How to Read the Bible 101Sample

The Walls: The Bible is meant to be read literately and not just literally.

We’re five days in with only two to go! Like we’ve been doing, we’re going to quickly review what we’ve covered before diving into the new stuff.

Review:

The Bible is the story of what God has done in the past, what He is doing in the present, and what He will do in the future through Jesus. It’s not just some made up fairytale or a story we watch on the news. It’s a good story and it’s a true story. And all of it leads to Jesus and teaches us how to become more like Jesus.

When we read the Bible, it’s kind of like sitting with Jesus in the living room of a house. Like any good house, it needs a strong foundation (Jesus is King), a sturdy roof (context is everything), and walls to hold it all together (The Bible is God’s Word for us, but it wasn’t originally written to us).

Which brings us to the second wall that helps hold this house together…

The Bible is meant to be read literately and not just literally.

What in the world does that mean? Like we’ve discussed in previous days, the Bible is not like most books. Because unlike most books, the Bible is not just one book. It’s a collection of sixty six different books that all work together to tell the story of what God has done, what He is doing, and what He will do through Jesus.

And, just like those books weren’t all written by the same person, they also don’t all fall into the same literary genre.

Think of reading the Bible like walking into your local library. As you look around, you’ll notice the library has different sections labeled things like: children's books, fantasy, sci-fi, philosophy, history, reference, self-help, and so many more.

That’s kind of like what the Bible is like. It’s a collection of writings and books that fall into a wide variety of literary genres. When you open up the pages of Scripture, you’ll find history, poetry, parables, prophecy, letters, books of the Law, songs, biographies, and wisdom writings.

And while common sense helps us know that reading an epic fantasy tale the same way we read a cookbook is silly, we don’t always think the same way when it comes to reading the Bible. This is why it’s so important to understand the different literary genres of the Bible so we can read them wisely. Otherwise, instead of coming away with a better understanding of who God is and what He wants to show us, we may just end up walking away confused.

So, where should we start?

Step one is to recognize that the different books of the Bible were written in specific literary genres for a reason. It wasn’t random or accidental. It was intentional. But why?

Because the Holy Spirit understands that different people learn better in different ways. Some people naturally lean into the abstract and emotional language in poetry. While other people prefer the plain instructions that show up in the New Testament letters. And still others like learning through the historical writings about the nation of Israel and the early church.

The Holy Spirit also understands that no single literary genre can fully capture the bigness of who Jesus is, what He’s done, and how He wants us to live as His people. All the different literary genres work together to challenge the way we think so we can see ourselves, others, and the world in new ways. Ways that more accurately reflect the truth of who God is and who He’s created us to be.

That’s step one. Step two is learning to identify what literary genre the book of the Bible you’re reading falls into, and how you can read that style of writing wisely.

That’s why we created this Guide to the Literary Genres of the Bible. It’s a tool designed to help you know what genre you’re reading, and to give you some tips on how to get the most out of your reading.

Because the Bible is meant to be read literately and not just literally.

Challenge: During today’s readings, try and identify what literary genres each of the passages of Scriptures falls under. If you aren’t sure, then reference the guide we linked above to help!