Reading the Bible can get messy. So today, I have a list of 10 tips to keep in mind as you engage with it. (Because who doesn't love a good "listicle" these days?!?!)
I hope you find them helpful!
Tip #1: Remember the "Why"
Why do you even want to read the Bible? That's not a trick question! But it's something to think about. I know there were times in my life when I read the Bible because I thought I had to. It was as if God was up in heaven giving out stickers on some cosmic Bible Reading Chart. The more stickers I got, the more "God Points" I earned, and the more God loved me.
But if we're reading the Bible out of guilt or obligation, we won't last. And it won't be any fun, either.
God loves you even if you never open your Bible again. So before you do open it, take a moment to rest in that.
Tip #2: You Don't Have to Start at the Beginning
Tell me if you can relate to this scenario: It's New Year's Day, and you decide this is the year you're going to read the Bible straight through. So you open your Bible to Genesis 1 and commit to reading three chapters a day.
For a few weeks, you're crushing it. You're waking up early and digging into the Word of God. But then, somewhere along the way—maybe near the end of Exodus or the beginning of Leviticus—you stumble. The story becomes less exciting and even a little confusing. Soon you don't even want to look at your Bible (or open your Bible App) because you're ten days behind and feel like a failure. Or is that just me??? :)
Don't get me wrong. Reading the Bible cover to cover is a great way to get a full scope of the narrative. But if you're not ready to do that, don't sweat it. My tip to you is to start by reading stories about Jesus!
You can find these stories in the New Testament in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. So maybe try reading one of those books for about ten minutes each day.
Tip #3: Read the Bible a Chunk at a Time, Not a Verse at a Time
It's one of the most hopeful verses in the Bible. You can find it on coffee mugs, plaques, and couch pillows. I'm talking about Jeremiah 29:11:
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (NIV)
But there's one problem. If you read that verse in isolation, you may not fully understand what it's trying to say.
God spoke these words while the people of Jerusalem were in exile in Babylon. God promises to bring his people back home... but only after a period of seventy years! (That part usually gets left off the coffee mugs...)
So yes, it's absolutely a message of hope. But it was also a call for the people to settle in Babylon—a place they didn't want to be—and make the most of their time there.
Reading the Bible a verse or two at a time can be confusing at best and dangerous at worst. I'm not saying you need to read ten chapters in one sitting. But if you can read a big enough chunk to get some context, you'll have a better understanding of what's happening.
Tip #4: Embrace the "Messiness" (AKA, Tension) in the Bible
If you read the Bible long enough, you're going to come across something that makes you uncomfortable. When this happens, we may have one of two reactions.
The first is to dismiss it. Quickly turn the page and move on to sections that are easier to swallow.
The second is to downplay it. Maybe a friend points out something in the Bible that disturbs them. We don't know how to respond, so we shrug and say, "Well, Bible says it, I believe it, end of story."
But there's a third option: Embrace the tension we feel when we read the Bible. The Bible is a book about real life, and real life can get messy.
Sometimes after I read the Bible, I have more questions than answers. That's okay. Sometimes I read a story in the Bible and am disturbed by it. That's okay. I know God is good. So I need to sit in the tension for a while and not jump to resolve it to make myself feel better.
I've discovered that it's in the tension where God loves to reveal himself.
Tip #5: Remember the Bible Is a Collection of Ancient Near East Documents
Yes, the Bible is the Word of God. But God gave it to us in the context of a specific culture and time. When we read the Bible, we tend to view it through our 21st-century, "Americanized" eyes. And that makes complete sense! Anything we read or watch is going to be understood through the lens of our experiences.
But before we can apply the Bible to where we are in life, we need to try to understand it in its original context. And that means taking off our modern lenses and putting on proper cultural ones. Old Testament Scholar John Walton puts it like this:
We must make every attempt to set our English categories aside, to leave our cultural ideas behind, and try our best (as limited as the attempt might be) to understand the material in its cultural context. (From Walton's book The Lost World of Genesis One.)
Doing this takes time, practice, and help from people who are way smarter than me! But at the very least, simply being aware of the cultural divide is the first step toward approaching the Bible with humility.
Tip #6: Use Resources to Help You Understand the Context of Each Book
It's tempting to think God just dropped a complete, leather-bound Bible from the sky one day. (Or if we're reading the Bible App, maybe he uploaded it to the cloud…) But the Bible is a library of 66 books and letters written over a period of about 1500 years.
