Read each book as a whole and see what message you get from the whole story... If you start reading verse by verse you will not get the message that was intended... This is why so many Christians contradict themselves...
Sorry guys...but it's true!! If the verse seems to contradict the original message...maybe you interpreted it wrong... read it again...How to read the bible?
hi...There are many resources you can use as you read. First thing is try to establish who is saying what and to whom. You can read a verse but the verse is placed in a chapter that is part of a book; so as you read look for things emphasized, contrasted, promises given, cause and effect. Look at the positive side of a statement as well as the negative. There are many books that make up the bible yet it stands as one voice in unity on its voice. There are things like on line concordances that you can click on the words and find the Greek word and a better definition. Most often the plain meaning is the meaning of the text. I ask a lot of questions like who what why where when..I chart the answers ..this usually makes the interpretation pretty clear and most importantly the application. Take psalm 1 and read it about 10 times. then ask these questions and look at it this way. you will be amazed at how much is in this very short psalm...and don't worry about the things you don,t get file those questions away and they will get answered over time..
read with humility and faith. before reading the Bible, say the Holy Spirit prayer.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of
Thy love.
V. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray.
O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of Thy faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit,
grant us, by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things and ever to
rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Find the latest translation (the later the translation, the more accurate they are). Read ';Song of Solomon'; and the 23rd Psalm. If they read like poetry, you're in the right place. Do NOT get the ';study bible'; things.
Read from beginning to end. Genesis 1.1 and go all the way to the end. You need all of the Old Testament to have the New Testament in context. You read it like anyother book, beginning to end. Period. Then reread it, preferably twice more.
Do NOT go into it with preconceptions, just take it for what it says and see what it means for YOU.
It is all between you, the bible, and God. You don't need any man-made doctirnes to muddy the waters on you. You can ask God for guidance. But nobody else, or you will be deceived sooner or later.
Blessings on your Journey!
read a multiple translation bible so if you have a question you just slide over to the left and ';ask 1000 bible scholars what they think it means ';.. I usually say start at john and read to rev, first .. I also say drop all doubt and turn doubt into just ..I dunno ? don't get it .. don't worry .. don't agree ?? ..assume you're wrong or not getting it seek help or write it down .
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsv-…
http://kingjbible.com/romans/8.htm
do some nice studies like ephesians and who you are in christ .. or exchanges at the cross
http://www.sw-mins.org/identity.html
listen to some interesting teaching that captivates you
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Videos
http://www.hotm.tv/shows/20090804.htm
ask christians for their favorite pastor or videos etc .. stay doctrinally strong and learn to listen to the holy spirit
You read the bible not in a quest for knowledge, but in a quest for Jesus. Jesus told the Pharisees, ';You search the scriptures because you think you have eternal life through them, but they are there to testify of Me.'; There's nothing magical about the bible. It's your relationship with Jesus that makes the bible worth reading, and the bible is meant to point you to Jesus. Without this, there's not much point in reading it.
That said, I would suggest (very strongly) that you read the bible in chronological order, only start with the New Testament. It's a lot easier to follow. The Old Testament is a lot of background which can at times be extremely difficult to understand without a basic knowledge of the people to whom it was written, the history and culture of the times, and the prophetic language (all of which were a lot more obvious to the Jewish people of the day). I don't say you shouldn't read it, but save it for later.
You can get a chronological reading plan of the bible by doing a web search or by purchasing a chronological bible (which will actually be set up that way.) The way ancient manuscripts were ordered was generally by category and by placing the longest segments first. Having everything out of sequence makes things really confusing for us, who aren't that familiar with the historical time-lines. Some of the chronological ordering is subject to opinion, but the lists are generally quite similar to one another.
When reading the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), you should keep in mind that laying out events in chronological sequence wasn't the value to the writers that it would be to us. So things may not always be listed in order. For reading Acts and the Epistles, I recommend Frank Viola's ';The Untold Story of the New Testament Church,'; which gives (along with a generous dose of his own opinions) valuable cultural information on the circumstances and likely reasons these letters were written. It doesn't include the biblical text, but it will help a lot in putting events in order and relating them to one another.
The Revelation is an apocryphal book containing large doses of symbolism. I would recommend saving it for last. If you don't have a familiarity with scriptural symbolism (or even if you do), it can be almost incomprehensible without a great deal of study and work--and even then you won't be certain--that's the nature of the book.
Bon Voyage and Blessings on your journey, Cindy
start in the new testament with matthew and read straight through
every thing is true and literal unless a parable is told or a story
then it is a lesson a figurative lesson
I think you should read Genesis and Exodus first. Then Matthew, Ephesians, Psalms and Proverbs. Those are like the most basic. You can add to that Isaiah and Daniel too, but keep in mind the best way to understand the Bible is going to church. Is like when you are in school: The teacher explains and guides you and then you read the text books and ask questions. The teacher teaches a little more and you become curious and you read a little more. Eventually you become familiarized with the material and it's easy to read and learn by yourself. Of course for understanding the Bible you must be guided by the Holy Spirit. I believe He already guided you to be interested in reading the Bible but you should also maintain communion with Him through going to church, praising and praying.
