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“I don’t really enjoy reading the Bible.”
“I don’t get what a book written thousands of years ago has to do with my life today.”
“I’m not really a reader.”
“Did you know people get drunk and have sex in the Bible!?”
“I don’t understand what I’m reading.”
“Did you know in the Bible there are these two people who were naked, in the forest, eating fruit?”
“I read the Bible every day. Jesus Calling is my favorite.”
These are all comments people have shared with me in regards to reading the Bible. One of them was from an 80-year-old grandmother, another from a fourth grade student. (Bet you can’t guess who said what.)
So what is it about this book, the Bible, that is so complicated? Is it really that difficult to understand? Is it relevant for today? What is going on with all the sex, drunkenness, murder and naked people?
I didn’t grow up in the church, so my experience with the Bible was limited until I was about 20 years old. I just thought it was a list of rules to live by or some ancient book that told the story of the “two naked people in the forest, eating fruit.”
Perhaps you have learned that the Bible is supposed to only be opened on special occasions. Or you only turn to it when you want to feel good. Better yet, maybe you can just rip a verse out of context and make it mean what you want it to mean. (Hello, Jeremiah 29:11 anyone?)
It wasn’t until the Lord opened my heart to seek out truth that I discovered the life found on the pages of Scripture. And that’s when the paradigm shift happened. I learned it’s not just if you read your Bible, but how you read it that will change everything. I learned three truths and a lie about the Bible that helped me understand who God is and His plan for us.
Lie: The Bible is all about you.
While the Bible is certainly for you, it is not all about you. It’s about God.
When we read the Bible it’s to know and love God more. It isn’t to pull a verse out to put on like a Band-Aid, it isn’t to find Scripture to go around Bible-thumping those “in sin” and it isn’t to fill your head with more knowledge. It should produce a deeper understanding of God, greater love for Him and lead us into worship.
What a difference from what is sold to us in Christian bookstores: “Read this devotional for 5 steps to a better life.” Part of the reason I’m not a fan of devotionals is they take you all over the place, pulling a verse here and there out of context, and slapping someone else’s meaning or application on it rather than reading a book in its entirety. Those types of things distort what God’s Word is really for.
Reading the Bible to get something for you is like only eating dessert at a meal. It is the thing we all want and it tastes delicious, but if we only read for application, our diet of God’s Word is insufficient. We need to observe what is happening and discover the meaning of the text to properly apply it.
Truth 1: The Bible is meant to be studied.
One of the best ways to grow in the Word is to pick one book or section of Scripture and study it. Sit in the passage for a while, reread it, come back to it, look up words and become familiar with it. Like a letter written to a loved one, you read it from beginning to end. So it is with books of the Bible. Reading a book in its entirety changes how you understand it, and therefore deepens your understanding of God and His redemptive plan. When we read, we read to observe (what do you see), interpret (what does it mean) and apply (how should it change you).
When I began to study the Bible inductively (observation/interpretation/application), when I began to look for what it teaches me about God and how I fit into His greater story, it came to life. Actually, it became my life. I enjoy reading the Bible. I see its relevance for my life and the world today. It increases my understanding of God and helps me know why all those people were getting drunk, having sex and committing murder – to help me see I am just like those people, a sinner in desperate need of a Rescuer.
Truth 2: The Bible has many applications, but only ONE meaning.
While there are many translations of the Bible, it only has one meaning. Our job is to discover that meaning. We should never ask, “What does this verse mean to me?” but “What does this verse mean?” Our job as readers and students of the Bible is to uncover the original meaning of the text, to help it reveal how it is relevant and applies to us today. It can apply to us in many ways, but it only has one meaning.
Truth 3: The Bible is ALL about Jesus.
The Bible is a collection of books and stories that point to a greater story: Jesus. The Bible has 66 books written over a time span of 1,500 years by 40 different authors in 3 different languages on 3 different continents with 1 message: God and a rescue mission for His people through the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Bible points to one who makes the unrighteous righteous, the unclean clean, the outcast redeemed, the sinner a saint.
This paradigm shift helped me to understand the Bible and therefore better love and understand God, and live in obedience to Him. What has anchored me in times of pain and suffering has not been a verse I ripped out of context to chant when I’m anxious or afraid, but studying God’s Word in a deeper way. It’s knowing His character and understanding the big picture of Scripture from beginning to end that help me endure suffering.
How you read the Bible matters. Reading it will change your life and shift your paradigm completely.