Understanding Your Bible: A Simple Study Guide to Understanding Your Bible

3 Prayers You Should Pray before Reading Your Bible

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The books of the Bible were written by different people at different times, but many books emphasize the same ideas and lessons.

How to study the Bible for beginners – Hf #86

Pay attention to who wrote each book as you read- some people wrote more than one book, so the ideas between those books might be especially similar! While it is important to have a study schedule, the reading schedule does not have to be chronological. In fact, most readers find it easier to read and understand if they do not read it chronologically! Reading some sections of the Bible together will make it easier to understand. While this might be true for some people, it is not the case for everyone. A study schedule will help you decide which books of the Bible to read when, not just how often to read.

If timing is important to you, this may be the case, but don't try to rush through your Bible reading!

3 Simple Guidelines You Need to Know for Bible Study

Make an acheivable schedule that allows you plenty of time to reflect on your reading and really understand the Word. To study the Bible, choose a translation that uses Greek or Hebrew as the source language, as this will be closer to the original text. Also focus on the New Testament first as the Old Testament will make more sense if read second. After studying John, move on to Mark, Matthew, and Luke. Once you finish the Gospels, read the letters from Romans and Jude.

The Beginner's Guide to Reading the Bible

When you are familiar with with the major prophets, then tackle Revelation. A wikiHow Staff Editor reviewed this article to make sure it's helpful and accurate. When you see the green checkmark on a wikiHow article, you can trust that the article has been co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers.

This article was a collaboration between several members of our editing staff who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Set aside a time and place to study. Develop a plan of what you want to read each day in a calendar. Having a plan excites you to discover what you learn from God's Word for that day; it will also keep you organized, keeping track of what passages you have covered and what lessons you have learnt from each. Get a good study Bible. Choose a translation to use during your study.

You should select from translations as opposed to simple paraphrases, as this makes sure you are reading the originally translated text not a commentator's interpretation. Avoid bibles that have been translated from Latin, rather than the original Greek and Hebrew. These, like a game of telephone, can get incorrectly translated.

Always ensure your understanding of a passage you have read fits with the entire doctrine of the Bible which is God's Redemption Plan of Salvation, 2 John 1: Also you must look at years of Church history to compare your findings with history.

If you discover something that everyone in Church history disagrees with, you are most certainly wrong heretics don't proceed with caution- they go ahead thinking they are the new prophet in town! To be thus a good student of the Word, you should research: Be careful not to be arrogant in the course of studying. Its so easy to boast of your findings rather than prayerfully meditate on them. Studying extensively is good, you should know what the foundations of the faith are but make sure your ability to recall names of people throughout Church history does not exceed your ability to remember the Scriptures Word for Word!

Food for thought, Joshua 1: Simply knowing names and things is not good enough. You must practice and preach what you practice. A good dynamic equivalence translation is the Contemporary English Version, although strictly dynamic equivalence translations are usually frowned on by serious scholars.

Study the Bible with an attitude of prayer. This should be the first step in understanding the Bible. Bible study should be approached with a prayerful desire to learn. Discipline yourself to be with the Word. The Bible will come alive for you. It is spiritual food. Ask God to help you understand his word before you even begin In Ephesians 1: God will reveal His Word to you. Don't assume a parable or story just because it seems vague.

Don't try to interpret the Bible. Focus on the New Testament first. Though the New Testament compliments the Old, and the Old compliments the New, it is better to read the New Testament first if you are a novice. The Old Testament will make better sense if you read the New Testament first. Consider reading John first. It's best to start with John, as it's the easiest Gospel to read, identifies who Jesus really is, and prepares you for the other 3.

It would help to read it 2 or 3 times to get a good understanding of the author, topic, context, and characters. Read 3 chapters per day. Concentrate on your reading. When you're done with John, move on to Mark, Matthew, and Luke. As those tend to be the next easiest material.

Read all the books -one after the other- until you have read all the Gospels. When you're done with the Gospels, consider reading the letters from Romans to Jude. Because Revelation is pure prophecy not covered in the New Testament, stay out of there for now.