I've divided my reading into a different theme for the day of the week eg Mondays - letters starting with Romans, Tuesdays Job and proverbs, Wednesdays Psalms, Thursdays Gospels, Fridays Prophets, Saturdays first 5 books Genesis to Deuteronomy and Sundays History Joshua to Esther.
I've divided it so that I read the Bible in a year but you can do whatever suites your schedule. I find that this way helps me to have an overall picture quickly, the Bible is connected in many ways, reading from Genesis to Revelation I often forget details.
Happy reading!
When I first started reading the Bible I just had at it and read the whole thing 3 times . I would Start with one chapter from the Old testament and one from the new . Like Genesis 1 And John ! that will help you out alot .
Congratulations for choosing the course of true wisdom!
';The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge.
Wisdom and discipline are what mere fools have despised.';
I suggest getting an overall picture of the history %26amp; contents of the Bible,
as well as what the Bible itself actually teaches.
Several articles --based on the Bible-- which can help you to do so are:
';True Teachings That Please God';
- How Old is it? - How is it Organized?
http://watchtower.org/e/20050715/article…
';Can You Trust the Bible?'; :
- To Trust or Not to Trust
- - A Unique Book
- - - Reasons to Trust the Bible
http://watchtower.org/e/200711/article_0…
http://watchtower.org/e/t13/article_01.h…
';Ancient Scribes and the Word of God';
- The Early Scribal Profession
- Scribes in Ancient Israel
- Integrity of the Scriptures
http://watchtower.org/e/20070315a/
';The Bible—Just a Good Book?'; :
- A Textbook for Modern Living :
— A Book That Gives Purpose
— Adding Stability to a Troubled Life
— Help in Overcoming Emotional Problems
— Practical Counsel on Family Life
— Counsel That Endures!
http://watchtower.org/e/20001201/article…
What Is the Value of the “Old Testament”? :
- Is the “Old Testament” Still Relevant?
- It Was “Written for Our Instruction”
http://watchtower.org/e/20070901/article…
';The Gospels—History or Myth?';
- Questions to Consider:
-- Could the Gospels be a masterful invention?
-- Could the Gospels be legends?
-- If legends, could they have been compiled so quickly after the Jesus' death?
-- Were the Gospels later edited to fit the needs of the early Christian community?
-- What about seeming contradictions in the Gospels?
-- Does modern-day Christianity represent the Jesus of the Gospels?
- What Is Your Conclusion?
http://watchtower.org/e/20000515/article…
This is a condensed Bible study aid,
with both Scripture references -%26amp;- study suggestions:
';What Does God Require of Us?';
http://watchtower.org/e/rq/index.htm
Next is a much more detailed Bible study aid,
complete with Scripture references, %26amp; review questions:
';What Does the Bible *Really* Teach . . . ?';
http://watchtower.org/e/bh/appendix_00.h…
Both Bible study aids study subject by subject. . .
'Carefully examine the Scriptures daily as to whether these things are so.'—Acts 17:10,11
';How Can You Choose a Good Bible Translation?';
- From One Extreme to the Other
- Are Word-for-Word Translations Best?
- What About Free Translations?
- Why the Need for Caution?
- Finding the Best Translation
http://watchtower.org/e/20080501a/articl…
';Anyone inexperienced puts faith in every word,
but the shrewd one considers his steps.'; --Proverbs 14:15
.
Start in the Book of John.
You can read Genesis at a later time.
Start reading in the Book of John, and read the chapters in order. Ask Jesus for understanding, and He will give it to you! :)
When done with John, read the Book of Romans.
For a commentary, here is a website that teaches the meaning of every verse in the Bible: http://www.soniclight.com/constable/note…
It can help with any verses that you might want explanation on.
Above all, you need to believe in JESUS for His free gift of salvation, to be saved! John 3:16! Then Jesus will save you! And Jesus will also give you a personal relationship with Him, satisfying your soul!
Jesus is God, and Jesus loves you so very much! :D And the Trinity is true!
The truth about Jesus is that the only way to be saved and to get into heaven and avoid being sent to hell, is by believing in Jesus for His free gift of salvation, believing in faith alone that Jesus, who is God, died on the cross for all our sins as FULL PAYMENT for all our sins, and then Jesus rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Believe in Jesus for His free gift of salvation, and you will be in heaven, no matter what!
Salvation is a FREE GIFT that happens in a split second when you believe in JESUS for His free gift of salvation! It is impossible to lose or ';leave'; salvation (John 6:39-40, John 10:28, 1 John 5:13).
