How to Study the Bible

Recommended Steps for Building a Habit of Scripture Reading

Get a Bible

There are many translations of the Bible and they tend to be strong in different areas (For example, the New English Translation is good for academic study, the King James Version is beautiful and poetic to read). If you wonder what translation Pastor Andy normally uses, he uses the New International Version (NIV) and English Standard Version (ESV). If you are new to reading the Bible on your own, we recommend you use the New Living Translation (NLT), which uses very accessible and understandable language.

Bibles are more affordable than any other book! It is worth buying a new Bible in a translation you will read then saving a little money on one you already have but can’t understand. You can find a simple, very affordable copy of the NLT HERE. If you’d like to invest in something with study helps in it, you can find one HERE. Some Bible publishers market toward specific people or needs, like the Women’s Study Bible or the Spiritual Growth Bible, but you don’t need to have a ‘specialized’ version of the Bible to get started, you can just go with the basics.

A Commitment

Once you have a Bible, commit to reading one chapter daily, at least five days a week. Write down this commitment, but also tell another believer you’re about it. Words have power, and what we speak out loud helps give us accountability.

Start at an Appropriate Place

All books of the Bible are equally God’s Word, but they are not all equally understandable to a beginner (at the time of Jesus, Jewish men were not allowed to read the Song of Songs until they were thirty!) We suggest you start with one of the more accessible books of the Bible. In the Old Testament, the Psalms and Proverbs are an excellent place to start. They have very manageable, bite-sized sections to read. You might also read Genesis and Exodus, which provide a great historical background on God’s relationship with humanity and the development of the nation of Israel. Avoid for now the later books of the Old Testament (referred to as “The Prophets”); these are more difficult to understand and may wear you out if you read them before you’ve built up the ‘spiritual muscles’ for them. In the New Testament, you can start by reading one of the four gospels. The Gospel of Luke is very structured and makes for plain reading. The book of Acts would be a great follow-up. These New Testament books tell stories and are for that reason easier to follow than the teaching books like Romans or Hebrews.

Although you should start with one of these books, eventually you should aim to read the whole Bible. BibleGateway has a page HERE listing over a dozen reading plans. These plans will give you guidance for approaching the whole Bible. The first time you read difficult books in the Bible, don’t worry if you feel like you’re not understanding all of it. Try to get a general picture for now. Each time you come back to it you’ll get a better and better grasp of what God is saying to his people through this book.

Start Reading

A habit of reading the Bible starts with simply reading the Bible. At first, you might try different times of day to see when works best. But try to get to a point where you are reading at the same time every day so you get into a habit. Many Christians find the early morning is the best time because it is the quietest time and provides a steady, stable start to the rest of your day.

Pray

When you finish your daily reading, find one thing in it to pray about. If something jumps out immediately, that’s great! But if you need help finding something to pray about, you can use the S.P.E.C.K. method below. Finally, you can always read a passage of Scripture out loud as a prayer (it’s okay to change the words a little to fit you!)

S.P.E.C.K.

Is there…

i)                    Sin to confess;

ii)                  Prayer to pray;

iii)                Example to follow

iv)                Command to obey

v)                  something that increases your Knowledge of God.

Community

When you finish a book of the Bible, tell someone! The pastors and teachers at Trinity Park would love to celebrate with you. They’d also be excited to meet with you to discuss what you’ve read. Reading the Bible is about devotional time alone with the Lord, but it is also about sharing in the truth at the center of the Christian community of faith.

If you have any questions about learning to study the Bible, we encourage you to contact Pastor Andy at: askpastorandy@trinitypark.net