When you get a good familiarity with the major prophets, then tackle Revelation. Pick out topics to study. A topical study is very different than a book study or a chapter study. The subject index of most Bibles have specific areas of study. Once you have found an interesting topic, you begin by doing a rough read through of the verses. This will give you a general oversight of what the verses have to say.

Method 1 Quiz Why should you avoid reading Bibles that have been directly translated from Latin? You should never read a translated Bible. They may include incorrect revelations. The language is not formal enough for serious study. They may be improperly translated. Make sure that you look up words in the chapter that you are reading from. This will help you understand the Bible better. Have a Bible notebook. This will keep you accountable to reading everyday. Also, ask yourself questions and write them down in your Bible notebook. Use the "who", "what", "when", "where", "why", and "how" formula for your studies.

For instance, "Who was there? This simple formula will make the story make sense. Highlight important stuff or things you really like in your own bible. But don't do this if it belongs to someone else. Use cross references and footnotes if you have them in your Bible. These are little numbers and symbols which tell you to look somewhere else in the text for more information, or show you when something was previously discussed. Footnotes, usually found at the bottom of a given page, will tell you where information is coming from or explain complex ideas or historical events and concepts.

Try picking out a few words that jumped at you and looking them up in a concordance to find other verses talking about the same thing. Follow the references in your Study Bible back to the first time it was used. This is where a chain reference Bible is essential. You don't have to write a lot. Ask yourself some questions and outline what you are reading. This helps to show you what God is revealing to you through His Word. Write out ideas or verses or thoughts that come into mind as you read. Compare your findings with what you know the Bible teaches. Then look them over and pray about it.

Get rid of all distractions. Turn off the television or radio. Unless you're studying with a group , try to to find a quiet place where you have a table to read and take notes. This is alone time between you and God. Method 2 Quiz How can you make sure you get the most understanding out of your Bible study? Use resources like a dictionary and footnotes. Read the Bible in order, starting with Genesis. Read an online summary of the text first.

Find a Bible study group.

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Find a group of people that you can study with. The text is very complicated and having some help to get through it will be very important. They will also help keep you motivated and inspired. Share what you have found with others within your Bible study group. Discuss what you have read with others who may have more experience reading and studying the Bible than you do.

Don't take what someone else says about the topic, except as a guide. Let the Bible inspire you. Increasing your knowledge about Biblical Principles will only come after years of dedication, hard work, and just plain reading. The Bible is not just one book from Genesis to Revelation.

There are 66 books, each from different authors at different times. Several authors have written more than one book, but they were written at different times for different reasons. You will find similar subjects and meanings throughout all the books of the Bible. Method 3 Quiz True or False: You can certainly read the New Testament in order if that suits you, but there are some plans that read the books out of order for a purpose. One is described in the following steps.

Start with the Gospels. Each Gospel paints a different picture of Jesus. Read John again for continuity. This will give you a more complete picture of the Gospels.

John was the last Gospel written. Matthew through Luke are known as the "Synoptic Gospels" because they tell the same basic story, bringing in their own points as directed. John fills in the gaps of what the others leave out. It's a book that completes the story of the Gospels. Acts, also known as "The Acts of the Apostles" was written by Luke, and is a picture of the revelation and development of the early church. Read Galatians through Philemon. These 6 shorter letters are personal letters from Paul to 3 of the churches he had visited, and to 3 of his friends, Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.

Read The Epistle to the Romans. This shows the means, and the path to Salvation, then the Epistles to the Corinthians. The teachings of the early church elders. Unless you have been a Christian for some time, and you have a good grounding in prophecy, leave Revelation for the more serious students in their study times.

Move on to the Old Testament. The Old Testament is compiled in the order for convenience, not chronology. You can read it by groups to make things easier. There are chapters in the Old Testament. If you read 3 per day, you will have read it in 10 months. This is the creation and the early relationship with God. Move on to Exodus through Deuteronomy. This is the Law. Read the history books. Following the history section, read the books of wisdom and poetry. Job, often said to be the oldest book, shows how one man's relationship with God and man went, and is full of lessons on how it could have gone better.

