The Bible: Five Simple Rules for Bible Study
The Bible is written in many literary styles. Some passages are designed as teaching; others are stories, poetry, or commands. Figures of speech may be used; sometimes not all the details are included. Some commands were designed for one specific time and person, and others apply to everyone, everywhere.
To help us understand and accept the authority of biblical principles, we need to ask the Author to guide us, and we study the Scriptures. We try to understand each biblical passage and each point, and to figure out how the teachings apply to us today.
Our ability to understand and think is shaped by our experiences, and by traditions that have influenced our beliefs. Reason, tradition, and experience do not have more authority than Scripture, but we cannot avoid using them to understand Scripture.
Because of different traditions and experiences, equally honest people can come to different conclusions about what the Bible teaches. We teach our understanding of the Bible as best we can, and at the same time respect people who understand the Bible in different ways.
The Bible is a complex book, but it has a simple message. There’s enough wisdom in it for a lifetime of detailed study; and there is also wisdom that beginners can easily find.
If you have never read a large book, the Bible may seem difficult. The strange names and customs might be intimidating. But perhaps you want to read the Bible, despite its difficulties, because it can tell you more about the God who made you and who loves you. It can tell you about Jesus, your Savior, and what he did and taught. There’s treasure in this book, but you aren’t sure how to find it.
Here are five simple steps to help you:
1. Start
It is a big book, and nothing will change that. The only way to begin is to begin. A long hike begins with the first step. So start reading! But don’t try to read it all at one time. The Bible wasn’t designed for fast reading. It is not a novel, a mystery, or a thriller. Rather, it is a collection of different types of writing.
Genesis, for example, contains several types of story involving several characters. Each story requires some thought of its own, so don’t be in a hurry to rush onward just to say you’ve done it. Take your time, a little each day. Plan your day so you will have some time for this.
Where should you start? Genesis has some interesting stories, and Exodus starts with a great story, but then the story slows dramatically, and many people lose interest by the time they get to Leviticus and Numbers.
It’s probably better to start in the New Testament, with the stories of Jesus. Mark is a fast-moving Gospel, and Acts has a great story flow. This will then put Paul’s letters in context.
Don’t think that you have to read everything “in order” — the Christians in Rome did fine reading Romans first. Feel free to skip around, reading the Gospel of Luke, then the letter of Hebrews, or Isaiah. Later, you might want to try a more difficult book, such as 1 Chronicles.
When you begin each book, put the date on the first page. That way you’ll know which books you’ve read, and which you haven’t. Eventually you’ll get to them all — if you keep at it.
You may want to get a modern translation, too. There’s nothing especially holy or helpful about 400-year-old English. Try the New International Version, the New Living Translation, or other easier versions. You may even want to compare two translations to see how different people understand the words.
2. Read
If you read only one sentence, you might misunderstand it. For example, if someone shouts “Fire!” you might not know whether they are warning you of danger, or telling you to shoot a gun. The word needs a context before you can understand it.
The same is true of sentences in Scripture. For example, “No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you.” To understand this sentence, we need to know who is speaking, who he is speaking to, and why. We need a context. (Hint: it’s in Genesis.)
So if we want to understand what is going on, we need to read passages, or paragraphs, not lift sentences off the page as if they had independent meaning. Sometimes they do, but most often they do not, and the only way to know whether they do is to read at least a few sentences before and some after, to get a feeling for what the section is talking about. Who is talking, who is doing what, and why? What is the backstory of the passage?
Many modern translations help us see the context by putting the words into paragraphs and giving subtitles for major sections. These markers usually tell us where one subject stops and another starts. The point is to read each verse in context, not as a totally independent thought.
3. Ask
We don’t understand everything we read. We don’t understand everything in a modern novel or movie, either, but we can enjoy the flow of the story anyway. But when it comes to the Bible, people often get bothered when they don’t understand everything. After all, it is a message from God, and we are supposed to understand it, and we may feel a bit annoyed when we don’t.
Nobody understands all the Bible, even after studying it full-time for 50 years. Nobody understands everything the first time they read it. (Some people think they do, but they have a bigger problem!) When it comes to the things of God, we are all a bit ignorant. So relax. If you don’t understand something, ask questions. (Talk out loud if you want to, but don’t expect to hear voices.)
Ask the Bible: Who is talking here? How does he or she feel? Why are these people doing things this way? Would I probably do the same thing? Are we supposed to take this exactly the way it’s written, or is it using figures of speech to talk about something else? Is it something good, or something bad? Is there anything in the text to give me clues to help me understand? What would this mean to the person who wrote this, and to the first people who read it?
Sometimes the answers are clear, sometimes they are not. Sometimes we just have to write a question mark in the margin and move onward. Maybe we’ll understand it five years later. Maybe a Bible handbook could help us understand. It’s OK to have questions.
4. Talk
Often, the things you don’t understand, someone else does — and vice versa. So when we have questions about the meaning of the Bible, we can talk about it with other Christians. They may have already studied the same question, and may be able to make it clear.
Or you might want to share something you learned and enjoyed. Perhaps you’ve seen a proverb that applies to a situation you are in. Perhaps you have read a story of faith that you wish you had. Or maybe it was a glimpse of how great God is. Talk about these things, too, to encourage one another.
The New Testament describes the early church as a fellowship, as a group of people who often spoke to one another about the things of God. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teachings. They enjoyed what they learned, and talked about their joy.
In the modern world, Christians often talk before or after church, or in small groups that meet during the week in homes — small groups that meet for the purpose of praying together, discussing Scripture, and helping one another. One of these groups could help you in your Bible reading. So that’s a good step for better understanding: Talk about the Bible with other Christians.
We can let other people talk to us, too, when we read books about the Bible – study Bibles, introductions, surveys, and commentaries. They might help us understand what was going on. But those books aren’t perfect, and we don’t have to accept everything they say. But the authors have been studying these things longer than we have, so they are worth reading.
5. Repeat
Since it’s a big book, and since we don’t understand it all the first time, it is important that we keep at it. If we really want to understand how God speaks to us through the Bible, then we need to form a life-long habit of reading, thinking, and talking about the Bible.
We will die before we know it all — there is always more to learn. There are treasures hidden in the Bible, and it takes patience to seek them out. We can find some treasures right away; others will be found only after many years. There’s always something waiting for us to see.
And we all have to admit it, we aren’t getting any younger. We forget things. We forget lessons we once learned, we forget promises we once knew. If we aren’t refreshing our memory of Scripture, then we will be slowing losing something we once had. Out of sight, out of mind.
So don’t quit — keep reading the Book!
For further reading
- Arthur, Kay. How to Study Your Bible. Harvest House, 2010.
- Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. 4th edition. Zondervan, 2014.
- McKnight, Scot. The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible. 2nd ed. Zondervan, 2018.
- Stott, John. Understanding the Bible. 2nd ed. Zondervan, 1999.
- Wright, N.T. Scripture and the Authority of God: How to Read the Bible Today. HarperOne, 2013.
Author: Michael Morrison, edited 2026
