You mean I have to STUDY the Bible? Why?
Let's look at some of the reasons why people, even "bible-believing" Christians, don't regularly study their Bible: It's not understandable. It's boring. It's irrelevant. It's so out of date (eye roll please). I don't have time. I don't know where to begin. I don't have anyone to teach me or show me how. Don't worry, I'll be the last one to judge a couple of those excuses, but let's look at them anyway.
"I don't study the Bible because it's not understandable." (Picture a tongue-in-cheek expression.) If you can read and understand this blog post, you can read and understand the Bible. Really. Pick up a newer translation such as the New International Version (NIV) or the New American Standard Bible (NASB), if you read English. They are written in the contemporary English that we use every day; none of those "thous" or "thys." Pastor Alistair Begg of Cleveland, Ohio has a great saying that goes something like this: "the plain things are the main things and the main things are the plain things." Works for me!
Sometimes we don't understand the Bible because we haven't taken time to understand the culture or cultural context in which it was originally written. Taking a little extra time to examine the culture or even word meanings puts passages into their correct understanding. For example, do you know what a shepherd actually does? He has a lot of work plus tremendous responsibility keeping those helpless, relatively stupid, sheep. A good shepherd will also do almost anything to protect as well as care for his flock. Now Psalm 23 may make more sense to you.
"I don't study the Bible because it's boring." Well, maybe. MAYBE. But certainly not all of it. Are there "dry areas" of Scripture? Sure. Some of the lists of individuals in the books of Numbers or first Chronicles could be deemed "boring," but even the most exciting movies or "page-turning" novels have "dull" parts. But you may want to keep this in mind, is your name written in the Bible? Those names were put there specifically by God for a purpose.
Actually, those are the sections which should cause you to ask the non-facetious question, "what is this here for?" All Scripture is important in some way ("All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Notice that the verse doesn't say, "some Scripture." The late pastor and Bible teacher Dr. J. Vernon McGee once said, "all Scripture is to us, but not all Scripture is for us." Keep that in mind. There will be times in your life where certain passages are your virtual lifeline in a crisis; to someone else, it may be just another passage. My dad used to admonish me to always go into a new experience with the attitude that you will learn at least one new thing. With that attitude, you almost always will.
"I don't study the Bible because it's irrelevant and so out of date." Today's complete Bible was compiled almost 1700 years ago! Portions of the Old Testament are even centuries older. Based on literary evidence, the Bible is very reliable to boot. Over the centuries it has been painstakingly preserved and copied. Every year it is the number one selling book in the world, bar none. If it was out of date, why would it still be a best seller? As far as relevancy goes, the Bible contains countless historical facts (many of which have current archeological evidence), moral stories, poetry (some even deemed "erotic," really), and more. Proverbs that teach us ethics and morals are timeless. Understanding our purpose for living sounds pretty relevant to me. What do you think?
"I don't study the Bible because I don't have time." Speaking for myself, my answer would have to be: that's just utterly lame! If I can spend 2 - 3 hours per day or more watching or surfing my 200 TV channels or following friends on Facebook, I should be able to carve out 15 minutes to pick up and read my Bible. I know it takes effort. I struggle with this too, trust me. It's sometimes easier to post these blogs for a couple of hours at a time, than turn to God's word (and find rest and relief) for 15 to 30 minutes. Yet when I do, my life has more order. My mind is less stressed. Regular study is worth making the time to do.
"I don't know where to begin and I don't have anyone to teach me or show me how." Now these are "reasonable" excuses. I'll buy these. But now let me help you. First, ask a pastor or a good Christian friend (you can even send me an email and I would be willing to help you - you can find me on Facebook). Begin attending a local Bible study. Don't worry, no one will think you're stupid.
All of us, everyone of us, had to start somewhere. Here's a few simple tips: Do you like poetry? Begin reading the Psalms. Enjoy history or action (yes, I said action)? Books of the Bible like Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Kings or the Gospel of Mark are terrific places to start. A sucker for a love story? One of my favorite books of the Bible is the book of Ruth. Looking for intrigue? Then the book of Esther is right up your alley (doesn't even the mention the word "God" either!). Start off reading for the shear pleasure of reading. Just read. It doesn't take long. For example, a read-through of Ruth, even for a slow reader like me, should take about 30 minutes or less! And you'll want to read it over and over again.
Here's a Cautionary Note: to grow in your walk and relationship with God, you've got to "graduate" from basics. Humans don't live on mother's milk forever. They graduate to solid food. Connoisseurs have a varied palate and enjoy new foods. We should do the same as we read and study God's Word. The Minor Prophets may be short books of the Bible, but their messages are rich and powerful.
"I don't know which version of the Bible to read or study. Why are there so many versions?" Good question. Again, ask your pastor or Christian friend or Christian book store worker. The older versions of the King James Bible are viewed as being "archaic" and difficult to read in their old English style. Certain newer versions are not translations but are paraphrases. I personally read the New International Version because of its readability. However there are certain passages where the translation is maybe not the best. Keep in mind that whenever you are translating anything, and I mean anything spoken or written word, you are translating a person's thoughts and ideas. Word for word translation doesn't make sense most of the time. For that reason the "picture" is being put into a thousand words.
There are some very good translations and versions to consider. The New American Standard. The Good News Bible. The Message. The New King James. Find one that you are most comfortable with. You want an actual book that you can take with you anywhere. I like keeping one in my office at work and often times keep a paper back edition in my car. Consider purchasing your version as a Study Bible. I have always preferred a Study Bible because of the additional notes, maps and built-in concordance that are there to help me find what I'm looking for or better understand the meaning or context of a passage.
When I'm writing Study lessons or blog posts, I typically have my Study Bible next to me and another tab open in my browser to Biblegateway.com. I like Biblegateway.com because it gives me a ton of Bibles in various translations, paraphrases and languages. I can compare and contrast different versions of a passage almost instantly. The best part, it's FREE to use!
The more often you read the Bible, the easier it will be to begin studying it. Here's one more helpful tip: think of the Bible as God's personal love letter to you. We all love getting letters from people who love us. We often keep those wrinkled up pieces of paper for years. Think of your Bible in the same way.
The more you read the Bible, a wonderful thing will happen. As Dr. Hendricks puts it, even more important than you getting into the Bible, the Bible gets into you. God's Words begin to be inscribed on your heart. Memorization becomes easier. You're familiarity with the Word helps you answer an unbeliever's questions or you are able to provide Godly hope and strength to someone in need.
One last thing: PRAY. Pray that God will speak directly to you as you read His Word. Pray that you will gain an understanding of what you read. Pray that God will give you wisdom in applying what you read to your daily life. Pray that God will give you a desire to read and study His Word. Pray that God will one day use you to encourage others with His word.
Here's a simple, easy to follow eight week "course" on How to Study Your Bible. It's based on the book and video study series "Living by the Book" by Dr. Howard Hendricks of Dallas Theological Seminary. If you get the chance, it's a great book to borrow from your pastor or church library. Maybe even consider splurging on one for yourself. The book is filled with lots of helpful study tips from one the foremost "Pastor's Pastor" in the United States.
For a little different study, there's also a 10 week study utilizing Wayne Cordeiro's book, "The Divine Mentor". Instead of just looking at the "how to's", we also look at the "why's" of personal Bible study. If you are like me sometimes, Bible study is hard because of my attitude and I need someone to along side to encourage me. Cordeiro helps us to see that the Holy Spirit is there and waiting.
So let's get that Bible off the shelf, crack the binding and get reading!
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