HOW TO READ THE BIBLE

Are you new to reading the Bible?

We are so pleased that you have an interest in investigating the Bible.

But let’s face it, reading the Bible can be intimidating.

Here are a few tips to help you get going on reading the most amazing book ever written.

1. THE BIBLE IS A LIBRARY

Unlike most books that you might read, the Bible is a collection of smaller books that make up a library of books. So don’t start at the beginning. In the same ways a entering into a library you might not read the first book you come to in the room, you might want to look for something that is particularly helpful to you.

Some books are books recording history, some are poetry, some are great speeches from God to his people, some are biographies and others are letters.

2. START WITH ONE OF THE BIOGRAPHIES OF THE LIFE OF jESUS

There are four biographies of the life of Jesus called Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These are about two thirds of the way through the Bible at the start of what is called “The New Testament”. This will tell you about Jesus, his teaching, actions, life, death and resurrection. It’s an amazing story, showing us that Jesus is God in human form.

3. TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE READ WITH OTHER PEOPLE

When you have read some of the Bible why not find a friend and tell them what you have discovered and ask them any questions that it has raised. Chatting with others helps us to get the most out of the book. It was written to be reflected on in community.

4. rEAD SOME OTHER BOOKS

Once you have read the biographies of Jesus, here are some other books you might like to read next (You will find an index of the books at the beginning of your Bible).

Acts - the story of the first followers of Jesus

Psalms - a collection of poems and prayers

Genesis - a collection of stories giving us insight into origins and the beginning of God’s plan to rescue the world

5. ONLINE RESOURCES

There are plenty of online resources to help you as you read the Bible.

You can listen to some of our Woodlands Bible School teaching sessions (click here) or visit woodlandschurch.net/bibleschool

There are great resources available on the Bible Project website (click on this link Study the Story of the Bible With Free Tools | BibleProject™.) Search for the book that you are starting to read and it will give you a video introduction to the main points to look out for as you read.

Other interesting things

Each of the 66 books in the Bible is split into chapters. This is shown by the larger numbers at the start of each new chapter. Each chapter is split into verses, these are the smaller numbers. The chapter and verse numbers help people to navigate their way around the Bible. (eg John 3v16 is the book of John, chapter 3 and verse 16)

There are different translations of the Bible. Try to find one that is in a more modern translation as it will be easier to read. (You could try the New International Version or the New Living Translation)

Got A Question?

If you have any questions about reading and understanding the Bible, get in touch with Tim Dobson.