How to Read the Bible 101Sample

How To Read the Bible

Welcome to the first day of this Bible Plan! Our hope is that this Plan will help you become a more capable and confident Bible reader. Throughout this week, we are going to cover some of the foundational ideas that will help you develop the skills needed to get the most out of reading the Bible.

What is the Bible and why is reading it even important?

The Bible is a story, written by people and inspired by God, that leads to Jesus and invites us to become like Jesus. That’s what the Bible is. And that’s also why reading it is important. Because reading the Bible helps us grow closer to Jesus, and it teaches us how to live as His followers.

The Bible is a very special kind of story. It’s not the kind of story you’ll read in a newspaper or some fairy tale you’d find in the fantasy section of your local library. The Bible is the story of God and the story of us. It’s a good story, and it’s a true story. It’s the story of God’s plan to rescue people from sin so we can be made right with Him and be a part of His plan to restore the world. It’s a story about the very real struggles of being alive, and the beautiful ways God is working in the world.

The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. Psalms 19:7-9 NLT

Another thing that makes the Bible unique is that it was written by people and inspired by God. Throughout history, God chose faithful men and women to write down the things they saw God do and the messages He gave to them. As they did, the Holy Spirit was empowering and guiding them to write in a way that accurately and faithfully represents the truth about God and His desires for people/us.

All Scripture is inspired by God… 2 Timothy 3:16 NLT

The Bible leads to Jesus. Every page and every passage of Scripture is intended to lead us to Jesus. He’s the one this story is really all about. Because it is only through what He has done in the past, what He is doing in the present, and what He will do in the future that we can be rescued from sin, made right with God, and restored to our place as the children of God.

“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.” John 5:39 NLT

The Bible invites us to become like Jesus. As we read the Bible, we are being taught how to live and love like Jesus does. And the Holy Spirit, who was working in the lives of the people who wrote these words, is working in our lives as we read them so we can understand and apply the truths we discover.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT

Okay, so how do we read it wisely?

That’s the question we’re going to spend the rest of this Plan answering! If it’s helpful, think of reading the Bible like sitting in the living room of a house with Jesus. Like any good house, it has to be built on a strong foundation that can hold it up, a roof that can keep stuff out, and walls to hold it together. The foundation, roof, and walls all exist to help us have a space where we can be with Jesus to get to know Him and be changed by Him. That’s what this is all about.

The rest of this Plan is going to explore the big ideas and key principles that make up the foundation, the roof, and the four walls of this house.

Here’s a quick preview of what we’ll cover:

• The Foundation: Jesus is King. Because Jesus is the foundation of our faith.
• The Roof: Context is everything. Because learning the context is the best way to keep the bad ideas from getting in and understanding accurately what we’re reading.
• The Four Walls: 1.) The Bible is God’s Word for us, but it wasn’t originally written to us. 2.) The Bible is meant to be read literately and not just literally. 3.) The Bible is meant to be read in passages and not just pieces. 4.) The Bible was written to transform us and not just inform us.

As you read this Plan, our hope is that you will become more capable in your Bible reading skills, more committed to knowing Jesus personally, and more confident in sharing His good news with others.

Challenge: Invite some friends to do this Plan with you because following Jesus and studying His Word is always better when we do it with other people. In addition to that, commit to completing this entire Plan. If you miss a day, that’s okay, just get back at it and keep going. Finally, before the Scripture reading for today, take a moment to pray and ask Jesus to show you more of who He is today.