Is this for you?

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You may have been a Christian for a while and you may have read several of the books and/or passages of the Bible, but not read it through, or you may be a relatively new believer and aren't quite sure how to go about reading the Bible.  After all, it is a big and intimidating book.  This is for you.  If you are a mature Christian and are well versed in Systematic Theology, Apologetics, and the teachings of several highly regarded preachers and theologians; consider whether you have remained grounded in the actual Word Of God, in the words of the Bible.  It is always good to make sure the Bible is the basis for our faith, and not the teachings of man.

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He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 8:3 BSB)

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All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16)

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So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17 NKJV)
 

​The number one resource for Bible Study is - of course - The Bible!  While there are plenty of scholarly resources and the internet is full of information of varying quality, we must do as the Bereans - turn to scripture to see it is as we are told.

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Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true. (Acts 17:11 BSB)

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I am of the firm conviction that until you have read the WHOLE Bible (preferably in a limited period like a year or so), we should spend our time to do just that before we start to dig deep into the study of individual passages.  Commentaries are great, but the Bible is its own best commentary.

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As you read through the Bible for the first time, choose a translation that is easy for you to read, but remains at least functionally equivalent and true to the original manuscripts, because it will in many ways form the basis for your faith.  I personally would NOT start with "retellings" such as The Message.

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If you are interested in how the different translations stack up, check the resources listed on the Bible Study Resources page.

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As you read it again (and again and again and...) you may want to consider other translations, and you may want to study the meaning of the words used in the original manuscripts.  You may want to learn about cultural backgrounds and contexts of expressions, and you may choose to spend time on in-depth study of individual subjects.  You may want to do word studies where you look at how the same word is used throughout the Bible.  What does it say about "obey"/"obedience" for instance.

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And while you are reading for more in-depth understanding, some may enjoy inspirational stories or documentaries and related study materials.  And some of the more common questions I've seen relate to timelines of biblical events and how the different books and characters fit that timeline.

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For some helps for this, I will be preparing the "Bible Study Resources" page.  I pray The Lord will use it to help those who have such questions as it addresses.

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