How To Read The Bible
Published July 12, 2024 at 6:23 AM
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As Christians, we must read our Bibles. You cannot truly understand God, and His ways, without reading His word. Additionally, how you read the Bible matters, which is why this article will discuss the right way to read the Bible.
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THE PROBLEM
Most people like to start with the gospels, before jumping right into Paul’s letters. There is a tendency amongst Christians to read the New Testament before the Old Testament, causing their foundation to be off. As a Christian, I admit that I was once guilty of doing this. I read the New Testament multiple times, before deciding to go back and read the Old Testament. However, the gospels make a lot more sense once you’ve read the Old Testament. Christians claim that Jesus fulfilled the Law without knowing what that means. Similarly, you cannot understand Paul, without first understanding the foundation he came from. Paul was a Pharisee who was well-versed in the Old Testament, and a decent portion of his letters consisted of him quoting the Old Testament.
Therefore, you must understand the Old Testament to truly understand the New Testament. That means reading the Old Testament in its entirety, and not cherry-picking books to read. As Christians, we like to read books like Genesis and Proverbs, while skipping over books like Leviticus and Numbers. Similarly, we cherry-pick verses from Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, but these major prophets are rarely read in their entirety. Most Christians don’t even touch the minor prophets, unless you’re hearing a watered-down version of Jonah in Sunday school, or reading a taken-out-of-context verse in Malachi to tell you to pay your tithes. In short, most Christians don’t read the middle of their Bibles, and that’s problematic. Every book in the Bible should be read in context, as they all work together to reveal who God is.
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THE SOLUTION
As alluded to earlier, the solution is to read the Bible all the way through, preferably in chronological order. I recommend reading in chronological order because it helps you understand how everything is connected. Isaiah’s prophecies are better understood when read alongside the portion of 2 Kings that corresponds to Uzziah, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Similarly, Haggai and Zechariah’s prophecies are better understood when read alongside Ezra. You’ll have a better understanding of David’s psalms if you connect them to the events found in 2 Samuel, similar to how Ecclesiastes makes more sense if you read it alongside the downfall of Solomon in 1 Kings.
Please note that there is nothing wrong with reading the books in the order they appear in the Bible. I only recommend reading chronologically for a better understanding of the meta-narrative of the Bible. The big picture here is that you are reading the entire Bible, one way or the other.
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CONCLUSION
In short, it is important to read the Bible in its entirety. You should not be starting from the back of your Bibles, nor should you cherry-pick books to read. To paraphrase Paul, all scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for doctrine (2 Timothy 3:16-17). So read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and I recommend that you do it in chronological order.
If you are interested in a plan to help you read the Bible in chronological order, I recommend the Bible Recap with Tara-Leigh Cobble. It is a full-year Bible plan that includes a 7-minute podcast and recap of each day’s reading.
Bible Recap Link: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/17553-the-bible-recap-with-tara-leigh-cobble
Thank you for reading, and always remember to stay vigilant!