

                                            than those in Thessalonica;

                      they received the word with all eagerness,

                           examining the Scriptures daily

                                                         to see if these things were so.

       Many of them therefore believed,

       with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. (v. 10-12)

So how should we read the Bible? 

Here are a few practical ways for us to read God’s Word…

1. Read it Regularly—Once or twice a week in church doesn’t count as "regular reading". In Acts 17 we see that the Bereans received the Word “with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily.” They didn’t just take someone else’s word for it but studied it out for themselves. Perhaps you would say that you don’t have time to read the Bible. While it is true that many of us live very busy lives. let me ask, do you take time to eat every day? If you don’t eat, what happens?

• You get “hangry” and
• You get weak
• You make poor decisions
• You are not much good to others

The same thing is true spiritually. This message was preached on Pentecost Sunday, originally the feast of first fruits (first grain harvest) and then the birth of the church in Acts 2. Peter pointed people to the OT prophets saying, “this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel” (Joel 2:28-32) Here are some suggestions:

Meal-time verses

My Grandparents had a little box with Bible verses (not just a Promise box) that was for each of us to draw one and read out loud at meal times. Just as our diet should contain vegetables and not just carbs our reading should include commands and exhortations!

SOAP Journaling

We have discussed this and will do so again in the future. For now, it is enough to understand that SOAP is an acronym for four different elements of Bible journaling.

• S= Scripture. Read a passage, and write out 1-2 verses that stood out to you in your reading. 
• O= Observation. This is where you write what the verse is specifically saying in its context. This is not where you interpret it, but where you hear what it is saying and to whom.
• A= Application. What are one or two specific ways you will apply this passage today, this week? How will you be different from having read this passage?
• P= Prayer. Write a short prayer that comes out of your interaction with this passage.

Morning/Evening Devotional reading (just looking to connect with God)

Devotional reading is inherently relational. It is not reading for any other purpose than to connect with God. Too often we only turn to the Bible for answers in a crisis, or to prepare to teach a lesson. But the Bible is a meeting place where we get to draw close to the God who loves us by affectionately reading what he has written for us.

Reading a Psalm in the morning & one in the evening.

The psalms give us the vocabulary to praise the Lord, to pour out our hearts to him in love and faith, but also to ask tough questions and to process our emotions through the character of God.

A Proverb a day keeps the lawyer away.

Reading Proverbs, one chapter a day can be very helpful for maintaining wise and healthy relationships with other people. It can also keep us from succumbing to the pervasive foolishness of our culture.

Lunchtime reading

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God and the Bible says that we should read it, think about it, and teach it naturally all the time. As it is written,

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deut. 6:6-9)

Along this line of reasoning, we could just as easily spend time reading over coffee, reading with friends, or reading with family (don’t make this overlong). The Bible should just be a part of our everyday lives, every day and in every way! 

2. Read it Systematically—we need to see the whole picture

Let me start to explain our need for systematic Bible reading by using the ancient Indian fable of the Six Blind Men and the Elephant.

As the fable goes, a group of six blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its form. Out of curiosity, they said: "We must inspect and know it by touch, of which we are capable". So, they sought it out, and when they found it they groped about it.

In the case of the first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, said: "This being is like a thick snake". For another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan. Another person, whose hand was upon its leg, said, the elephant is a pillar like a tree trunk. The blind man who placed his hand upon its side said, "elephant is a wall". Another who felt its tail described it as a rope. The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is hard, smooth, and like a spear.

So, which one was right? All of them were right as far as they went but were also very wrong in describing the whole of the elephant. The same is true when we read only our favorite parts of the Bible—we can make wrong assumptions as to the entire plan of God and even the character of God himself.

On a humorous note, there is an elephant joke which inverts the story in the following way:

Six blind elephants were discussing what men were like. After arguing they decided to find one and determine what it was like by direct experience.

The first blind elephant felt the man and declared, 'Men are flat.'

After the other blind elephants felt the man, they agreed.

Another analogy in favor of a systematic reading of the scripture is that of a nutritionally balanced diet. In our spiritual diet, we need balanced nutrition, not just a single-item diet. We need to read from all parts of the Bible without leaving anything out. As Christians, we tend to avoid the Old Testament except for the Psalms and Proverbs. In the coming weeks, I hope to touch on how the Bible all fits together and the different types of literature you will find in the Bible. Jesus Christ is recorded as quoting from at least 24 Old Testament books including Exodus (7x), Isaiah (8x), Deut. (10x), and Psalms (11x). He broadly taught the two disciples on the road to Emmaus,

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself…

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:27, 44)

3. Read it Quickly—

There are some aspects of the Scriptures that we will only see when we read quickly (approx. 10 pages a day). Reading through the whole Bible is not really that hard when we learn to read it quickly to catch the major themes and repeated emphases. I confess that there was a time when I got burned out on “Bible reading plans” because I was trying to read quickly as though I was reading slowly. I tried to read large sections while paying attention to each expository detail. Each day that I failed to finish the assigned reading, it added to my sense of failure and guilt and increased my burden to try to catch up.