Please pray now: ';Jesus, I believe that You died on the cross to pay for my sins and that You rose from the dead, and I thank You for eternal life!'; You will be in heaven with Him forever when you die! :D
http://www.quranexplorer.com/quran/
A good study Bible can really help - John MacArther has a very good study Bible available in NASB and NKJV - he also has a commentary of the whole Bible and separate commentaries of many of the books in the Bible, the stand alone versions and complete commentary have more 'meat' then the study Bibles. There are many other commentaries out there but my preference is the MacArther. If a person started at the beginning of the New Testament and read every verse and every comment in the MacArther study Bible they would do themselves very well.
In addition to study Bibles is having a more modern version to refer to - My main Bible is a NKJV or sometimes NASB but I also have an NLT that I sometimes look to.
It is good to start and finish a particular book, going verse by verse.
Praying that God Blesses your study of Him.
You may want to start in Matthew. It's a good way of grabbing your attention and it'll help you build a foundation when reading the other parts of the Bible.
Think of something that is currently happening in your life. Make that a theme for a week. Come up with keywords that describe your theme. Search for those keywords in the Bible using an online tool (http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/), then read each passage and determine whether you can relate it to your current theme. In other words, can you learn something from those verses that will help you in your current situation? If you can't learn something from the Bible that you can apply to your own life in a practical way, you're wasting your time.
Finally, use Y!A to see what serious questions people are asking (including non-Christians) and ask yourself how you would answer their question strictly using the Bible. Then try and find passages in the Bible to support what you believe. You may be surprised at just how much you might actually believe in your own ideas that are not true and are not based in the Bible.
Reading the Bible from cover to cover will get you nowhere. Same with just jumping all over the place. The Bible is meant to be a guide to your every day life, to help you live a better life. Therefore you need to use it in a way that you can relate to it now and not tomorrow, because you are not promised tomorrow.
You may want to start in Matthew. It's a good way of grabbing your attention and it'll help you build a foundation when reading the other parts of the Bible.
This book has helped millions of people study the Bible and see what it really teaches.
http://watchtower.org/e/bh/article_00.ht…
You can also request a free home Bible study here:
https://watch002.securesites.net/e/conta…
Start with the Gospel of John, then Mark, then Matthew and Luke. Read the Gospels for sure. Then Acts. After that, read the rest of the New Testament except for Revelation; save that for last. Then start reading the Old Testament starting with Genesis.
Skepticism. Read with a BS filter.
I suggest getting a Bible that is divided by days so that you can read a portion every day and finish it within a year. Or, if you go to a Christian book store, or the internet, you can find Bible studies for just about everything.
Read this first..
http://www.americanbible.org/brcpages/ho…
.It will help you to understand better.The Bible is not in alphabetical order. In fact...it's not sure what order it's in... Some writings were found at different times.It's not like they found the whole book at one time. (I'm not meaning to insult your intelligence...I had a lot of wrong ideas all my life about the Bible. I didn't know that some things were repeated in it.)
Anyway... I'd get a Bible Story Book first from the Library and read it.
Some things in the OT you'll want to speed read...the the Begots. Don't try to pronounce the names.
By the time you get through the OT you'll want to jump up and down when you get to the NT. (no more animal sacrifices)
Be careful about just opening to any place and following what it says. You'll be taking it out of context.
Try to find a Bible you can half way understand...not the one in Old English. Then later if you want to get more technical you can go back to the hard one.
Be sure and get a YELLOW MARKER. You'll probably find a lot of things you'll want to highlight..important things.That way when you go back to it..you won't have to read the whole chapter again...just the main things.And use a bookmark...Don't be afraid to use the -marker or turn back the page corners.
Get a Bible where Jesus' words are in red...or underlined in red. That way you won't have to highlight them.
The Living Bible is easy to read..but I'm not sure how accurate it is. To be really accurate...you'd have to know and read the ones written in the original languages.
i suggest you get a bible that makes more sense and start from john,palsms, mark , genesis
Start with a translation that's easy to read!
Unless you speak the Queen's English from the 17th century, that almost certainly means to use something besides the King James Version of scripture. Now, I'm a King James fan. I like it a great deal. It's my preferred translation. But it can be very hard to read and understand, simply because we speak differently today.
The New International Version and the American Standard Version are both rendered in more contemporary English, and are much easier to read.
The Bible is not arranged chronologically. One of the worst ways you can read it, in my opinion, is to open its front cover and start reading. It makes sense to read a book from the Old Testament along with a book from the New Testament. Any of the gospels are a good place to start in the New Testament, with John being one of my favorites.
find an easier version that the King James, maybe NIV. And start with Exodus, it's a blast
there are some guided reading books that you can order online
you just open it, and when you see
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 ';Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law.
35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.';
1 Timothy 2:11-12
Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.
say ';bullsh!t';.
Start at the beginning and read it sequentially.
Find an easy to read translation -- and read verse by verse !! Blessings --
You start from page 1. By the time you reach page 200, you will realise how ridiculous the book is.
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