It's a great lesson on what God expects of man. The Psalms is the writings of a king of Israel who was a man after God's own heart despite the fact that he was not only a sinner, but a convicted killer. It was a work of poetry by a young man in love. King Solomon was the wisest and wealthiest man in the world.

Proverbs was King Solomon's writings as an adult when he was King of Israel, and was learning his hard lessons. Ecclesiastes was King Solomon's lamentations of a man who had spent his life on riotous living, many wives, concubines, wine, women and song.

Ecclesiastes is the book of lessons of what not to do. Following the books of wisdom and poetry, get started in the 5 major prophets: Move on to the 12 minor prophets to finish the Old Testament. Method 4 Quiz Why is it important to stick to a specific study plan? The Bible is chronological and may get confusing if read in the wrong order.

Some books of the Bible fit well together. If you take a long break, it will be difficult to return to reading. It will help you get done on time. I am a very busy person, but I really want to study God's word. I schedule my study time late at night, but I always fall asleep. What can I do? If you are always falling asleep because you are too tired, maybe try studying first thing in the morning. Try going to sleep earlier and then waking up earlier and doing your study during or before breakfast. It can be hard at the end of the day to squeeze God in, but it's easy and you'll never forget if you make it a habit in the morning.

Not Helpful 1 Helpful Sometimes God gives you what you've asked for immediately. Sometimes, he says to wait and be patient, and that what you've asked for will come later when it is the right time. Sometimes, what you've asked for isn't in God's perfect plan for you. He always answers, but not always in the way you expect. Not Helpful 4 Helpful They are apps or websites where you can search for a specific verse in the Bible. These can be a quite helpful tool! If I've heard all the Gospels before, is it okay if I start in my favorite book, Philippians?

You can start wherever you like, but just keep in mind that every time you read a passage, God will increase your understanding and reveal new truths. You may have heard the Gospels before, but you don't know all the truth they contain. Not Helpful 3 Helpful By praying the living Word of God and praying in the power of the Holy Spirit. We walk by Faith so build yourself up in your most holy faith praying in the Holy Spirit. Right before I broke up with my boyfriend, I became abstinent because I knew fornication is a sin. Soon after I broke up with my boyfriend because he seemed distant once I made that decision.

Your boyfriend was in lust with you. Simply put, we are probably not going to catch what the author intended to communicate in one reading. The first step is comprehending a text is reading it several times from start to finish. So this might look like picking a book of the Bible and every day in your reading time, read through a portion. Or read through the entire Bible cover to cover. Or endeavor to read through the Gospels.

#2 – How To Read The Bible: Take Everything Back To Jesus

Phase 1 is to read it. Phase 2 is to interpret it. And then phase 3 is apply it. First we find out what the text says, then phase 2 is what does the Bible mean by what it says? In this stage we have to understand what the original author meant. Without that context, we have no way of understanding what the original authors and hearers would have understood the text to mean.

After we accurately understand what the text means, then we can move on to application and ask what does this mean to me today?

But remember — we should always be reading it with GOD at the center of the text, not ourselves. I may even try harder not to be selfish. But until I see my selfishness through the lens of the utter unselfishness of God, I have not properly understood its sinfulness. The Bible is a book about God. Yes, it will take you a while.

But it is so worth it. There are apps and charts that can help you keep track as you ready. If you are on a kick, then just keep going through the entire NT! This is our weird plan that Jason and I have been following for almost two years. You can read all about the plan we follow here. But basically you pick a book of the Bible, like 1 John, and read it everyday for 30 days.

This works really well for small books that less than 6 chapters. The amazing part of this method is that you get so familiar with the text. A caution with using study Bibles: Work for it, wrestle with it, write down the question to look into later, etc. A great way to do it: Print out that section or the book double spaced.

Then you can mark it up, write down questions, circle any repetitive words that you see, jot down connects, etc. This leaves me plenty of room to write in notes, prayers, and compile study guides within my Bible. Jen has some great Bible study books that you can use.

• American Patriots: Answering the Call to Freedom
• Scarecrow in Gray: A Civil War Novel
• Stadt der Tiere: Kindergeschichten (German Edition)
• The Mystery Of Mary Stuart
• The Way to Our Favourite Spot (UK English)