These books span a wide array of literary genres. Some books tell the story of God's people and the history of Israel. Some books contain poetry and ponderings about God.
In the New Testament, we find letters written to different churches dealing with specific issues. (And often, we only hear one side of the conversation.) And even the four accounts about Jesus—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—were written to different audiences, each with a specific purpose in mind.
No, I'm not saying you have to spend hours poring over commentaries or get a Master of Divinity degree! But before diving into a book of the Bible, take a few minutes to gain some context on it. It can be helpful to know who wrote it, who the intended audience was, and what was going on at the time of writing. Most Bibles even include an introduction with this information at the start of each book.
Tip #7: Remember the Bible Is Not a List of "Do's & Don'ts."
This one may seem counterintuitive depending on how you grew up. The Bible often gets portrayed as a list of "Do's & Don'ts." Do these things, and you'll stay in God's favor. Avoid these other things, or else God will be mad at you.
But when we reduce the Bible to nothing more than an instruction manual, we miss something important. In the first chapter of The Jesus Storybook Bible, Sally Lloyd-Jones sums this up way better than I ever could. She writes:
Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn't do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done.
The Bible is way better than a stuffy book of rules. It's the story of God's love for his people. He loved us so much that he came down from heaven to establish his kingdom right in our neighborhood. And he invites each of us to join him in building it.
That's a way better story than "Do this, don't do that..."!
Tip #8: Forget What You Think Is in the Bible Before Reading It
I picked up this tip from one of my favorite writers, Frederick Buechner. Check out this quote from him:
When a minister reads out of the Bible, I am sure that at least nine times out of ten the people who happen to be listening at all hear not what is really being read but only what they expect to hear read. … Only that is too bad because if you really listen—and maybe you have to forget that it is the Bible being read and a minister who is reading it—there is no telling what you might hear. (From Buechner's book The Magnificent Defeat.)
I think we all have the tendency to assume we know what's in the Bible before we read it for ourselves. It's like how I've never read a single Harry Potter book, but somehow I think I know the story because I've heard other people talk about it so much.
A perfect example of this is the book of Jonah. Most people think they know the gist of the story: some guy named Jonah gets swallowed by a whale. But that's not what the book is about. At its heart, Jonah is about God's love for people who we'd prefer not to associate with. But we can only see that message when we approach the Bible with fresh eyes.
Tip #9: Put Yourself in the Shoes of Each Character
When I read Bible stories, I typically put myself in the main character's shoes. I'm Moses, working up the courage to confront Pharaoh. I'm David, getting ready to battle Goliath. I'm Peter, reaching out to Jesus as I'm sinking in the sea. When we read the Bible, it can be easy to view ourselves through the lens of these "heroes."
But the stories in the Bible are not simple fairy tales where there are clear "good guys" and "bad guys." It's a book full of messy humans. That's what makes it so fascinating. And I think it's important to approach a Bible story from the point of view of every character.
What was going on inside Goliath that made him so aggressive? And when have I been a bully?
When have I—like Pharoah—used my power to oppress people instead of serving them?
And what about characters like Judas? What drove him to betray Jesus the way he did, and when have I felt that desperation and fear?
When we open the Bible, we read stories about people like us. People with real character flaws. And yet, God continues to show up in their mess. That's good news for anyone who isn't perfect.
Tip #10: Read the Bible in Community
Reading the Bible by yourself is a great way to connect with God. And using resources like devotionals (hint, hint!) can be a great way to help you engage with the Bible. But if we're not also reading the Bible with others, we're missing out on one of the ways God speaks to us.
Reading the Bible with other believers is how we learn and encourage each other. And it's true—we may not always agree. We may have different interpretations of passages. But I think this can be a good thing, as long as we remain humble and kind as we have these conversations.
Hearing a view different from mine challenges me to think through how I came to my own conclusions. It forces me to consider something I may have never thought of. And even if I still disagree, I've learned something from seeing things from a different perspective.
I'm not saying you need to join an "official" Bible study to have these conversations. Every Tuesday morning, my friend Bob and I meet at Panera to hang out. At some point, we start talking about what we've been reading in the Bible. So grab a friend, some coffee, and a Bible, and see where the conversation goes!
Which tip most resonated with you? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
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If you enjoyed these tips, please take a moment to check out my Nobody Left Out series of devotionals. They were written to help ordinary people (like me!) grow in their relationship with Jesus.
(Links to books included in this article are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. You will not pay a penny more by going through these links.)