One good way to “read quickly” without falling behind is by using a Bible app like Bible Gateway.com or YouVersion to read the Bible translation of your choice to you as you drive, walk, work out, etc.  However, while good for quickly covering chapters and books in a few minutes, there is much we miss if we only read quickly. So, even while reading quickly, we need to regularly "land the plane" for a closer look.

4. Read it Slowly—Take time to read the Bible very slowly, perhaps even one verse or paragraph at a time, allowing time for pondering, thinking, and meditating on what it reveals about God, his plan, and your part participating in that plan. This may involve taking notes, diagraming sentences, and going all Sherlock Holmes on the passage (observation), not Carnac the Magnificent (it is not a guessing game or jumping to conclusions). It is here that as we develop our observational skills and meditate on what the text actually says, we can grow in our joy and respond more fully to the love of God revealed in the text of the Bible. 

5. Read it Prayerfully—The Bible is a spiritual book and we should not presume to read it without asking the Holy Spirit to speak to us through it. Soon after the Reformation, when people were first able to read the Bible for themselves, Philip Jacob Spener (1675) wrote about how Christians should approach reading the Bible, “They should not take the Scriptures into their hands without sincere prayer for the grace of the Holy Spirit, nor without the purpose to admit into their hearts His working and power, and they should not stop with the mere knowledge, but should obediently apply what they have learned to God’s glory.” (p. 274) The Priesthood of Believers in 70 FAQs. The spiritual nature of the Bible also can be seen in the ministry of Jesus,

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:45-49)

What did Jesus say that the Holy Spirit would do once Jesus sent him? Read the following passages in the Gospel of John for the answer:

• John 14:26 
• John 15:26 
• John 16:12-15 

Here is a sample prayer to pray as we come to read our Bible: Lord God,

Open my eyes to see and my ears to hear what you are saying…

Search me and know me, see if there is any sinful way in me…lead me…

Quicken my heart to respond to your love and share it with others...

Strengthen my hands to do the work to which you send me.

6. Read it Expectantly— When we come to read the Bible, we should expect it to make a difference in our lives. Psalm 19:7-11 uses several synonyms to describe the Bible and speaks of the transforming benefits it contains,

The law of the LORD is perfect,

             reviving the soul;

the testimony of the LORD is sure,

               making wise the simple;

8the precepts of the LORD are right,

                  rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the LORD is pure,

                      enlightening the eyes;

the fear of the LORD is clean,

                         enduring forever;

the rules of the LORD are true,

                             and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

                               even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey

   and drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover, by them is your servant warned;

   in keeping them there is great reward.

Did you catch all that this passage tells us about God’s Word and its 8-9 transforming aspects?

• Don’t come wondering if Jesus has anything to say to you. Expect it.
• Don’t come doubting the spiritual nature of the Word to transform your life!
• The Bible speaks of Jesus so look for the Lord to meet with you, to speak to you, as you read the Bible, and even more so as you read it in community with others!
• The will of God is best discerned in community ("many counselors", etc. Pro. 11:14; 15:22; 20:18; 24:5-6).

7. Read it with a Teachable or Coachable Heart— To benefit from the Bible, we must not only read it, but we need to be willing to learn from it.

After helping coach youth baseball, basketball, and soccer teams over the years, I have seen that there are at least three kinds of players. They include…

• The naturally gifted one who thinks he/she knows everything and doesn’t listen to anything you as a coach try to instill in them.
• The status quo player who nods their head and agrees with everything you say but then implements nothing that you said. Perhaps they really do agree but are too lazy to put in the work necessary to re-learn their skill, strategy, attitude, etc.
• The rare player who appreciates the coach’s taking time to invest in them, who listens carefully and then does their best to apply that coaching to their game, even inviting further feedback. This is the kind of player that makes coaching worthwhile. I would rather have one of these than two naturally talented players.

How well do we listen to God speak through the Word by his Spirit? Which kind of person are we?

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. (John 5:39-40)

I hope this simple list of seven ways to read the Bible proves to be practical and inspirational for you, your family, your friends, and your neighbors!