Reading the Bible Properly

How to approach the Bible properly for reading and studying has come to my mind again lately. Sometimes what we’ll do is come to the Bible with a preconceived notion or belief, then find parts of the Bible that support that idea. Sometimes we teach that way, too, but that’s the wrong way to do it (How to Write Biblical Advice and Lessons). Even if your idea is correct, if you’re going to the Bible with the lens of your own ideas in front of your eyes then you’re not reading what the Bible really says.

When reading the Bible, we need to take into account what the culture was and how the people at the time would have understood it. We need to bear in mind the original language and how sometimes our best efforts at translating might cause us to lose a bit of the deeper meaning or wordplay from time to time. We need to remember that sometimes even if we know the words, we might be coming with a mindset that thinks the words mean one thing when they really mean another. We need to account for how much our current life experiences might shape how we perceive what we’re reading. We especially need to keep in mind that these are God’s Words, and whether we like and agree with what He tells us or not, we should be doing what He says with His Words. If God tells us we need to change our ways or minds, then change we should. The Bible doesn’t say what we think it says; the Bible says what God says and means what He means.

I’m not supposed to put on my own mind glasses to read the Bible, I should be using God’s glasses. Sometimes while I’m doing that, I find something that I didn’t realize was there. Sometimes I realize I need to ask more questions and do more studying before I can fully understand something in God’s Word, and certainly before I can explain it to someone else. Sometimes I realize that I need to change.

Read what the Bible says, not what you think it says and not what you want it to say.

Reading the Bible Properly

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